I just love clafoutis. Generally speaking, I’m not a fan of desserts that are rich but this French confection, when combined with tart cherries, makes for a truly decadent experience with minimal output of effort.
Ignore the messy factor. It’s hard for me to wait until it cools completely before slicing.
But I’ve always felt sorry for the cherries. They look so plump and shiny and happy at first, swimming in their sugar and juice marinade. They even seem to enjoy getting spooned out into the pan and covered with creamy custardy goodness. But I swear I can hear their angry little yells coming from the oven every time I take a peek. And I suppose I ignored their shouts of rage one too many times because they’ve finally decided to strike back. Introducing Living Dead Cherry Clafoutis!
Zombie Cherries will eat your brains!
I ended up using a darker, purple-red for the cherries so that the “blood” embroidery would show up more clearly. A bright red would have been better, I’m sure, or even a zombie green but I wanted to strike a balance between the real and the surreal. It’s definitely not your average crocheted foodstuff.
Of course, a post about living dead clafoutis wouldn’t be complete without a recipe to go along. I’m including my recipe for a more warm weather clafoutis that has a beautiful tart twang mellowed by the rich custard. I highly recommend a slice served with vanilla ice cream!
Kiwi Lime Clafoutis
350g kiwis, peeled, sliced and quartered
1tbl white sugar
2tbl lime juice
20g, butter
1/4 cup white sugar
55g plain flour (cake flour)
pinch of salt
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1tsp lemon rind, finely grated
1/2tsp vanilla extract
80ml whole milk
80ml heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1tbl brown sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
35g butter, melted and cooled
1) Preheat oven to 355°F
2) Peel and dice kiwis, placing them in a bowl. Combine with 1tbl white sugar and 2tbl lime juice. Set aside.
3) Brush baking dish (I use a 9″ pie pan) with 20g melted butter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup white sugar evenly over dish, shaking to coat. Tap out excess sugar.
4) Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Whisk in egg and egg yolk until thoroughly combined. Add lemon rind and vanilla, whisking to mix. Combine milk and cream and gradually add to flour mixture until combined. Add sugar, lime juice and melted butter, whisking to combine.
5) With a slotted utensil, spoon fruit into prepared baking dish, distributing evenly. Pour batter over fruit until the dish is 3/4 full. Place dish in preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until top is golden brown. Let cool to room temperature or chill in fridge before serving.
yum yum!