Cherry Clafoutis

Among my Paris apartment's many assets is its proximity to Gerard Mulot's pastry shop: I can walk there in five minutes flat—and do so often. Pass by the shop and you might find me, surrounded by like-minded admirers, marveling at the tarts topped with arrangements to rival any fruit-filled cornucopia painted by Caravaggio. Yet as stunning as these tarts are, the tart that consistently sells out is M. Mulot’s simplest tart, his clafoutis. In fact, the tart is so popular he makes it three times a day, the better to ensure that its crust is crisp and its filling custardy, morning, noon, or night. The traditional clafoutis is a specialty of the Limousin region of France, where it is always made with fresh cherries and almost always with unpitted cherries, since the pits are thought to give the fruit more flavor. This clafoutis strays from tradition in that it is baked in a crust (the original was crustless, which could explain why the French Academy declared it a cake rather than a tart) and studded with griottes, small ruby-colored sour cherries. Griottes are available frozen (M. Muiot’s preference) or jarred at specialty shops. They are also often seen imported from Italy, packed in syrup in blue-and-white-patterned milk-glass bottles. However, as good as these Italian griottes are, they are OK but not ideal for this tart because of their heavy syrup. If you cannot find griottes either frozen or jarred, stick with tradition: make this clafoutis with fresh cherries, pitted or not.

NotesKEEPING: The clafoutis will keep for about 12 hours at room temperature. It is best served shortly after it is made and is always best unchilled.

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS: I’ve made this clafoutis with winy dried cherries and loved it—the tangy dried cherries are wonderful with the rich custard filling. But before you plop the dried cherries into the tart shell, make sure they’re moist and plump. If they’re not, steam them for a minute or two, then pat them dry before proceeding. Of course, you can also make this tart with poached (or high-quality canned) apricots or peaches, purple prune plums, or an assortment of raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries.

Cooking Methodbaking

CostInexpensive

Total Timeunder 4 hours

Make Ahead RecipeYes

Kid FriendlyYes

OccasionCasual Dinner Party

Recipe Coursedessert

Mealdinner

Taste and Texturebuttery, fruity, rich, sweet

Type of Dishdessert, tart