Summertime desserts -

 . . . or

We picked the last of the figs at the weekend. The last that we plan to use or share this year. Other than picking an odd fig hanging low, rosy, ripe, juicy and ready to nibble, or a couple to add to my morning yogurt during the week, figs will be off the menu until next year!

The final "let's add figs" baking project was this crostata. Both figs and pears were begging from their bowls on the kitchen island, "use me", so they ended up becoming friends in one larger bowl. With a little sugar, lemon juice and flour, they were then wrapped in a pie crust, gently brushed with cream, sprinkled with a little sugar and popped into the oven.

Voila!  A delicious easy dessert following a bowl of homemade tomato basil bisque and a classic Caesar salad . . . . . . on a hot, muggy evening.

Pie in the sky!

The little mince pies of yesterday's post are long gone!

A bowl of Granny Smith apples were calling to be peeled, sliced

and baked into a pie. Let's face it, apple pie is good, and healthy if not 

drowned in sugar. I often find store bought, or restaurant, American pies 

and other desserts so overpowering from the sugar content, I do not enjoy

 them, especially when containing fruit which is nature's natural sweetener.

So, a couple of days ago I baked my favorite apple pie recipe - it was shared some
 years back by my delightful western North Carolina friend, Penny. 
There's a 'secret ingredient' in her recipe which makes it so delicious. 
I admit I did use ready-made piecrust this time - it was waiting in refrigerator 
begging to be used. It's very light and flaky, which is good. I used 6 large
 Granny Smith apples which made the pie quite high and just juicy
 enough - thankfully it didn't boil over, perhaps as I was able to seal
 the edge well! 

Penny and I go back many years and we have shared several wonderful 

get togethers - they are always a lot of fun. We're hoping to catch up again

some time this year.

You can visit Penny HERE at her blog - Enjoying The Simple Things.  

Have you been baking on these early new year winter days, or did you have

 enough of floury rolling pins, baking pans and hot ovens over the recent holidays?

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.