Recipes // Cherry Clafoutis

I LOVE cherries. 

I remember as a child my Dad always coming home with a bag of cherries as soon as they were in season and we all just eating them like sweets. 

So when I saw the first of this seasons cherries at the market last weekend, I got little excited and bought the biggest bag I could find (and spent way too many $$$) 

As much as I love them just as they are, we were having a lovely piece of duck for dinner so I thought a cherry dessert would be the perfect end to our meal and decided to try a Cherry Clafoutis. 

Makes 4
Recipe inspired by this one in Gourmet Traveller.

200ml pouring cream

1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

4 eggs

80 gm caster sugar

25 gm plain flour, sifted

finely grated rind of 1/2 lemon

50 gm hazelnuts, finely chopped

icing sugar for dusting

Cherry compote

250 gm Cherries

15gm caster sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 180C. For the cherry compote, combine ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until cherries bleed colour (3-5 minutes) Set aside.

Combine cream and vanilla in a jug. Separate 2 eggs and set eggwhites aside. Beat yolks with remaining 2 eggs and sugar in an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add flour and lemon rind and whisk to combine. Whisk eggwhites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form, then fold into yolk mixture. Add nuts and fold to combine.

Divide batter among 4 lightly buttered and sugared  1-cup shallow ovenproof dishes. Spoon on cherries and bake until golden and just set in the centre (12-18mins)

Stand to cool briefly, serve warm dusted with icing sugar.

 I hope you enjoy this years Cherry season :)