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Cherry
Clafoutis
or clafouti (pronounced kla-foo-TEE) is a rustic looking French country dessert from
the Limousin region that has become very popular in North America. Traditionally
it was made with the first sweet cherries of
the season, and the cherries were not pitted so the kernels could release
their delicate almond flavor as they baked. A Cherry Clafoutis is a pudding
of sorts, where you place a
layer of sweet cherries on the bottom of an oven proof skillet and then pour
over top a fairly thin pancake-like batter. The assembled dish is
placed
in a hot oven and baked until the batter has become slightly puffed, set, and
the edges of the batter are nicely browned. The clafoutis should be served immediately with a
dusting of confectioner's (powdered or icing) sugar.
Today, most people prefer
this dish with pitted cherries, which makes the clafoutis much easier to eat. Although clafoutis
is considered a dessert, I often serve it for Breakfast or Brunch. As I
said above, the clafoutis should be served immediately with a
dusting of confectioner's (powdered or icing) sugar and maybe a small dollop
of yogurt, creme fraiche, or even softly whipped cream. Although fresh
cherries have a short season, we can enjoy this dish
during the rest of the year. Instead of fresh cherries we can use bottled or
canned cherries that are packed in a syrup. Personally I like the bottled tart Morello
Cherries. No changes are needed to the recipe. Just be sure to drain the
cherries before using. If you want to make a clafoutis with other fruits,
may I suggest using blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, plums, peaches, pears, or nectarines. The only thing to keep in mind is that
you may have to adjust the sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruit.
As always, it is important to choose our fruit carefully. Buy Bing cherries that
have their stems still attached, are bright and shiny red, almost black in
color. They should be plump, firm to the touch, with no browning around the stems. Do not buy cherries that are soft or
have brown spots, cuts, are wet or sticky, or have shriveled stems.
Pitting the cherries is always a tedious job and the task is made easier if you
have a cherry pitter. However, if you do not own such a tool, than you
need to do it by hand. The easiest way I have found to do this, is to make
a small slit in the cherry, with a small sharp knife, at the stem end of the
cherry. Then, using the tip of the knife or your thumbnail, remove the
pit. This process is best done over a bowl so any dripping juice will fall
into the bowl and not stain your countertop. Because the cut cherries
immediately start to release their juices, it is important to use them right
away.
Other great cherry desserts you
may want to try, this Cherry Cake, this
Cherry Tart, or this
Cherry Pie. All use the wonderful sweet yet
tangy flavored Bing Cherry. When buying Bing cherries look for plump and shiny
fruit with a deep red, almost black, color. They should be firm to the touch
with no soft spots, and their stems should still be attached.
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