Valentine's Recipe: Cherry Clafoutis

Clafoutis is a traditional French dessert made with a crepe-like batter.  It is light and delicious.  It is the perfect dessert to make for your sweet on Valentine's Day.  

We had fun making this recipe on our Bistro Cooking episode.

The Dish:  Cherry Clafoutis

The Recipe:

2 cups of fresh sweet cherries, pitted

2 tablespoons of slivered almonds

2 eggs

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, sifted

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of whole milk

2 teaspoons of Amaretto

1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a pie plate. Whisk the eggs, sugars, salt, and flour together until smooth.

Add the milk, Amaretto and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Pour ⅓ batter  into the baking dish.  Bake 10 minutes to set.  Then add remaining batter and cherries.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. When you pull it put of the oven it will wiggle a bit which is normal. Place on a wire rack to cool. The clafoutis will have puffed up quite a bit and will deflate while cooling. 

When cool dust the clafoutis with powdered sugar. Serve.

The Pairing:

Domaine la Croix des Marchands “Methode Gaillacoise”.  A sparkling demi-sec (lightly sweet) wine from Southwestern France.  It’s made from Mauzac, the oldest indigenous varietal in France.  It’s also a naturally sparkling wine with no added yeast for effervescence.  Great as an aperitif or dessert wine.  http://www.firstvine.com/product/45.


Champagne Bernard Mante Brut:  A mix of Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir grapes from the western part of the Champagne region of France.  Brut champagne isn’t exactly bone-dry, it has a tiny bit of residual sweetness in it, which makes it go well with desserts that aren’t overwhelmingly sweet.  It also pairs well with more robust foods you’d serve white wine with because it has enough flavor to shine through.  http://www.firstvine.com/product/56.