Cherry season is in full force around the Bay Area, and when our neighborhood market decided to put their organic cherries out I went crazy. As in 8 pounds of crazy. These cherries are so amazing this year, and they did not last long. Sweet. Juicy. Plump. We snacked on them, used in oatmeal, and made this comforting gluten-free cherry clafoutis a few times.
We have been enjoying them by the handfuls as well as in a few sweet dishes and even cocktails. A favorite summertime dessert that we enjoy often is the Clafoutis.
Now you may be wondering what is the difference between a Clafoutis and a Clafouti; nothing. In Anglo countries, the traditional French dessert Clafoutis is referred to as a Claufouti. Both are a baked French dessert made with fruit, that is covered with a creamy batter.
This recipe is a traditional Limousin Clafoutis to be exact. Have I lost you yet? Wondering what all this Clafoutis vs Clafouti is all about?
A traditional Limousin Clafoutis is a baked dessert made out of black cherries and a thick custard batter. The Limousin style Clafoutis leaves the pits in the cherries as it is supposed to give the sweet dessert an intense flavor. If you remove the pits, the flavor of you Clafoutis is supposedly milder. Realistically, we could not tell the difference.
To keep with tradition and because we are Francophiles, I kept the pits in. As well, it is kind of fun, to nosh on one’s dessert and spit out pits at the table. How often did your mother allow that when you were growing up?
I have been wanting to play around with coconut flour as I am really enjoying the use of coconut oil in my baking, so I figured now was as good a time as ever.
Coconut flour is gluten free as well as high in protein. It is made from the coconut fiber once the oil has been completely extracted in order to make virgin coconut oil. The texture is a bit heavier than regular AP flour, as well as a little grainy. The dense texture required me to bump up the liquids in my recipe as the first batch came out to dry. I loved the slightly tropical scent to the flour, which intensified when baking, as well as the slightly sweet taste. Definitely added more depth to my otherwise not traditional Clafouti.
Recipe: Gluten Free Cherry Clafoutis
Ingredients:
3 cups whole cherries, you decide if you want to pit
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup cream
5 tablespoons coconut flour
1 tablespoon almond flour
4 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
powdered sugar for garnish
How To:
Susan Lindner
Sunday 2nd of September 2018
i made this with 4 JUMBO eggs, not large and it tasted like a blueberry quiche instead of clafoutis. Don't make my mistake and use large eggs.
Denise Woodward
Monday 3rd of September 2018
Hi Susan, this is great to know; but, I am sure it was still good!
alan slimm
Thursday 14th of December 2017
Nice way to use cherries.Here where I live are really difficult to find,but I love them.
Janet
Sunday 6th of November 2016
Do you think this recipe would work subbing almond milk & coconut sugar?
Denise Woodward
Tuesday 8th of November 2016
I have not tried but, but do not see why it wouldn't work. I have been using coconut sugar often in recipes, and it seems to work really well!
Alison @ Ingredients Inc.
Wednesday 10th of August 2011
fabulous!! so pretty
athena
Wednesday 10th of August 2011
i finally made a clafoutis the other day :) not as pretty as yours, and i followed a recipe from jamie magazine. i linked your recipe on my clafoutis post :)