Two weeks ago, I shared a recipe for Cherry Crostata. I can’t forget my inner French girl, so I had to find an equally good French cherry dessert.
I have succeeded.
Just as good and a tad easier to prepare.
It is called….Clafoutis. (Kla-FOO-tee)
Clafoutis is a French comfort food that originated in the Limousin region of France. It has a cakey, custardy, puddingish consistency. It is traditionally made with cherries. Purists do not believe in pitting the cherries, thinking that the pits impart a nutty-flavor and that keeping the fruit whole results in the juices staying inside the cherries.
What? No pittin’ the cherries? Sign me up! That’s so much less work for me.
While cherries are traditional, this can be adapted to work with almost any fruit. Berries would be my second favorite (no peeling or pitting) and since blackberries are just starting to ripen in Chris’s Mom’s backyard, you can almost bet I’ll be whipping up a Blackberry Clafoutis real soon.
This recipe is taken from a little gem called French Desserts.
Cherry Clafoutis
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 vanilla bean, split (optional)
1 lb. cherries
confectioners’ sugar
Generously butter and sugar a large, 10 inch diameter baking dish.
Put milk, cream, eggs and sugar in a bowl and mix until thoroughly blended. Add the flour and beat well. If using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds with the tip of a small knife and stir into batter.
Preheat over to 400 degrees F. Arrange cherries in a single layer in a prepared dish.
Set the dish on the oven rack pulled out half-way, then pour over the batter. Gently push the oven shelf back in and bake until puffed and golden, 35-45 minutes. Just before serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Bon Appetit!