Traditional Cherry Clafoutis

The traditional baked French cherry clafoutis is made from sweet summer cherries and a sweet eggy batter. Serve it with some cream for a really easy yet decadent dessert.

Many years ago, we lived in a beautiful old home in Paris. This one, in fact. We were visiting friends this week and I stuck my camera up over the gate to get a photo.



But what I really wish I could show you is the back garden. It wasn’t as large as the front but its walls were covered with red climbing roses and it was shaded by the generous branches of an immense cherry tree. During the summer, we would feast on sweet red cherries till we couldn’t eat any more. We made pies and jam and even cherry bounce, a sweet wine of sorts. We froze them in baggies. We gave them to neighbors. We shared them with friends. Indeed, we were amply blessed. For me, cherries ARE summer in Paris. And forever after, everywhere, cherries MEAN summer. And vice versa.

When I first saw the theme of this week’s Sunday Supper - farmers’ markets and local food - I was disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to take part. In Dubai, the markets are closed for the summer. With daily highs that can soar to above 46°C or 114°F, no one wants to sit outside to sell anything. And, as you can imagine, customers would also be scarce. I was delighted when we ended up with a week in Paris visiting friends, while my dear husband attended to his work-related reasons for the trip. Yay! Parisian markets are the best!



My friend's neighborhood market. Look at all those cherries! Mine came from right here.

I've added a bunch of market photos at the bottom of this post, for anyone who is interested.

And, since summer means cherries, there was no question about what I would buy at the market. My friend and I were discussing the possibilities for a recipe because we thought it needed to be something French and she said, “Clafoutis.” I replied, “Exactly what I was thinking.” Great minds. And when an American and a Scotswoman in Paris are cooking French, whom else could we turn to but Julia Child? This recipe is from her first book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julia will never steer you wrong.

Ingredients
Butter for greasing the pan
1 1/4 cups or 295ml milk
1/3 cup or 75g sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup or 63g flour
15 oz or 425g fresh sweet cherries
1/3 cup or 75g sugar
Powdered sugar or heavy cream for serving, optional

Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your baking pan by buttering it liberally.

Pit your cherries. If you don’t have a cherry pitter, simply tape four toothpicks together and use them to push the pit though from the stem end and out the bottom. Your hands will look like you killed someone but the cherry juice does wash off with just a little staining. Do protect your clothing, which will not be as fortunate.

In a blender or liquidizer, blend the milk, the first 1/3 cup or 75g sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour. I used the hand blender since it’s easier to clean, but I must confess, its measuring vessel was a bit too full and I had to blend veeerrry carefully not to spill. Just listen to Julia and ignore my photos. Use the blender.

Pour a 1/4 inch or 2/3cm layer of the batter in your buttered baking dish.



Bake in the oven about 5-7 minutes or until the batter just sets in the pan. Jiggle the pan to check. Remove from the oven and scatter your cherries evenly over the batter.



Sprinkle on the second 1/3 cup or 75g sugar.



Pour on the rest of the batter.





Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour or until the clafoutis is puffed and golden and a knife plunged in the center comes out clean.



It falls again after just a few minutes but still tastes the same so don’t worry.



Sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with heavy cream and serve warm.

Enjoy!

Appetizers & Salads

• Garlic Scape Dip fromThe Girl In the Little Red Kitchen
• Grilled Cherry Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad from Pescetarian Journal
• Kale & Pepita Pesto from girlichef
• Onion Bacon Jam with Bread n’ Brie from Gotta Get Baked
• Quinoa Garden Salad from The Urban Mrs
• Watermelon-Feta Salad with Pomegranate Drizzle from The Weekend Gourmet

Soups & Sides

• 3 Easy Japanese Spinach Recipes from Ninja Baking
• Cheesy Zucchini Fritters from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Cheesy Zucchini Hodge Podge from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Classic Gazpacho from Curious Cuisiniere
• Pea Soup from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Pickled Garlic Scapes from kimchi MOM
• Seasoned Potato Chips and a Michigan-made Meal from Foxes Love Lemons
• Succotash from Magnolia Days
• Watermelon Gazpacho from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner

Entrees

• Arugula Prosciutto Pizza from Family Foodie
• Kitchen Sink Vegetable Curry from What Smells So Good?
• Margherita Pizza from Growing Up Gabel
• Mushroom Scallion Risotto from Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Pasta alla Norma Nuda from Juanita’s Cocina
• Summer Linguine with Grilled Vegetables from Neighborfood
• Summer Veggie Pizza from Country Girl In The Village
• Three Sauces with Summer Herbs to Transform a Simple Grilled Dinner from Cook the Story
• Tomato Pie from The Hand That Rocks The Ladle
• Vegetable Quesadillas from Cookin’ Mimi

Desserts

• Cherry Brandy Cobbler from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Cherry Clafoutis from Food Lust People Love
• Coconut Cherry Bars from Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Lightened Up Peach and Blueberry Cobbler from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Peach Cobbler from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Peach Ice Cream Paletas from Basic N Delicious
• Peach Maple Ice Cream from Pies and Plots
• Roasted Figs with Caramel, Honey Ice Cream and Aged Balsamic from Crazy Foodie Stunts

Marché du Pont de l'Alma

Here are a few photos of the market. And you might have guessed I didn't buy just cherries. :) The wonderful produce is hard to resist.

Mushrooms Provençal for #RandomRecipeChallenge

This month for the Random Recipe Challenge we are celebrating a big anniversary: number 30. Not 30 years, but still, 30 months is a great accomplishment in the world of blogging.  I wish I could say that I’ve been participating that long but I can say that I have enjoyed every challenge I have accepted.  Rather than choosing a theme, for this anniversary month dashing Dom from +belleau kitchen has set 30 as the target.  Count forward on the bookcase to your 30th cookbook.  Either open to the 30th page (which I did first but there wasn’t a recipe at all) or open randomly (which I did second) and make the first recipe you see.

My 30th book was Richard Olney’s Simple French Food, a classic in food writing circles.  I adore Richard Olney and I adore this book but I have to admit, when I opened it to Mushrooms Provençal, I was a bit disappointed.  Sautéed mushrooms didn’t sound very exciting.  But, after making them as a side dish, we all decided that they were fabulous and worthy of being the star of the meal.  So instead of grilling a steak which they would accompany, I folded a few in a simple omelet and served extra on the side.  The perfect evening meal.  And I will never underestimate Mr. Olney again.

Ingredients
4-5 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb 10 oz or 750g Swiss brown or other mushrooms
Sea salt
3 large cloves garlic
1 handful parsley
1 handful crumbled half-dried bread (I chopped mine up with a large knife.)
Black pepper
1/2 lemon
Glass of wine – optional but highly recommended – for the cook

Method
Rinse your mushrooms briefly to get rid of any dirt that might be clinging to them and drain them well in a colander.  Cut the tough stem ends off.  Small mushrooms can be left whole but larger ones should be cut in halves or quarters.

Puree the garlic in a mortar with a pestle and chop your parsley finely.

Heat your oil in a large frying pan and add the mushrooms and a good sprinkling of sea salt.  Sauté over a medium high heat, stirring or tossing every few minutes, until the mushrooms take on a golden color.

Choose a bigger pan.  This was hard to stir and toss until the mushrooms had reduced in size.

Add in the garlic and parsley.  Stir well.

Give the whole pan a good couple of grinds of fresh black pepper and add in the breadcrumbs.

Taste for salt and add a little more if necessary.

Squeeze your lemon half over the mushrooms.  Stir or toss again.

Enjoy!

Or add them into an omelet.

Beat a couple of eggs with a dash of milk.  Have a sip of wine.

Add a knob of butter to a non-stick skillet.  Once it has melted, pour in the egg/milk mixture and add some Mushrooms Provençal.

Cook until the eggs are almost set.  Add a few slices of cheddar or other cheese, if desired.  Have a sip of wine.

Fold over.  Neatness doesn't count.  Have another sip of your wine.

Slide the omelet onto a plate, sprinkle with some black pepper and add more mushrooms.  Enjoy!