Sour Cherry & Apple Clafoutis

"Picture yourself in a boat on a river,
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies.
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly,
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes..." ~ The Beatles

Yes, I know the song isn't as innocent as I always assumed it to be as a kid, but there's still something about it. A magical, dreamy quality that enfolds me with nostalgia.

My dad is a huge Beatles fan and growing up we heard the songs over and over, from the obvious Let It Be to the more obscure I Am The Walrus. I remember many a road trip accompanied by the melodious sounds of the British foursome. And many afternoons listening to my dad reproduce those very same sounds on his trusty guitar.

And as much as we loved his guitar strumming and singing as smaller children, we found the same things wildly embarrassing as teenagers. It wasn't so much the guitar playing as the very loud singing that accompanied it. Oh the agony of being fifteen! 

On the surface The Beatles and my dad seem to have absolutely zero in common with a French dessert. But when I had my first spoonful of warm fragrant custard-like batter dotted with tart cherries and sweet apples, that same warmth enveloped me. Only this time it wasn't elicited by a song or a memory, but rather via the sense of taste. Which, it turns out, can be just as magical as a song from long ago. 

This forms the dessert for my last course of the Ready Steady Cook blog challenge. A big thank you to LadyRaven for creating and hosting this event and thanks to Tandy for my list of ingredients.


PS: In case you missed the first two courses, here they are:
Starter - Caramelised Orange & Spinach Salad
Main - Slow Roasted Lamb Ragu on Potato Noodles

Sour Cherry & Apple Clafoutis

Adapted from Simply Recipes
Serves 6 - 8

1 3/4 cup sour cherries (pitted) plus extra for garnishing (optional)
2 red apples, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1/2 cup cake flour

icing sugar, to dust (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Arrange cherries and apples on the bottom of a round oven dish.

2. Beat eggs, sugar and milk together, add flour and whisk until combined.

3. Pour liquid over the cherries and place in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes, or until puffed up and golden brown on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before dusting with icing sugar and serving.

Serve warm or lukewarm with clotted cream. It would also be lovely drizzled with a simple syrup made from sugar and the reserved juice from the cherries (if using a bottle of cherries).