Late summer recipe: apple clafoutis
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
4-5 apples
a tablespoon of sugar
a dash of Calvados
a pinch of cinnamon powder
4 eggs
75g sugar
seeds of half a vanilla bean
100g flour
2dl dry apple cider
50g molten butter
more butter for the mould
Charlotte mould or ovenproof flat gratin dish
icing sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Half the apples, remove the cores and stems, dice. Place in a bowl, add sugar, Calvados and cinnamon, mix and let sit for at least 30min.
Mix the eggs with the sugar and vanilla seeds until fluffy and white, this will take a couple of minutes. Add the flour, mix, then add the apple cider and the butter. Mix until the batter is smooth and light.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
Generously butter the mould and place some thin butter flakes at the bottom of your mould. Add the infused apples, gently press firm and pour the batter over.
Bake for 40 minutes.
Once its baked, take out of the oven. In case you used a charlotte mould, take out of the mould when the clafoutis still, as a rule of thumb it is ready as soon as you can touch the mould without getting burnt. If you used a gratin dish you may as well leave it in.
Generously dust with icing sugar before serving.
EATING IT, THE HEITER WAY:
On one of those late summer afternoons – the ones that still have a little heat in them yet smell of leaves and soil and bring a crisper air once the sun has set –, with a cup of steaming hot coffee. Maybe some whipped cream aside, or maybe not, welcoming the beautiful golden days of autumn.
Selina Göldi is a Swiss-born cookbook author and photographer who now lives with her husband and six cats in a historic castle by the River Saône in France’s Franche-Comté. Each summer, she hosts culinary workshops and welcomes guests to the château’s B&B, sharing her enduring love of cooking and hospitality after many years in the world of food. Much of her time is also devoted to the castle’s restoration, a hands-on project she enjoys deeply. In 2026, she will begin hosting private events for small groups, inviting them to experience the charm of the castle and her culinary creations in an intimate setting.
