Cherry clafoutis – Image courtesy of Pinot & Dita

Dish of the Week: Clafoutis

Now that the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, everyone is focusing on having cherry items on their menus for the next week or two. And it reminds me of one of the classic French desserts, clafoutis.

Clafoutis is flan-like cake that is usually made with cherries, but can also be made with whatever seasonal fruits are on hand. The result is custardy with a slightly crusty top. It is an incredibly simple dish to make that requires pouring a basic batter of eggs, flour, milk, and sugar over the fruit and baked. Or if you’re Alton Brown, cooked over coals in a Dutch oven.

Traditional recipes call for the cherries to remain unpitted, allowing for an almond-like essence to pervade. For those who don’t want to deal with the risk of breaking a tooth, some recipes call for a touch of almond extract to replicate the flavor. Even though it’s often not the prettiest dessert, it’s definitely something that the multitudes of flan fans can get behind.

But if you are looking to go seasonal, you currently face the challenge of finding fruits that you can use, because dang it, cherry blossoms don’t translate into cherries right now. You can also turn a clafoutis in a savory dish using asparagus or ramps and some bacon (swap out or substitute asparagus or ramps for some of the leeks in this recipe).