Coronation Grape Clafouti
Clafouti is the kind of word, I swear, that chefs love to use to cast a veil of mystery over the simplest of recipes. Actually, I’m only saying this because I made two delicious clafoutis this week and everyone who tasted them said pretty much the same thing:
“A… Cla-footie? I have never heard of a clafouti before.”
And here I thought clafouti was a household word! If it isn’t, it should be. Clafouti is a French country dessert, something bewteen a custard and a cake, with lots of fruit thrown in. It is made with pantry staples and takes about five minutes to throw together, one hour to bake. The recipe is easy and flexible – throw in any fruit you like, and serve the clafouti warm or at room temperature.
But mainly, clafouti is really, unbelievably good.
Clafoutis are most famously made with sweet cherries. However, my coronation grape version seriously rivals the cherry one for Deliciousness Supremacy, if I do say so myself. Coronation grapes (very similar to concord grapes, except without the seeds) are at the peak of local bounty right now. And, oh my! They are so good when they are cooked! You know that yummy purple grape juice taste? Yeah, but these coronation grapes taste the way grape juice only hopes to taste.
Imagine bursts of delicious purple grape in a lightly sweetened flan-like custard. That’s a Clafouti. No wonder it needs a fancy name.
Coronation Grape Clafouti
Serves 8.
ingredients
1 Tb butter
3 cups seedless coronation grapes (or concord grapes)
3 large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1- 1/2 cups light cream (10%)
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
instuctions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make sure your oven rack is in the middle-lower position. Place a baking sheet on the rack. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch glass pie plate and set aside.
2. Gently pull the grapes off their stems and place them in a large measuring cup. Once you have three cups, cover the grapes with cold water and swish around to gently clean the grapes. Drain off the water. Pour the grapes into the prepared pie pan.
3. In a blender, combine the eggs (without their shells, obviously :)), the flour, sugar, salt, vanilla and cream. Blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can whisk the eggs, sugar and flour until smooth, then add the salt, vanilla and cream and whisk until smooth.
4. Pour the batter over the grapes in the pie plate. Place the filled pie plate in the oven on the preheated baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, rotating the pan about half-way through baking. Clafouti is done when it is puffed and golden around the egdes and the centre only jiggles very slightly. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
5. Clafoutis can be served warm or at room temperature.
I just bought some coronation grapes yesterday and they are so delicious. Now I will have to try this recipe tonight. I love that you are publishing recipes that use in-season fruit. Thanks!
Well the gluten free attempt worked pretty well! mine has more of a ‘cake’ on the top, but is super yummy… one child wont eat it because ‘cooked grapes are wierd’, one had it for breakfast and packed in his lunch, and the other thinks the top is awesome, but leaves the bottom… That qualifies as a ‘will make again’ item around here!
Hi Heidi,
I love your enthusiasm and tantalizing language as you share these great recipes.Also love the photos – they bring us right into your kitchen, almost pulling up our chairs at your table for a slice! You are right – clafouti isn’t hard to make but what a great idea to use coronation grapes! I look forward to trying out this recipe for my next set of visitors on Saturday night,
Grace, thank you very much for your thoughtful feedback about my blog! I appreciate that. Let me know how the recipe turns out.
WOW! thanks so much for this recipe, Heidi! I made it this week after buying some Coronation grapes at a local market. my husband thinks it’s fantastic. i think it has a very European taste, by which i mean that it’s simple yet delicious and not overly sweet or rich or pretentious. also, as someone who is famed for making yummy and complicated desserts, i have to say that this is the easiest dessert i have EVER made! i didn’t even use a blender, i just mixed it with a whisk. bravo! -M
Thank you for the glowing feedback, Margaret! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Hello Heidi!
I made this for our Thankgiving dessert instead of traditional pie because it sounded very light. I used a combination of blueberries and raspberries and it was delicious! My husband says it’s the best dessert I’ve ever made! Thanks for making me look so talented! Truthfully, the recipe was so easy, I don’t think there’s any way to go wrong! Thank you!
Seems like I remember hearing the word Clafouti before but it is definitely not a household word around here :-)lol
I thought it looked like a pie until I saw the slices. It sounds good and I kind of like the word Clafouti and the thought that most people would have no clue what I was talking about-lol
I will have to try this recipe and see if it tastes as good as it looks :-)
I have been wanting to make a clafouti for so long! I like this with the grapes =)
Hi,
As Daisy had tried her own gluten-free variation, I was wondering if anyone could publish a gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free recipe. Almond milk would be good, but cream?
This sounds amazing! I can’t have cow dairy, is there a replacement you would suggest? Soy, goat, or ? Thanks :)
Hi Brian and Monique – for a dairy free version I would use unsweetened almond milk or rice milk for the milk and coconut milk for the cream.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I substitute coconut milk and or coconut cream in place of dairy in my recipes!!!
Very yummy and healthy:)
jane – yes, you can definitely use coconut milk, as you said!
It was just perfect except the liquid mixture was enough for 2 pies and some tarts. Not a problem. I think my crust size was smaller than 9 inch and I used Graham Cracker crusts.
hi MaryAnne – the clafouti doesn’t have a crust, so maybe the crust took up too much space in the pie pan??? Well, I am glad you enjoyed it anyway :)
H
I was staring at the coronation grapes in my fridge, wondering if they’d make a good clafoutis, so I turned to google and here I am! This was delicious. I made it in a cast iron skillet and cut the sugar in half, which was just right for my taste. Served with a drizzle of cream. I might get experimental next time and try it with a touch of star anise or lemon zest…
I absolutely LOVE concord grapes, what a fantastic recipe!!!
Thank you, Kristen! let me know how it turns out when you make it :)
What a delicious way to use these grapes! Always looking for recipes to try with coronation grapes so I’ll be adding this to my list!
Thank you! I hope you love the recipe a much as I do.
Fabulous post! Man, do I love coronation grape season…they really are so delicious. I had to laugh, clafoutis definitely sounds fancy but really isn’t. Guess who has coronation grapes in her fridge right at this moment? This girl!! Guess who’s making clafoutis? This girl!!
Yay, Bernice! They are so good, right? Let me know how the recipe turns out!
this was really good. i used milk plus melted butter since i had no half and half. the grapes were a bit old and it was a good use for them. it was more delicious warm out of the oven than the next day. still, next day like flan with fruit. good. next time i will eat it while it is still puffed up from the oven with plain whipped cream.
Glad you loved it. :)