Cherry Clafoutis

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C), conventional bake, rack in the middle. Generously butter a 10-inch (26 cm) round ceramic tart dish with 10 g of the butter, sides included, then sprinkle in 15 g of the sugar, rotate the dish so it sticks everywhere, and tap out the excess.
2. Rinse the cherries in cold water, pull off the stems, and dry them well in a kitchen towel: water left on the skins would make the batter soggy. Leave the pits in. Discard any split or soft cherries, then spread the rest in a single snug layer in the dish.
3. Melt the remaining 40 g of butter over low heat or for 30 seconds in the microwave, and let it cool while you make the batter: if it is too hot, it will start cooking the eggs.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the remaining 100 g of sugar and the salt for 1 minute, until slightly foamy and paler. Sift the flour over the top and whisk from the center outward until you have a thick, perfectly smooth paste with no lumps.
5. Pour in the milk and cream in a thin stream, whisking constantly, to loosen the batter little by little. Add the vanilla, the kirsch if using, and then the warm melted butter. The batter should look like a slightly thin crepe batter. If you have time, let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature: the flour hydrates and the clafoutis bakes up more tender.
6. Whisk the batter once more and pour it gently over the cherries, along the edge of the dish rather than the center so they stay in place. The cherries should poke halfway out of the surface.
7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Keep the door shut for the first 25 minutes: the batter puffs from steam and will collapse at the first draft of cold air.
8. Check for doneness: the clafoutis is puffed, deep golden at the edges and pale gold in the center, and the edges pull slightly away from the dish. Give the dish a gentle shake: the center should wobble as one piece, like a flan, with no liquid ripple. A knife inserted in the middle comes out moist but clean. If it browns too fast before setting, lay a sheet of parchment paper over it for the last few minutes.
9. Let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes on a wire rack: it will sink, which is normal, and its texture firms up. Dust the powdered sugar through a small sieve just before serving warm, straight from the dish.