Cherry Strawberry Clafoutis, is a relaxed, easy-to-make French baked custard dessert recipe. One could think of it as a crustless custard pie with fresh whole, pitted cherries and strawberries. It’s a delicious dessert to cap off a summer meal. May be made gluten-free or with gluten.
As the warm weather hits the summer fruits we love begin to roll in. One of my very favorite desserts to make is a clafoutis (pounced ‘claw-foo-tea’), a French baked custard and fruit dessert. Clafoutis is traditionally baked with black cherries however I’m sharing a version today that also includes another summer favorite: Cherry Strawberry Clafoutis.
Cherry Strawberry Clafoutis is baked in a pie dish and could be thought of as a creamy crustless custard pie of sorts. Whole pitted cherries are added to a simple batter and poured into a buttered deep pie dish to cook until the custard is firm. It’s a lazy girl’s dessert prep dream and the result is a lightly flavored fruit dessert perfect for lazy summer meals. I added a dish of Chinese Five Spice which is readily available in the spice section of your favorite grocery store.
As much as I love eating cherries in the summer I sort of dread adding them to desserts due to the pitting. When I was growing up we had a pie cherry tree in our yard and I was awarded the dubious honor of picking the cherries and pitting them. We had a huge meat grinder looking pitter that clamped to the side of the counter. You’d feed the unsuspecting cherries into a large, thick metal opening and they’d emerge on the other end mangled and pitless.
As soon as I really began cooking seasonally I sought out a cherry pitter that was more civilized. After several test runs I found two I really like. I have a handheld cherry pitter and pops the pit out of single cherries at a time. I also have a larger pitter that pits one cherry at a time, using a handle (no cherry juice hands) depositing the pits into a sealed compartment and the cherries roll out the other end into an awaiting bowl (or little hands if I’m not watching closely). There are many types of cherry pitters and I highly recommend using one to make pitting easy.
Summer fruits are always a great choice for dessert-making. Fortunately they are often in desserts that require little effort to prepare. This Cherry Strawberry Clafoutis falls into that category, Simple to prepare, this French custard and fruit dessert, baked in a deep dish pie pan for a relaxed dessert to end a summer meal.
Desserts made with fresh cherries are a must when they are in season. Some of our favorites include Cherry Bars, a thick chewy cookie-bar full of cherries. Sour Cream Cherry Cake is a simple vintage recipe that I found in a pack of recipes from a thrift store. It’s a rustic two-layer cake with cherries in the middle and is delicious. Cherry-Blueberry Cloud Pie is a no bake pie that, as it sounds, has a lofty, cloud-like filling. The color scheme is perfect for July 4th or Memorial Day too.
Recipe
Cherry Strawberry Clafoutis (French crustless custard pie)
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups Milk
- 1/3 cup granulated Sugar
- 3 Eggs , room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 cup Flour (gluten-free or with gluten; I used King Arthur's Gluten-Free Flour)
- 2 cups fresh Cherries , pitted and halved
- 1 cup fresh Strawberries , halved or quartered if very large
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
- Confectioner's sugar to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a deep dish pie pan and set aside.
- In a blender combine all ingredients EXCEPT the cherries and strawberries. Blend to fully combine and pour into the prepared pie pan.
- Evenly distribute the fruit on over the top of the batter (they will sink into the batter).
- Place pie pan into heated oven. Bake for 45-60 minutes until a knife inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and serve.
Angelina says
Dear Toni,
I just love your blog! It’s so inspiring!
Greetings from Freiburg in Germany
Angelina
Toni Dash says
Thank you Angelina! Waving at you from the U.S.!
Baker by Nature says
This would be amazing with a scoop of vanilla on top 😉