Imagine something magical. Something creamy. Something fluffy. Something sweet and elegant. Imagine hot summer day in your aunts perfect garden. Imagine summer in France. Now imagine super quick dessert that is so easy to make you just won’t believe it. This dessert is called clafoutis but you don’t have to imagine it because you can make it all by yourself.

No matter what’s the level of your culinary skills, you can’t go wrong with this summer recipe. Clafoutis [kla-foo-tee] is a baked French dessert made of thick egg batter and fresh fruit, usually black cherries but you can put anything you like and the result will be equally good.

Clafoutis originated in in the rural region of Limousin, France and spread all over the France in the nineteenth century. This custardy dish became so popular all over the country that everyone fell in love with this rustic fruit dessert with a rich and savory texture that hovers between cake and custard.

Clafoutis comes from the verb clafir, meaning “to fill”. This dessert is true to its name because clafoutis is made by filling the baking pan with a sweet (but not too sweet) egg batter and fruit on top. Traditionally, clafoutis is made with un-pitted black cherries. When heated, the cherry pits infuse the batter with an almond flavor.

Some say that a clafoutis made with anything other than cherries is called flaugnarde. Clafoutis or flaugnarde, you can put any fruit you can imagine, like berries, peaches or apples, to name just a few.

If you have some leftover berries in your fridge and would like to indulge in a perfect, elegant and easy dessert keep reading. Especially if you love French culture and food and healthy recipes. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying this is the healthy recipe. But, you know, it’s not unhealthy either.

It’s not too sweet, it’s fruity and light. You can serve it warm, cold or at room temperature and you can even make it in advance. One thing I can guarantee you – there won’t be any leftovers for tomorrow.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Place a pie dish in the hot oven with 1/2 tablespoon butter. Let it melt and spread it evenly to coat the pie dish.

2. In a bowl add eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla and blend well (with hand mixer) until combined and foamy. Add flour and salt and mix for another 1 minute.

3. In the hot pie dish, pour half batter and let it sit for 2 minutes until batter is set (this will help the berries remain in the middle). Spread berries in an even and generous layer on the set batter and sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons sugar. Pour remaining batter on top of berries. Smooth the top (you can do it with the back of the spoon).

4. Bake for 30 minutes (depends on the oven so make sure to check it every now and then). Knife should come out clean when it’s baked, and the edges will be golden brown. Clafoutis will also rise while baking and deflate as it cools.

5. You can serve clafoutis warm after baking. You can also serve it at room temperature or cold. Don’t forget to sprinkle powdered sugar on top before serving.

Cook time: 30 minutes (depends on the oven)

Serves: 6-8

Bon Appétit!