This apple clafoutis with bourbon caramel sauce comes together in one skillet

Clafoutis is a French dessert that almost tastes like a hybrid of a cake and a flan or even a bread pudding. The hardest part of this dish is making the bourbon caramel sauce, which is to say, not hard at all. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Serves: 12

Hands On Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Ingredients

Clafoutis

Butter, for greasing the skillet

2 cups granulated sugar, plus more for dusting

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

2 cups half and half

4 ounces cream cheese, cubed

6 large eggs

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons bourbon or brandy

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Bourbon Caramel Sauce

3 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup bourbon

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons kosher salt

11 tablespoons unsalted butter

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Instructions

To make the clafoutis: Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Dust the inside until completely coated with a light layer of sugar. Spread the apples in an even layer in the bottom of the skillet.

In a medium saucepan, combine the half and half and cream cheese. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook, whisking, until the cheese is melted into the half and half. Remove from the heat.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until smooth. Add the granulated sugar, flour, brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla and salt and whisk until smooth. Add the warm half and half mixture and whisk until smooth.

Pour the batter on top of the apples and bake until the clafoutis is firm, the outer edges have browned, and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 minutes to 1 hour. 

While the clafoutis bakes, make the caramel sauce: In a large saucepan, melt the sugar over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to incorporate any melted and browned sugar into the uncooked sugar. Continue to cook the sugar, stirring occasionally, until the sugar turns an amber color. 

Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the bourbon. The caramel will seize up; this is okay. Return the saucepan to medium heat continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the seized sugar melts back into the caramel and the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Carefully whisk in the cream and the salt and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer until the caramel is thickened and smooth, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the cold butter, a few pieces at a time, until all of the butter is melted and incorporated.

Serve the caramel sauce drizzled generously over the hot clafoutis, with vanilla ice cream on the side.