Cherry Clafoutis

Every year in May we go cherry picking and I am just in my happy place. It also means we end up with enough cherries to feed an army. Normally, I am more than happy to just eat all of them fresh, as there is almost nothing better in my book than snacking on fresh cherries. But, because I can't help it and the urge to bake is strong over here, I wanted to make something that really showcased this gorgeous fruit.Hence cherry clafoutis! Clafoutis is an iconic, rustic French dessert that is sort of like a cross between a dutch baby and a baked custard. It's as simple as it gets - whip a batter together, pour batter over fruit, and bake until done. Traditionally, the pits of the cherries are even left in for the ultimate rustic touch (they impart an almond flavor) but I didn't want to lose a tooth, so I made sure to pit mine. There are lots of clafoutis recipes out there, but to me, this one highlights the cherries beautifully - the batter itself isn't too sweet, the hint of lemon provides the perfect accent to the cherries (lemon isn't traditional but it's my favorite, so I couldn't help myself) and finally, topping the final product with fresh cherries creates an amazing contrast with the ones that bake down in the dessert. The dish tastes best (in my opinion)  10-15 minutes out of the even, but is also seriously good at room temp, out of the fridge, or even reheated.Couple of things to note:

• I call for a 9 inch baking pan or skillet which will create a clafoutis that is about 3/4 inches thick after it settles. If you want your clafoutis to be more thicker or more custard-y, feel free to use a smaller pan and just watch the bake time (it will likely take a few minutes longer).
• For this batter, you want to really thorough when blending the eggs, but gentle when you add the flour in. Doing those two things will lead to the most even bake and keep the clafoutis creamy as opposed to getting rubbery.

 

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Cherry Clafoutis

Serves 6-8Ingredients: 

• Butter for baking dish
• 1 cup whole milk 
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 tbsp sugar (depending on how sweet your cherries are - if they're already very sweet, use less)
• 2 large eggs + 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cups of pitted, sweet cherries (a little over a pound with the pits)
• 1 tsp lemon zest 
• Powdered sugar

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 and butter an oven-proof 9-inch baking dish or skillet.
2. Mix milk, cream, salt, vanilla and sugar. Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time, blending well to combine after each. Add flour and blend until just combined (try not to overmix - its ok if there are small lumps).
3. Place the cherries in an even layer on the bottom of the baking dish (you should have some leftover - you’ll scatter those over the top at the end). Pour the batter over the fruit, and then sprinkle the lemon juice over the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the edges are puffed up and golden brown. 
4. Once out of the oven, sprinkle the lemon zest over the top of the clafoutis and then dust with powdered sugar. The clafoutis can be served warm, room temp or cold, but is especially delicious a few minutes out of the oven . Also, it will deflate - there's nothing you can do about that so don’t stress!