Cherry Clafoutis

It has rained almost all weekend which is quite unusual for Sydney summer but I so don't mind. It means I can stay at home and bake naughty little desserts before I start my detox diet next month, oomph. February will be my health month and knowing that I already crave all those things I am most certainly not allowed to eat then.

Clafoutis, sometimes also spelled clafouti, is a baked French dessert of black cherries arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter. The clafoutis is dusted with icing sugar and served lukewarm.

According to baking purists the cherries should still contain their pits as this releases an almond-like flavour but I don’t like biting into unpitted cherries in a dessert.

Call me lazy but I prefer to totally enjoy my dessert without having to worry about any pits.

You can, of course, use any other fruit such as berries, prunes, apples or plums but then it would be rather called flaugnarde. Whatever you call it, it is very yummy and so easy to make. Served in individual dishes it will make a great dessert for Valentines Day or be just a comforting treat on a rainy day like today. 

 

Recipe for my cherry clafoutis:

Makes 2 individual dishes/frying pan of 15 cm in diameter each

100 g light sour cream

125 ml thickened cream

2 eggs, lightly whisked

3 tablespoons caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons plain flour

butter, softened, to grease dishes

200 g black cherries, pitted

icing sugar

mint leaves, optional

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. Whisk together sour cream, cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add flour and whisk until well combined.

3. Butter dishes then scatter cherries over bottom. Pour batter around cherries and bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.

4. Sprinkle with icing sugar and some mint leaves and serve.