Cherry Clafoutis

Chelan cherries from the farmer's market yesterday. Not the best, says the cherry man, 'cause we're not quite there yet, but a good early cherry. I was feeling French-ish, so I thought I'd make a cherry clafoutis for Aimee and Pat, who were coming for dinner.

I used Fran Warde's recipe for plum calfoutis from one of my very favorite cookbooks, Eat Drink Live: 150 Recipes for Morning, Noon, and Night. This book, along with my other favorite of hers (also photographed by my photography idol Debi Treloar) Food for Friends: Simply Delicious Menus for Easy Entertaining, gets pulled out frequently when peeps are coming 'round for dinner. I paw through them just for inspiration. I really can't recommend them highly enough. I'm pretty sure I've talked about them before. If you are feeling dreamy about your weekends, or want to make a plan to get them going, these books are so lovely and encouraging.

My thing this summer, though, is to sort of do the same thing over and over again, no matter who's coming. Well, maybe with a little variation, usually in the dessert. And that variation can be dictated by whatever it is I find at the farmer's market on Saturday morning. My basic menu is: garlic ciabatta bread (from the farmer's market), mushroom sauce (I make this on Friday afternoon), cheese ravioli (from Pastaworks), simple salad (with greens from the farmer's market), and make-ahead dessert (with fruit from the farmer's market). That's it. Nothing that has to be prepared at the last minute except for the ravioli. I have yet to encounter anyone who doesn't love ravioli. For many years, my defining characteristic in my family was that I was "the one who loves ravioli." (And "the one who said 'Ow!' when hit with a marshmallow that her sister threw at her," but whatever! I don't remember the event, but the story has been told about me so many times now that it is accepted as fact, so . . . fiiiiiiine. That's fine. Now you know.)

A clafoutis is like an eggy, custardy, pancake-y batter, poured over some fruit and baked into a moist layer. I like all things eggy, custardy, and pancake-y, and I love cherries, though you can do this with plums or blueberries or even strawberries, or probably any berry or stone fruit, I would think? It looks cool with cherries. Apparently there's some controversy about whether the cherries should be pitted, but I would absolutely pit mine. Especially if you have use of your neighbor's (on the other side, this time — how lucky am I that I have such epicurean neighbors, I know) cherry pitter. This thing is pretty cool. You can see the cherry at the top of the spout? You put it there, and then push down on this little plunger that pushes the pit out and into the bucket below. As the plunger comes back up, it lifts the cherry and then tosses it down the chute and into the waiting casserole dish. Dear Santa, I've been a very good girl this year and I would like my very own cherry pitter. Thank you, much love always, Alicia P.

There's not much to the batter — a half cup of flour, a half cup of sugar, four eggs, and two cups of milk. All whisked together and poured over the cherries. I might add a little salt to this next time, and maybe a dash of vanilla. It's a bland pud, but I like that sort of thing. Pop it in the oven for forty minutes at 375 degrees F. Don't accidentally turn the oven up to 475 and then go sit on the front porch and have a beer, only to come careening into the house when you smell roasting pancake and yank it all out. Why do I do things like this. I don't know. It was saved, but honestly. 475? Girl. Put down the beer and read the directions.

After it cools, sprinkle some powdered sugar on top. I bought a can of powdered sugar with a sprinkle-top from the Dutch import store, and it is the best, because you don't have to mess with the sugar bag, which is impossible to open without making a mess, or find the tiny strainer which you can never find because its jammed in the back of the utensil drawer, or try to sprinkle the sugar off of a spoon, so it always falls off in big clumps and looks stupid. The can is awesome. Oh, and the clafoutis was good, too!

Comments

[Jennifer VanSchoyck]

oooohhhh, Thanks for this recipe! I have some cherries I need to use up. This looks yummy!!

Jennifer

[Trixie]

It is beautiful! I may have to use a gift card to buy one of those books.

[Carolyn A.]

I need to come to your house for dinner and dessert. You always seem to make things that are light and airy and look so good in pictures. I just ate a really good nectarine ... now I want some cherries. :) xxoo

[Pam]

Yum! I have never seen an automatic cherry pitter...cool! I'm sure you would get a lot of use out of such a thing living where cherries grow. I made a pear clafouti last Christmas from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris cookbook. We had been given several Harry & David's baskets and had more pears than we could eat. It was quite good, but not as pretty as your cherry version!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_31682,00.html

[Amy L.]

Clafoutis is my all time favorite summer desert, endlessly adaptable, as you say. Last year I poached some peaches in Lillet and added a handful of blackberries for a clafoutis, and I'm embarrassed to say that between K and I it was gone by the next morning. (Clafoutis - breakfast of champions!) For anyone who hasn't tried clafoutis the texture is hard to understand... is it a cake? is it a custard?...Yes! It's all that and MORE! Go make some now!

[Linnea]

It looks delicious, Alicia :o) I laughed at your 475 degrees story... I made your strawberry shortcake on Thursday night for dessert when some friends came over for dinner (with the strawberries from the farmer's market). It all turned out delicious... and I was surprised that I was able to follow all the directions and such because I had a glass of wine with dinner and was definitely feeling it...I called it baking under the influence. Thank goodness it all turned out ok, and I remembered to turn the oven off and all that stuff. Have a nice Sunday :o)
xox,
Linnea

[kelly]

Wait... there are people who don't like ravioli? In your very own *family?!* Wow.

Thanks for another great post -- I laughed out loud at "put down the beer and read the directions." I like Linnea's phrase "baking under the influence." Hee hee.

[Vanessa]

Oh! I love recipes like this! We have a ton of blueberries growing in our backyard so I will deffinately be trying this with blueberries!

[Shannon]

Oh my goodness that looks so yummy! I am so excited about cherries coming! Rainer cherries are so tasty!

[barbara Sunkler]

i've just written your recipe down for future reference (not quite cherry season here yet, but very very soon, i hope!) - and i do hope i will remember to NOT set the oven to 375 CELSIUS...! although i don't think my oven can even go up to that kind of temperature!
:)
merci beaucoup ma chère
barbara
x

[Sam]

Oh yum!
And, a marshmallow could totally hurt you if thrown by a sibling:)

[Wonders Never Cease]

Oh Alicia! A clafoutis! It was one of my favorite desserts from our four years in France! And you're right, I found that most folks in France didn't pit their cherries. But I definitely do. Who wants to look at a bunch of cherry pits while you're eating?
Yum yum. I will have to make one this week.
Beautiful photos!
Becky

[Jennifer]

Ha! You perfectly described my relationship with powdered sugar and my strainer. :)

[barb]

Hi Alicia,
I'm catching up on your posts today as we've had terrible storms in Michigan an were without power for 4 days! I love your blog, always filled with beauty, love and delicious things. The cherry clafoutis looks fabulous! We're going on vacation in norhtern MI in a couple of weeks - the height of cherry season. I'm going to make this for sure!

[KellyS]

Ooooh, so pretty & yummy. I would love to make this, but will have to use some other fruit. My hubby has bad memories of a bag of cherries, a mountain road, and the resulting car-sickness. Bleh.

I was also ready to steal your easy summer menu for next week, until I remembered that my friend has a wheat-allergy thing going on. So no ravioli. Still, a great idea for the next get-together...

[Marianne]

Hi, I have been lurking for quite a while now, can't remember how I found you. but now that you are promoting our Dutch sugar I have to come out of the closet.
Great blog, great cherry dish and yes, great sugar.
Marianne (from the Netherlands)

[Nell]

I wholly recommend a cherry pitter. (although mine is lower tech than your neighbors) Saves hours!

[barbara]

ooohh i love desserts that use fresh fruit. thanks for the info. by the way how can i get on your blog roll? i really am enjoying the blogs i have come accross using your blog roll.

[Deece]

That looks so good! I've never made(or tasted) a clafoutis before. But I just may have to make one soon. If only I could get my hands on some cherries. They don't come by easily on a tropical island....would mangoes work?

(I've never commented before, but I've been reading for a while now.)

[Kathe Kramer]

Feeling a little Sunday nightish, looking around to see who is doing what and hit it lucky! Posie wrote, and on a SUNDAY and about a yummy pretty eat, a nice full post with lots of pics, so nice of you. Thank you. I had typo'd Posie as Poise, that fits you too.

[Liz]

Thanks for the reminder! I used to make a clafoutis nearly every Saturday morning b.k. (before kids!) Now I'm more into waffles & pancakes, but I'm going to try one of these & see what my kids think. And I bought a little stainless steel shaker can with a mesh lid for my powdered sugar, although I can't remember where I found it. I really enjoy your blog!

[amigurumigirl]

yum! how funny that i was just thinking of doing the same thing with my cherries! definitely have to get off my butt now that i've seen your wonderful results. (^_^)

[sheila]

The cherry clafouti looks yummy. I can't wait to try it-maybe tomorrow. But I'm one of those people who don't like ravioli-cheese ravioli, that is. I'm one of those odd people who hate cheese.

[corine]

This french girl says that one must not remove the pits in clafoutis!

That being said, you better hand your guest a liability release first.

[robyn]

gorgeous as always!
love