Ingredients
Softened butter, for pan
1 1/2 c. tart or sweet cherries, halved and pits removed
4 large eggs
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. milk
1 tbsp. amaretto, or 1 tsp. almond extract
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Powdered sugar, for serving
Preparation
Step 1Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9" round baking dish with butter. Spread out cherries in an even layer in bottom of pan. Step 2 In a blender, add eggs and sugar and blend until frothy. Add milk, amaretto, flour and salt and blend until combined. Pour batter over cherries. Step 3Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Step 4Serve warm or at room temperature dusted with powdered sugar.
Interstingly enough, the reason the almond flavor is added to this dessert (other than it tasting delicious) is that in original recipes for this dish, cooks would leave in the pits of the cherries. The pits impart a similar nutty flavor that resmebles what you might get in amaretto or almond extract. However adding pits to this dessert makes it slightly tougher to eat. Adding the flavor in liquid form ensures you have rich, easy-eating dessert that is perfumed with that iconic almond-y taste. Why use a blender for the batter? You don’t need to worry about overworking the gluten here. For this recipe, you want to make sure that everything is really well incorporated. Using a blender speeds things along, but if you’d rather use a whisk and some elbow grease, please do! What other fruits can you use? Cherries are classic in a clafoutis but they can be made with all sorts of fruit. Apples, blackberries, and plums are all traditional. Sturdy and dense fruits are best! Tried this recipe? Let us know how it came out in the comments below!
