Ingredients
- 500 g pitted sweet cherries, fresh or frozen
- 120 ml Québec maple syrup
- 3 large eggs
- 125 g all-purpose flour
- 300 ml whole milk
- 30 g unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Butter for the dish
Method
- Heat the oven to 165 °C and butter a 24 cm shallow baking dish.
- Arrange the cherries in the dish.
- Whisk eggs with maple syrup, flour, milk, melted butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- Pour the batter over the cherries and bake 35–40 minutes, until puffed and just set.
- Cool for 15 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 100 g granulated sugar
Conversion used: Replace 100 g sugar with 120 ml maple syrup and reduce the milk by 60 ml. Bake at 165 °C instead of 180 °C.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple adds a subtle caramel edge to the cherries without masking the custard. The adaptation keeps the rustic French preparation and uses a minimally processed local sweetener.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →