C is for Cherries

C is for Cherries

When cherries are in season, how can you think of anything else? A bowl of fresh, ripe cherries needs nothing else but a lazy, sunny afternoon and a comfortable lounge chair in your backyard. Perhaps the gourmet will sprinkle some ice cubes in the bowl of cherries to keep them chilled. And the refined person will have a separate bowl to place the pits instead of spitting them into the bushes.

So, if fresh cherries are so good by themselves, why should we bother making anything with them when we finally get our hands on them this summer? I used to think that. Then, many years ago, I came across Summer Cooking by Elizabeth David. It’s a cookbook in the loosest sense. She often writes just a brief paragraph describing a dish and uses phrases like “take a handful of” or “fill a teacup full.” But it is pure inspiration. When she waxes poetic about picnics in the countryside with loaves of French bread, mountain-cured ham and exotic-sounding cheeses, she doesn’t fail to include a bag of cherries packed into the bag. She also mentions cherry tarts (Tarte aux Cerises) and an intriguing Cherry Soufflé Omelette. This was just the nudge I needed to experiment with making cherry desserts.

The sparse instructions of Elizabeth David’s tart and soufflé omelet led me to Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, specifically to her recipe for Clafouti or Cherry Flan. I had made a cranberry clafouti years ago from a Martha Stewart recipe, but since it was cranberry, it called for more sugar than I knew I would need if I was using cherries. So, I studied Julia’s recipe. However, I didn’t have a blender at the time, and after a few tries, I changed the ingredients slightly to better fit the size of my 9-inch round, deep baking dish.

I ended up with the most delicious and simple summer dessert I’ve ever had. Start with about a pound of delicious ripe cherries, then put on some good music and get to pitting them. It’s a pain, but it must be done. It is probably worth your while to invest in a cherry pitter. The next best method I have found is to use a chopstick. First, pull off the stem. Then, push the smaller end of the chopstick into the stem hole and push the pit out the other side. Alternatively, you can cut the cherries in half with a small paring knife and pull the pits out with your fingers or pry them out with the tip of the knife. But I like the cherry pitter or the chopstick method because it leaves you with (mostly) whole cherries.

Put the pitted cherries in a buttered 9-inch round deep baking dish. Preheat your oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix together ½ cup of flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ cup of sugar. Then add 1 cup of whole milk, 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and beat until well combined. You can do this in a blender, as Julia suggests, but I have used a handheld electric mixer, and it works perfectly.

Then, pour the batter over the cherries and bake for 50–60 minutes. You’ll know when it’s done because it will getpuffed and golden brown, and a knife inserted in the center will come out clean. Let cool until it is just warm. Julia recommends a dusting of powdered sugar right before serving, and I couldn’t agree more. It’s a rustic-looking dessert that is elegant at the same time. If you really want to gild the lily, serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. It’s as delicious warm from the oven as it is the next morning cold right out of the refrigerator.

I have now become someone who can be counted on to make a cherry dessert. And everyone I have served it to has begged for more. In fact, the clafouti is so good that it makes me want to try other types of clafouti this fall — pear or apple, perhaps. But right now, in the summer, I just want to get my fill of cherries.