Cherry Clafoutis {from the orchard to the table}

One of the perks of summer in Ontario is the abundance of cherries and nothing beats the joy of picking our own cherries from the orchards in the Niagara region. Last Saturday, the weather was gorgeous so Jayvee and I drove to Cherry Avenue Farms to have our fill and more!

Cherry Avenue Farms is a 126-acres-fruit-orchards. You can pick your own cherries at the beginning of summer, peaches and plums in August and nectarines and pears before the fall. We've been here a couple times and each visit never fails to perk me up .... just like the high you get on Christmas morning. But instead of presents, you get the gifts from mother nature.

You are allowed to eat while picking so you can just imagine how much we consumed  ... it was like walking in the garden of Eden but nothing is forbidden, eat all you can! Yes, even the fruit of tree in the middle of the garden :-).

With a bucket full of cherries, surely, our kitchen will be busy in the next couple of days. As soon as we got home, I made cherry clafoutis. I will never get tired of this delicious and so easy to make dessert which I first tasted during a luncheon meeting in Paris many years ago. My French counterpart gave me the recipe. Since then, I made minor adjustments {like the addition of lemon zest for more flavour}. The sweet custard like base and the sweet and tangy cherries surrendering its juices to the cake is a real treat on its own or with a cup of tea.

Cherry Clafoutis or Clafouti is a rustic looking French country dessert from the Limousin region. Traditionally it was made with the first sweet cherries of the season, and the cherries were left unpitted so their kernels could release their delicate almond flavor as they baked. {info source : Joy of Cooking}

Cherry Clafoutis

Ingredients
1 pound fresh sweet cherries, rinse and pat dry {whole or pitted}
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup whole milk
3 eggs slightly beaten
3 1/2 tbsp melted salted butter + extra for lining the pan
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
zest of 1/2 lemon

Icing sugar for dusting

Procedure
Preheat oven to 400 F.

Butter the cake pan generously.
Place the cherries in the bottom of cake pan.
In a bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.
Add milk and eggs one at a time, whisking gently.
Add melted butter and vanilla extract and lemon zest.
Mix until the batter is completely smooth.
Pour batter on top of cherries.
Bake for 15 minutes at 400 F then lower heat to 350 F and cook for another 20 minutes or or until the clafoutis is puffed, set, and golden brown around the edges.
Serve immediately with a dusting of icing sugar. 

Amusez cuisson mes amis! Bon apettit!

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