Clafoutis with Apricots and Almonds

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Clafoutis (a cooked custard with fruit, pronounced “kla-foo-tee”) is one of the French cuisine classics from the Limousin region, but widely known in the whole country. Since it’s very easy to prepare, it’s a typical home cake. If not specified in the name, clafoutis contains cherries, but in more than ten years of baking it I have tried it with many different other fruits too. Last weekend was apricot’s turn. Of course, as a big apricot fan, who particularly appreciates its tanginess, I didn’t take much risk, but I must warn all those who hate tangy desserts: this version of clafoutis might not be for you. In this cake the fruit plays the main role, so no matter how much sugar is added, the apricot tartness will stay distinct.

Another novelty in this clafoutis was the use of almond milk. I have recently talked with Charles (Five Euro Food) about almond butter and  promised myself to experiment with it. In the meantime I stumbled upon almond milk and was very impatient to use it. This first experiment was highly successful, so thank you, Charles, for this excellent idea. The custard consistency was as good as ever, while the taste was subtler than when cow’s milk is used. I highly recommend this milk to all the lactose intolerant or simply curious cooks. Almond milk is surprisingly low-calorie, lactose-free of course and smells divinely, so I will keep on experimenting with it in the near future.

TIPS: Some clafoutis recipes contain cream and/or butter. This one doesn’t and I’m glad this is the first recipe I accidentally found many years ago, because since then a clafoutis means for me a light and guiltless dessert.

Clafoutis can be served tepid or cold, but I prefer it very cold straight from the fridge.

Preparation: 1 hour 15 min

Ingredients (6 portions, I used a 20 cm/almost 8 inches diameter tart dish):

3 eggs

5 tablespoons sugar (or a smaller amount of sweetener)

5 tablespoons flour

100 ml/3,5 fl oz milk (I used almond milk, but cow’s milk is the traditional ingredient)

about 20 medium apricots

3 tablespoons cane sugar

sliced almonds

Preheat the oven at 180°C.

Mix the eggs and sugar with a spoon. Add the flour gradually. Pour the milk and mix well.

Grease a baking dish or line it with baking paper.

Cover the bottom with stoned halved apricots (skin side down) and pour the custard over them.

Sprinkle with sliced almonds and cane sugar.

Bake around 45 minutes – 1 hour until the custard is light golden.

Serve it tepid or put into the fridge and serve it very cold.

Published by Sissi

56 Replies to “Clafoutis with Apricots and Almonds”

  1. Clafoutis is a favourite and your citrus twist makes it look more heavenly than usual 😀
    Beautiful and thank you for teaching me a little more about it!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  2. Apparently that’s then called a flaugnarde, but I really don’t care about the name. I love custards as you know, and I love tart flavours so this sounds like a great combination to me. I like that you added a sprinkle of sliced almonds to echo the use of almond milk in the recipe, yum.

    1. Thank you so much, Shuhan. The almonds gave it an additional second, crunchy texture and it was very nice. For me flaugnarde means custard with apples because the big majority of flaugnarde is made with apples, but of course you are right, some people call clafoutis with other fruit as flaugnarde. On the other hand, whenever I see clafoutis with other fruit than cherry in pastry shops and bakeries in France, it’s always called “clafoutis with something” maybe because flaugnarde is less known than clafoutis (it has a very “regional” sounding name compared to “clafoutis”). As you say, the taste is the most important 🙂

      1. I think more people are just familiar with the idea of a clafoutis, I agree, I wouldn’t know what a flaugnarde is have I not read about it while reading about clafoutis! whatever, as long as it’s delicious (:

        1. Yes, you are right! I think I have seen flaugnarde maybe twice in my life, but clafoutis with different fruits is quite popular in French bakeries/pastry shops. It’s a bit like quiche lorraine. The traditional one is without cheese (the one with cheese is supposed to have a different name), but so many people call quiche with cheese, bacon and onion as quiche lorraine…

        2. (Ok, I exaggerate. I have seen flaugnarde several times, but clafoutis at least 100x more often.)

          1. haha, I know what you mean! In fact I don’t think I have EVER seen flaugnarde at all. It’s not at all common in pastry shops in london, and don’ even talk about singapore.

  3. A clafoutis is always my top choice for dessert, or rather a flaugnarde since I make the pear one more than any other.

    The choice of almond milk is a great idea, add another dimension and some nuttiness.

    Looks good my friend!

  4. What a beautiful summer dessert, and of course, Sissi, I love that it does not contain cream or butter (although there is a place for those ingredients as well). Apricots are one of my favourites too, so easy to eat. I haven’t seen them at my green grocer yet, so they are not quite in season here. And I love the idea of using the almond milk, almond and fruit are a wonderful combo, for sure.

    1. Thank you so much, Eva. Frankly I cannot live without butter and have never ever bought any butter substitute neither to cook nor to spread, but I have it in small amounts and, as you say, in places where it is necessary: good quality French baguette, sweet pastry crust and many other desserts, but here it is absolutely not necessary (in my opinion). The lighter a clafoutis is the more I like it.
      Apricots have started to appear on my French markets two weeks ago (transported from the South of France) but it’s not the apricot season in Switzerland either (I hardly ever buy Swiss ones because they are much more expensive). Thanks to the southern climate in some parts of France apricots are in season from June to September. I’m looking forward for this long season every year!

  5. Clafoutis are on my “list” of things to make one day along with macaron, sponge cake roll croissants and chocolate souffles. 🙂 I like the idea of the crunchy almonds on the outside and the creamy tangy/sweet apricot inside.

    1. Thank you, A_Boleyn. Clafoutis is by far the easiest of all you mention, but I keep my fingers crossed for all you plan to prepare. (I hope you don’t plan to make puff pastry on your own??? It’s one of those things I am too lazy even to try…).

      1. I have an ever growing list of desserts etc I want to make and the clafouti is just one of them. Being a single person, I have to limit myself to a dessert every couple of weeks or once a week at the most if the dish freezes well. 🙂

        As to the puff pastry, I want to make something like it. This ‘pain au chocolat’ seems doable as I used the same technique when I made some pork crackling biscuits with layers of ground pork cracklings mixed with fat in between the layers and folded it.

        http://bibberche.com/2012/02/pain-au-chocolat/

        I didn’t post pictures of the three foldings etc but it’s included in the recipe for this second version of the cut out pork crackling biscuits.

        http://a-boleyn.livejournal.com/91720.html

        1. I am not single, but I totally understand because many desserts I make are only for me (my husband has a bit different taste in sweets), so for example this clafoutis was only for me. I have always thought puff pastry more difficult than the pogacsa you have made! That is very interesting. Good luck!

          1. One of the reasons I haven’t made the clafouti is that I was concerned the fresh custardy/crunchy pie wouldn’t hold up to staying in the fridge until I finally got around to eating it without getting soggy. 🙂

            As to the puff pastry … I think the chocolate bread version with the softened butter would be easier to incorporate into the dough rather than trying to get a solid pat of butter to spread out etc as in classic puff pastry. Frankly, I’d rather just buy it from a bakery. All that work for not that big a ‘bang’ taste wise.

            1. You are right. Almonds become soft especially the third day, but I still found the clafoutis delicious… I always buy my puff pastry from the shop. I only make sure it’s butter (I hate the one with margarine).

              1. I meant to buy the croissants themselves directly from the bakery as I don’t know any place local where you can buy the puff pastry fresh. Only the frozen stuff sold in grocery stores which I doubt very much is made with butter.

                I’m lucky that I’m close to several very good bakeries so if I have a craving for something it makes more sense to just go and buy one or two to satisfy myself rather than putting in the time and effort to make a large batch at home. 🙂

                1. You are totally right! I cannot even imagine having made several croissants… I would never stop with one.

  6. Hi Sissi! I have been on a long family vacation, hence the lack of comments. Hope you have been doing well and enjoying Summer! We went to Lake Tahoe and Northern California for 12 days, I certainly need a vacation after all that outdoor activities!

    I will need to go through all the recipes you posted while we were out. This “kla-foo-tee” sounds wonderful, with the use of Almond milk? I bet it’s just smooth with exciting tartness. You know the funny (or sad) thing is I experimented with almond milk, but they made me break out like a zit farm, so I still have to stick with soy milk due to lactose and nut sensitivity, oh well!

    1. Hi, Jeno. I’m glad to hear you have had a lovely time on holidays. You know, actually I was thinking about you when I used this milk because I remembered you have lactose intolerance… What a pity you are sensitive to nuts too! Do US shops sell milk without lactose? Here it’s sold in every supermarket (it’s cow’s milk but processed so that there is no lactose). I have never tested it, but I’m sure it can be used instead of standard milk everywhere.

  7. Oh, oh, oh, this is speaking to me in a BIG way. Love clafoutis and the combination of apricot and almond? Heavenly. I enjoy almonds on their own but there’s just something about them in desserts – the taste of almond, marzipan, amaretto… any of these almond-ish flavourings positively curl my toes :). On a hot June day, I think I would love this cold and straight from the fridge right about now too! Delightful Sissi (and I love the apricot poking through the front tip in the photo…)

    1. THank you so much, Kelly. Frankly it was quite hot this weekend and I finished the whole cake (alone!) in three days… It was there every time I opened my fridge and I couldn’t stop myself from taking small portions…

  9. What a beautiful clafoutis! I’m sending your link to a friend of mine who has an apricot orchard. I’m sure that she would love it! Thank you!

    1. Thank you, Tessa. If I had an apricot orchard I would certainly make lots of experiments! Your friend is lucky! I hope she will like the idea.

  10. I’ve recently discovered apricots — the girls can’t get enough of them! I must make this for them over the summer, as they are sure to go nuts for it. Love that there’s no cream or butter too! Gotta love a guiltless pleasure!

    1. Thank you so much, Barb. I have also loved apricots as a child. I was able to devour lots of them. I hope you will like this simple and light cake.

  11. Sissi, can you believe that I never baked or even had clafoutis? This recipe sounds really simple and easy. Nice to serve after dinner.
    Thanks for the recipe and hope you have a wonderful week ahead 🙂

  12. So glad you’ve discovered Almond Milk! I’ve switch from soy to almond and like it more. To make a perfect iced coffee, add a little vanilla flavored almond milk. So good! I love a good Clafoutis and this one looks great! The custard with the fruits and nuts and your lovely pasty have me craving this! Beautiful clafoutis!

    1. Thank you so much, MJ. I don’t know why I have never tried it… it’s just next to my soy milk (I have my morning coffee with soy milk). I think I have always been sure almond milk would be packed with calories (using powdered almonds instead of flour brings much more calories for example) and never bothered to check.

  14. I should have got apricots when I saw them yesterday. Do you think peaches work too? I love almonds and just looking at the photo make me want to have a bite of your delicious clafoutis!! It’s a perfect looking piece, Sissi. The use of almond milk is interesting. I’m sort of lactose intolerant (I can drink some but not a lot of milk) but don’t really use almond milk in my cooking or drinking. I’m curious to try… 🙂

    1. Thank you so much, Nami. Peaches will work of course, but they will probably make the whole clafoutis a bit soggier than apricots. I think we are both lactose intolerant in the same way: I can have a bit of milk in cakes or coffee from time to time, but I couldn’t have it every day. (I have coffee with soy milk and feel much better this way). I am also happy to discover it because I tried it with coffee the other day and it was a nice change from soy milk. I have lots of other ideas…

  15. I bet the combination of almond milk and apricot fruit was heavenly – I’m glad it worked out well! Thanks for the mention! 🙂 I’ve tried clafoutis only with cherries before – the one I made and posted last year I found very tasty, but I should really play about with different fillings! I never understood why unpitted cherries are traditionally used… do you think it’s to slow down the eater so he doesn’t eat it too fast? 😀

    1. Thank you, Charles. Whenever I looked at almond milk I remembered your almond butter and finally took it and checked the calorie content (I was worried it would be as high-calorie as almonds are). I had a very pleasant surprise and will certainly keep on buying it!
      Unpitted peaches do not make the clafoutis soggy and they keep their taste better, but I prefer a soggy clafoutis and less taste rather than losing a tooth 😉

  16. I guess I can call myself as one “simply curious” cook and experimenting a Kla-foo-tee with almond milk sounds absolutely interesting. We have almond milk powder that I enjoy mixing into a hot nightcap. I wonder if this’ll work in a custard and taste as good. One way to find out! Btw, I’ve just “experimented” with one of your recipes 🙂

  18. Sissy, I just love Clafoutis, and with apricots, which I love even more, than peaches would be awesome. The custard has got to be the best part, which I love so much. For sure, this recipe is a keeper, that I would love to try!
    Thanks for sharing your amazing recipe!
    Glad to know that you live in Switzerland…such a beautiful country!
    I spent my entire 4th grade in a school in Zurich…ages ago, and loved the picturesque mountains, and typical lovely Swiss houses!

    1. Thank you so much, Elisabeth. Wow! It’s incredible! The world is so small! I live in the French-speaking part, but of course mountains are everywhere 🙂

  19. What a great recipe! I’m so glad to see that almond milk is a good substitute when making clafoutis! I haven’t made this in a while because of the milk… I will have to give your recipe a try! They apricots and almonds look fantastic! I love to enjoy clafoutis as a breakfast as well as dessert!

    1. Thank you, Amber. You will definitely feel better after this one if you don’t digest milk well.

  21. Dear Sissi,

    I like the idea of combining roasted almonds with fresh apricots like in Danish pastries. I tried almond milk recently and loved the fragrant aroma and I know a fellow blogger Kath @ myfunnylittlelife.com would love this recipe as she loves almond milk too.

    I think I would prefer to have this very cold like you too.

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