Cherry and Berry Clafoutis Tart
Sweet-tart cherries and summer berries bake into silky vanilla custard inside a buttery pastry shell inside this tart-style clafoutis.
Ingredients
Sweet Short Crust Pastry
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar sifted
- pinch salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp ice water
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp butter to grease the pan
Filling
- 2 cups fresh sour cherries OR defrosted frozen sour cherries OR jarred sour cherries
- 1 cup blueberries OR ½ cup blueberries and ½ cup raspberries
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup whipping cream
- ¾ cup granulated sugar divided
- 2 tsps vanilla
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp tablespoons
- all-purpose flour
Instructions
Dough
- With an electric mixer or by hand, in a medium bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and salt until smooth and creamy. Blend in the egg yolks one by one, followed by the water. Stir in the flour until you have a ragged dough, then turn it out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it gently until it has a uniform consistency, without overworking it. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before rolling (or 4 hours before grating)
- To roll out the dough: Remove the dough from the refrigerator, cut it into large pieces, and, working quickly, press it between your hands, like Play-Doh, to soften. Press them together into a ball and flatten into a disk, tucking under the edges to make them smooth.You want your dough to be malleable but still cool.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a large round (about 13 inches, keeping the counter and dough floured at all times and rotating the dough a quarter of a turn every few rolls. Continue rolling out the dough until it reaches a ¼-inch thickness, or until you just begin to see the pattern of your counter through the dough. Give the dough a final turn, flour it lightly, and carefully roll it up around the rolling pin, then unroll it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
- Carefully press the dough into the pan, being sure to get it right into the corners and trying to make the sides as high as possible so they won't sink down when baking.Trim off any excess, overhanging dough. If you end with any holes or cracks, use the dough trimmings to patch it together. Make sure the top rim of the tart isn't too thin. Chill for about 30 minutes before baking. Keep any leftover dough refrigerated; it can be incorporated into fresh dough for your next crust.
Filling
- Prepare the filling: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and place an oven rack in the lowest position in the oven. If using fresh cherries, wash, stem, and pit them.
- Roll the dough out to line a lightly buttered 9 by 1½-inch round tart pan (with a removable bottom) or ceramic pie plate. Because the filling is liquid, be sure the dough is well pressed into the corners of the mold and free of any cracks or holes (you don't want the filling to leak). Chill the crust until firm, at least 1 hour.
- If using frozen or jarred, let defrost and then pat them dry on a paper towel. Rinse the blueberries (and/or raspberries) and set aside to dry.
- In a small saucepan, bring the milk, cream, half the sugar, and the vanilla to a boil. Set aside. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs with the remaining sugar, then whisk in the flour. Pour the hot cream mixture over the egg mixture, whisking until smooth, and strain the mixture.
- Assembly and baking: Line the entire surface of the refrigerated tart shell with parchment paper or foil and fill with baking weights or beans right to the top (this will help prevent the crust from shrinking as it bakes).
- Place the tart shell on a sheet pan and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes. When the shell begins to colour around the sides, remove it from the oven and carefully remove the paper and weights or beans. Bake the shell for a further 5 minutes to allow the base to cook through.
- Fill the hot tart shell with the fruit, spreading it out to the edges, and pour over enough filling to reach halfway up the sides of the shell. Place it in the oven and then carefully pour in the rest of the filling so it reaches the top. Be careful not to add too much, or the filling could seep between the pastry and the tart pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 375°F, then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes more. The clafoutis is cooked when the filling just begins to rise at the sides and sets in the middle.
- Let cool on a wire rack and unmold when warm (unless it was made in a pie pan, in which case the clafoutis should be served unmolded). Sprinkle over a pinch of granulated sugar if you like before serving.
- For a clafoutis without a crust: Generously butter a 9 by 1½-inch deep porcelain quiche mold or glass pie plate. Reduce the amount of cherries to 1 cup and increase the amount of flour to ¼ cup.
Notes
If rolling out dough makes you nervous, try this technique.
• To use the grating method: Once the dough is very cold, grate it on the medium holes of a box grater. Scatter half the grated dough around the edges of a 9-inch (23 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom, and press the dough evenly against the sides and well into the corners. Then press the remaining dough evenly over the base, making sure the entire surface of the pan is evenly covered by about a ¼8-inch (3 mm) thickness of dough and that there aren't any holes. Chill the tart base until firm, at least 30 minutes, before baking.