Jacques Pepin Cherry Clafoutis Recipes

CHERRY CLAFOUTIS

Steps:

• Toss the cherries with the kirsch and 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain over a bowl.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10- or 10 1/2-inch ceramic tart pan or clafouti dish. Fill the dish with the drained cherries.
• In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining sugar and the seeds from the vanilla bean. Add the salt and the liquid from the cherries, and combine well. Slowly beat in the flour, and whisk until smooth. Add the yogurt and milk, and combine well. Pour over the cherries, scraping out all of the batter with a rubber spatula.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and the clafouti is firm and puffed. Press gently on the top in the middle to see if it's firm. If not, return to the oven for five minutes.
• Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. When the clafouti is warm or cool, sift on the powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

CHERRY AND APRICOT CLAFOUTIS

Steps:

• Toss the cherries and apricots with the Kirsch and 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain over a bowl. Sift together the all-purpose flour and almond flour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9- or 10-inch ceramic tart pan or clafoutis dish. Arrange the drained cherries and apricots in the dish.
• In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining sugar and the seeds from the vanilla bean or vanilla. Add the salt and the liquid from the cherries and apricots and combine well. Slowly beat in the sifted flours and whisk until smooth. Add the yogurt and combine well. Pour over the fruit, scraping out all of the batter with a rubber spatula.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, until the top is browned and the clafoutis is firm and puffed. Press gently on the top in the middle to see if it's firm. If it isn't, return to the oven for 5 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

JULIA CHILD'S BERRY CLAFOUTIS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a medium-size flameproof baking dish at least 1 1/2 inches deep.
• Place the milk, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour in a blender. Blend at top speed until smooth and frothy, about 1 minute.
• Pour a 1/4-inch layer of batter in the baking dish. Turn on a stove burner to low and set dish on top for a minute or two, until a film of batter has set in the bottom of the dish. Remove from heat.
• Spread berries over the batter and sprinkle on the remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter and smooth with the back of a spoon. Place in the center of the oven and bake about 50 minutes, until top is puffed and browned and a tester plunged into its center comes out clean.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving. (Clafoutis need not be served hot, but should still be warm. It will sink slightly as it cools.)

CHERRY CLAFOUTIS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sliced almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast until they are fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Use 1 tablespoon melted butter to coat six 4 1/2-by-1 3/4 inch round baking dishes, and set aside.
• Place flour, 2/3 cup sugar, salt, and almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse until mixture is finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add eggs, egg yolks, 3/4 cup cream, vanilla scrapings, and lemon zest, and whisk to combine. Place in refrigerator, and let rest 30 minutes.
• Place cherries in a medium bowl; add kirsch, if using, and let macerate 30 minutes. Divide among dishes. Whisk remaining butter into batter; pour batter over cherries, and place dishes on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining sugar; bake until tops are golden and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Whip remaining 1/2 cup cream until soft peaks form. Serve clafoutis warm or at room temperature, topped with whipped cream.

CHERRY CLAFOUTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10-inch porcelain tart dish, and fill with cherries. Set aside.
• Sift flour and salt together into a large bowl. Add sugar. Gradually whisk in whole eggs, egg yolks, milk, and cream. Add vanilla-bean scrapings and kirsch; whisk to combine.
• Using a sieve, strain the batter over the cherries. Bake until puffed and browned, about 45 minutes. Let cool until warm; it will sink slightly. Dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve.

SOUR CHERRY TART

Steps:

• For the pate brisee, place the flour, sugar, salt and butter pieces in owl and crush the butter into the dry ingredients with the tips of your fingers until combined somewhat but with pieces of butter still visible in the mixture. Add the ice water and stir with a fork just until the mixture holds together. Gather it up, pressing it between your hands to flatten it and make it round, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour.
• Rub a small amount of flour into a pastry cloth and roll the dough into a very thin circle, about 12 1/2 inches in diameter. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and gently fit it into the bottom and up the sides of an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough against the sides of the pan to fill in any holes and make it adhere to the metal. Remove any excess overhanging dough by rolling the rolling pin across the top of the pan. Refrigerate the tart shell for one hour.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl combine the cherries, tapioca, sugar and almond extract. Sprinkle the ground almond-sugar mixture in the pastry shell and arrange the cherry mixture on top. Place the tart pan on a cookie sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven for one to one-and-a-quarter hours, until the dough is nicely browned. Unmold and serve with strong coffee.