What do a newly-retired airline pilot, a building contractor, a Chicago banking executive who’s also just retired and I have in common? Give up? We all thoroughly enjoyed, devoured and didn’t leave one yummy crumb of this week’s recipe choice, Whole-Cherry Clafoutis.
Dorie Greenspan’s Whole-Cherry Clafoutis
This dessert français, Clafoutis, is not without controversy. A dust-up over food? The French? As in a is-it-cake-or-is-it-pudding fuss? Bien sur.
“Technically,” Dorie explains, “clafoutis is considered a cake, but, as you’ll see, it’s more like a pudding, a firm, eggy, flour-based pudding that, when cut into wedges stands up straight on the plate.”
To begin, I settled a pound of whole, sweet pitted cherries snugly in a well-buttered, two-quart, deep dish container. Although in France it’s traditional not to pit the cherries – if you keep the pits the cherries retain more flavor and juice – that wasn’t an option I considered. Next, I whisked together eggs, sugar, flour, milk, cream, vanilla extract and salt. I poured my smooth, almost flan-like batter over the cherries and popped it into a 350 degree oven. Dorie recommends 45 minutes baking time. My clafoutis took more than an hour. You want firm, no jiggles.
Admittedly, this is not a sweet dessert. It’s, how do I explain this, just filled with goodness and completes a dinner nicely. If you want a sweeter clafoutis, and many prefer that option, look at Julia Child’s recipe which uses more sugar.
Karen and Ann ( l to r)
I was nervous about asking Karen (building contractor) and Jim (her husband and former pilot for Saudi Airlines) and Ann (retired Chicago banking executive) to join me for dinner this week. They didn’t know each other, both Jim and Ann are new to Aspen, and, if this small group didn’t click, it would be a loooong evening.
Not to worry, it was close to midnight when they left. Click. Click. Click.
Discussing the Pros and Cons of retirement. Although Ann’s was by choice, Jim, like all pilots, had to adhere to the mandatory age requirement. He’d rather be flying………..
I’m giving some credit to my delicious Whole Cherry Clafoutis.
A light dusting of confectionary sugar. Yes, I’m a bit heavy-handed with the CS but I love it.
If you’d like to make Dorie’s clafoutis dessert, here’s a recipe that’s closely adapted to hers. To see the clafoutis of my French Fridays with Dorie colleagues, go here.
Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table recipe book. Photo: Elise, Simply Recipes.
It looks great…bet it was awesome! Sorry I missed it. We heard Catherine Russell singing the blues last night…what a treat…but I bet your clafouti was a real show stopper!
I love hearing about your dinner gatherings..such lucky friends! I’m glad your gorgeous clafoutis was a hit!
What fun dinner company! I am sure the clafoutis was the reason for the click! 😉
You host the best dinners! Looks delicious!
You host the most interesting gatherings! Your clafoutis turned out great. Bon Weekend!
Mary – I can’t imagine you hosting (or being a part of) any dinner where you didn’t figure out how to bring everyone together.
I still want to come to one of your get togethers 🙂
In Seattle – it’s your birthday, if I remember correctly. We’ll be celebrating that, for sure.
Love the dinner party photos – it sounds like it was a great evening. And it was the clafoutis’ doing, of course!
Ah, to entertain with adults… I guess when my friends and I are finished chauffering our kids around we will have time for these get togethers… I will just have to enjoy imagining your great get togethers for now. Why do you live so far away? Your clafoutis looks fantastic and your generous covering of confectioners sugar I think might have made up for the lack of sugar. I might put a little more on my leftovers.
Mary, Sounds like a great evening that clicked just right…maybe it was the clafoutis or maybe it was the right hostess! Your dessert looks perfectly delicious! Have a great weekend!
your dessert looks delicious and so does the rest of the lay out. have a nice weekend !
I guess it is just as well that you ate it all up….since it doesn’t sound like the optimal trail snack…but it does look divine. So perhaps you can figure out how to morph from cake to pudding to trail bar….
loved the snack you made for our hike and I do want the recipe.
You are the hiker extraordinaire and my trail brownie recipe will be on it way to you and Deb today. Promise.
Looks delicious!
It’s so satisfying when a dinner party clicks like that. I’m sure your beautiful clafoutis helped.
when can I come over for dinner? Your parties always seem so inviting and homey! 😉 your cla-too-fee looks great, of course!
What a lovely dinner party. Your Clafoutis looks beautiful, and as a working commercial banker I would have also loved your dessert and not left a crumb!
Wow, what a compliment.
Mary, you host and attend the most interesting gatherings! My social life seems bland by comparison. Oh crap, what if someone I know reads this? Not likely I think…I hope! I have some great and interesting friends and some wonderful social gatherings! I think your clafoutis made it all come together!
Mary, same here, I would not mind attending one of your fabulous dinner parties either! They always look absolutely wonderful, great food, happy guests and a lovely hostess…and your Whole Cherry Clafoutis certainly looks like it was just wonderful – isn´t this one great recipe, chock-full of delicious cherries and such a breeze to prepare?!
Hope you will have a great week, Mary!
Probably a good idea to leave out the pits with a group that didn’t know each other! My husband and I joked that “pits in” would not be good for a first date, either. So happy your group enjoyed the dessert!
I have a feeling that you could make any combination of people feel at home Mary. This Clafoutis looks and sounds WONDERFUL!
Sounds like a lovely evening. I thought that Dorie’s recipe was a great base from which many additions or tweaks could be made. And I agree that a smidge more sugar would not have hurt.
Isn’t it nice when a plan comes together? Or a clafoutis? Yours looks beautifully fluffy while mine was rather flat.