This plum clafoutis is a twist on the iconic French dessert clafoutis, traditionally made with cherries or pears. You’ll find plenty of clafoutis ideas on my site because they’re incredibly versatile — you can put just about anything in them! They’re also wholesome and family-friendly, and they make a satisfying, practical third course.
In my upcoming book, I write about rethinking dinner beyond just a main dish and a side. Sometimes making a “dessert” is a very practical plan. Maybe you’re short on ingredients for the main dish, or someone ate the leftovers you were counting on. Instead of rushing to the store or fussing over a side, do you have fruit, eggs, milk, and cream? If so, you can whip up a clafoutis in minutes and you have another course.
To make the batter, simply mix eggs, milk, cream, a few tablespoons of flour, and some sugar. Pour it over the fruit and bake. After the recipe, I’ll share a few tips to make it even easier.
You might also be interested in this post about why the French and Italians don’t serve milk with dinner but instead, a calcium-rich third course.
Plums — about 7 to 9
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup cream
3 eggs
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Optional: Powdered sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Butter a 9- to 10-inch baking dish, then dust it with sugar. (optional step; see the notes below)
Add the eggs and sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk.
Add the flour and whisk until well combined and the lumps have dissolved.
Add the milk, cream, and vanilla and whisk.
Cut the plums in half and remove the pits.
Place the plums in the baking dish with the cut side down.
Pour the batter over the plums. Push the fruit around to distribute it evenly.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until firm and golden on top.
Optional: Dust the top with about a tablespoon of powdered sugar. It's convenient to use a small sieve to sprinkle the sugar.
Serve the clafoutis warm or at room temperature. To warm leftovers, cover with foil to keep the clafoutis moist.
Preparing the baking dish with butter and sugar prevents the clafoutis from sticking to the dish. However, I often skip this step to save time, and it's fine!
Make the clafoutis batter ahead of time and store it in the fridge to use later. This will save you a step when it's time to make dinner, and the batter will be better after it sits for a while — the lumps will dissolve.
This recipe produces a very light and custard-like result. Some prefer clafoutis that are denser and more cake-like. To try this, use more flour (1/3 cup instead of 3 tablespoons).
You may also enjoy experimenting with a few drops of orange blossom water in your clafoutis batter.
Again, you can put just about anything in a clafoutis!
Mixed Fruit — made with what I had at the time
