Easy, fresh, light, very country, but also very elegant, clafouti is a traditional rustic Provencal dessert somewhere between a baked custard, a light pancake and a cakey souffle. This recipe is more custardy than cakey, not too sweet, with a full, ripe cherry flavour, laced with a little Kirsch. I recommend stoning the fruit; although this isn’t traditionally done, it does reduce the risk of incurred dental bills from surprised guests! Traditionally made with cherries, clafouti is also ioonderful made with apricots, berries, fresh figs, pears or even peaches or apricots, with like-flavoured liqueurs standing in for the Kirsch.
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds ripe sweet black cherries, washed and dried thoroughly if necessary
- ¾ cup whole milk (3.5%)
- ¾ cup heavy cream (36%)
- 1 vanilla bean, split
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup all purpose flour, sifted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ to 2 tablespoons Kirsch or other cherry brandy
- Unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing dish
- Confectioners sugar, for dusting over finished dessert, optional
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Select a shallow, wide ceramic baking dish of about 2-quart capacity. Glass can also be used, but I have found ovenproof ceramic or glazed earthenware hold the heat much more evenly and produce an evenly baked custard. They also look quite beautiful when the clafouti is served at the table, in keeping with the rustic nature of the dessert. Generously butter the entire inside of the dish and set it aside. Pit the cherries using a little manual cherry or olive pitter. You could leave the stones in, but warn your guests! Scatter the cherries in the bottom of the buttered dish.
2. Combine the milk and the cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pot and add the hull. Bring this mixture just to the boil, then remove from the heat.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the sugar gradually and whisk until the mixture is thickened and pale, about 1 to 2 minutes. Combine the flour and salt in a small cup or bowl and sift together over the yolk and sugar mixture in three stages, whisking each addition in gently and thoroughly. You want to add just as much sifted flour as the mixture can absorb at a time without getting lumpy. When all of the flour has been smoothly incorporated, wrap a damp kitchen towel around the bottom of the bowl to hold it steady. Pour a small amount of the hot milk and cream into the batter, whisking constantly. Slowly add the rest of the hot liquid, whisking steadily and making sure the whisk covers the whole area of the bowl. (You can remove the vanilla bean at this point, but I like to leave it in and bake it with the custard, discarding it when the clafouti is served.) Stir in the Kirsch.
4. Pour the custard over the cherries (they will bob up and float on the surface of the mixture) and place the baking dish in the centre of the oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is evenly puffed and browned and the centre is just set when lightly touched. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners sugar, if desired.
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