Cherry clafoutis

Clafoutis (or Clafouti) is a kind of baked custard that has its origin from France. Fresh cherries are not usually available in supermarkets in Singapore. If they are, the price is up to the sky. This time I was lucky to grasp some on promotion. Immediately I searched for a recipe that could make best use of those cute little things. (I felt it would be a waste if I just ate them raw like that).

So I found this recipe from one magazine featured on website taste.com.au. Sometimes enjoying smoothy custard at lesuire is quite pleasant, especially when the smoothy taste melts right in your mouth and you still have something to chew for a moment. As usual, when making dessert, I seek ways to reduce as much sugar as possible. It is not that I am afraid of consuming too much sugar, but I find it less palatable when the thing is too sweet to my liking. So if you also like sweet things with reduced sugar, then you share my taste.

With the recipe, I will put the one with my adjustments (after I saw it was still good). The original amount of sugar is often double or one-third more than the amount I actually use. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a blowtorch to create some caramelized sugar on the surface. So I just left it as it was after baking.

Ingredients: (to make 3 small portions as in the picture)

- 200g cherries

- 45g caster sugar

- 25g plain flour

- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

- 165ml fresh milk, at room temperature or lukewarm

- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract

- 2/3 tbs brandy

- 20g unsalted butter, melted

- Rind of half a lemon

Cooking:

- Remove the stalks and take out the the seeds from the cherries. Coat all the cherries with a thin layer of sugar, then put them into the freezer for one hour or until firm.

- Sift together the remaining sugar, flour and salt into a large bowl.

- In another bowl, whisk egg, egg yolk, milk, vanilla and brandy until combined. Cover with cling film and let stand for 20-30 minutes, then whisk in warm melted butter and lemon rind.

- Preheat oven to 180^o C. Grease the ramekins or ceramic porcelain dishes, place them on a large roasting pan. Divide frozen cherries between the dishes and gently pour in the batter. Pour boiling water into the pan to cover one-third up to the side of the dishes. Bake 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven.

- Take out to let cool. It tastes better when it is chilled a bit.