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It’s cherry season so I wanted to share this classic French country style dessert. These are the kind of desserts I love to make at home. They showcase the local fruit without manipulating it too much; they’re simple, delicious and satisfying. Perfect for the home cook.
Cherry Clafoutis
1.25 pounds cherries, ripe
Softened butter, to grease baking dish
¾ cup sugar
7 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon confectioner sugar
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate (optional)
With a paper towel, coat the bottom and sides evenly of your baking dish or ramekins, whichever you are using with butter. Pour one quarter cup sugar over the butter and move it about until it is evenly coating the baking dish. Remove any excess sugar and put the cherries into the baking dish in one even layer. You want to cover the entire surface area with cherries. Please leave the pits in tact as they contain a wonderful almond like flavor. Have you ever heard of Noyaux? It’s cherry pit ice cream…
In the bowl of a Kitchen Aid or other mixer, combine five eggs and two egg yolks with the remaining half cup of sugar. You can save the additional whites for a different use. Mix with the whisk attachment on medium high until pale and thickened, about two minutes. Add the cream and the flour and mix to combine. Pour the batter over the cherries until just shy of the top, the mixture will rise a little bit in the oven due to the eggs. Bake in a 350F oven until fragrant, golden brown and set, about forty minutes. Remove and let cool for twenty minutes or so and serve dusted with confectioners sugar and dark chocolate if using. We serve this in gratin dishes large enough for two people to share. Makes enough to fill five dishes and serves ten.
We made this dish when we took our cooking class in San Francisco at Jordan’s Kitchen. We loved it so much we made it for friends on returning and now, whenever we are invited to a covered-dish dinner (pretty common in the Midwest), they beg us to bring this dessert. We serve it with Vanilla bean ice cream or sometimes just with whipped cream. This is one of those desserts that, if you make it once, you’ll be making it the rest of your life!