French Cherry Clafouti

So today is Bastille Day!

You probably don't celebrate it unless you live in France....oh, how I wish!

Bastille Day is a National French holiday that commemorates the storming of the Bastille, a prison, and  marks the beginning of the French Revolution, which occured during Louis XVI's reign.  Phew, that was a long sentence!  Those not of nobitity wanted equal rights and access the basics...I think that is what I remember from junior high school social studies.  Anway, liberty,equality and fraternity were the themes of the revolution.  But enough of the history lesson, unless you need to correct my "take" on history. Let's talk food, of course.

While we were in France, we had the most unbelievable pastries and desserts!  I think if we would have stayed any longer, I would have doubled my weight.  So to celebrate Bastille Day, I thought I would share a French Cherry Clafouti recipe from Bon Apetit that totally reminds me of our time in France.  In the words of Marie Antoinette, "Let them eat...cherry clafouti!"  Well not exactly, but you get my drift.

It looks French, no?  Well, French or not, you will just die for this dessert.  A clafouti is baked in a buttered dish with cherries and a custard like batter.
I like to serve mine warm with a scoop of good vanilla bean ice cream.

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients:

1 lb of fresh or frozen sweet cherries (both need to be pitted and stemmed, frozen needs to be thawed)
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
4 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter round pan or 6 ramekins.

Place cherries on the bottom of the prepared pan.



Place the milk and the cream in a small pot.  Bring to a low simmer over medium heat.  Turn heat off and set aside.

In a bowl, mix together the eggs, flour, sugar, almond extract and salt until combined.  Gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture.  Mix until smooth.

Pour the custard mixture on top of the cherries.  Bake in oven for about 30 minutes.  It will poof (like my term), but will settle back down once removed from the oven, while cooling.

Serve with a scoop of ice cream or powdered sugar.

Cherry Clafouti printable recipe

The ice cream melts down into all the nooks and crannies.

  I just love the custard/cake type filling with the sweetness of the cherries.  

BTW, I am feeling very French right now.

Join me in celebrating Bastille Day and being French for just a little bit.

Celebrate the little things that make life sweet,

Christine

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