Traditional Cherry Clafouti(s) with pits.
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Puffy, Pit-ty, Frenchie.
While there’s debate about whether the traditional cherry French custard-y, pancake-y dessert is correctly spelled Clafouti or Clafoutis, there should be no debate about whether the cherries should be pitted before going into the dessert. The correct answer is that they shouldn’t.
What? An unpitted fruit dessert served to guests?? Why, that’s un-American. Exactly.
Clafouti (pronounced “Cla-FOO-tee”) is a dessert to be savored. Not chomped down like a Hostess Cherry Pie. The french know that there should be plenty of time during a meal to take small bites and fish out the pits. But the pits aren’t merely there as speedbumps. They also add flavor.
Arrange the cherries in the pan, preferable so that they don't touch each other.
The cherry is part of the genus Prunus, the same family as the almond. And the pit of the cherry, when cooked, imparts a faint bitter almond flavor. And we all know how well cherry and almond flavors go together. Now you know why. They’re cousins. It’s like a family reunion in your mouth – minus the drunk uncle.
Back to the clafouti. It’s one of the easiests – yet still impressive – desserts to make when the fruits of summer are bursting. The clafouti can me made with all manner of berries, but the cherry is still the traditional favorite. All you need to adjust is the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of the berries. Search around for recipe varieties – there are many. But here’s our favorite:
Cherry Clafouti
1/2 flour
1/4 t salt
2 eggs
1/3 C sugar (a little less if using sweet cherries.)
3/4 c milk
1/4 t almond extract (if using pitted cherries or if you desire a stronger almond flavor.)
2 T butter
powdered sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place butter in heavy skillet, or 9 inch cake pan, and place in oven until it melts. Combine all other ingredients in food processor, or blender, or bowl. When butter is melted, add to other ingredients, leaving a thin coating of butter in pan.
Arrange cherries in pleasing pattern on bottom of pan with butter coating. Place pan in refrigerator. The cooling butter will hold the cherries in place. Why? Just a sec…
Blend ingredients in processor until they make a smooth batter. Remove pan with cherries from refrigerator, and pour batter over cherries. See? The congealed butter keeps the cherries from rolling all over the place when you pour in the batter.
Place pan in oven and cook for 20 minutes or until edges are brown, and middle is still a bit jiggly and custardy.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar, And serve warm. Clafouti should be eaten in one sitting, since it will not keep well. Not that that should be a problem.
Just watch out for those pits.
I'm with Susan — need at least a "guestimate" on the amount of cherries please. I have a clafoutis recipe that is my husband's absolute fave. He brings me cherries as soon as the stands open up in the south Santa Clara Valley & I make them using the cherry pitter he bought me last year. It does four at a time & I love it!
Hi, Nancy
Just use enough cherries to dot the pan like in the picture
I would love to make this (and please forgive the question from someone who rarely makes desserts), but what is the quantity cherries required?
Hi Brent…yesterday I made Melissa's Roasted Cherry Tomato Clafoutis and it was absolutely delicious! I would highly recommend you and Josh give it a try.
Thanks for posting the recipe Melissa, I took it in for our "food day" at work and it was gone in mere minutes!!!
~Christy
Here's the recipe. Just made it this weekend with 5 varieties of cherry tomatoes from the garden.
Roasted Cherry Tomato Clafoutis
Makes 4 servings
2 cups cherry tomatoes (1 lb)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic, pressed or diced fine
2 tsp granulated sugar
salt & pepper
1 cup light cream (I use fat free 1/2&1/2)
3 eggs
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 lb (about 2 c) mozzarella cheese, shredded
Pepper and salt to taste
Arrange cherry tomatoes in a single layer in a shallow 6 cup baking dish. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with thyme, garlic, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Toast in a 400F oven till the skins shrivel slightly.
In a blender, blend cream, eggs and flour until smooth. Pour over tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheese. Reduce temperature to 350F, bake for about 25 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve immediately.
Have you ever had roasted cherry tomato clafoutis? Mine has thyme, garlic, and mozzarella and it's perfect for breakfast or dinner.
This sounds delicious, Melissa. You should post the recipe here so that all of our readers can give it a try
Made the Clafouti for brunch yesterday (threw some nectarines in there and substituted almond milk) and it was fantastic.
Grilled cherries was something I just made up since we had so many – just mixed some unpitted cherries, unpeeled garlic, and sliced onion on a small metal tray, sprinkled with salt, pepper, oregano and a little cinnamon then drizzled everything with some olive oil. Mix everything to coat and put on the grill at the same time as the meat (we had chicken legs and thighs that were coated in a Cherry Balsamic sauce we bought on our way back). Made an excellent presentation when poured over the grilled meat in a serving dish and tasted even better! Next time I would add some dark brown sugar though to soften the tartness of the cherries and thicken the juices up a little bit.
I made this and well, it was a hit. I also found out that I had my grandmothers clafouti dish, from France.
I served some creme brulee ice cream witht his and nothing was left.
I will make with pits whenever I can.
Oh and grilled cherries do sound fab!
Just picked two pails of cherries up in Door County today – started some cherry bounce this afternoon, grilled a few with our chicken tonight and hoping to make this tomorrow!
Grilled cherries sound fabulous, AV
Look amazing! Can't wait for a party or some other excuse to make it.
making it today with fresh blueberries!
This looks amazing. I have 5 cherry trees, and if I can ever get a year that the birds don't get the cherries before they even ripen, I will try it with my cherries. Otherwise, I will have to settle for the farmer's market. Do you know how to keep the birds away from cherries in the city?
One of the great joys of summer and childhood memories of eating cherries from the tree. It is like eating watermelon with seeds. Somethings are just meant to be.
I have a recipe but will try yours!
Thank you
We love clafoutis! I made one with raspberries and another with peaches. Yum! Both were fantastic especially with a dallop of whipped cream. Perfect summer dessert.
I love the show– you guys quarrel just like my partner & I do.
I first had clafoutis in Nice, France, at the home of distant cousins. I fell in love with it and have made it myself– but I can never manage that French flair. (We also had shrimp with the heads on, but I haven't tried replicating that dish.)
This looks amazing! By accident a relative made a cherry pie and left the pits in. We all loved it. We spent summers on my granfather's cherry orchard in Door County Wisconsin. Our Nourish(meant) project bus will try and get up to Fish Creek soon.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe. We will make it with fresh cherries when we get to Door County!
Hi, Debra
Make sure you stop back by and let us know how it turns out. Josh grew up in Wisconsin and has many stories to tell about Door County
I made clementine clafoutis, but haven't tried the cherries. I cannot find sour cherries here, but I think I might try this with Rainier cherries. Not sure I will like having the pits in there, but it looks so good I'll see how it goes.