RECIPE

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.

  • ACTIVE: 20 MIN
  • TOTAL TIME: 1 HR
  • SERVINGS: 12
  • VEGETARIAN

Ingredients

  • Ingredients
    1. Unsalted butter, for greasing the dish
    2. 1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
    3. 2 cups heavy cream
    4. 6 large eggs
    5. 1 1/2 cups almond flour (6 ounces)
    6. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    7. 2 vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped
    8. 1 pound sweet cherries, pitted and halved

Directions

  1. 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.
  2. 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.