Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!

Every July 14th, France bursts into celebration for Bastille Day—a holiday rooted in revolution, now filled with fireworks (quite amazing), family gatherings, and leisurely summer meals. While Parisians might toast beneath the Eiffel Tower, I’m honoring the spirit of La Fête Nationale with a more humble (but no less joyful) tradition: baking.

This raspberry clafoutis is a nod to the rustic elegance of French country kitchens. Traditionally made with cherries, clafoutis is a custardy, oven-baked dessert that’s as effortless as it is refined. I’ve swapped in fresh raspberries from our gardens for a bright, tangy twist that pairs beautifully with its creamy base and golden, puffed edges. Feel free to sub out any seasonal fresh fruit in this recipe.

It’s the kind of dish that doesn’t demand perfection—just good fruit, a hot oven, and a little love. Serve it warm, dusted with powdered sugar, and perhaps with a dollop of crème chantilly (whipped cream) or a spoonful of crème fraîche.

My first introduction to clafoutis came during a birthday trip to Paris and Provence, timed with the Bastille Day holiday and the lavender harvest. We celebrated in Paris before heading south to wander through the lavender fields and visit our favorite wineries of the region.

In a sun-drenched outdoor summer kitchen in Provence surrounded by fresh fig trees, we joined a local cooking class, where the featured dessert was an apricot clafoutis. I still remember the first bite—warm, custardy, and bursting with the flavor of perfectly ripe fruit. The fruit in France was life-changing: intensely fragrant, juicy, and so full of flavor it was almost surreal. I felt as if I had never eaten a piece of fruit before that trip. At the markets, vendors would handpick fruit for us at its very peak—each piece sublime in its own right. The melons? OH MY. Strawberries? Otherworldly delicious. Apricots? <le sigh> Sooooo good.

That first apricot clafoutis in Provence left a lasting impression in its elegant rustic simplicity. Clafoutis is now a summer tradition in my kitchen. While apricots will always remind me of Provence, this version is made with our own homegrown juicy raspberries and feels just as special.

The tartness of the berries contrasts beautifully with the silky, custard-like batter, and when served warm with a dusting of powdered sugar and a spoonful of crème chantilly, it’s the kind of dessert that turns an ordinary day into a little fête.

Vive la France… and vive la clafoutis!

Ingredients:
2 -3C fresh fruit (apricots, cherries, or berries)
3 large eggs, lightly whisked
85g all-purpose
75g sugar
¾C cream
2T melted butter
1 ½t vanilla
butter for buttering the dish
sugar for sprinkling on the butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°. Butter an ovenproof casserole dish and sprinkle with sugar so all butter surfaces are evenly coated.

Halve or quarter larger fruits (no need to if using berries) and distribute evenly on the casserole dish. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk into a smooth and runny batter. Pour the batter over the fruit and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar and crème chantilly (whipped cream).