Clafoutis

I wish I could tell you that this was a family recipe, handed down through generations of hard working women, but it's not!

I just cut it off the back of packet of almond essence.  I've tried many Clafoutis recipes before but they all just came out tasting like scrambled egg with cherries.  This one, however, tastes divine.

750g  cherries

150g sugar (I used 100 only)

2 eggs

50g plain flour

50g powdered almonds

1 teaspoon of almond essence

20 cl milk (I used cows milk but I'm sure any sort would work)

1 Wash and pit the cherries, add 50g of sugar.

2 Heat the oven to 150°C

3 Mix the eggs, rest of the sugar, flour, almonds, essence, milk and any juice from the cherries

4 Butter a pie pan and sprinkle with two tbsp of sugar, pour in the cherries rolling them in the sugar

5 Pour the egg mixture over the fruit and cook until golden

6 Sprinkle with vanilla sugar (optional)

I have fond memories of picking cherries with  for Gaby, Richard's grand-father.  He would rig up some homemade scaffolding consisting of old chairs, stools, rotten planks and ladders made from old hockey sticks and order me up the tree, in a near suicide misson, to pick his fruit - each of which came with it's own maggot! Sadly Gaby is not longer with us so I have long since abandoned this dangerous past-time in favor of store bought cherries.  I've also invested in a 'dénoyauteur de ceries' which my trusty sous-chef is more than happy to use.

My m.i.l came back from holiday this morning with kilo's of delicious cherries, that she got for a snip of the price I paid for mine here, and gifted me a big bowl full.  I think I will turn them into pie filling and jam - not forgetting to keep a few back for our breakfast smoothies!

kale,spinach and strawberries from the garden - happy dance!

What do you do with your cherries?