Cherry Clafouti

Part three of my celebration of 100 years of Julia Child is this dessert: Cherry Clafouti. This could be made with different fruit like plums or apples or pears. But if those fruits were used, it wouldn’t be a cherry clafouti. It is the perfect dish to make right now when cherries are in season.

Here’s what to do.
Get some cherries.

Cherries.

Pit those cherries.

Pitted cherries.

Make the batter. Mix together vanilla, sugar, flour, milk and eggs.

Vanilla, sugar, flour and milk.

Eggs.

Here’s the batter.

Clafouti batter.

Pour 1/4″ of the batter into your prepared baking dish.

Thin layer of batter.

Add the cherries to the baked batter.

Add the cherries.

Sprinkle 1/3 cup of sugar onto the cherries.

Cherries, sprinkled with sugar.

Then pour the rest of the batter on top.

Ready to go back into the oven.

Bon appétit!

Cherry clafouti.

From Mastering the art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck.
You can find the recipe here:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/JULIA-CHILDS-CLAFOUTIS-1270672

I made a very slight alteration: I used vanilla sugar instead of plain which added a great bonus hit of vanilla flavour. I made this sugar a while ago (bury a couple of vanilla pods in granulated sugar for a few weeks. Shake the container every once in a while to make sure all the sugar gets to the pods) and wanted to use it in something other than my espresso.

Julia Child’s Clafouti
serves 6-8

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
3 cups cherries, pitted
1/3 cup sugar
powdered sugar

Preparation
In a blender blend the milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour. Pour a 1/4 inch layer of the batter in a buttered 7 or 8 cup lightly buttered fireproof baking dish. Place in the oven until a film of batter sets in the pan. Remove from the heat and spread the cherries over the batter. Sprinkle on the 1/3 cup of sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about for about 45 minutes to an hour. The clafouti is done when puffed and brown and and a knife plunged in the centre comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, serve warm.