CHERRY CLAFOUTIS

CHERRY EATING…

Kyle and I took the girls cherry picking, although if you were to as Gigi she would definitely tell you we went cherry eating. That girl ate so many cherries I’m surprised she didn’t turn into one a lá Violet in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She had cherry juice dripping from her chin and off her elbows which made me glad I had had the forethought to put her in clothes that were already on their way to the next realm. Lulu was tucked happily in her Solly Wrap for most of the outing and I was feeding her little cherry quarters like a baby bird. The folks at the U-Pick probably should start weighing children going in and coming out and add that to your charge. We picked thirty pounds of organic Lambert and Bing cherries but Lord knows how many cherries Gigi gobbled up!

PINPINPINBing cherries the dark red, sweet kind that are readily available in most grocery stores this time of year. We didn’t pick quite as many of those as we rounding out the end of Bing season here. But the day we showed up to pick cherries, the Lambert cherries were freshly opened for picking. We arrived early in the morning so we literally got the cream of the crop. Lambert cherries look really similar to Bing cherries. They have the same heart shape, and similar color. The Lambert cherries had a slight ruby hue that seemed to glow through the dark crimson base color; they looked like a great red wine. The Lamberts were a tiny bit less sweet than the Bing cherries, and since I prefer my fruit and berry based desserts on the slightly tart side, I couldn’t wait to pit and put these cherries to use.

PINClafoutis are one of the simplest things to bake. They’re almost as simple to put together as a frittata. Clafoutis are a tradition French dessert: a flan like base peppered with cherries and served dusted with powdered sugar, or with a little crème fraîche. For my version, I used lots of eggs, a bit of lemon zest, and I made crème fraîche from scratch to serve with it. It was a wonderful way to take a chunk out of our thirty pound hall; the rest are in the freezer waiting to be made into crumbles and pies. This dessert is meant to be served warm or at room temperature, which is how we enjoyed it the first night. But, I found that I really loved it really cold, straight from the refrigerator. It’s wonderful with a dollop of tart crème fraîche and a hot cup of coffee for breakfast.

PINCHERRY CLAFOUTIS

Ingredients.
1 pound pitted Lambert or Bing cherries
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus one tablespoon for the pie dish
1 tablespoon butter, for greasing
zest from 1/2 a lemon (about 3/4 tsp)
crème fraîche or powdered sugar, for serving

Directions.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Whip the eggs and sugar together in a stand mixer on medium-high speed (using the whisk attachment) until it’s a light, fluffy, and well combined. On low speed add in the vanilla, milk, cream, lemon zest, flour and salt.

Butter a 9” pie dish. Add about a tablespoon of sugar to the dish and roll it around to coat. Discard the excess sugar. Fill the bottom of the pie dish with your cherries. Slowly pour your batter over the cherries.

Bake in the oven, on the middle rack, until the flan/custard has set and the top is lightly golden, about 50 minutes. You’ll know the custard has set when you insert small knife into the center of the clafoutis and it comes out clean.

Remove your clafoutis from the oven, allow it rest for ten minutes or so before serving. You can serve it dusted with powdered sugar, or with a dollop of crème fraîche or whipped cream.

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
CHERRY CLAFOUTIS