Apricot Fruit and Chamomile Infused Custard Clafoutis
A clafoutis is one of those French country desserts that looks far more impressive than it is to make. Eggy, custardy, and full of fruit – it bakes up golden and requires almost nothing from you. This version uses fresh apricots and chamomile infused milk, which gives the whole thing a gentle herbal warmth that feels perfectly suited to a slow summer evening. Light enough for the heat of the season, cozy enough to feel like a treat.
Bake up this dreamy combination of apricots and chamomile into a custardy, fruit filled dessert for a cozy ending on a summer night. Slightly tart apricots, turn silky and sweet when mixed with herbal chamomile in this sleepy time night sweet.
I love baking up a clafoutis, a simple, eggy French country dessert. The ingredient list is short and simple, and the result is always a delicious and not too heavy, fruit filled, freshly baked dessert. I had an abundance of ripened (bordering on overly so) apricots on hand after mixing up my Apricot Vinegar, I knew I needed to use up them quickly.
Despite the heat of the summer (late June) I wanted to feel cozy, an idea normally associated with the cooler months of October thru February here in the Hudson Valley. I mixed up this chamomile and apricot dessert with a dreamy, star filled evening in mind.
Herbal tea is a unique ingredient to use in the kitchen.
Chamomile flowers is used to calm and relax the mind and body, and is commonly used in bedtime tea herbal blends. Infusing the apricot clafoutis with tea created a satisfying, ending to the night. This flan-like dessert is delicious served straight from the oven, or enjoyed cold from the fridge the next day.
I love a clafoutis for a simple dessert. Clafoutis is a simple French Country Dessert usually made with cherries. I make several of these custardy bakes a year with whatever fresh fruit I have on hand.
This simple French tea cake forms its own bottom and top crusts as it bakes and features a pudding like textured fruit filling. This homemade sweet is true country cooking and is easy to throw together.
The bake will sag a little as it cools, but don’t mind the deflated state of your clafoutis, it still tastes delicious.
A Dreamy Apricot Dessert Ending to a Midsummer Night…
Infusing the milk for this dessert with chamomile flowers created a flavor base for the pungent, tartly sweet apricot fruits. I sliced the apricots small, before spreading them into the mixed batter.
Intrigued by this post and want more recipes featuring chamomile flowers? Try my chamomile and honey madeleines, perfect with tea or as a quick afternoon bake.
This dessert satisfied the two things I was craving at the moment, a sweet ending to my day and something homemade and cozy, yet lite enough for the heat of a summer evening.
For a full summer table, serve this clafoutis after a light dinner of shrimp salad with blackberries and apricot vinaigrette – the apricot flavor carries beautifully through both courses.
I finished the apricot clafoutis with a traditional dusting of powdered sugar. If you like desserts with powdered sugar try my double vanilla powdered sugar cookies. Clafoutis isn’t necessarily a sweet, stick to your teeth baked treat, but the extra sprinkling of sugar at the end, brings it pretty close.
Storing Clafoutis
Store your baked clafoutis in the refrigerator, covered for 2 days after baking.
It is not advised to freeze this recipe.
Serving and Pairing Ideas
Apricot clafoutis sits comfortably between dessert and something softer and more breakfast-adjacent. The custard is light, the fruit stays front and center, and the chamomile keeps the flavor gentle rather than sweet.
If you enjoy fruit prepared this way, you might also like my stewed fruit with yogurt recipes, where softly cooked fruit is spooned over thick yogurt for a simple, unfussy dish. It’s a lighter, everyday alternative that uses many of the same flavors and techniques.
If You Enjoy Baking with Florals
Take a look at some of my other floral recipes, I use flowers in the kitchen with the intention of a light floral essence, not overdoing it and making things taste perfumy.
This cookie recipe has rose, white chocolate and freeze dried raspberries, and is the perfect balance of sweet and bitter with a touch of rose scent.
Wild violets are abundant in the spring, and this post includes 5 uses for violets in the kitchen, simple easy ways to incorporate flowers in your everyday life.
Chamomile Infused Apricot Clafoutis
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Milk
- 6 Chamomile Tea Bags
- 4 Large Eggs
- 3/4 Cup Sugar
- Pinch Salt
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 Cup Flour
- 6 Apricots Fresh
- Powered Sugar Garnish
Instructions
- Bring milk to a low simmer in a small saucepan, remove from heat and place chamomile tea bags in milk.
- Let chamomile infuse milk for 10 minutes, remove tea bags from milk, gently pressing the milk back into the saucepan by using a spoon the squeeze teabag against the side of pan before removing.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a 10 inch deep dish pie pan with butter.
- Add the 4 eggs and 3/4 sugar to bowl and beat until incorporated and frothy.
- Add the chamomile milk and vanilla and continue beating.
- Stir in flour and salt and mix, making sure there are no lumps.
- Slice and pit apricots, chopping into 1 inch pieces.
- Layer into bottom of deep dish pie pan, covering the bottom completely.
- Pour batter over the apricots and bake for 45 minutes. It is ready when a knife comes out clean when testing. The clafoutis will deflate a bit upon cooling.
- Allow to cool slightly, sprinkle with powdered sugar over top and serve. This is also scrumptious with a dollop of whipped cream.
Yummy! Do you mind if I reblog? This one will get attention. 🙂
Ofcourse, I would love that! Thank you