It’s cherry season and I could not help but succumb to buying pounds of these delicious fruits which have been popping up on sale at just about every grocery store and farmers market. When ever I have too much of an ingredient, I do what anyone would do – I bake with it! What a great excuse to make a dessert!
The dessert I chose to make is a Clafouti. This is one of the easiest, no-fail desserts I have ever made. I was once intimidated by its fancy name but do not be fooled! Clafouti basically means “cherry flan”. For those of you who have never tried a Clafouti, picture a pancake batter (made in your standard blender) poured over fruit then baked in the oven – yes, that is it! The end result is a custard-like flan with cherries embedded into it. The baking time is what takes the longest. Prep is extremely quick, especially if you have your cherries pitted in advance. The rest of the ingredients you all likely have in your cupboards.
I prepped this dessert an hour before attending a friend’s house for a barbecue. By the time it was done baking, I covered it with a kitchen cloth, placed it on top of a small wooden cutting board, and drove it over to the barbecue where it would be served as dessert. The final step – dusting with icing sugar – was done at my friend’s house right before it was served. The reviews were great! Even the under 10 year old children liked it!
CLAFOUTI [Cherry Flan]
Yields: 6-8 portions
Ingredients:
3 cups pitted black cherries (I used standard red cherries in season)
1 1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour, leveled
1/3 cup granulated sugar to be added in step 3.
Icing sugar to be added in step 5.
*An electric blender
A 7 to 8 cup lightly buttered, fireproof baking dish or pyrex pie plate about 1 1/2 inches deep
(*If you do not have an electric blender, work the eggs into the flour with a wooden spoon, gradually beat in the liquids, then strain the batter through a fine sieve.)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place all of the ingredients into your blender jar in the order in which they are listed. Cover and blend at top speed for 1 minute.
3. Pour 1/4 inch layer of batter in the baking dish or pie plate. Set over moderate heat for a minute or two until a film of batter has set in the bottom of the dish. Remove from the heat. Spread the cherries over the batter and sprinkle on the additional 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.
4. Place in middle position of preheated oven and bake for about an hour. The clafouti is done when it has puffed and browned, and a needle or knife plunged into its centre comes out clean.
5. Sprinkle the top of the clafouti with powdered sugar just before bringing it to the table. (The clafouti need not be served hot, but should still be warm. It will sink down slightly as it cools.)
 |
| This is a picture of what the clafouti looked like when it came right out of the oven (pre-icing sugar). |
With Love,
Daily Tiramisu
