I know, I’m getting sick of the cherries too. I couldn’t help myself though! What was a girl to do with all the left over cherries? The deal at the super market was for a generous bag of plump cherries for a nominal price. Like I said, I couldn’t resist. This led me to stray away from the typically eye-catching recipes and find one that was appropriate for the pound or so of cherries I had remaining. I must say, summer has enabled me to burgeon into a surprisingly decent baker.

I realize that baking may seem fairly simple and relatively straight forward considering the fact that in contrast to cooking, one must be far more careful with recipe-following and ingredient-measuring, but it’s actually not the easiest task. Especially for someone as clumsy as I am. While I love baking and cooking quite equally, cooking gives me far more elbow room for many of my absent-minded and haphazard mistakes. Baking, on the other hand, forces me to be meticulous – something I am absolutely not. Plus, it also leaves a significantly larger pile of dishes, gadgets and trinkets for washing. Although, I must admit I’m usually nonchalant about this aspect of baking since, well, I’m obviously not the designated dishwasher.

Don’t feel bad for him though, he receives plenty of compensation for his labor. For instance, he was able to enjoy this cherry clafoutis for his dish cleaning services. Clafoutis (pronounced kla-foo-tee) is a rustic dessert that originated in the rural Limousin region of France. It’s traditionally baked with cherry pits in, oh thank God, since it is supposedly said to impart an almond-like flavor. It is also commonly made with plums, but can also be made with apricots or blueberries or whatever else you please. Yet again, another versatile recipe.

It’s also really wonderful for breakfast with some plain or vanilla yogurt. Clafoutis is wonderful in all its fluff and soft simplicity.

Cherry Clafoutis
Adapted from Cerres & Bacchus

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c butter, melted
1 c flour
1 c milk
1/2 tsp vanilla (or almond) extract
2 tbsp rum (optional)
some sufficient amount of fruit, like 2 cups cherries

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Beat the sugar and the eggs with a wire whisk until they turn lighter in color. Gradually add the butter, beating to incorporate. Add the flour all at once and whisk until the batter is a homogeneous mixture. Next slowly pour in the milk a little at a time. Add the vanilla, and the rum if you are using it, mixing well. The batter should be very smooth and shiny.

Place the cherries in a buttered glass or earthenware baking dish, cake pan (9 or 10 inches in diameter) or skillet that can go in the oven. Pour the batter over the fruit. Bake in the pre-heated oven, approximately 30-40 minutes, until slightly browned and almost completely set in the middle. Let sit at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a plate and serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. Leftovers are excellent for breakfast.

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