-
1
Butter an earthenware baking dish thoroughly, then coat the interior with caster sugar, tipping out the excess. Set aside. Whisk the eggs with the 100 g caster sugar until the mixture is thick and pale.
-
2
Add the sifted flour to the egg mixture and whisk until smooth and no lumps remain. Gradually incorporate the whole milk and crème fraîche liquide, whisking continuously. Add the pinch of salt and the kirsch. The finished batter should be thick — closer to crêpe batter than to a liquid — and entirely smooth. Allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes; the flour hydrates fully and the texture becomes noticeably smoother.
-
3
Heat the oven to 180 °C. Scatter the unpitted black cherries across the prepared dish in a single, even layer. Pour the rested batter over them; it should reach two-thirds of the way up the cherries, leaving their crowns exposed. This is where the dish lives or dies: the cherries must remain unpitted — the kernels release a faint almond note from their amygdalin and prevent cherry juice from bleeding into and discolouring the batter; pitting them undoes both effects at once.
-
4
Bake at 180 °C for 35 to 45 minutes. The clafoutis will puff dramatically; this is correct. It is done when the top is golden and the edges are set and slightly cakey while the centre retains a distinct, gentle wobble — not liquid, but not rigid.
-
5
Remove from the oven. The clafoutis will deflate as it cools; this too is correct, not a failure. Dust immediately and generously with icing sugar. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before serving: the custard firms to its proper dense, yielding texture and the flavours concentrate. Serve warm. The centre should yield densely and custardily; the edges, where batter met the hot earthenware, should be slightly cakey. Touch the centre — it should feel set but give softly under a finger.