What’s cooking – Cherry Clafoutis

I am a person that falls firmly in the latter category: pancakes, waffles, French toast and tartines are my mainstays, and I stay loyal to these tried-and-true treats every morning. And no hour is too early for me to get up and whip up a batch of pancakes or to carefully choose toppings for my tartines. What’s more, I will go to such great lengths for my saccharine indulgence in the morning that I will sometimes just eat a dessert in lieu of a traditional waffle.

This week’s recipe however offers hungry readers the best of both worlds – salty and sweet. Cherry clafoutis is one part pie and two parts pancake. It reminds me a little bit of a German pancake, which is traditionally made with apples and cooked on the stovetop. My friends and I used to wait for 45 minutes in line at a locally famous pancake house and then another half hour for our specially prepared, piping hot German pancakes. This cherry clafoutis is the French version of the German classic and can be made with any types of pitted, summer fruits. At this time of the year, you can find these fruits in the canned section of your local grocery store. When the cherry clafoutis is ready, make sure you enjoy it with a large cup of Columbian coffee. (TA)

Ingredients:

• 
  1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 
  6 eggs
• 
  6 tbsp. sugar
• 
  1 1⁄4 cups milk
• 
  2 tbsp. kirsch
• 
  Pinch of salt
• 
  3⁄4 cup flour
• 
  1 tsp. baking powder
• 
  3 cups black cherries, pitted
• 
  Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 220ºC and pre-grease a baking dish or cast-iron skillet. In a bowl, beat the eggs with all of the liquid ingredients. Then, add the sugar and salt. In another bowl, whisk the baking powder into the flour and then blend the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients until the batter is smooth, but do not overbeat. Let it sit while you distribute the cherries around the bottom of the dish and then pour the batter over the top. Alternatively, save a few cherries to place on top, after the batter is in the dish. Bake until the clafoutis starts to develop a golden brown color around the edge, or about 30 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar (for finesse). Enjoy with a large cup of Columbian coffee.

Cabaretduo Maartje & Kine gaf op Internationale Vrouwendag (afgelopen dinsdag) bij TBM zijn visie op sex, drugs en klassieke muziek. De studenten Maartje de Boer en Kine Handlykken schopten het vorig jaar tot de finale van het Gronings Studenten Cabaret Festival en hun succes duurt voort: in februari zijn ze gestart met opnamen voor Vara HumorTV.