Cherry ripe………….

Happen to have a glut of fresh, ripe cherries hanging about your kitchen?

They are in season and beautiful Washington State is sharing their 

harvest with us.

Thank you very much Yakima Valley cherry orchards.

 Lovely stone fruits to eat fresh off the stem of course, especially that golden Rainier
variety (named after the awesome mountain), although they are a bit pricey for cooking. 

Cooking?  Yes, time to bake a French clafouti, the traditional cherry dessert often also
eaten as a breakfast dish, similar to a big puffy pancake, but much better.

Here's my clafouti from last Sunday evening, enjoyed al fresco in the gazebo - after a bowl of
icy Vichyssoise and a salad - and still warm for a delicious dessert.  It was a very hot evening.
Finished Monday morning for breakfast at room temperature, with a spoonful of Greek yogurt.
I added two tablespoons of brandy to this version which gave it a really posh flavor.
Note the baby pot - I had too much batter for the large dish.  For a company dessert
I might consider using individual ramekins like these - I like that rustic look of cherry juice
around the rim.

Easy to make - I follow Ina Garten's (Barefoot in Paris) recipe for pear clafouti which is a
straightforward and quick batter, but used deep red Bing cherries. 

Needless to say, a cherry pitter comes in very handy, a small but necessary kitchen item.
Although the classic French version doesn't pit the fruits, saying the flavor is better, hubby
and I value our teeth too much to be that authentic!
Ina's recipe switching to pears is excellent too, and a prune plum version can be really yummy.
As I always say, any dessert with fresh fruit has to be healthy!

Have you baked a French clafouti?
Traditional cherry, or have you tried other fruits?
Any tips you'd like to share with us would be fun.