Flaugnarde aux Fraises
Take one look at most food bloggers’ Instagram feeds, and you’ll find photographed baskets of fresh strawberries. It’s that time of the year when strawberries are big, red, and perfectly sweet; there’s none of those white, tasteless strawberry knock-offs you find sitting unloved at the supermarket. While I have yet to photograph my own farmer’s market bunch, that doesn’t mean I’m not buying them. In fact, for the past month, they’ve been a must-have on my weekly grocery list. In the everyday sense, I love eating them with my morning yogurt or as a side to some scrambled eggs and toast. When I’m looking to use them in a dessert, I’ll either do a berry pie or galette, as I’ve already told you guys how much I love pie crust. To mix things up, I decided to make this strawberry flaugnarde (pronounced flow-nyard), a traditional French dessert from the southwest of France.
While flaugnarde can be made with a variety of fruits, the base of the dessert is always the same: a custard batter. Now, if you’ve ever made or seen clafoutis, you’ll probably be thinking these two look like they’re the same thing, and you’re pretty much right. The only main difference is that clafoutis has been known to be made with sweet, black cherries according to French tradition. While many of us have put our own twist on clafoutis, that doesn’t change the fact that the French consider clafoutis to be of only one variety. Flaugnarde, however, can be made with peaches, plums, apples, pears, berries, etc. The reason I love flaugnarde is because, to me, it’s perfectly simple and beautiful in that French countryside sort of way.
Personally, I love this type of cuisine. While I say that I am an avid fan of French cuisine, what I really mean is that I am an avid fan of cuisine from the south of France. My best friend, who lives in Paris, often takes trips out to the country to visit her boyfriend’s family. She often describes the amazing foods that his mom will make, all from scratch. Whether they’re simple foods like mayonnaise, or more elaborate items like brioche, this mom makes everything by hand, without fancy tools, from start to finish. The foods are rustic and simple, ingredients fresh and genuine, and yet the dishes are completely impressive all the same. This is what I call the art of cuisine, and this flaugnarde is a wonderful example of that. Flaugnarde is so incredibly easy to make. Simply place your preferred fruit at the bottom of a tart pan, loaf pan, or pie pan (your choice); then, whisk the rest of the ingredients in a bowl (eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla), and pour this batter over the fruit. While it bakes, the edges of the flaugnarde will really puff up, similar to a dutch baby pancake, and then quickly deflate once it’s out of the oven. The custard thickens into a sort of flan/bread-pudding consistency, and becomes absolutely irresistible. I sliced the flaugnarde into individual slices, but I honestly couldn’t stop at just one piece.
Flaugnarde aux fraises
Ingredients
- 1 c strawberries, stems removed and quartered
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 c granulated sugar
- 1/2 c whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 c all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp lemon zest
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
- powdered sugar for dusting on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a small tart pan or a 9-inch loaf pan well.
- Arrange quartered strawberries on the bottom of the pan, very slightly spacing them out from each other.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale and foamy. Add the whole milk, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, lemon zest, and salt. Whisk to combine and create a smooth batter.
- Pour the batter over the berries in the pan, and bake the flaugnarde for approximately 30 minutes. Top should be golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with just a few crumbs.
- Let the flaugnarde rest in the pan for at least 15 minutes before removing. To remove, gently lift both ends of the flaugnarde and transfer to serving plate; otherwise, you can serve in the pan. Dust with powdered sugar and, optionally, enjoy with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.
Love the simplicity and elegance of this! Your photos are so beautiful! And thank you for enlightening me about the delights of the flaugnarde – I’ve never been fortunate enough to encounter one before so shall have to try it out asap (especially since I have huge surplus of peaches). Also was wondering can you use blueberries or do they break down too much?
Thank you, Sophia! You can definitely use blueberries. They burst a little, but nothing unusual. I would just increase the amount of blueberries you use in comparison to the cup of strawberries I’ve outlined in the recipe since blueberries are smaller 🙂
This is gorgeous! I have never heard of flaugnarde, but you have made me want to try it out!
Thank you so much, Cathleen! Let me know how you like it! 🙂
This dessert is beautiful, Beeta! Love the strawberries – definitely one of my favourite things about summer! Can’t wait to give this a try!
Thank you, Jess! I do hope you get a chance to try! 🙂
I am wishing for strawberry season right now! Delicious Beeta – and I like you, l love any type of french dessert too…so I have to make this flaugnarde. Do you think it would work with any other type of fruit? Xx
Thank you, Thalia! It will definitely work with many fruits! Peaches, plums, pears, nectarines, apricots…you catch my drift! 😉 XO
Rustic and simple perhaps, this flaugnarde is nothing less than stunning all-around! I’ve always loved French cuisine and am in envy of people such as you, Beeta, who have the opportunity to LIVE it! I had the pleasure of meeting Patricia Wells a year or so back and she was kind enough to send me her new cookbook at the time, The French Kitchen. That experience notched up my motivation to learn more about French food and your beautiful work has motivated me even further; thank so much for such a artfully delicious treat!
Wow, Dan! I am in envy of YOU for meeting Patricia Wells!! I am such a big fan. I think French food sometimes gets a bad rap when it comes to home cooking. I think while cooks like Julia Child completely revolutionized and broke down French cooking into detailed steps that could be followed, they also kind of made it look incredibly technical and intimidating. Then people like Patricia came along and made it look so simple and beautiful because they did do a lot of Provencal/country cooking; I know that for sure she was very influential in my desire to pursue French cuisine 🙂 Thank you so much for your sweet words, Dan!
What a lovely dessert – it looks truly romantic, and, of course, mouthwatering delicious. Which is what romance should be right? 😉
Thanks, Marissa! Definitely; romance should be delicious, sweet, and totally intoxicating! 😉
This is absolutely gorgeous… those strawberries, that light dusting of powdered sugar, this whole flaugnarde is stunning! 🙂
Thank you so much, Sam! 🙂 Fresh strawberries are just so beautiful to begin with!
I just pinned this and I think I’m going to try to make it this weekend!
Thanks, Angelina! It’s so simple to make; let me know if you end up making it 🙂