Did you ever see the movie Julie and Julia about Julie Powell, a writer who wrote a brilliant blog where she spent a year cooking every single recipe in Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”? In the movie, Julie learned so many skills, so many recipes, to both the joy and chagrin of her friends and family. (This project actually sounds like something I would want to do.) She not only blogged about this project, but wrote a Book, which was then made into the film.
Anyway, one thing we didn’t learn in that movie is that some of Julia’s many recipes are so incredibly easy, it’s a wonder we didn’t learn them as children. Because I’m telling you – and in all seriousness, that this Blackberry Clafoutis from Julia Child is a recipe a 10-year-old could make. And I’m actually a little upset I didn’t realize before this exactly how easy it is to make.
So, what exactly is Clafoutis (pronounced cluh-FOO-tee)? It’s basically a dense vanilla custard topped with fresh fruit and baked until golden brown. Served warm with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, it is delicately flavored and not too sweet. Not only is it both easy and impressive, there are an infinite array of variations you could make: you could substitute cherries for the berries and almond extract for the vanilla, for a Cherry-Almond Clafoutis, you could make a Blueberry-Lemon Clafoutis by adding a couple Tablespoons of lemon juice, or use peaches or pears instead of berries. I would say whatever fruit is in season, that is the fruit to use!
Any leftovers you have (and Good Luck with that!?) make a fantastic breakfast! I know that while I was in Europe, this was served at breakfast several times by our hosts, both in France and in Italy. I didn’t realize this until I made my own Clafoutis and realized that Clafoutis is what I had eaten on vacation! It’s a perfect breakfast or brunch dish because it is mostly milk, eggs and fruit and is not as sweet as most desserts. So make some Blackberry Clafoutis for breakfast sometime as well!
Enjoy!
PrintBlackberry Clafoutis
This classic recipe, from Julia Child, can be seen on Epicurious.com. It is so simple, yet so perfect – dense, slightly sweet vanilla custard, topped with fresh berries and a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar. So satisfying.
Feel free to adapt to your own tastes – you could use any type of berries and even substitute 1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract for the 1 T vanilla, or add a Tablespoon or two of lemon juice to add a bit of lemon flavor.
Don’t worry about a crack or two on the surface, it’s a rustic dessert, and doesn’t mean you did anything wrong!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 Servings 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Bake
Ingredients
- Butter for the pan
- 1 1/4 c milk (Whole or 2%)
- 1/3 c Granulated Sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 T Natural Vanilla Extract
- 1/8 t Salt
- 1/2 c AP flour, sifted
- 3 c blackberries or blueberries, rinsed, well-drained
- 1 –2 T Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter a medium-sized (1.8L or more) heatproof ceramic dish or enameled cast-iron pan.
- In a blender, mix the following ingredients on High speed for about 1 minute, until smooth and frothy: milk, half of the sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour.
- Pour a 1/4″ layer of batter into a baking dish. Place over a low burner on the stove, or in the preheated oven for a few minutes until a firm of batter has set in the bottom of the dish. Remove from heat.
- Spread the berries over the layer of batter and sprinkle on the remaining sugar. Slowly pour the rest of the custard batter over the fruit. Place in the center of the preheated oven. Bake about 50 mins until top is golden and slightly puffy, and the clafoutis does not “jiggle”.
- Serve while still warm, sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/7 recipe
- Calories: 210
Looks lovely, Laura! I’ve made cherry clafoutis once, and totally loved it! Your pics are tempting me to make some soon 🙂
Thank you, Freda! Cherry Clafoutis is on my list. Wish I hadn’t missed the local cherry season, though.?
You know what? I’ve never made clafoutis, either! I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never gotten around to trying it out…and it looks super easy! (Not to mention super delicious.) Heck, I kinda want to make it just because it sounds cool. 🙂 And blackberries are seriously one of my favorite summer berries, too! Leftovers won’t be a probably for me!
I’m always surprised when something that looks complicated is actually easy as can be! My goal is to add some twists to it in the future. Hope you can stay tuned!
clafoutis for breakfast sounds perfect! i used to (tbh, still do) love dan tat (think of a mini custard pie) for breakfast, so i’m sure i’d love this in the morning too (: i haven’t watched “julie and julia” since it hit the theaters and can’t remember much of it, so i think it’s time for a re-watch (;
I’ve never had dan tat – would love to know if it is similar at all. Always great to re-watch a good movie, too! Thanks!
I’ve never made clafoutis before but they always look so GOOD! Clearly it’s time for me to start :). Thank you for the inspiration! Hope you have a great week!
Thanks Kelsie! Hope you have the chance to give it a try! Hope your week is great, too!