Michelle Darmody: How to make classic French clafoutis — and the mistakes to avoid

Clafoutis is a classic French dessert. It is typically made with cherries, more specifically with sour morello cherries or griottes, local to the Limousin area of France where clafoutis originates.

Clafoutis is a classic French dessert. It is typically made with cherries, more specifically with sour morello cherries or griottes, local to the Limousin area of France where clafoutis originates. 

In fact, this dessert recipe is technically for a flognarde rather than a clafoutis, as it is made with pears instead of cherries. 

I used the term clafoutis for ease of recognition but any use of fruit besides cherries is a flognarde. 

I love making it with apricots earlier in the summer but at this time of year it is a great way to embrace the autumn bounty of fruit such as pears, apples or blackberries.

This dessert has a lovely velvety smooth texture due to the wobble at the centre when you remove it from the oven. 

The batter firms up a bit more as it cools. It is delicious served warm after about 10 or 15 minutes of cooling. 

You can also eat it cold; the texture tends to be different however as the pudding firms completely in the fridge.

The chunks of baked pears are a slightly tart contrast to the layer of sweet batter. 

I tend to leave the skin on, but you are welcome to remove it. The toughness of pear skin can vary quite considerably between different varieties. 

I tend to choose a pear that has smooth, shiny skin. A variety like Condor will hold its shape and the skin is supple enough to soften during baking.

Pear clafoutis

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

This dessert has a lovely velvety smooth texture due to the wobble at the centre when you remove it from the oven.

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 35 mins

Total Time

 55 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 90g golden caster sugar

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten and 2 extra egg yolks

• 50mls milk

• 200mls cream

• 50g ground almonds

• 20g plain flour

• 400g sliced, cored pears

• 2 tsp icing sugar and a little more for decorating

Method

1. Butter a 9-inch round skillet or oven proof dish and set aside.

2. Preheat your oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4.

3. Beat the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, milk and cream until combined.

4. Mix the ground almonds and flour together and add the egg mixture to this.

5. Beat until combined and there are no lumps.

6. Pour the batter into your prepared skillet or oven dish and dot the sliced pears on top.

7. Sprinkle a layer of icing sugar on top and then place your dish into the center of your oven.

8. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the batter has risen and the top is golden. It will still have a slight wobble in the center.

9. Sprinkle another layer of icing sugar to decorate if you wish.

Baker's tips

I find using a thick dish or skillet for the dessert gives the best results and ensures a more even bake.

When you make the batter, it will feel quite runny, almost like a pancake batter. 

It is best not to beat the batter too much as it will release the gluten in the flour and make the resulting dessert tough and chewy. 

Having said that, you need to make sure to smooth out any lumps. 

I find giving the batter a quick beating with a whisk, is the quickest and best way to integrate the dry and wet ingredients.

You can make a gluten-free version using a gluten-free flour.

If you bake the cake at too hot a temperature it can become rubbery in texture, so it is good to keep an eye as you bake the dessert and ensure your oven is not too hot.

You can use a wide variety of fruit in this dessert, but it is best not to choose fruit with high water content like grapes or melon. 

Pineapple, mango, stone fruit or berries all work well. If you are making a variation with berries, you can use frozen ones. 

I would thaw them out a bit and drain off any water and juices before adding the fruit to the cake.

If you like a crunch on top of your dessert you can sprinkle the top with demerara instead of icing sugar. It gives it a nice, crisp texture.

You can add a little almond essence to the batter if you like a stronger almond flavour.

The cake is ready to come out of the oven when the batter has risen and is golden, but it should still have a slight wobble in the center. 

If it is still very wobbly you can put it back into the oven for a few minutes at a time.

The cake is best served warm, rather than hot, but it does last two or three days in the fridge if you wish to keep it.

Three delicious variations

Individual blackberry clafoutis

• There are still blackberries to be had on brambles and you can make a delicious variation of this dessert with them. 
• I like to use individual pots for a berry version. The cooking time needs to be decreased but otherwise it is the same recipe. 
• Pour the batter into six or eight small ramekins and sprinkle the berries and some light demerara sugar on the top. Bake until risen and golden.

Apple and hazelnut clafoutis

• Keeping with the autumnal theme, apples are another good choice for this dessert. 
• You can substitute the ground almonds with ground hazelnuts and sprinkle chopped hazelnuts onto the batter with the chopped apples before baking.

Plum and dark chocolate

• You can substitute the 400g of pears with plums and add 100g of chopped dark chocolate. 
• Sprinkle these over the batter when it is in the dish and bake as instructed.