Celebrate Spring with this quick and easy strawberry clafoutis, a delicious twist to the French classic with cherries. A gluten free version with almond flour or ground pistachios, make this one of your go-to strawberry desserts.
Your Recipe is 5 stars my favourite go-to recipe.
Tracy
What is a Clafoutis?
The French Clafoutis (pronounced 'kla-foo-tee') or Clafouti is a speciality of the Limousin in France. It's a light, set eggy custard that's traditionally made with cherries and flour.
For the traditional French classic dessert, see my classic Cherry Clafoutis Recipe. However, I find some clafoutis recipes have too much flour, resembling a stick-to-the-top-of-your-mouth heavy cake-like dessert which can become a bit rubbery.
So, I omitted the flour and replaced it with ground almonds or pistachios, making this a gluten free strawberry clafoutis. It's also a delicious way of enjoying a clafoutis in Spring, before the cherries arrive in early summer.
This recipe is so versatile during Summer made with mirabelle plums and apricots too! See ideal fruit combinations below.
I do stress that you use fresh strawberries rather than frozen for this recipe, so that all the flavours are at their best.
What Can I do with a Lot of Strawberries?
It happens often when throwing them on maple granola isn't enough. At our local French market in Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris, the sellers tend to sell boxes of them towards the end of the morning for a special price. Well, tell a Scot there's a promotion and it's a deal!
We add them to:
- rhubarb compote - this recipe works well just with strawberries, based on the same quantities;
- rhubarb and rose jam;
- served with fluffy French brioche;
- topped on French salted butter biscuits, Palets Bretons;
- rhubarb and strawberry crumbles with rose and white chocolate mousse.
What To Do When Stawberries are Starting to Wilt
However, the result of buying many strawberries in bulk means that there are a few that are already a bit fatigué or tired and starting to wilt. So this clafoutis recipe is ideal if your strobs are a bit on the tired side, as they're brought back to life!
Are Strawberries Good for Baking?
Absolutely! As baking strawberries intensifies their naturally sweet flavours, this is utterly delicious. It's the strawberries that dominate in this dessert. The ground pistachios or almond flour are quite subtle but adds that extra intrigue to the fruit, plus helps to soak up the juices.
As well as this strawberry clafoutis, we love them baked in this strawberry and elderflower gratin - either just with strawberries or with other berries added too.
Easy Strawberry Clafoutis (Gluten Free)
This gluten free recipe couldn't be easier:
- First butter a gratin ovenproof dish then scatter over the fresh fruit on one single layer;
- In a bowl, mix together the eggs, yolk, ground almonds/pistachios, cream, little sugar and some vanilla extract.
- Pour over the strawberries. Scatter over some slivered almonds and bake for about 30 minutes.
Add Wild Strawberries (Fraises des Bois)
We've been blessed by the birds spreading a carpet of wild strawberries (fraises des bois) in the garden.
I thought that mint in the herb garden took over the other plants, but I'm surprised to now see strawberries popping up in all nooks and crannies, as we say in Scotland. They taste like voilet candy (bonbons).
Can You Eat Clafoutis Cold?
The French normally serve a Clafoutis dessert still slightly warm from the oven or serve it at room temperature - NEVER hot. So this also makes it an ideal addition to your picnic basket.
However, my (French/Corsican) husband adores a chilled Clafoutis for breakfast. Try it - you'll discover just how delicious it is cold vs warm.
Strawberry Clafoutis and More Fruity Ideas
What we love about this fresh strawberry clafoutis recipe is that it's so versatile. By replacing the fruit, this ends up having many delicious variations on a Clafoutis theme all throughout the spring and summer.
So here are some ideas using the same recipe batter (gluten free) using ground almonds (almond flour) instead of pistachios:
- Blueberry and Lemon Clafoutis
- Apricot & Lavender Clafoutis (chop up 3-4 apricots & add ¼ teaspoon dried lavender)
- Raspberry Clafoutis with lemon verbena;
- Mirabelle Plum & Almond Clafoutis
- The French classic, Cherry Clafoutis (this recipe is not gluten free, but traditional using flour)
Almond Flour Clafoutis with Alcohol
Want to add that extra clafouti oh-là-là? Then pick a fruity liqueur that matches the fruit used: e.g. Chambord liqueur with raspberries, Kirsch for cherries - although Kirsch is great with all fruits!
Don't want to add any alcohol? Then simply omit it, as it's entirely optional.
Strawberry Clafoutis Recipe - Quick Tip
For the amount of fruit used, my general rule of thumb is to lay just enough fruit in a single layer in the pie dish. Then just pour over the batter.
Strawberry Clafoutis (Gluten Free)
Equipment
- 20cm pie dish (5cm deep)
Ingredients
- 15 g (1 tbsp) butter for the dish
- 70 g (2.5oz/ ⅓ cup) sugar + 1 tablespoon for the dish
- 275 g (10 oz) fresh strawberries washed, hulled & cut in 2 if big (about 1½ cups)
- 4 medium organic eggs (or 3 large eggs)
- 1 organic egg yolk
- 170 g (6oz / ⅓ cup) single or pouring cream ('half and half') (I use half fat crème fleurette 12% in France)
- 50 g (1.75oz) ground pistachios (or ground almonds)
- ½ tablespoon Amaretto or Kirsch liqueur (or other liqueur, depending on fruit chosen) (optional)
- few drops almond extract (or vanilla powder/extract)
- 1 tablespoon almond slivers (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/ 200°C / 400°F (gas 6).
- Butter a ovenproof gratin or pie dish and top with about a tablespoon of sugar, shaking the dish to spread it evenly. Lay the fresh strawberries over the surface in one layer.
- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolk, sugar, cream, ground almonds or pistachios and extract, if using.
- Pour this egg mixture over the strawberries and if using, sprinkle over some slivered almonds.Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes or until golden brown and cooked in the middle (it shouldn't sink in the middle). I'd suggest placing the dish on a baking tray to catch any sticky juices that could run out, if too full.
- Set aside to cool and either serve at room temperature or chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- Raspberry Clafoutis with Lemon Verbena
- Blueberry Clafoutis with Lemon
- Apricot & Lavender Clafoutis (chop 3 apricots & add ¼ teaspoon dried lavender)
- Mirabelle Plum & Almond Clafoutis
- The French classic, Cherry Clafoutis
This post was first published on 31 May 2018 but is now updated to include a video and demonstrate the different variations of the classic clafoutis recipe using ground almonds (gluten free).
Kate
My favourite kid’s dessert ! Thank you Jill Colonna
Jill Colonna
Glad you like this - as an adult, I do too 🙂
Fidelma McGee Ormsby
I make your clafoutis from Spring though Autumn with whatever is in season never failed me yet. Love your recipes Jill.
Jill Colonna
Thrilled to hear this, Fidelma. This is one of our family favourites and yes, it's so adaptable with different fruits. Thanks for your lovely words.
Thomasina
Love this! A chilled rose champagne sounds just wonderful to drink with this delicious dessert.
Jill Colonna
The perfect treat for strawberry season - et la vie en rose! Thanks Thomasina.
Tracy Welgemoed
Your Recipe is 5 stars my favourite go-to recipe.
Jill Colonna
Thrilled you like this, Tracy. Thanks for your feedback.
Bea
Guess what? Yes! I'm one that always waited for those glorious cherries to hit the markets so I could make clafoutis, definitely making these !
Jill Colonna
It's brilliant as the classic cherry recipe but somehow I personally adore this strawberry version. Enjoy it, Bea x
June Stobie
I'm going to make this. Local farm shop Craigie has just announced that pick-your-own is now up and running. Happy memories Jill of picking fruit at Pencaitland. AND they have just started jam making for children on specific days in July. They are to pick the fruit then make the jam.
Jill Colonna
How wonderful - it's pick-your-own season in Scotland! What happy memories, Mum. Glad you'll make this.
Christina | Christina's Cucina
I can just taste the flavor of those beautiful strawberries! That's one of the things I miss the most: the really good strawberries. Even the ones I grow myself aren't the same 🙁 Like many fruit and veg here, it seems as though they've been watered down or the flavor taken away; I don't know how else to put it. Your strawberry clafoutis looks wonderful, especially in your strawberry bed! 🙂 Thank you, Jill!
Jill Colonna
So sorry to hear about Californian strawberries, Christina. Thought with all of that sunshine they'd be lovely. At least you'll have good ones in Italy on your travels soon. With all the sun and rain we've been having, they're whoppers this year!