For years, I was told we could not grow cherries in our mountain orchard; something about the altitude, or the birds or something else was a definite hurdle; well, just a few days ago, Salah, our beloved orchard manager, said he had something to show me and produced a huge crate of dark, plump cherries. Gasp!
Salah went on about all the years he tried growing his cherry trees, this and that, grafting, roots, (it is all a jumble in my head), and finally, voilà! Fantastic crop this year and these cherries are (almost) as good as the ones in Hamana, Lebanon (the cherry capital of the country).
A crop of cherries means having to get busy with kitchen projects (besides gulping pounds of them in one sitting!).
Just don’t throw away the stems! (more on that later). Set the stems aside in a large pan and dry them; when dried, store them.
This clafoutis is a classic of French homestyle baking; it is also popular here; a pastry shop opened down the street with the name “Clafoutis”. A clafoutis is like a sweet omelette studded with fruits; the cherries when baked get mellow and soft and retain a bit of tang that is irresistible.
INGREDIENTS: 6 servings
- 3 eggs, 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup of milk
- 1/4 cup of cream
- 2/3 cup of sugar
- 3 cups of cherries, washed and dried
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1/4 cup of almond flour (optional)
- dash of salt
- 2 tsp of vanilla (or Amaretto)
- Wash the cherries and dry them. Pluck out their stems and place in a bowl to dry later. The stems are very beneficial as a tea for digestive problems.
- Place the eggs, yolk (if using), flour, milk, cream, almond flour, sugar, vanilla and salt in a blender or mixer or food processor and mix for two or three minutes till the mixture is smooth.
- Butter 6 small quiche pans or one large pyrex pan (9X13) and place the cherries all over. Pour the batter over the cherries. Bake in a 350F oven till puffy and set, about 30 minutes. Check with a toothpick, if it comes out clean, the clafoutis is ready.
- Serve while still warm preferably.
24 Comments
A marvelous clafoutis!
Cheers,
Rosa
Ahhh another beautiful story.
Indeed the Cherry stem and pit are both valuable, can’t wait to see what you have in mind for them.
That looks fantastic. A clafoutis is one of those desserts I’ve been meaning to make but have never done it before. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Oh La La….this one brings me right back to a street side café in Paris…perfection!
GREAT NEWS FOR ME DEAR JOUMANA, MY ORCHARD IS ON A HILL, ACTUALLY, I LIVE ON A HILL, AND I WAS RELUCTANT TO HAVING A CHERRY TREE.
GREAT CLAFOUTI, LIKE ALL YOUR RECIPES. BUT I’M SO CURIOUS ABOUT THE STEMS. I CAN TELL YOU WHAT TO DO WITH THE SEEDS, YO TELL ME ABOUT THE STEMS….BIG HUGS
Looks delicious! I’m curious to see what you do with the stems.
Fantastic looking clafoutis…I so love cherry season!
It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you simply try. That is a beautiful bowl of cherries and a delicious dessert! Thanks for the tip on cherry stems, I’m going to totally try it.
@Pamela: Salah just told me that the tree did not give in previous years because it did not get cold enough.Good luck!
Our cherry tree was a dead loss this year as were everyone else’s in the region. Too cold a winter and then a late frost. Luckily we still have one drawer full of frozen cherries from last year, I must have known!! The best clafoutis I have ever tasted is this one http://daysontheclaise.blogspot.fr/2010/06/super-simple-mini-clafoutis.html and I always use fromage blanc instead of cream and milk, it is wonderful. Diane
@Diane: I will try it it sounds exquisite!
@T.W.Barritt: I like it better with the pits in the cherries and it is not that big of a deal to remove them, since the cherries get softer anyway! Kind of like olives!
Love clafoutis! This looks perfect. I haven’t made it with cherries in a while – we are just on the verge of cherry season here. I have heard that you get more flavor if you leave the pits in, but I’ve always been afraid to try.
I bought this season’s cherries from Lebanon for the first time this year on the weekend – they were divine. Sweet with a slight hint of bitterness too…which I like. I’ll make this if enough survive being eaten by the handful …:)
Beautiful! And fortunately I have a plate of fresh cherries in front of me, so I am not too jealous.
Merhaba (as we say in Turkish, for hello)
What wonderful cherries, so wonderful that you can grow your own! So enjoyed reading your clafoutis, I love it – I am giving a link to your lovely blog at mine, delighted to find you:)
Ozlem
I adore clafoutis, and cherries– they’re a rarity here, with a short season locally. When I have some, my favorite thing to bake with them is a crumb-topped cherry pie, graced with chardonnay or peanut butter ice cream to serve.
I’ll be sure to try this clafouti when I get the chance!
Looks delicious Joumana !
I just finished eating a handful of cherries! They are in season here also and so sweet and delicious. Congratulations on your first cherries grown in your orchard! A lovely dessert and I can’t wait to hear why I should not have thrown away those cherry stems this morning. I still have plenty more cherries to devour, though
Such beautiful looking cherries…and a gorgeous clafoutis! I love your photo of the Cedars!
Ok, so you may have been curious about my asapragus stalks but now I am dying to know more about the cherry stems…
I love how you described the clafoutis – a cherry studded omelette – so true! I made one last year with black berries and ears which were delish but have yet to work with cherries this year! What’s wrong with me! I must remedy this quick
chow
Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
This is one of my favorite desserts!! I never thought of the stems….
Avec ce délicieux dessert ce doit être les cerises sur le…clafoutis. Bisous et bonne semaine
Joumana, it’s cherry season in Washington state, from Bings, to Vans, to Stella, to Rainiers; and yet can you believe I’ve never made clafoutis? I think mainly because the recipes I’ve perused seem more like glorified omelets. Now yours looks different so I’m eager to try it. I bet the almond flour and amaretto add a nice dimension. Thanks again for another juicy recipe!.