Cherry Clafouti

Yesterday I started seeing the season's first Bing cherries arrive at my favorite produce market and along the side of the road. Rather than the joy it should have inspired, I started to panic about the massive bag of cherries that has resided in my freezer since last Spring. Believe it or not, those little guys had not a shred of freezer burn! Regardless, before I can permit myself to buy new ones, I have to make my way through last year's remaining stores. So, my first thought was Cherry Clafouti. I made my first rendition when my husband bought me Julia Child's series, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a couple years ago, and that is still what I bake this recipe from, with a few slight alterations, not because they are better, but really, just out of pure of laziness and personal preference (I happen to prefer coconut oil to butter in this. Weird, I know. This dish put a just a small dent in the bag-o-cherries, but hey, it's a start.

Frozen cherries throw off a lot of liquid, so strain them before using.

Pitting your cherries can take a while, so do yourself a favor, and invest in a good pitter. Your fingers and your  teeth will thank you.

Cherry Clafouti

Ingredients

4 C pitted Bing Cherries 
3 eggs

1 1/4 C milk

1/3 C granulated sugar

1 T vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C all purpose flour

Coconut oil for coating baking dish

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat baking dish with coconut oil. I used a 9 inch oval casserole, but a Pyrex pie plate is really perfect. Place all ingredients except the cherries into a blender for 1 minute. Pour the mixture into the baking dish, followed by the cherries. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a a knife poked into the center comes out clean. Sprinkle the top of the clafouti with powdered sugar just before serving. I think it's best served after resting about 10 minutes. Don't worry that the clafouti settles--this is just part of the deal, and makes for the dense texture you want. In the words of Julia, "Bon Appetit!"