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Cherry Clafoutis (Clafoutis Aux Cerises)

This recipe is from Simply French by Patricia Wells. Kay Hartman. 8 servings

1 pound fresh sweet cherries, pitted
2 tablespoons kirsch (cherry eau-de-vie)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Batter
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons creme fraiche or heavy cream
6 tablespoons whole milk

One 9-inch partially baked sweet pastry shell, cooled [recipe below]
2 tablespoons pastry crumbs reserved from pastry trimmings)
Confectioner's sugar, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. In an ovenproof dish, combine the cherries, 1 tablespoon of the kirsch, and the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

Place the dish in the center of the oven and bake until the cherries are hot and steaming, about 5 minutes. [I never find this to be enough time. The idea is to cook a bunch of the liquid out of the cherries so they do not water down the clafoutis.] Remove, and drain the cherries. (The liquid will not be used in this recipe, but may
be reserved to flavor whipped cream or to flavor red wine vinegar. [I use it to flavor whipped cream that I serve with the clafoutis.]) Set aside to cool, about 5 minutes.

3. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

4. Prepare the batter: In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the eggs until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugar and whisk until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the creme fraiche, milk, and remaining 1 tablespoon kirsch. Whisk until well blended, and set aside.

5. Place the prebaked pastry shell on a baking sheet. Transfer the cherries to the shell, and arrange them in a single layer. Sprinkle with the pastry crumbs. Carefully pour the batter over the cherries. (You may have an excess of batter. If so, fill to the top, bake the clafoutis for 5 minutes, and then add the remaining batter.)

6. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake until the clafoutis is golden and firm, 35 to 40 minutes. Leaving it in on the baking sheet, transfer to a rack to cool.

7. Preheat the broiler.

8. When the clafoutis is cool, sprinkle the top evenly and generously with confectioner's sugar. Place the baking sheet under the broiler, about 1 inch from the heat. Broil until the sugar is caramelized and golden, about 1 minute. [Watch this real carefully. Check earlier than 1 minute. The sugar can turn from cooked to burnt real quickly.] Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve at room temperature.

Note: When prebaking the pastry, be sure to reserve the trimmed edges. Allow them to cool, then process into fine crumbs in a food processor.

cherry

Sweet Pastry (Pate Sucree)

Makes 9-inch pastry shell.

1 plump moist vanilla bean
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted
Pinch of fine sea salt
Unsalted butter, softened, for the pan

1. Flatten the vanilla bean and cut it in half lengthwise. With a small spoon, scrape out the seeds and place them in the bowl of a food processor. (The pod may be used to prepare vanilla sugar.)

2. Add the butter to the food processor and mix until very light, smooth, and well aerated. Add the sugar and process until thoroughly blended. The mixture should have the consistency of a thick frosting. Add the egg yolks and process to blend. Add 1 cup of the flour and the salt, and process just until the flour is incorporated. If the dough is exceptionally sticky, add the remaining 2 tablespoons flour and quickly process again. The dough should not form a ball. Do not overprocess.

3. With a pastry scraper, transfer the dough to a sheet of waxed paper. With your hands, gently form the dough into a ball and flatten it into a circle. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.

4. To line a tart pan or ring: Butter the bottom and sides of the tart pan, and set aside. Place a large piece of waxed paper on a flat surface. Place the dough on the waxed paper, and carefully roll it out to form an 11-inch circle. Invert the dough (dough side down, paper side up) into the prepared tart pan. Peel away and discard the waxed paper. Without stretching the dough, lift it up at the edges so that it naturally falls into the rim of the pan. With your fingertips, very delicately coax the dough into the rim. There should be a generous 1-inch overhang; allow it to drape naturally over the edge of the pan. Generously prick the dough lining the bottom of the tart pan, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or wrap loosely in aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

To prepare a hand-trimmed shell: Butter the bottom of the tart pan and set aside. On a lightly floured surface, carefully roll out the dough to form a 9-inch circle, setting aside the excess dough. Transfer the circle of dough to the prepared pan.

Form the trimming, or tart edge: Take a bit of the excess dough and roll it in your hands to form a small ball. Place the dough ball on a lightly floured work surface. With your fingers fully extended, roll the ball out ot form a long, thin strip about the thickness of a chopstick. Apply even pressure while rolling. With a brush dipped in water, dampen the edge of the tart bottom. Gently transfer the dough band to the moistened edge of the tart. (This will ensure that the pieces do not separate during cooking.) Repeat as necessary to form the entire tart edge, moistening the ends of the bands so that they hold together.

Crimp the tart edge: With the small round end of a chopstick, press down on the edge at an angle. Repeat at evenly spaced intervals until the entire edge is crimped. Generously prick the dough lining the bottom of the pan, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or wrap loosely and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

6. Remove the tart shell from the refrigerator. Unwrap and place it on a baking sheet. (For tart pans and rings, do not ignore this step, or you will end up with burnt bits of pastry on your oven floor.) Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven.

For a partially baked shell: Bake just until the pastry begins to firm up, about 5 minutes. Remove the shell from the oven and with a large sharp knife, carefull trim off and discard the overhanging pastry to create a smooth, well-trimmed shell. Return it to the oven and bake until the pastry is brown around the edges, about 15 minutes more. Cool for at least 10 minutes (or up to several hours) before filling.

For a fully baked shell: Bake 15 minutes more, for a total of about 35 minutes. Watch the pastry carefully: Ovens vary tremendously and the pastry may brown both unevenly and quickly. Cool for at least 10 minutes (or up to several hours) before filling.

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