It’s stone fruit season, which means I’ve started going overboard with all things cherry. It seemed like a good idea at the time to buy a 20-pound box of cherries with my friend. Do you know what 20 pounds of cherries look like? It’s A LOT! Needless to say, I’ve been churning out a lot of cherry-based recipes in my kitchen these days.

One of the things I love to make during cherry season is cherry clafoutis. It’s a simple dessert, and is one of Julia Child’s favorites, which in other words, means it must be good. Its custard-like texture is light and showcases the star of the dessert: cherries. It’s also simple, making clafoutis a dish you can pull off on a weeknight.

Hailing from the Limousin region of France, this baked custard can be served warm or at room temperature.

My kitchen notes

I used Lapin cherries, which are firm and hold up well in the oven.  Other varieties to consider are Rainier, Garnet or Brooks.

Cherry Clafoutis

1 pound fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

4 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter cake pan or ramekins.

2. Arrange cherries in a single layer in pan or ramekins.

3. Combine milk and whipping cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Set aside.

4. Combine eggs, flour, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to blend.

5. Gradually whisk in hot milk mixture. Whisk until mixture is smooth.

6. Pour custard evenly over cherries in pan. If necessary, gently shake pan or ramekins to allow custard to settle.

7. Bake until custard is set and top is golden brown; about 30 minutes for ramekins and 45-55 minutes for cake pan.

8. Let cool 3 minutes, then run a knife around pan sides to loosen clafouti (if using a cake pan). Dust top with powdered sugar.

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