Recipes Cherry Clafoutis 4.0 (4) 5 Reviews “In France, there’s almond flour in everything—except clafoutis,” Belinda Leong says about the rustic dessert of fruit baked in batter. Bucking tradition, she includes the flour in her clafoutis to add texture to the custardy interior. Slideshow: More French DessertsRecipe from Food & Wine America's Greatest New Cooks By Belinda Leong Belinda Leong Belinda Leong is a James Beard Award-winning pastry chef. She co-founded and co-owns the critically acclaimed b. Patisserie in San Francisco. Belinda's work has been featured in Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Washington Post, The Tasting Table, Huffington Post, Serious Eats, Thrillist, and AFAR, among others.Experience: After spending eight years at Gary Danko where she had been a pastry chef since 1999, Belinda left San Francisco in 2005 to gain more experience and refine her skills at top restaurants and patisseries in Paris, Copenhagen, Barcelona, and Brussels. Upon her return, she went to work for Chef David Kinch at Manresa with ideas for starting her own business germinating in her brain. Following a series of successful pop-ups, Belinda opened b. Patisserie with her business partner Michel Suas in 2013 to accolades from Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Washington Post, and San Francisco Magazine, among others. Zagat named Belinda "Best Pastry Chef of the Year." Belinda's work has also been featured online and in such publications as Bake, SF Eater, CNN, Yahoo, The Tasting Table, Huffington Post, Serious Eats, Thrillist, and AFAR.Education: Belinda began her culinary training with an internship at Chef Michael Minna's Acqua Restaurant. She then graduated from the Hospitality and Restaurant Program at City College of San Francisco. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on April 30, 2014 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Christina Holmes Total Time: 1 hrs Yield: 8 Ingredients 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for dusting 5 large eggs 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons almond flour or almond meal 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup whole milk 1 cup heavy cream 12 ounces sweet cherries, pitted Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting Sweetened whipped cream, for serving Directions Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 10-inch round gratin dish and dust it with granulated sugar. In a large bowl, whisk the 1 cup of granulated sugar with the eggs and vanilla seeds. Whisk in the all-purpose flour, almond flour and salt until just incorporated. Add the milk and cream and whisk until light and very smooth, about 3 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared gratin dish and arrange the cherries on top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the clafoutis is set and golden. Let cool. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, cut into wedges and serve with whipped cream. Make Ahead The clafoutis can be wrapped and refrigerated overnight. Serve at room temperature. Suggested Pairing Sweet sparkling red wine: 2011 Tenimenti Ca’Bianca Brachetto d’Acqui. Rate it Print