Meet the Star of Your Next Brunch
Planning a special brunch? Here’s a decadent yet simple dish that’s fancy pants, frugal, and fabulous. Drumroll please… Strawberry Clafoutis!
But before we talk food, here’s a great little idea: create your own personal French bistro experience right at home. Choose a unique location for your table, maybe in your garden, by the fireplace, or in front of a beautiful window. Set the scene with flowers, coffee, and mimosas, and add a few twinkle string lights for a magical touch. Soft music can help set the tone—perfect for a relaxed, elegant atmosphere. Nice? C’est chouette? Oui oui!
What’s a Clafoutis?
Clafoutis (pronounced kla-foo-TEE) is a classic French dish that can serve as a sweet breakfast, special dessert, or the star of your next brunch. It’s incredibly versatile, budget-friendly, and undeniably elegant. Plus, it’s easy to make—if you can whip up pancakes, you can make clafoutis!
The dish is made by pouring a sweet, crepe-like batter over fruit in a baking dish and baking it. The eggy batter bakes around the fruit, creating a light, airy, flan-like texture that’s irresistible. Serve it warm, at room temperature, or straight from the fridge. It’s delicious no matter how you enjoy it!
For this version, I’m using fresh strawberries since they’re in season. They’re affordable, abundant, and bursting with flavor. But frozen strawberries work wonderfully, too— plus they’re available year-round.
STRAWBERRY CLAFOUTIS
Yield: 4 brunch or 6 dessert servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes
What You’ll Need:
- Softened butter for the baking dish
- 1 ¼ cups half and half (or whole milk)
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup flour
- 1 pound frozen or fresh strawberries
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (if using frozen berries)
- Powdered sugar for garnish
Here’s How:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter an 8-cup baking dish or heavy pie dish.
- In a blender, combine half and half, sugars, eggs, vanilla, salt, and flour. Blend for 30 seconds. Let the batter rest while you prep the berries.
- If using frozen strawberries, drain the juice and toss berries with 2 teaspoons cornstarch to help absorb any remaining juices. If using fresh berries, slice them in half.
- Arrange berries, cut side down, in the baking dish. Pour the batter over the berries.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until puffed up, browned, and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the clafoutis to cool for a bit (it will deflate a little), and then serve it warm or at room temperature, dusted with powdered sugar and topped with whipped cream if desired.
A Blank Canvas for Any Fruit
Once you master the clafoutis batter, the possibilities are endless. You can swap the strawberries for cherries, bananas, plums, peaches, nectarines, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries—basically any fruit in season. During the colder months, consider sautéed apples and pears, or dried figs, raisins, and cranberries. If you’re using frozen fruit, just make sure to drain it well before adding it to avoid excess liquid that might affect the custard’s setting.
And for those who prefer a gluten-free version, simply swap the flour for an equal amount of brown rice flour.
Whether you’re hosting a brunch, a cozy dinner, or just want to treat yourself, this French-inspired dish is sure to impress.
Give your next gathering a touch of French flair with this frugally fabulous recipe!
You will also love: All for the love of shortcake – Classic Strawberry Shortcake and Red Velvet Waffles with Cream Cheese Mousse and Balsamic Strawberries
STRAWBERRY CLAFOUTIS
Ingredients
- Softened butter for the baking dish
- 1 ¼ cups half and half or whole milk
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup flour
- 1 pound fresh strawberries or frozen and thawed
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch – if using frozen berries
- Powdered sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Lightly butter an 8-cup baking dish, or heavy pie dish.
- Using a blender, combine the half and half, sugars, eggs, vanilla, salt, and flour. Blend for 30 seconds. Let the better rest while you prepare the berries.
- If you’re using frozen strawberries, drain the juice and toss berries with 2 teaspoons cornstarch to help absorb some of the remaining juices. If your berries are whole, slice them in half.
- Place berries, cut sidedown, in your baking dish.
- Pour the batter over the berries.
- Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until it’s puffed up, browned and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the clafoutis from the oven and allow it to cool for a little while, during which time you’ll see it deflate and settle a bit, so have your camera ready as soon as it comes out of the oven.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with powdered sugar and whipped cream if desired.
