Bing Cherry Breakfast Clafoutis
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 1 lb (about 2 1/2 cups) fresh whole cherry, pitted (see tip)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts (see tip)
- 2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 lemon's grated zest
- 1/4 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk in the melted butter, eggs, egg yolks, cream, yogurt, lemon zest, seeds scraped from the piece of vanilla bean, and 1/4 cup of the chopped hazelnuts. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes.
Butter six 4-ounce ramekins or a 6-cup baking dish, coat with sugar, and tap out the excess. Arrange the cherries in the bottom of the dish(es). Pour the batter over the cherries and bake for 20 minutes.
Crumble Topping
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/8 tsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oat
To make the topping: In a small mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Drizzle in the butter and stir until evenly moistened.
Sprinkle the clafoutis evenly with the crumble, rotate the dishes from front to back, and continue baking until puffed, golden brown, and set in the center, 15 to 20 minutes more. Serve warm, sprinkled with the remaining 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts.
Tips: To toast the hazelnuts, preheat the overn to 350°F, spread the nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast until fragrant and beginning to color, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and finely chop.
Fresh, ripe, just-picked juicy cherries are the ultimate choice for this dish. If you have a farmers’ market close by, march your butt down there. Bings are perfect, but a combination of Bing and Rainier would be wonderful, too. Taste the fruit and make sure it’s sweet and flavorful, not watery. When fresh cherries are out of season, you can use fresh berries, sautéed apples or pears, or good-quality, organic frozen fruit.
Recipe courtesy of The Sugar Cube: 50 Deliciously Twisted Treats from the Sweetest Little Food Cart on the Planet by Kir Jensen/Chronicle Books, 2012.
