Feature Sweet Cherry Clafoutis
A quintessential French dessert, clafoutis (pronounced kluh·foo·tee) is a delicious, eggy, flan-type of fruit dessert. Classically, it is made with fresh sweet cherries. You can even use bottled cherries if you have a hankering to make it in the winter. I have done that more times than not. And, you can certainly substitute other stone fruit or berries*.
Claufoutis originated in the South-Central region of France called Limousin, of which the capital is Limoges, a premier producer of porcelain. I am not certain why or how it originated there. I would guess that cherry trees are abundant. But the original versions actually used the whole cherries to eek every last drop of flavor out of the pits. I am happy to say I do not mind pitting the cherries first; they are plenty flavorful for me.
There are many recipes to be found for this beloved dessert; some have more cream and less eggs, other recipes are overly sweet. I favor this Clafoutis recipe mostly because it was developed by Julia Child. This has to be one of the simplest recipes from any of her books. It is definitely one of my favorites.
Sweet Cherry Clafouti
Ingredients
For the Batter:
1 ¼ cups milk
1/3 cup sugar*
3 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Fruit
3 cups fresh pitted cherries (from about 1 ½ pounds fresh cherries)
Garnish: powdered sugar
*In addition to the sugar in the batter, if you are substituting a less sweet fruit for the cherries in the recipe, you can sprinkle extra sugar on the fruit before pouring the batter over it.
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 1 1/2 to 2-quart baking dish.
Measure the batter ingredients into the blender jar. Blend well for 1 minute.
Pour a ¼-inch layer of batter into buttered baking dish and set over low heat on a burner for a minute or two until the batter has just set. Remove from heat. Cool slightly
Spread the cherries evenly over the batter. Pour the remaining batter over the cherries and spread it out evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
Place baking dish in the middle of the preheated oven for about one hour. The clafoutis should be puffed, lightly browned, and a knife or needle inserted into the middle should come out clean. Cool until warm before serving.
Garnish with powdered sugar and fresh mint. It will shrink somewhat as it cools.
