cherries & berries

 

I’ve been in Hudson for just minutes over the last month, just enough to check the garden (still growing and no blight(yet)) and hear the local news. 

Though I haven’t been able to pick my own, I have been eating as usual and I am loving all the fresh fruit.  I’ve been obsessed by cherries and blueberries although soon it will be time to switch to plums, apricots and peaches.  How to choose?!?  My new favorite recipe is clafouti – a traditional french dessert that I’ve always been curious about but had never attempted.  Why did I waste so much time?  Clafouti is a lovely custard-y – cake loaded with fruit that is insanely easy and de-lish. 

Cherry Clafouti – adapted from Gourmet  (recipe can easily be halved)

• 1 1/4 pounds fresh sour cherries (I didn’t have enough this time so also threw in some blueberries)
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk (2% milk worked fine)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tablespoons kirsch (I couldn’t find so threw in some cassis)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish.

Toss cherries with 1 tablespoon sugar and spread evenly in baking dish.

Combine eggs, milk, flour, salt, butter, kirsch, extracts, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour batter over cherries.

Bake clafouti until puffed and golden, 35 to 45 minutes.

a little blurry but you get the idea

Cool slightly on a rack (clafouti will sink as it cools) and serve warm, dusted with confectioners’ sugar.  

We forgot the confectioners’ sugar and scarfed it down.  I’m trying this recipe with plums next.

 

I also made cherry jam for the first time.  I’m afraid of canning, pressure cookers, etc. but have been making refrigerator jams and pickled thingies…  I was directed to a recipe from David Leibowitz (an American in Paris writing about sweet things) via City Cook.  Using sour cherries gave it a great candy color and a little bit of tang to balance out the sweet.  I love how he wrote this recipe since he gives you all the little tips/hints that make it much less intimidating; read it here: No-Recipe Cherry Jam.

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