~ * ~ Beautiful Cherry Clafoutis ~ * ~

Recipe by Raymond Blanc



This magnificent creation is simply a batter pudding, where fruit is suspended in a flour and egg batter, and is one of the few acceptable hot puddings in summer..Its delicious, easy to make but you will need a shallow china dish for it.

Recipe serves 4

Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Stone 350-400g of cherries. Lightly butter a 20cm diameter baking dish, then dust with a couple of tbsp of sugar. Tip in the cherries.

Put 80g of sugar in a mixing bowl and beat in 2 large eggs, followed by 90g of flour, 150ml of milk and a drop or two of vanilla extract with a large balloon whisk.

Melt 30g of butter in a small pan, then stir into the mixture. Pour the batter over the cherries and bake for 35 minutes, until puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and dust with icing sugar.

Some tips.


Do stone the cherries, it's a drag, but worth it. (Blueberry is my favourite fruit for this, but hardly traditional.) Sieve the flour, it will help the batter enormously. The dusting of the top with icing sugar
is not a conceit: that extra hit of sweetness is really necessary. Like all batters, a short time at a high temperature is the way to go. Serve the clafoutis warm, like a quiche, with cream from a jug.


Swap the cherries for 275g of blueberries, blackberries or some cooked pears. Change a third of the flour for finely ground almonds. The result will be heavier and more grainy but with a more interesting flavour. Soak the fruit in kirsch before using. Use the blueberry version as a filling for a custard tart.


SWEET CHERRY PIE EXTRAORDINAIRE



I've used 1/2 cup of sugar for the filling, which results in a pie not overly sweet. You may want to use more or less sugar, depending on how sweet you would like your pie to be, and how sweet your cherries are.

Makes 8 servings, but deffs no seconds.

Pie dough for top and bottom 9 or 10-inch pie (see pie crust recipe)

Ingredients:
5 cups sweet cherries, pitted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp corn starch
1 Tbsp of butter, cut into small pieces

1 egg
Coarse sugar for sprinkling



1. Place the pitted cherries, sugar, almond extract, lemon juice and corn starch in a large bowl. Toss until the cherries are well coated with the sugar and other ingredients.

2. On a lightly floured clean surface, roll out the bottom crust. Form it into a 9 or 10-inch pie pan. Using kitchen scissors, trim the edges so that they extend beyond the edge of the pie pan by 1 inch. Place in the refrigerator while you roll out the top crust.

3. Roll out the top crust to about the same size as the bottom crust. Place the filling in the pie plate. Dot with small dabs of butter. Cover with the top crust. Trim the edges. Crimp to seal the edges together. Score the top crust with cuts so that the steam can escape while the pie is cooking (unnecessary if you are making a lattice crust). Refrigerate for 30 minutes before cooking.

4 . Optional egg wash In a small bowl, whisk the egg with a tablespoon of water or milk. Use a pastry brush to brush over the top crust. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar.

5. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the pie in the middle rack, with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any pie drippings. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temp to 350°F and cook for 35 to 45 minutes longer, or until the crust is nicely browned and the filling is thick and bubbly.

Allow to cool completely before serving.


FRENCH TOAST WITH CHERRIES


Dark red cherries are essential for this. Serves 2. Or one in B'ni's case

for the toast:
150ml full cream milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp caster sugar
4 thick slices of brioche or good white bread
30g butter

for the compote:
75g caster sugar
350g ripe cherries
juice of a lemon
cream or creme fraiche, icing sugar to serve


Stone the cherries and put them into a stainless-steel saucepan. Pour in the sugar and lemon juice and let it melt slowly over a low heat. Bring to the boil and simmer until the cherries have almost collapsed and the juice is jammy and deep red. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Make the French toast. Lightly beat the milk and eggs, beat in the sugar, then pour into a shallow dish. Dunk the slices of bread into the egg and milk and leave them for a good five minutes.

Warm the butter in a non-stick frying pan. When it sizzles, slide in the soaked bread, letting it form a crisp crust in the outside - a matter of three or four minutes. Turn the bread over, then cook the other side for a minute or two till golden.

Lift it out and drain on a piece of kitchen paper. Slide it on to a warm plate and spoon over some of the hot cherry compote. Serve with cream or creme fraiche and icing sugar if you wish.

Cherry Clafoutis another version
Recipe by Felicity Claoke for The Guardian.co.uk


(Serves 6)
500g fresh cherries
75g caster sugar
3 tbsp kirsch or other brandy
20g butter, melted, plus extra to grease
2 tbsp demerara sugar
50g plain flour
Pinch of salt
2 eggs, beaten
270ml whole milk
3 drops of almond essence (optional)
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon

Wash the cherries and remove the stalks. Put in a bowl and lightly crush, so the skins pop but the fruit retains its shape. Add 2 tbsp caster sugar and the kirsch, toss together, cover and leave to macerate for two hours.

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 6. Grease a baking dish just wide enough to hold the cherries in one layer, and add half the demerara sugar. Spin the dish round to coat the inside with demerara, then set aside.

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add a pinch of salt and the remaining caster sugar. Whisk in the eggs, followed by the milk and melted butter, until you have a smooth batter. Stir in the almond essence, if using, and the lemon zest, then tip in the cherries and their juices.

Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake for about half an hour, until just set but still a bit wobbly. Sprinkle with the remaining demerara sugar and serve warm, rather than hot.


[b]SWEET CHERRY JAM WITH FRESH GROUND BLACK PEPPER, WOULD YOU BELIEVE?[/b]
[b]IT'S VERY GOOD, TOO![/b]

[b][/b]
[b][/b]



Sherri Brooks
Recipe type: Preserves
25 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 55 mins
makes 3 cups

• 3 lbs pitted and stemmed cherries
  
• ¼ cup lemon juice
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  

Instructions

1. Add cherries and 1oz water to a nonreactive stock pot
   
2. Bring to a boil
   
3. Add sugar, and stir until completely dissolved
   
4. Add lemon juice and pepper
   
5. Boil stirring frequently until it reaches the desired gel (218 degrees for me)
   
6. Pour into hot canning jars
   
7. Can using boiling water bath method for 10 minutes
   
8. Turn off heat and let rest for 5 minutes
   
9. Remove from bath, cool, and store for up to 1 year
   

Finishing with.... Intense Chocolate Cherry Cake






200gr dark chocolate, broken down into pieces
200gr butter

200gr sugar
4 eggs
150gr flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons cherry jam, heated until liquidy
Chocolate & liquid cream for the ganache, with portions set at 2 parts chocolate: 1 part cream
Cherries- pits removed.

Preheat oven to 180C.

Melt the chocolate & butter together, set aside until it cools down a bit.

In a bowl beat the sugar and eggs until mixture whitens, then add the melted chocolate/butter.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt- mix well until smooth.

Transfer batter to cake mould (fill 3/4 up) lined with parchment paper and bake for 25mins (check with a sharp knife and extend time by 10 mins if needed).

Remove from oven, let cool and place cake in freezer for 1 hour- this is to allow easier slicing for later step.

Prepare ganache: in a pot, heat the liquid but do not let it burn. Remove from heat, throw in the chocolate, cover with lid for 5 mins. Remove lid and stir until smooth and silky.

Slice cake in half horizontally. On the bottom half, poke layer with a fork and brush over the liquidy cherry jam.

Follow with a layer of the ganache and then some cherries.

Cover bottom half with the top half, and coat entire cake with chocolate ganache.

If you have leftover cherries, use some on top for decoration and optionally you can dust it all with cocoa.

Place in fridge for a few hours until set and then enjoy!


Of course- feel free to use other fruits: raspberries, strawberries, etc!

Reference: The Answer is Cake plus other cherry recipes found there

I do wish you'd refrain from crapping all over my threads with your infernal gifs, Martin.

Cherry Sour Cream Crostata Pie is by Ian Knauer whose book is The Farm: Rustic Recipes for a Year of Incredible Food




Now this little piggy comes with a golden butter crust and is filled chock to the brim with a fresh cherry filling, made rich with tangy sour cream. It’s sweet…with a little bit of sass. Serves 6 to 8. But somehow I don't think so.

Ingredients:

• For the pastry dough:
  
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1/4 cup finely ground cornmeal
  
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  
• 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water
  
• Kosher salt
  
• —
  
• For the filling:
  
• 1/4 cup sour cream
  
• 1 3/4 lbs (about 5 cups) fresh sour cherries, pitted (may substitute frozen cherries)
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  

1. Work together the flour, cornmeal, butter, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt with your hands until mostly combined with some small lumps of butter remaining. Stir in 3 tablespoons water with a fork. Press a small handful of dough together, if it looks powdery and does not come together, stir in the additional 1tablespoon of water. Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap. Using the edge of plastic, fold dough over on itself, pressing until it comes together. Form the dough into a disk, wrapped completely in the plastic and chill for 1 hour.
   
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
   
3. Roll out the pastry dough on a well-floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round. Place the dough in a 10-inch pie tin. Spread the sour cream evenly over the bottom of the crust.
   
4. Toss the cherries with the sugar and zest, then spread the fruit evenly over the dough in the tin. Fold the border of dough up and over the edge of the fruit.
   
5. Bake the crostata until the crust is golden, the filling is bubbling, and the cherries are bubbling and slightly thickened. This will take 45 to 50 minutes.