I've Been Making Julia Child's 6-Ingredient French Dessert for Years

It's a mix of everyday ingredients doing extraordinary things.

Simply Recipes / Getty Images / Kris Osborne

As good as I am at planning our weekly dinners and ensuring there's enough fresh fruit in the fridge for the kids, I always seem to be scrambling at the last minute when I'm asked to bring a dessert somewhere. And I say this no matter how much advance notice I've had.

I'll be eternally grateful for Julia Child's Clafoutis recipe, also known as a flan. From the pages of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1, it's a simple, fruit-forward recipe that uses an easy blender batter and features whatever fresh fruit is in season (or you happen to have).

I'm not saying Julia Child invented the "dump cake," but her clafoutis might be the original French version. It's just six ingredients (milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, and berries) plus salt and butter/baking spray for the pan. It's the dessert I make when I don't have a plan since I almost always have everything on hand. It's super easy, almost entirely hands-off, and endlessly adaptable.

Even when I don't have a dessert plan, I can always turn to these basic pantry ingredients and whatever fruit is languishing in my fridge and transform it into something extraordinary.

Julia herself called clafoutis "peasant cooking for family meals," which perfectly captures why I'm so smitten with this recipe. Julia refers to it as "a pancake batter poured over fruit in a fireproof dish, then baked in the oven." There aren't any fancy techniques, temperamental chocolate, or worrying about whether your butter is the perfect temperature. It's just a mix of everyday ingredients doing extraordinary things.

Simply Recipes / Kris Osborne

How I Make Julia's Classic Clafoutis Recipe

First, decide what fruit you want to use, then wash and prep it, if needed. I used a mix of fresh blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries.

Next, add the milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and flour into a blender (in that order) and blend it into a smooth, custardy batter. Butter a baking dish, pour a 1/4-inch layer of the batter into the pan, and set it on the stovetop over medium-low heat until it sets. Take it off the heat, spread the fruit over the batter, and sprinkle on the remaining sugar.

Dividing and cooking a portion of the batter creates a stable base that prevents the berries from sinking completely to the bottom, which is genius! Finally, pour the rest of the batter over the fruit and bake. It's the ideal dessert to throw together and slide in the oven while eating dinner.

As it bakes, the batter turns into part pancake, part custard, and part tart. The fruit sinks slightly and releases its juices, creating pockets of jammy sweetness. It comes out of the oven slightly puffed and golden and will inevitably sink a little as it cools, but that's part of its rustic charm. A dusting of powdered sugar just before serving is the perfect finishing touch. 

Simply Recipes / Kris Osborne

Variations on Julia Child's Clafoutis

This recipe is a blank canvas for whatever fruit you have available. I've made it with peaches, plums, berries, and apples—each brings its personality, but the technique generally stays the same. 

For juicy berries like blackberries or blueberries, increase the flour from 1/2 cup to about 1 1/4 cups (which I did for this one) to handle the extra moisture. 

For sturdier fruit like apples, Julia recommends peeling, coring, and slicing them, then lightly sautéing them in butter in an enameled skillet. For a sophisticated twist, let heartier fruit like apples, pears, and stone fruits stand for an hour in a splash of kirsch, cognac, or sweet wine with some sugar, then use that flavorful liquid to replace part of the milk in your batter. 

Lastly, Julia suggests amping up the flavor with blanched almonds and a teaspoon of almond extract for a cherry or pear clafoutis. Add it right into the blender with the milk and blend it into the batter. It creates an incredibly smooth, integrated almond flavor throughout. 

Whether served warm from the oven or cold from the fridge for breakfast, it's special every time—even when you barely lift a finger.

Get Recipe: Julia Child's Berry Clafoutis

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