Clafoutis Limousin

Clafoutis is the Limousin's great dessert — a thick, custardy batter poured over fresh cherries (unpitted, traditionally) and baked until puffed, golden, and just set, producing a dessert that is neither cake nor flan nor crêpe but something uniquely itself: a dense, eggy, cherry-studded pudding that is one of the simplest and most satisfying things in the French dessert canon. The authentic Limousin clafoutis uses only black cherries (bigarreaux or guignes noires), unpitted — the pits release a subtle almond flavor (from amygdalin in the kernel) during baking and prevent the cherry juices from bleeding into and discoloring the batter. The batter: whisk 3 eggs with 100g sugar until thick and pale, add 60g flour (sifted), whisk smooth, then gradually add 300ml whole milk and 100ml crème fraîche liquide, a pinch of salt, and a tablespoon of kirsch or vanilla extract. Pour into a buttered and sugared earthenware dish (the sugar creates a caramelized base), scatter 500g cherries in a single layer, pour the batter over (it should come two-thirds up the cherries — they should peek through), and bake at 180°C for 35-45 minutes until puffed, golden on top, and just set in the center (a slight wobble is correct — it firms as it cools). Dust with icing sugar immediately. Serve warm, not hot — 20 minutes rest allows the custard to set and the flavors to concentrate. The correct texture is dense and custardy in the center, slightly cakey at the edges where the batter contacts the hot dish. Any fruit substitution (plums, apricots, pears) technically produces a flaugnarde, not a clafoutis — the term is reserved for the cherry version in the Limousin.

• Dutch baby pancake (baked puffed batter)
• German Pfannkuchen (baked fruit pancake)
• British clafoutis-style baked custard
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