Clafouti

My husband used to like to make cherry clafouti.  He'd make it for Sunday breakfast now and then.  He'd make it and serve it sprinkled with powdered sugar.  It's equally good as breakfast in bed, or at the table with the sunday paper. The aroma will drag the sorriest ass out of bed. It's so good with coffee, but also makes a nice dessert (with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, especially).  He used a recipe from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion.

Clafouti is a French dish which begins with a shallow layer of fruit being placed in a shallow pan, usually a large pie or cake pan.  A batter is then poured over it, and the whole thing is baked until the crust has risen over the fruit and becomes brown. 

Here's the recipe for cherry clafouti:

3/4 cup (3 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (4 3/4 oz.) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp. almond or vanilla extract (the almond goes well with cherry or peach clafouti)
3 cups (about 2 lb.) pitteed sweet cherries

Preheat the oven to 375.  Thoroughly grease a 10-inch round pan or ovenproof skillet.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and sugar.  In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until foamy.  Beat in the milk and vanilla or almond extract.  Gradually whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring to smooth out any lumps.

Place the fruit in the greased pan and pour the batter over it.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.  A cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Note:  using a nine-inch pan and baking at 350 for 40-45 minutes yields a more custardy clafouti.

(Cherry pitters available from Fantes here.)

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If you don't have the patience to pit all those cherries, try the peach.  Instead of cherries, slice 3 cups peaches (about 2 pounds), and arrange them in the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle with 1/3 cup brown sugar.

When you make the batter, use 1/3 cup granulated sugar (half the amount of the cherry clafouti, as you are adding the brown sugar), and add 1/2 tsp. salt to the dry ingredients.  The rest of the instructions are the same.

Enjoy.

[link for photo and another recipe here.]

[Modified 2/18]

Comments

[keewee]

Yummm, I like the sound of peach Clafouti, I have the recipe printed and filed for use when we have all that wonderful summer fruit.
I wonder if plums would be good, we have three plum trees and I am always looking for new plum recipes.

[new balance]

It is nice one, the pic is very cool, i just wonder if the real matter also cool enough. I have got a watch which have nice photo but do not really good before, it is so bad...