Greatest Recipes Ever: Stevie Parle’s cherry clafoutis

Thomasina Miers recommends Stevie Parle’s cherry clafoutis as one of her greatest recipes ever

‘Stevie and I met at Ballymaloe longer ago than I care to think. He has been cooking in great restaurants ever since, and, last year, opened the Dock Kitchen in Ladbroke Grove, London, had a baby and wrote this book. The cherry clafoutis is my favourite recipe in it. It's blissfully easy to make, with no need to de-stone the cherries. You just whip up a batter, mix in the cherries and pop it in the oven. Serve with mounds of crème fraîche or clotted cream and you'll be in heaven, particularly if you have a glass of good brandy to sip with it. Try to find English cherries if you can-our threatened orchards need all the support they can get'

Thomasina Miers

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Cherry clafoutis

Extract from Stevie Parle's Real Food from Near and Far Published in 2010 by Quadrille

Don't stone the cherries, as their flavour is great here. An amazing and simple dessert. Serves 6 Ingredients

80g plain flour A pinch of salt 200ml milk 2 large eggs, beaten 2tbsp caster sugar 500g fresh, sweet cherries 1tbsp unsalted butter 2tbsp granulated sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F/gas mark 6. Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Slowly pour in the milk and eggs, whisking to make a smooth batter, then stir in the caster sugar. Put the cherries in a 20cm ovenproof frying pan or round roasting tray. Add the butter and granulated sugar. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, then pour the batter over and cook for another 20.

(Image: emmainthekitchen.blogspot.com)

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