The Secret of Clafoutis

Posted by Maile.
What do you call a dessert that’s quick, simple, not too sweet, and comforting? One answer might be clafoutis, a French dessert of cherries baked with a batter topping.

Clafoutis can actually be made with all sorts of other fruits, but then it’s called flaugnarde, which to a non-French speaking person sounds like a tongue twister.

I’d never had clafoutis until we made it in a Very Basics class. It just made so much sense as a dessert. I really like using fruit in a baked dessert, and sometimes making a pie or even a crisp is just not in the cards.

Now, you might think that the secret of clafoutis is the almonds, which are pulsed with the flour in the food processor. But actually, it’s the temperature. Clafoutis is served lukewarm. There is something both delicious and comforting about a warm dessert. Plus, it’s frangrant. Here’s Lori’s recipe:

Cherry Clafoutis
(4-6 servings)

3 Cups fresh cherries (pitted or not)
Sugar to taste
1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
1/3 Cup whole blanched almonds
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Dash of salt
3 large eggs
3/4 Cup milk
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350O F. Butter an 8” square pan.

Pit the cherries, if desired, halve them, and sprinkle with sugar to taste. Let sit while preparing other ingredients.

In a food processor, pulse flour and almonds until fine. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt and mix again. Crack in the eggs one by one, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Pour in the melted butter and milk and pulse again until well blended. 
 
Arrange cherries in the prepared dish. Pour batter over cherries. Bake for 40 minutes, or until set. Transfer to a rack and cool. And serve with confectioner’s sugar.

* The pits give it a slightly different flavor.