Cherries are in season! They’re one of my favorite fruits, but sadly we have discovered that my daughter has an allergy to raw stone fruit– pretty common, apparently– so I feel bad eating them in front of her. I decided to try using them in a baked recipe, and since no one else in my family seems to like pie, I tried my hand at clafoutis.
Cherry clafoutis is a classic french dessert– basically an eggy pancake batter poured over cherries and baked. Traditionally the cherries are unpitted, supposedly because the pits will infuse an almond flavor into the dessert. While I’m doubtful about this rationale, I gave it a shot (and added almond extract in case it didn’t work).
The finished dessert was tasty, with a nice almond flavor that worked well with the cherries, but I couldn’t really get behind the texture– it was kind of a cross between creamy and rubbery, and not my favorite. I do wonder if it would have been better when fresh out of the oven– I let it cool completely to make it easier to slice, but that may have been an error. It’s definitely better warm than at room temperature, and like I said the flavor was good, but I think in the future I’ll just eat the cherries plain and hide them from the kid.
That being said, I’m glad I tried it, if only to say that I did! Maybe you’ll have better luck!
Cherry Clafoutis (from Smitten Kitchen)
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus more to butter dish
- 1 cup (130 grams) flour
- A couple pinches of salt
- 1 cup (235 ml) milk
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 teaspoons brandy or rum (optional)
- 2 generous (245 grams) cups sweet cherries, unpitted (though you can pit them if you really want to)
- powdered sugar (optional)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and butter a deep-dish pie plate or 9″ cake pan.
- Rinse your cherries and scatter them over the bottom of your pan.
- In a medium bowl, beat eggs and sugar until the eggs lighten in color and texture. I used an electric hand mixer, but you could do it by hand if you have good arm muscles.
- Slowly add butter, whisking the whole time.
- Add flour and salt all at once, and whisk until smooth.
- Slowly add milk, whisking the whole time. Your goal is a very smooth batter.
- Add almond extract and (if using) brandy.
- Pour batter over cherries.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until top is browned and center is just about set.
- Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving, and top with powdered sugar.
It's All Frosting... 