When life gives you Apricots, make an Apricot Flaugnarde! This dessert hailing from the Limousin region, in south-central France, is a delicious variant of the Cherry Clafoutis – but made with Apricots.
Resembling a large pancake, this dessert is made with seasonal stonefruits placed in a buttered dish, covered with a flan-like batter and baked until puffy. A “Clafoutis” is in fact the name given to this dessert when made with cherries, while “Flaugnarde” (also spelled Flognarde) is the name given when made with apricots, plums, peaches or apples and pears.
In this personal variation, I perfumed the batter with almond extract and topped it with shaved almonds for extra-crunch. The rest of the recipe is very classic, and honestly, ridiculously easy to make. The batter has a delectable, soft and tender flan-like texture that melts on the tongue, while the apricots offer big clusters of sweet and tart flavors.
This Apricot Almond Flan is put together in less than 10 minutes and bakes for 1 hour. It is very simple, inexpensive and seasonal. Rustic French baking at its best!
How to make this Apricot Almond Flan (Flaugnarde)
The recipe begins by making a very simple batter from flour, sugar, eggs and milk. This batter is also flavored with vanilla extract and almond extract.
Apricots are then simply halved and pitted, and placed at the bottom of a buttered baking dish/skillet. I like to use a skillet to create golden, caramelized edges, but you can opt for the baking dish of your liking – be it round, square or rectangular.
The batter is then poured over the apricots, to almost cover them. For extra crunch, I sprinkle a handful of shaved almonds on top. This goes in the oven and bakes until the batter is barely set in the middle (still with a slight jiggle) and the edges are puffed and golden.
The flan will be puffy right when out of the oven, and will deflate as it cools – like a Dutch baby pancake. You can enjoy the Flaugnarde still warm or cool.
My Cooking tips
- This is a simple batter recipe, easily done by hand with a whisk. Although, if the batter ends up being lumpy, you can simply pass it though a fine mesh strainer to get rid of any lumps. You should have a smooth batter with a heavy cream consistency.
- This recipe works well with apricots, peaches or plums. Feel free to adapt it to whichever fruits are in season, just always make sure the fruits are ripe. In the Fall, try this recipe using sliced apples or pears.
- You can skip on the almond extract and shaved almonds if you want to keep the recipe classic and traditional. You can also substitute the almond extract for other flavoring agents, such as a splash of Cognac or Kirsch.
I hope you’ll love this Apricot Almond Flan (Flaugnarde) as much as I do! This is a simple, fuss-free dessert that is perfect to enjoy during the end of the Summer and making the most of stone fruit season.
I prefer it served warm as it is softer and more comforting – although it is also very good at room temperature or cold (best enjoyed the same day though).
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Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench. Bon Appetit!
Recipe adapted from my Classic-French Cherry Clafoutis and inspired from this article.
4 comments
Hello! I baked this cake yesterday and I really love it! And it is so easy to make!!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful recipe!!
Amazing, thank you for your feedback!
Thank you for another wonderful recipe! This was a perfect end to a summer night’s meal! Merci encore 😊
Fantastic, thank you Andrea!