Pronounced cla-FOO-tee, this is one of the most successful spontaneous desserts you can add to your repertoire, yet fancy enough for a blowout dinner party. It can be made with any ripe fruit (including berries, and even apples if you cook them) and (aside from such tasks as pitting cherries and the like) takes well under an hour to prepare. Note that in place of the cream and milk mixture you can use half-and-half.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 to 6 servings

　　Butter for the pan

　　1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

　　About 1 pound ripe apricots, halved and pitted, 1 1/4 pounds sweet cherries, pitted, or 3 or 4 very ripe pears, stemmed, peeled, halved, and cored

　　3 eggs

　　1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　3/4 cup flour

　　3/4 cup heavy cream or yogurt

　　3/4 cup milk

　　Pinch of salt

　　Confectioners’ sugar for garnish

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a gratin dish that will hold the fruit in one layer; sprinkle it with the tablespoon of granulated sugar, then swirl the sugar around to coat all inner surfaces. Lay the fruit in the dish, cut sides down.

　　

Step 2

Use a whisk to beat the eggs until foamy. Add the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and beat with a whisk or an electric mixer until foamy and fairly thick. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use a small sharp knife to scrape the seeds into the eggs, discarding the pod, or add the vanilla extract.

　　

Step 3

Add the flour and continue to beat until thick and smooth. Add the cream, milk, and salt. Pour the batter over the fruit and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the clafouti is nicely browned on top and a knife inserted into it comes out clean. Sift some confectioners’ sugar over it and serve warm or at room temperature.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.