Mastering the Art of Cherry Clafoutis: A Classic Julia Child Dessert Recipe

This classic French dessert is also a traditional breakfast dish with cherries cooked in a thick custard. To keep the budget in line, this recipe uses frozen berries soaked in brandy or liqueur, making the dish delicious!

If you love fruit desserts, this is one of the best. Let's pretend we are waking up in Paris and have this dish with fresh cream!

Julia Child's Cherry Clafoutis Recipe

As America's TV French Chef, Julia Child introduced many traditional French dishes to US cooks. One of her favorites was Cherry Clafoutis, a thick custard dominated by fruit. It is not too sweet, but the sugar can be adjusted to the cook's preferences. French people eat this dish drizzled with fresh cream, but it's also a quick after-school snack all by itself. We eat this dish for breakfast on special days. It is very old-fashioned and very French.

Remember that you can make this dessert with almost any fruit. I've made it with raspberries, apples, and pears. Experiment and find the fruit you like the best. Julia Child favored the traditional version, which uses cherries.

What Type of Cherries or Fruit Should I Use?

You can use fresh, canned, or frozen cherries. Cherries are a seasonable fruit, and are quite expensive out of season, so I use fresh when they are in season and frozen when they aren't. In order to make frozen cherries taste better, I soak them in brandy, cognac, or liqueur for at least an hour. (You can even soak them overnight in the refrigerator.) The boozy taste is quite nice if you leave the cherries in alcohol for an extended period. When ready to use, lightly drain the cherries. (I admit that I save and drink the cherry brandy.)

If you are using fresh cherries, make sure to pit them.

In a blender (or in a bowl with an immersion blender), combine milk, 1/3 c. sugar, three eggs, vanilla, salt, and flour, and blend well. Butter a baking dish that holds at least 8 cups. Butter it well, as this recipe really sticks to the pan if you don't.

Pour just enough batter into the baking dish to create a 1/4-inch layer on the bottom of the pan. Place in the oven for 10 minutes, until the batter has set (not cooked, just set). Take the casserole dish out of the oven CAREFULLY. It will be hot.

Lay the cherries over the set batter in a single layer. Sprinkle on the remaining sugar.

Pour the remaining batter over the cherries.

Place back in the 350-degree oven for 40-60 minutes, depending on the depth of your casserole dish. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, remove it from the oven.

Cool to warm or room temperature and sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar.

Serve with cream or whipped cream.

I did not cost out this recipe, but the bag of frozen cherries was $5. When I make it with fresh seasonal cherries, they cost about the same. You can cook this dessert for around $7.50.