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June comes with a rain of juicy cherries, soft and fleshy, announcing the delicious taste of summer. Frenchmen, very sensitive to the call of nature, have created this dreamy dessert, using the most ripe and sweet cherries: Burlat cherries. This variety of cherries in caracterized by a dark red colour , almost black, a sign that they are ripe.
The original fragrance of a french clafoutis is a warm seduction of vanilla and almonds, juicy cherries, all in a tart with delicate notes of butter and almond powder.
Masters of French bakers are very proud of this famous dessert, and I hardly managed to find this recipe in its original version, French. The french secret is using a mixture of flour, almond powder (for a more distinctive taste and a rustic texture), always put cream in composition and ... let the whole cherries with pits. Leaving the cherries with pits, their juice does not lose in the cake. When the cake is baked with whole cherries, a subtle almond flavor enrichies the dough (because of the pits).
Cherry Clafoutis is a dessert created originally in Limousin region (France), famous for its black cherry variety (but this cake can also be made with berries, apricots, nectarines, etc.).
Clafoutis has a "je ne sais quoi" (" I don't know what") typically French: a tart dough that tastes like pudding and pancakes. This french original combination of colours, smells and flavours, inspired by the beginning of summer, quickly won the world. French chefs do not conceive a june menu without "Clafoutis aux cerises" . This is their way of announcing the customers that is summertime.
Do not worry, the recipe is simple, you just have to make a batter, fluider than the one used for pancakes.
Ingredients:
-a plate full of ripe black cherries (about 600-700 grams)
-50 gr flour
-50 gr maizena (starch or flour)
-100 gr almond powder
-3 large eggs
-250 ml milk
-150 ml cream
-175 grams of sugar or fructose (you can put even more if you want more sweet)
-vanilla essence
Butter the oven pan.
Beat the eggs (room temperature) with sugar.
Add almond powder.
Add the strained flour. If you want a very delicate clafoutis, use only Maizena (100 grams) , without flour.
Then add 2 tablespoons Maizena (starch).
Mix well and add vanilla essence (5 drops). I also put a teaspoon of vanilla seeds.
Finally, add milk and cream. It should to be slightly more liquid than the classic pancake dough consistency. Adjust the quantity of milk in order to obtain this consistency.
Grease the pan with butter, sprinkle with flour. Arrange cherries (with pits, remember) all over the pan.
Pour batter over cherries.
Put the pan in the oven at 180 Celsius degrees for 20-30 minutes, until crust is well done (test with toothpick it comes out dry) and is slightly browned.
Clafoutis is a puffy cake when baked, so be sure to use a high enough shape.
Let clafoutis cool down at room temperature. The final aspect will be similar to a fruit flan.
Serve warm, sprinkled with powdered sugar if desired.
Clafoutis is a cake that "disappears" very quickly!
And a slice for you:
No need to say that the whole kitchen will smell like vanilla, cherries and almonds:) ...Just beautiful!
Good appetite!
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