Cherry Clafoutis

The markets have been flooded with cherries for a while and I have been wondering how to use them best, apart from eating. For a crazy baker like me, it is not best till they are used in a bake. And therefore the hunt began and I was amazed to find out that I had not yet tried this very simple but very famous French bake. 

Cherry Clafoutis or clafouti (kla-foo-tee) is basically a baked French dessert where cherries are arranged in a dish and covered with a pancake like batter. It is commonly eaten as breakfast too. 

Ideally the best variety of plump red cherries are used which are pitted and then tossed in a little butter and sugar.

The variety of cherries I got were definitely not the best and I had to spend some time pitting the seeds from them. But once that was done, the entire process was literally a cakewalk. 

Recipe adapted from : Joy of Baking

Ingredients : Serves 2

Batter : 

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp milk (full cream)
• 1/2 tbsp melted butter
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Cherries : 

• 20-25 cherries, pitted
• 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar

Procedure : 

Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius.

Take butter in a saucepan and add the pitted cherries to it. Sprinkle sugar and cook till the sugar melts. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Mix all purpose flour, sugar, egg, milk, butter and vanilla extract. 

Place cooked cherries in the tin of choice. I used my tart tins and covered the loose bottom with foil. You can use a ceramic ovenfree bowl too. 

Pour the prepared batter over the cherries and bake for 18-20 minutes or till the mixture has set. 

Serve with fresh cherries. 

Sending this recipe to KFB's ongoing event celebrating the Monsoons

Happy Clafouti baking

Amrita