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Cherry Clafoutis Bars on a cutting board next to a knife.
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Cherry Clafoutis

A clafoutis is like a dense pancake baked with cherries studded throughout. It’s very French, rustic, and exquisite. It originated in Limousin, France, and is traditionally baked with no crust and with the pits left in the black cherries. I have added a flaky crust and use pitted, tender, sour cherries in the custard-like base. The contrasts are delightful, and you will not care if this is a real bar when you serve it to your guests at brunch.
Author: Zoë François

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet about 8 oz / 228g Puff Pastry* store-bought or homemade
  • 1/2 cup / 100g granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Kirschwasser or brandy optional
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup / 120g sour cream at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup / 120ml milk at room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup / 60g all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 1/4 cups / 228g sour cherries** fresh or frozen; thawed and strained if frozen, pitted
  • Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C convection heat (or 425°F / 220°C flat heat). Line an 8-inch / 20cm square cake pan with greased parchment that comes up and over the sides, to act as a sling.
  • Roll the puff pastry to a 9-inch / 23cm square. Press the pastry into the parchment-lined pan, it should completely cover the bottom and come up the sides slightly. Freeze while making the filling (it can languish there for a long time, just cover it with plastic wrap if it is there for longer than an hour).
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, kirschwasser, eggs, sour cream, milk, vanilla, flour, and salt.
  • Pour the sour cream mixture into the prepared frozen pastry, sprinkle the cherries evenly over the sour cream mixture.
  • Bake in the middle of the oven until the top and sides are deeply brown and puffed, 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, then lift the pastry from the pan using the parchment paper sling. Remove the paper and allow to cool on a wire rack for another 15 minutes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Baker's Notes
*I used 1 sheet of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry and did not roll it at all, it fit perfectly in the pan. 
** You can use sweet cherries as well or pretty much any other fruit you desire. If you use a fruit that is sweeter, you may want to reduce the sugar in the recipe slightly. 
If using frozen fruit, thaw it and strain the juices before weighing.