cherry clafoutis

This traditional French county dessert can be made in your mixer or with a blender. We, of course, made it in our mixer with a SideSwipe! It's not very photogenic, but, boy is it delicious! If you're not familiar with this dessert, it's a sort of baked custard studded with seasonal fruit. A clafoutis (also clafouti) is traditionally made with cherries, but  peaches and even blueberries, or a combination, can be used.

What we like best about clafoutis is that it tastes fabulous and it's super simple to make. Just be sure not to overbake it. For the best consistency, about 35 minutes is best; just watch for the edges to begin to turn golden brown. The center will still be a little jiggly (but not sloshing around). Don't worry, though, even if you bake it a little too long, it's still delicious.

We made this recipe without a trip to the store, so we used 2 percent milk for the milk and cream portions. It yielded a slightly less decadent clafoutis, but was still delicious. And a little less rich for those counting calories.

This recipe, from chezbonnefemme, uses a spiked whipped cream. We used plain.

This recipe serves about 6. The leftovers make a delicious breakfast, but it's not likely you'll find out. Our pan was scraped clean!

ingredients

• 12  pitted fresh sweet cherries
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (or sugar substitute)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon kirsch (cherry brandy) or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free)
• 1 cup whole milk (can sub with 2%)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Sweetened Spiked Whipped Cream: Place 3/4 cup cold heavy cream into a chilled mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar and 2 teaspoons kirsch (cherry brandy) or other cherry-flavored liqueur. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
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directions

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Butter and sugar a 9-inch round nonmetal baking dish with 2-inch sides. We used a ceramic straight sided casserole dish.
2. Spread the cherries in the baking dish. In the bowl of your KitchenAid mixer, fitted with SideSwipe, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla, kirsch(almond), and salt on medium speed until well combined. Slowly beat in the flour, milk, and cream until combined. Pour the batter over the cherries.
3. Place the clafoutis on a baking pan and put into the middle rack of your oven.
   
4. Bake until a thin knife inserted near the center of the clafoutis comes out nearly clean (a few crumbs are fine) and the top is a deep golden color, about 35 to 40 minutes. If the top is brown before the custard is done, loosely cover with a sheet of foil. Note: Don't worry is your clafoutis sinks in the middle…It probably will, and it’s a badge of honor that you’ve made a beautiful true-to-France homemade dessert.
5. Place on a wire rack to cool, but serve warm. Just before serving, dust the top of the clafoutis with confectioners’ sugar. Serve with cream, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or plain. If you have any leftovers, refrigerate.