“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients” … Julia Child. So true, Julia! Here’s my evidence – these simple and tasty Cherry Clafoutis Bars!
When I was a kid, my Mom would watch Julia Child, followed by “The Galloping Gourmet” – remember him? Anyway, I didn’t care much for Julia Child at the time, she seemed a little gruff and maybe a bit overbearing to my 5-year-old sensibilities. I don’t know. I preferred Galloping, he was a bit more “lighthearted” I guess. But now, I fully appreciate her, and all she stood for and did for cooking. Her incomparable style. Her “can-do” attitude. And I’m certainly not alone. There are places where people share their favorite Julia quotes. Personally, my favorite Julia quote is “A party without cake is just a meeting.” So true Julia, so true. (Although, I would definitely add a cocktail to that cake, though.)
Anyway, like many of her recipes, her clafoutis, is definitely “good food from fresh ingredients”, and is a complete Masterpiece. It looks fancy, but that is just an illusion, making you think it’s difficult to make. And, really, there’s no reason to let anyone know how easy it was to put together. That after preparing a 4-ingredient crust in 10 minutes or less, you just mixed the custard in a blender, then popped it in the oven to set up the custard.
If you’ve never made Clafoutis (pronounced “Cla-FOO-tee”), it is a thick, lush custard, often with fresh fruit. It has a light and creamy flavor, which really allows the fresh fruit to be the star of the show. But I changed it up a bit, and added a slightly sweet crust, a “Pate Sucre” which is kind of mid-way between a pie crust and a shortbread cookie, I guess. What this crust does, in my mind, is makes Clafoutis easier to slice and plate in a lovely way. Or, let’s be real, it means you can eat Clafoutis it with your hands.
I’ve made her recipe for this Blackberry Clafoutis, which is where my mind went when all the cherries appeared at my local Farmers’ Market. So, instead of blackberries, I added some almond flavor to it and my fresh cherries. It was magnificent!
Recipe Details
This super-easy recipe creates delicious bars, adapting a classic Julia Child recipe for Clafoutis. You can use any stone fruit or berry you like, but these Bing cherries were so enticing, I had to use them!
The sweet shortcrust (Pate Sucre) is adapted from BBC Food. Just cream together the softened(!!) butter and sugar. You can use a hand mixer, stand mixer, or some strong bicep action for this. Once it looks creamy, add the egg yolks, one at a time, then the flour. Form the dough into a ball, chill it, then roll/pat it out into a crust in a 9×9 pan.
I like to par-bake this crust for about 10 minutes. This gives me enough time to make the clafoutis in my blender. Just put the ingredients in the blender, and blast on high until they are foamy.
Pour just a bit of the batter over the crust, let it film up, then place the cherries on top. Dust them with sugar, then add the rest of the batter. Bake about 45 minutes, then, resist (if you can!) until they are room temp. Don’t worry, they are also wonderful warm! Cut and serve!
So, whether you are going to a party or a meeting, why not take some Cherry Clafoutis Bars, and make sure it’s a party, not “just a meeting”? Julia would thank you. I would thank you.
Enjoy!
If you have some fresh fruits, why not also try my Easy Summer Berry Trifle or this Blueberry Crumble with Cornmeal-Pistachio Topping, or the Best Peach Crisp you might ever taste? They are some of my favorites!
Cherry Clafoutis Bars
The Sweet Shortcrust Pastry is from BBC Food, and the Clafoutis recipe from Julia Child, as seen on Epicurious
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 50-55 min
- Total Time: 65-70 min
- Yield: 18 triangles 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 7 T (90g) Butter, softened
- 1/3 c (65g) Granulated or Superfine Sugar
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 7 oz. (200 g, scant 1 3/4 cup) All-Purpose Flour
For the Clafoutis:
- 1 1/4 c (294 ml) Whole or 2% Milk
- 2/3 c (130g) Granulated Sugar, divided
- 3 Lg eggs
- 1 1/2 t Almond Extract
- 1/8 t Salt
- 1/2 c (64g) All-purpose Flour, sifted
- 3 c Sweet Cherries, rinsed and pitted
- 1–2 T (16g) Confectioners’ Sugar for dusting
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- Using a hand-mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until nicely combined. One at a time, add the egg yolks until fully incorporated. Mix in the flour. The dough should come together nicely. Form it into a ball.
- Place the ball of dough onto a floured surface and knead it a bit until it is smooth. Wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. If you leave it chilling longer, set on the counter for 10 minutes before rolling or patting it out.
- Prepare the baking pan: spray or line with parchment a 9×9 baking pan.
- Preheat oven to 350 (Conventional) or 330F (Convection, fan). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough ball slightly into a (roughly) 9×9 square, then move it to your 9×9 baking pan. Pat to the edges of the pan. Place in the oven and par-bake for 10 minutes. While it is in the oven, prepare the Clafoutis.
Make the Clafoutis:
- In a blender at high speed, mix the following ingredients for a full minute until frothy: the milk, 1/3 cup (65g) of the sugar, eggs, almond extract, salt and flour.
- When you remove the par-baked crust from the oven, pour about 1/4” of the clafoutis over the surface and return it to the oven for 2-3 minutes until the film of batter has set just a bit.
- Spread the cherries over the film, then sprinkle the remaining 1/3 c (65g) sugar over the top. Slowly pour in the rest of the batter. Place in the still-preheated oven. Bake 40-50 minutes (mine took 45 mins) until the top is nice and golden, and slightly puffy. It shouldn’t jiggle at this point.
- Cool and slice into 9 squares, then cut each square diagonally, for a total of 18 triangles.
- Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, as desired.
Notes
- Be sure the butter you use is softened, all the way through. This will make a nice cookie-style crust.
- You can make the crust dough of time, just let it set out at room temp 10 or 15 minutes so it is easy to roll or pat into the pan.
- The best plan is to mix the clafoutis in your blender while the dough par-bakes.
- I like to cut my 9×9 pan into 9 squares, then cut each diagonally, making 18 triangles. You could cut any way you want, but I think the triangles are pretty!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 triangle, 1/18 recipe
Keywords: Cherry, Clafoutis, Bars
PIN Cherry Clafoutis Bars ->
Lol..yes, a cocktail with cake, indeed 😉 !! This looks absolutely delicious, Laura! I wanna grab a couple of pieces right through my screen. Love cherry season!!
★★★★★
Right with you there, Dawn! I love cherry season, too and no shortage of ways to use these beauties! Thanks for visiting!
I actually didn’t really know Julia Child before the movie appeared, but she was such an interesting character indeed. Love her quotes, too! Also it appears I’ve never made a clafoutis, particularly cause I wasn’t sure in this custard-y texture. But you’ve (almost) convinced me, and I’m going (most likely) to give it a try this summer! 🙂
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Julia was quite influential, indeed. (I liked the movie, too!) Hope you give it a try, Ben. Would love to know how you like it!
Those look so custardy and delish! I’d love some right now!
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Thanks, Kim! I would, too! They disappeared so fast!
This is right up my alley, as I much prefer simple and light treats.
Balvinder – yes, I agree! Perfect for summertime, too! Thanks for visiting!
Laura, such a brilliant idea to turn clafoutis into bars! So simple yet so elegant! I love Julia’s recipes. Sure wish my mom watched her show when I was growing up!
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I think my Mom taught me the love of cooking, partly through the shows we watched together. And Julia really is a genius, isn’t she? Thanks for visiting!
What a delicious looking dessert, Laura! I love that quote about meetings and cake, too…it’s a classic! I absolutely follow that rule as all parties must involve cake. (I might make an exception for ice cream is it’s an outdoor summer party, but that’s about it.) Speaking of summer parties, though, these clafoutis bars look awesome! Plus, it’s just fun to say clafoutis. 🙂
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It’s true, clafoutis is a wonderful word to say. A great conversation-starter, too, don’t you think? Glad you’re holding up Julia’s party rule, it’s very important, isn’t it? Thanks for visiting, David!
Oh I haven’t had Clafoutis in ages. And those fresh cherries in it. Mouthwatering!
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Thanks, Neil! I do love a good clafoutis – it’s simplicity and ability to let the fruit shine. Hope you get the chance to make a clafoutis! And thanks so much for visiting!
Laura, these look FANTASTIC! I’m loving cherries right now (actually I love cherries all the time) so I’m totally trying these!
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Oh, Kelsie, I totally agree! The cherries are extra good this year, though, so I’ve been eating them constantly, as well as making things like clafoutis!
love how creamy and custardy these look! and a handful of summery cherries never hurt anyone (;
Thanks, Heather! I agree, cherries are so awesome this time of year! And clafoutis is a good way to let them shine!
I have never had a clafoutis before! I love your easy directions for making this. I must make one now 🙂
Thanks, Kelly! It really is a simple dessert, (or brunch dish!) that is so easy and elegant!