cherry clafoutis tart {sms}

Oh my, it's been a very long time since I've participated with my Sweet Melissa Baking Group. I've been MIA since Thanksgiving! I have not forgotten about you guys, I've just been disorganized with all my baking projects and worse, facing some health issues. (Read: less baking/blogging, supposedly more exercising. Believe me, I'd rather be doing the former.) All overwhelming, but this past week, I had some clarity and actually looked ahead to the baking assignments.  I could not pass it up— a buttery tart crust with a creamy custard filling with sweet cherries.

A traditional clafoutis (pronounced klah-foo-tee, and try saying that five times fast!) would involve a little flour combined with the milk/cream/eggs mixture. The cherries would be enrobed in a pudding/flan like pancake batter. Melissa Murphy puts her spin on it by putting the fruit and flan into a tart shell. I'm curious how this will turn out.

Adventure with Clafoutis

Cherries, thawing and draining.

Fossilized 10-year old vanilla bean for custard— it's still good.

Nothing a little milk and cream can't rehydrate.

Shrunken crust- I'm getting a bad feeling now.

Cracks in the bottom crust- uh oh. Not a good omen

 for the liquidy custard filling.

Coaxing some semi-baked dough over to the cracked area.

Going into the oven with custard already seeping out...

Coming out of the oven with a boil in the middle.

Ratio of custard to cherry must be off.
I assume they should be neck-deep; it's like they're in a wading pool.

Summary: A Clafoutis Catastrophe. 

I'm blaming it on the crust which cracked and led to filling leakage. My Darling Daughter just said to me, "We'll just have to try again." Love her to pieces. Yes, we will, and next time around, I'll keep a bit of extra (uncooked) dough to do some patchwork in case cracks happen, 'cause you know, they almost always do.

I am interested in how all my baking buddies' desserts turned out. You can see them here. If you'd like the recipe, visit Tessa's blog, The Cookin' Chemist.