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Cherry Tomato Clafoutis

Cherry Tomato Clafoutis

Now that my tomatoes are starting to ripen left and right, I’m starting to look for more uses for them than just adding them to salads and making pasta sauces. And because I know that I haven’t even hit the peak of tomato season yet, I prefer that the recipes I end up with use more than just two or three tomatoes each. This recipe uses over a dozen tomatoes – all cherry tomatoes.

I decided on a clafoutis because the baked custard dish is traditionally made primarily with cherries, and I thought that doing a savory version with cherry tomatoes would be a fun way to showcase the ripe veggies. I started with my standard clafoutis batter, but omitted the sugar from the recipe and added more salt and some pepper to the mixture. I considered sauteing some onions at first, though I ultimately opted against it in an effort to keep the recipe as simple as possible. I added some fresh, chopped basil for extra flavor and a bit of cheese to make the overall dish more filling.

The flavors in the clafoutis were wonderful. Basil and tomato always work well together, and the hint of creaminess from the cheese was a nice touch. I’d personally opt for a fairly mild cheese, like cottage cheese or a mild goat cheese (I used cottage cheese here), but feta would work well for a stronger flavor. The only thing I didn’t like was the fact that the clafoutis needs to be cut carefully if you want to prevent it from becoming watery; those roasted tomatoes are only too happy to burst and leak all over the dish during serving.

This is a great thing to have alongside a salad for a first course and can even work as a light dinner on a hot summer night if you do big slices. Be careful with those tomatoes, though. They get quite hot inside when the dish first comes out of the oven, even after letting it rest for a while, and while biting into a juicy cherry tomato is a treat, burning your tongue is not.

Cherry Tomato Clafoutis
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
scant 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 large eggs
1 cup milk (low fat is fine)
2 tbsp fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/3 cup cottage cheese/goat cheese/feta cheese
approx. 18 cherry tomatoes

Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly grease a 10-inch tart pan.
In a large mixing bowl, (or the food processor, if you don’t want to work by hand) whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, eggs, and milk until mixture is very smooth. Stir in basil and cheese.
Arrange cherry tomatoes over the bottom of the tart dish and pour custard mixture over and around them. Garnish with a few whole basil leaves, if desired.
Bake for 15 minutes at 425F. Turn oven down to 350F and bake an additional 25-30 minutes, until clafoutis is lightly browned and a tester (sharp knife) inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 4-6

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14 Comments
  • giz
    July 18, 2008

    What a great idea and so pretty too.

  • Emiline
    July 19, 2008

    I’ve never heard of a savory clafouti – that is so cool. It’s such a fun twist.

  • Naama
    July 19, 2008

    I`m glad to see this recipe- it looks like a recipe tha is very easy to make, and at the smae time is made with very simple ingredien that I usually have at home.
    It looks perfect for nice summer day.

  • Kalyn
    July 19, 2008

    Hi Nic,
    Really like this idea, sounds delicious.

  • Shreya
    July 20, 2008

    HI, I have never heard of clafouti. It looks great, and the recipe seems simple and nice.

  • Mrs. Sound
    July 20, 2008

    Very nice recipe and presentation h ere. I’m not that fan eating tomatoes. But honestly by the looks of this it make my mouth water.lol
    http://www.foodista.com

  • beth
    July 20, 2008

    I’ve never heard of a savoury clafoutis either. What a fantastic ides!

  • Pumpkin
    July 20, 2008

    Oh my god! That looks so delish!

  • Sophia
    July 22, 2008

    This is in the oven right now. It looks so good.

  • mary beth
    July 27, 2008

    A few questions about this. You write “whisk together pour” which I assume s/b whisk together flour.
    Also on the cheeses is it a 1/3 cup of all three or does that mean choose one?

  • Nicole
    July 27, 2008

    Mary Beth – It means to use 1/3 cup of the cheese of your choice. The ones listed are just meant to be suggestions.

  • elainepill
    September 13, 2010

    i made this last night-left out the basil because the only cheese i had to add was herbed goat cheese. it was super duper yummy….i had some of the leftovers for breakfast! i might have to try this with a few other types of veggies…

  • Kairi
    September 20, 2012

    Yum! This is quickly vaulting to the top of the late-summer suppers! It’ so easy, and I have everything on hand.

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