C is for clafoutis

There are sweet people and savory people. I’m savory, maybe even a little salty. If given the option of a Swiss chocolate bar or a bowl of Spanish olives - I’ll take the olives please, oh and do you have any boquerones to go with them? I do have weak spot for ice cream and around here 80% of the time, if you don’t get your dessert in a stemmed goblet, it will be ice cream, hot fudge sundae, if you’re lucky.

But somehow I have developed the ability to make desserts starting with the letter C. Cupcakes, custards and anything with coconut. (Honestly, I do a blackberry trifle too but it bungles the alliteration.) I’m not half bad with cookies and cakes but all that measuring and rigidity and science is too much for me. I like the custards. I’m still trying to perfect a pudding recipe, specifically banana, so if you have one, please send it my way.

Like every year, in anticipation of Bastille Day I put together a French themed meal. Last night we had escargot, baguette, vichyssoise, salad nicoise and clafoutis. My goal was to blog about the snails, because they are really easy and inexpensive to make and everyone should do it, but they don’t photograph very well. I don’t usually make desserts and almost never eat them but I will make them for other people. My friend Jayme was coming over and she is my biggest clafoutis fan and it just fit with the theme. Normally, I make a pear one, courtesy of Ina Garten, since it’s not pear season I went with the traditional cherry. It was, if I do say so myself, my best one yet.

Cherry Clafoutis - Adapted from Ina Garten - Serves 6

• 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons of flour
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 tablespoons Lillet (I just happened to have some in the fridge)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 pound of cherries, pitted
• 1 tablespoon butter

Butter a 12” pie plate then dust it with the tablespoon of sugar, set aside. Using an electric mixer combine the eggs and the sugar and beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low add in the flour, cream, zest, vanilla and Lillet, beat until combined, let batter rest for 10 minutes. Add the cherries to the pie plate, pour in batter and bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until the custard is set. Dust with powdered sugar, cut into wedges and serve.