Julia Child's Berry Clafoutis Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

WiscoCooks

I checked the original recipe, the one referenced in the article, and it's substantially different from this one (more berries, less sugar...) so don't blame Julia Child if it doesn't work for you. This isn't her recipe.

Roni Jordan

Nice recipe Anne, but the point here is to review the recipe, not use this as a forum for your own totally different dessert.

anne

Prefer recipe from "A Provincial Table," by Richard Olney
2 TBS butter
1 pound apricots, halved and pitted
2 oz slivered almonds
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1-1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375F. Butter shallow baking dish. Arrange apricots, cut surface down in single layer. Add almonds. Whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, salt, eggs. Whisk in flour, add milk. Pour mixture over apricots. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over surface. Dot with butter. Bake for 40 minutes til golden.

EB

The negative comments are quite overblown and questionable. This recipe works fine as it is written here. If you want to reduce sugar, obviously that's fine too. Julia Child, in the Art of French Cooking, calls these clafoutis and flans interchangeably, and her basic recipe uses 2/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour, and 1/3 c. granulated sugar, and 3 cups (1 1/4 Ibs) blackberries or blueberries. The NYT version of the recipe works out fine, but Julia's version is BETTER.

Faded elegance

This is actually a recipe for clafouti, not flan. Clafoutis can often be too "eggy" so that they taste too custardy. You can solve the problem by using a little baking powder in the batter to help ensure the puffiness.

Elyssa

From Julia Child's actual cookbook the recipe is slightly different with the changes noted below for the master recipe

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup flour

3 cups (about 1 1/4lb) stemmed and washed blackberries or blueberries

Julie

This looked dull, but I tried it. Cooled it just slightly then Hub and I spooned it into small dishes while it was still warm...one taste and there was silence. And then the yumming commenced and instead of proper, polite second helpings, we grabbed a big knife and drew a line across the clafoutis and ate it (vulture style) standing at the kitchen counter. See Joanne Chang's Flour cookbook for a variation... plums and vanilla AND a dab of almond extract.

Julie

As others have noted, this isn't quite a flan. I don't think it's really clafouti either. But it is delicious. I made it in a cast iron skillet and it browned beautifully.

Don Waring

What size baking dish? 9x13?

Gail

Great recipe. Thank you. This is "adapted" from dear Julia bakers, not directly hers - first clue is that 2% milk can be used. Now Folks, does that sound like the Julia we know and love??? :-)

Sharon

It is Julia's recipe for clafoutis, not flan. I make it often, with many different fruits and also rhubarb.

DBW

Goodness this is tasty. I've made it several different times with different berries - raspberries this last time I think. It's incredibly good and guests love it and it takes virtually no effort.

Karolyn Schalk

This is only as good as the berries you use. Pick the smallest baking dish that will hold the ingredients, deeper is better since it will dry out less. If you have plums or other stone fruits go to Child's Clafouti recipe for plums in Mastering the Art of French Cooking - I think Volume 2.

Cathy

We loved this. I used strawberries, because that's what I had, otherwise followed directions closely. Spreading the sugar (1/3 C) over the top before you bake is such a nice touch because it gets crispy. I used the same shape baking dish as the picture - assume similar size. Using a lot of butter to prep the dish is key - it came out of the pan very easily but other wise would have been sticky mess. Mine puffed up a lot - more like soufflé. Very pretty. Next time might serve ice cream with.

Vivienne

Calling this a "flan" is confusing. I expected something with an egg custard. Clafouti is a specific type of dish, like a cake, pie, tart, etc.

I've made the clafouti recipes from the original cookbook a number of times - she has several different ones for different fruits. I've made pear, blueberry, cherry. They are all good but should be made to be enjoyed immediately by a group because they do not keep well. A fresh, simple dessert for a summer evening.

Mina

Turned out great! A few changes I made, in case anyone is wondering if they'll work: Used 1/4 c sugar. Not sweet, which I liked.Only used 1 tsp vanilla (was running low) + 1/4 tsp almond extract.Beat eggs, sugar, salt, & vanilla until light in color, then added milk & flour. Not sure if it mattered, but texture turned out well! Didn't have enough fresh blueberries, used ~3/4 c frozen to supplement. Microwaved the frozen ones first & let drain very well.Perfect!

andrea

Add lemon peel 1 teaspoons

Jennifer

Great dessert, I’ll be making it again, hopefully with better results. My oven turned off somehow and it just sat there, I got the oven heating again it rose beautifully. I’m sure it wasn’t perfect but I remembered Julia saying “never apologize”. My friends loved it.

Rik

Made it today since I had some over ripe prunes for which I had no purpose.... Turned out really well. Largely followed recipe, added lemon zest to the sugar over the fruit as suggested in these notes. I used a slightly smaller springform cake pan (7 inch, I think) and let the first layer of batter set in that pan on the bottom of my oven while it was getting hot, for 10 minutes (starting when the oven was about 175 degrees). Using spelt flour and overripe fruit I added 1/4 cup flour. Yummy!!

Aubrey

Made this lovely dessert with frozen raspberries. It was done at exactly 50min. I may have over cooked the first layer of clafoutis on my stovetop. I noticed when I was cutting slices the bottom layer stuck to the bottom on my pie pan. Overall, a huge hit. Very versatile. A stunning addition to my dessert rotation.

2Cents

I trusted NYT and made this for guests. It tastes like a blueberry omelet.

Julie

Has anyone used strawberries?

clafoutis

2 eggs, 2/3 recipe. 45 minutes, turn in oven at 25.

married to French dude

Such a great recipe. We added some lemon zest to the sugar before sprinkling it on top of the fruit. Possibly the best clafoutis we've made. The 2 minutes on the stovetop is the secret!

JH

Mine lacked flavor, and the batter was dense and chewy. Maybe I overcooked it?

Jaime

We needed to have dessert, so we decided to make this, and it was wonderful. The flavors were subtle, but delicious. Easy to make. Used cherries.

Meg

I think everyone who is saying this has twice the sugar of the original recipe is not reading it correctly - if you turn the page in your Julia Child you will see that the second 1/3 cup of sugar is sprinkled over the blackberries.

Deb

I plan make this soon, and will be using Califia Barista oat milk. I'll let you know how it turns out! Anyone else use alternatives to cow's milk for this?

Coco Capri

Great recipe, however I'd recommend covering it while you bake for the first 35 minutes or so. Then uncover it for the remainder. I was really hesitant to leave it uncovered the whole time (because the recipe doesn't say to cover it or not). Baked it in a Dutch oven and that worked great.

Dorothy

Came out rubbery. It may have been over cooked.

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Julia Child's Berry Clafoutis Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my clafoutis rubbery? ›

With your clafoutis perhaps reduce the cooking time by five to 10 minutes or turn the oven down by 10 degrees. Make sure the eggs are the right size as too much egg white to flour will make a more rubbery texture.

How do you know when clafoutis are done? ›

Pour the batter over the cherries. 3. Bake until a thin knife inserted near the center of the clafouti comes out nearly clean (a few crumbs are fine) and the top is a deep golden color, about 35 to 40 minutes. If the top is brown before the custard is done, loosely cover with a sheet of foil.

What is Julia Child's best dessert? ›

Julia Child's timeless desserts - Charlotte Malakoff, Crêpes Suzette, and Chocolate Mousse - are a testament to the elegance and sophistication of French cuisine. Each dessert offers a unique and delightful experience, combining classic techniques with high-quality ingredients to create memorable flavors.

What is a clafoutis in English? ›

: a dessert consisting of a layer of fruit (such as cherries) topped with batter and baked.

Why is my clafoutis runny? ›

Should Clafoutis be Runny? The perfect cherry clafoutis is custardy, not runny. It'll be moist, but the center shouldn't be liquid or runny. Too much fruit can cause runny clafoutis, so if the center of your clafoutis is uncooked after baking, you may want to use less fruit in the future.

Why is my clafoutis watery? ›

Probably too few eggs or not enough cooking time.

What is an interesting fact about clafoutis? ›

Clafoutis originated in a region in south-central France called Limousin. Its name comes from the Occitan word “clafir,” meaning “to fill.” So popular was it “to fill” a dish with fruit and batter, that by the 19th century, clafoutis' renown had spread from Limousin to other regions of France and bordering countries.

Do you eat clafoutis hot or cold? ›

Clafoutis is most perfectly delicious when it's a bit warm or at room temperature, best eaten within an hour of coming out of the oven. Leftovers should be refrigerated, and they can for sure be enjoyed cold.

What does a clafoutis taste like? ›

How does clafoutis taste? Clafoutis has the texture of an oven-baked pancaked. It is sweet, but not terribly so, and the chunks of fresh fruit are enjoyable to the palate.

What was the meal that changed Julia Child's life? ›

For their first meal in France, Paul ordered oysters, sole meunière and a green salad. Child devoured the meal, calling it “perfection.” Alex Prud'homme, Child's grandnephew and cowriter of her memoir, “My Life in France,” opened the book with this now famous scene.

What dessert made Julia Child cry? ›

This is the tart that made Julia Child cry. In 1997, Nancy Silverton baked this tart on Baking with Julia, a TV series that featured guest pastry chefs who were—at the time—just emerging as stars.

What is Julia Child's most famous dish? ›

Child's Boeuf Bourguignon recipe was featured in one of the earliest episodes of The French Chef and has become a classic among the many Child enthusiasts at GBH. In fact, GBH News host Henry Santoro concludes there's no better recipe for the dish.

Why is it called clafoutis? ›

One reported derivation of dish's name is from Occitan clafotís, from the verb clafir, meaning "to fill" (implied: "the batter with cherries"). Another reported derivation is that clafir comes from old French claufir, meaning "to fix with nails," explained as the cherries having the appearance of nail heads.

Can you reheat clafoutis? ›

Cherry clafoutis can be served warm, at room temperature or cold. Can you reheat cherry clafoutis? You can reheat it in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes until just warm.

Is clafoutis similar to a cobbler? ›

Clafoutis Offers A Different Texture Than Cobbler

Nailing such a custard can be tricky — when overcooked, it turns chewy in an unpalatable way, so it's paramount to cook for precisely half an hour. Such a distinct balance creates a uniquely textured dessert, somewhere between cake and crème brûlée.

Why is my egg bake rubbery? ›

Your egg casserole might be rubbery if you didn't cook the vegetables before. Moisture can lead to rubbery egg bakes. Make sure to thoroughly cook your vegetables and meat before adding to an egg bake!

Does clafoutis rise? ›

Clafoutis, though, isn't meant to be a risen dessert like soufflé, and in fact it deflates almost instantly when removed from the oven, so getting maximum rise isn't critical.

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