Delicious French Dessert: Sour Cherry Clafoutis

I love sour cherries, so I usually buy a large amount and freeze them for winter cherry crisps... But I now have a new sour cherry dessert favorite!














Leafing through my new September issue of Best Health Magazine, I noticed an illustration of "Sour Cherry Clafoutis."

A clafoutis (which I had never heard of before) is described in the article as a baked pancake, but to me it tastes a little like bread pudding - without the bread. Here is the recipe (with a few modifications!)

Sour Cherry Clafoutis (From Best Health Magazine)

Butter 6 (or 7) ramekins (or one large baking dish) to grease the sides. Drain 2 cups (or 500 mL) of sour cherries and spread the cherries at the bottom of the baking dish or ramekins.

(Confession! I forgot to butter the ramekins. And I used seven - not six - as I hate to have batter overflow in baking. It was the right decision...)














Whisk together:

• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup (or 75 mL) of sugar

Gradually add (two tablespoons at a time) a total of 6 tablespoons (90 mL) of flour. The recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but I used whole wheat - and it tasted great! (There is no baking powder or baking soda in this recipe - the whipped eggs add the fluffiness.)

Add:

• 1 cup or 250 mL of 1% milk
• 1/2 cup (10%) table cream
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

(Confession again: I used 1 1/2 cups of 1 % milk instead of the milk and cream.)

Pour the mixture on top of the cherries in the dish / ramekins. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional - I didn't.)














Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius) for 30 minutes for the ramekins or 45 minutes for the baking dish.














The recipe suggests eating the dessert warm - but I LOVED IT both warm and cold!!

I checked the magazine's online recipe library, but couldn't find this exact recipe, though they do have other cherry / sour cherry recipes. I did find other clafoutis recipes at The Recipe Link website. They can, apparently, be made with blueberries, figs and other fruit.