Baked Cherry Pudding

Clafoutis

From the Limousin area of central France, Clafoutis is very easy to make. Find cherries that are large and firm with a nice balance of sweet and tart. Wash and pit the fruit. Make a batter. Bake both together. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve with crème fraiche or sour cream on the side. That’s it. Remember for success this kind of simplicity is reliant on the quality of the ingredients. You can also use apricots. Cut them in half, remove the stone, and arrange cut side up in the baking dish.

Photo by Melissa McArdle

For 4 servings: 

• 2 cups cherries

• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

• 3 tablespoons almond flour

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• pinch of salt

• 3 eggs

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 cup milk

• powdered sugar for dusting

• 1/2 cup crème fraiche 

Preheat oven to 375° F.  

Wash and pit the cherries. Keep the cherries in any residual juice.  

Sift the flour into a medium bowl and mix with the almond flour, sugar, and cinnamon.  

Whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, and milk in a separate bowl.  

Add 1/3 of the egg mixture to the flour mixture.  

Use the whisk to form a paste.  

Gradually add the remaining egg mixture while stirring to make a smooth batter.   

Pour about a quarter of the batter into an 8-inch baking dish.  

Add the cherries to the baking dish in an even layer.  

Pour the remaining batter over the cherries.  

Bake until the edges of the clafoutis are puffed, lightly browned, and the center is set, 15-20 minutes.  

Dust the top with powdered sugar.  

Serve warm with crème fraiche on the side.  

You can download or print a version of this recipe here.