Cherry-Almond Clafoutis
- ACTIVE: 20 MIN
- TOTAL TIME: 1 HR
- SERVINGS: 12
In high school and college, Paul Virant cooked at a restaurant in St. Albans, Mo., called Malmaison, which he credits for opening his eyes to seasonal cooking. "The chef-owner would make a big deal about cherries when they were in season," he says. "She'd make a lot of clafoutis every day." Here, Virant re-creates the classic French recipe, which combines the best of two desserts: custard and cake.
- Unsalted butter, for greasing the dish
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 6 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour (6 ounces)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped
- 1 pound sweet cherries, pitted and halved
- Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter a 10-by-15-inch baking dish and sprinkle it with sugar. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer at low speed, beat the 1/2 cup of sugar with the heavy cream, eggs, almond flour, all-purpose flour and vanilla seeds until the batter is blended.
- Scatter the cherries in the prepared baking dish; pour the batter on top. Bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the clafoutis cool slightly before serving.