This Dessert Is Part Pancake, Part Custard, and All Delicious!

The batter is made from eggs, cream and flour. (Elle Simone)

This custardy dessert comes from France, where the verb clafir means “to fill.” In other words, clafouti is a dessert filled with fruit.

Because a clafouti is basically a combination of a custard and a pancake, it’s important for it not to have too much flour (it would be too pancake-y) or too many eggs or too much cream (too custardy). Ours strikes a nice balance between the two, especially when studded with fruit.

Clafoutis are traditionally made with cherries; we chose raspberries because they’re easy to find year-­round, but you can experiment with whatever seasonal fruit you find.

When taken straight from the refrigerator, butter is quite firm. For some baking recipes and many frostings, you need to soften butter before trying to combine it with other ingredients. This is just a fancy term for letting the temperature of butter rise from 35 degrees F (its refrigerator temperature) to 65 degrees F (cool room temperature). This takes about 1 hour. But here are two ways to speed things up.

1. Counter method: Cut butter into 1-­­inch pieces (to create more surface area). Place the butter on a plate and wait about 30 minutes. Once the butter gives to light pressure (try to push your fingertip into it), it’s ready to use.

2. Microwave method: Cut butter into 1-­­inch pieces and place on a microwave-safe plate. Heat in microwave at 50 percent power for 10 seconds. Check butter with a fingertip test. Heat for another 5 to 10 seconds if necessary.

Raspberry Clafouti

Serves 8

• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) all-­purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) heavy cream
• 1/3 cup (2 2/3 ounces) whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 ounces) raspberries
• 1 to 2 teaspoons confectioners’ (powdered) sugar, for dusting

Adjust oven rack to lower-­middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees F. Use your fingers to grease a 9-inch pie plate with softened butter. Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth and pale, about 1 minute. Add flour and whisk until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add cream and milk and whisk until combined.

Pour batter into greased pie plate. Sprinkle raspberries evenly over top.

Place baking sheet in oven. Bake clafouti until it puffs above the edges of the pie plate and turns golden brown (edges will be dark brown), 16 to 20 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from oven. Place baking sheet on cooling rack and let clafouti cool for 30 minutes.

Dust clafouti with confectioners’ sugar. Slice into wedges and serve.