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Cherry Clafoutis with Star Anise-poached Cherries

Try this classic dessert with a twist, perfect for a summer dinner party.

By bbcfood · From Open Recipes · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Star anise and vanilla work together. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 84 recipes mention both. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓

The recipe

Serves 6-8
Prep30 min
Cook2 hr

Ingredients

Contains: egg, milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

  1. Put 200g/7oz water, 200g/7oz caster sugar and the 3 star anise in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 5 minutes.

  2. Add the 350g/13oz cherries to the syrup and poach gently for 3 to 4 minutes until just softened. Remove the cherries, reserve the syrup, and let both cool.

  3. Heat the 125ml/4½fl oz whole milk gently in a small pan with the split vanilla pod for 5 minutes. Remove the pod, scrape its seeds into the milk and let cool slightly.

  4. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 9-inch/23 cm ovenproof dish with the small knob of butter.

  5. Whisk the 4 free-range eggs with the 175g/6oz caster sugar until pale. Whisk in the 75g/3oz plain flour, then the infused milk, the 250g/9oz double cream and the 125ml/4½fl oz double cream until smooth.

  6. Pit the 600g/1lb 5oz cherries and scatter them over the base of the buttered dish. Pour the batter evenly over the cherries.

  7. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until puffed, golden and set in the centre. The custard should reach 160°F (71°C) in the middle.

  8. Let the clafoutis cool for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm, spooning the poached cherries and a little reserved syrup over each portion.

By bbcfood. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.

  1. Star anise + vanillatop 4% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapmoderate
    Mentioned together84 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).

  2. Milk + vanillatop 2% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapmoderate
    Mentioned together19,175 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  3. Butter + milktop 3% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together81,222 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  4. Cream + buttertop 3% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together41,494 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  5. Sugar + vanillatop 3% of all pairs
    Aroma overlaplow
    Mentioned together35,031 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Sugar and vanilla share little aroma chemistry, yet 35,031 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs