Clafoutis aux Cerises

— The Method

How it comes together.

1. Step 01

   I start by tossing the cherries with a little sugar and kirsch so the fruit wakes up before it goes into the batter. While they sit, I butter the baking dish generously and dust it with sugar, which helps the edges caramelize just enough in the oven. The cherries go into the dish in an even layer, not piled too high, so each slice gets fruit throughout. This dessert is rustic, but it still benefits from careful arrangement.

2. Step 02

   For the batter, I whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, flour, salt, and melted butter until completely smooth. I want something looser than cake batter and a little thicker than crêpe batter, with no dry pockets of flour hiding at the bottom. Letting it rest for a few minutes helps the flour hydrate and the bubbles settle. The smell at this stage should already be creamy and floral, with that faint almond note that flatters cherries beautifully.

3. Step 03

   I pour the batter over the fruit and bake until the clafoutis puffs dramatically at the edges and the center is just set with the slightest wobble. Depending on the dish and the juiciness of the cherries, this usually takes around 35 to 40 minutes. The top should take on golden spots, and a knife inserted near the center should come out mostly clean. I resist overbaking, because the custard continues to firm as it cools.

4. Step 04

   I let it rest long enough to settle from its oven puff, then finish it with confectioners' sugar right before serving. Clafoutis is lovely warm, but it is also beautiful at room temperature when the texture turns a bit more custardy and calm. I often bring it to the table whole and spoon it out casually, which feels generous and unfussy. With softly whipped cream or nothing at all, it closes a dinner with exactly the right amount of sweetness.