Cherry-Lemon Clafoutis

We spotted black cherries and Meyer lemons in the market the other day, things that aren't consistently available where we shop. We usually eat the cherries right out of the bag, plucking them off the woody stems with our teeth and spitting out the pits. And the lemons? Perfect for tart, creamy, velvety lemon curd. But Amy has been slightly obsessed with French cuisine lately and wanted to try her hand at baking something customarily French: cherry clafoutis.

Clafoutis can be made with any fruits or berries, but black cherries are the most traditional. The simple, rustic baked dessert has basic ingredients otherwise: eggs, sugar, milk and flour. It puffs up a bit while it's baking, then slowly but surely deflates, much like the other French classic, souffle. It can be served warm or cold, and is usually garnished with a touch of powdered sugar, although we didn't bother.

Thus it was that Amy found herself pitting cherries (no, not murdering someone, although that's kind of what it looks like...) with a chopstick and baking Cherry-Lemon Clafoutis during this July heatwave. Which is also why we chose to eat it at room temperature.

Cherry-Lemon Clafoutis

Ingredients:

ghee (or regular butter), for greasing baking dish

1 pound pitted fresh black cherries

4 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup milk (we used 2%)

juice and zest of one Meyer lemon

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a casserole-type baking dish with ghee. Place cherries in the bottom of the baking dish. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add sugar and continue to whisk until the mixture become pale yellow in color, 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the milk, lemon juice and lemon zest until combined. Whisk in the flour and salt until combined. Pour the egg mixture into the baking dish over the cherries. Bake for 45 minutes, until the edges are puffed and the center is springy. Allow to cool slightly, then serve warm or at room temperature.