Clafoutis // noun, super French, [klah-foo-tee]: An almost breakfast-y tart kind of dessert that’s eggy, custardy, fruit-studded, and somehow cake-like in structure and substance. Best enjoyed warm, with soft whipped cream, powdered sugar, and your third cup of coffee for the morning. Fruit is essential. Cherries are traditional. Cranberries are happening.
See also: firm but still really good flan. See also: really eggy cake. See also: Stop making poor comparisons when French breakfast dessert is what is, aka DELICIOUS.
Did that get weird? (Rhetorical.)
We’re making a French, custardy, I-want-to-call-it-breakfast-cake with fresh cranberries because tis the season. Here’s where we start!
First let’s flavor our sugar. Why not?
When recipes have just a few simple ingredients, it’s important to pull out a few of our baking tricks. This one: rubbing fresh orange zest into granulated sugar to maximize flavor and aroma.
Eggs are beaten into the orange sugar. Structure and custard. That’s where we’re going with this!
Flour into the sweet, eggy mixture.
We’re not using baking soda or baking powder. We’re relying on the power of eggs to give us body and lift.
Half-and-half is whisked into the mixture, creating a loose, pancake-like batter. Sweet and lovely and ready for baking.
Our pie dish is brushed generously with butter and filled with fresh cranberries (whole and chopped).
Our clafoutis batter is poured over the cranberries, and the tart is ready to bake!
After 30 minutes in the oven, we’ve got a slightly puffed, just golden brown, cranberry-busting, eggy tart.
There’s no time to waste. This tart is best served warm!
Dusted with powdered sugar and served with sweetened whipped cream and coffee.
The texture of this tart is in between custard and cake. Some might call it rubbery, but that’s unkind (though just slightly accurate). I love its unique texture, especially when warm and the tart cranberries add the perfect burst of Fall flavor.
PrintCranberry Orange and Cream Clafoutis
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45
- Yield: 1
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup half-and-half or whole milk
- 2 cups cranberries (1 cup whole, 1 cup coarsely chopped)
- powdered sugar and whipped cream for topping
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9 or 10-inch pie plate with butter and add two tablespoons of sugar.
- Tilt the pie plate around so that the sugar coats all of the butter on the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine remaining sugar and orange zest. Use the back of a spoon to work the zest into the sugar, creating a fragrant, orange-tinted sugar.
- Whisk in the eggs until thoroughly combined and slightly thickened. Add the flour and salt and whisk to combine. Lastly, add the half-and-half (or milk, if using) and carefully whisk to combine.
- Add the cranberries (whole and chopped) to the prepared baking dish. Top with milky mixture. Bake for 30 minutes, or until puffed and just lightly golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving warm dusted with powdered sugar and dolloped with whipped cream.
- I like this tart best, warm, the day it is made.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
Alissa
Joy, have you ever tried Julia Child’s recipe for clafoutis? It has some marked differences in preparation (use of blender) and baking (two stages). I wonder how the end products compare. http://www.food.com/recipe/julia-childs-cherry-clafouti-239454
Heather
Alissa, I make Julia Child’s recipe…works every time. More eggs, less sugar and flour. I just have to make sure to get all the moisture out of any fruit that I use frozen or is particularly prone to juices baking out, otherwise the custard won’t set properly. Just had a sour cherry one with yogurt for breakfast…with only 1/3 cup of sugar in the whole thing, I don’t really feel like it was an unhealthy breakfast!
Valerie
Oh my gosh, I love this!!! One of my favorite desserts growing up (and still is) is a blueberry clafoutis that my Mom makes. I didn’t even know cherries were the traditional fruit in a clafoutis until much, much later. This is going on the to bake right now list!
Robyn R.
Have you tried Nantucket Cranbery Pie? Looks similar, but more cake-like, and fewer steps.
Keyan
Since lots or loft isn’t the point here, wondering if another kind of flour (non-wheat) might work.
What do you think, Joy?
Ashley Hildebrand
yum! Joy, do you think I could use frozen cranberries if I made this off-season?
Thanks!
Linda | The Baker Who Kerns
I don’t even know how to pronounce clafoutis! So the help was very much appreciated. It’s like when I try to pronounce gefilte fish and it just goes terribly wrong. Gotta get these words right! Those cranberries look yummy!
Nutty Nutritionist
haha, I love your clafouti description and comparison!
Chrissy
I wish I had this for breakfast today, yesterday and could have it every day after.
perfectingdeliciousness
yum! I love the use of cranberries. Have always wanted to make this but shied away from cherries! Thanks, Joy!
Lissi
Thanks, Joy; the dish sounds delicious and the photos are gorgeous.
John
OMG, I love cranberries, I love clafoutis, and I love you!
Thanks!!!
Stacy
I thought I had my Thanksgiving menu all planned out, then this came into my life. Thanks for messing up (a.k.a. improving) my holiday baking plans, Joy! :)
Jackie
This looks amazing. I love clafoutis, I’ve made it with all kinds of fruits but I never considered the cranberry-orange variation. I’m tempted to try this, maybe with fresh squeezed OJ added to whole milk instead of using cream.. (orange buttermilk? lol)
Ksenia @ At the Immigrant's Table
Fresh cranberries and orange is the first sign that winter is here for me. And it’s a welcome one at that! Beautiful creation.
Pandaonavespa
First of all, it looks beautiful! I just have one question: could you put the degree in Celsius as well? It could be useful for us Europeans =)
anyway: congratulations!!!
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