Cherry Clafoutis

Have you ever made a clafoutis? My friend Garrett McCord taught me how to make this classic French treat years ago. It’s one of the easiest desserts you can make, especially if you find yourself with extra cherries or berries on hand.

It’s a custard of sorts, a firm custard, one with enough structure to support a lot of fruit. The basic ingredients are sugar, eggs, flour, and fruit. Easy! For this cherry clafoutis we’ve also included some vanilla extract, almond extract, and blanched almonds.

Right out of the oven this clafoutis looks a little like a battlefield of cherries. Which is why I think one sprinkles powdered sugar over it before serving. Anything can be made pretty with powdered sugar, n’est-ce pas?

As Garrett says, “if you’re a fan of desserts with little work and a lot of payoff, then clafoutis is the way to go.” Agreed!

Cherry Clafoutis Recipe

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 40 minutes
• Yield: Serves 6

Traditional clafoutis is made with cherries that still have their pits. The pits give some almond flavor to the dish. But prepared that way can be a little more difficult to eat, so in this recipe we've pitted the cherries first. You can leave them in if you want.
Note that the texture of clafoutis is like a sturdy custard, so if it feels a little rubbery, that's just how it's supposed to be.

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups of fresh sweet cherries, pitted
• 2 tablespoons of blanched slivered almonds
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of milk (2% or whole milk)
• 3/4 teaspoon of almond extract (can sub 2 teaspoons of Amaretto)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar for dusting

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