We are just hitting the time of year that really good produce is arriving at our farmer’s markets. This last Saturday I bought some lovely BC cherries – red and yellow varieties – at the downtown farmer’s market. The weather got quite cool for a few days so I decided to bake with them.
I don’t like really sweet desserts so I tend to make things that rely on fruit for sweetness and other ingredients for flavour. I also really love custard. That made cherry clafoutis an obvious choice. My step sons are with us right now and are pretty reluctant to try new things, so I made a cheese cake as a familiar dessert option for them should they want it.
1) I use Martha Stewart’s clafoutis recipe. It calls for sour cherries but regular cherries work fine.
- 3C pitted cherries
- 3 tbsp brandy
- 1/2C sugar (I use berry sugar because it is finer)
- 3/4C milk
- 1/4C cream
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 2/3C flour
Soak the cherries in the brandy.
Butter a pie dish and dust the bottom with sugar. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
Mix all the other ingredients in a blender. Pour half the batter into the buttered pie dish, place a layer of the brandy soaked cherryed into the mix, then pour the rest of the batter over the cherries.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour – until the top is puffed, the edges golden brown, and the batter is set. Dust the top with icing sugar and serve.
2) I use the recipe off the Philadelphia Cream cheese package – except I make a better crust. Graham cracker crust is not my thing.
Crust:
- 1/2C melted butter
- 1C flour
- 1/2C oats
- 1/4C coconut/finely chopped nuts (or both combined)
- pinch of salt
Mix all the dry ingredients, pour the melted butter over and mix, Press the mix into the bottom of you baking dish.
Filling:
- 3, 250Gr packages of cream cheese
- 3/4C of sugar
- 3 eggs
Beat the cream cheese and sugar together well, then add eggs one at a time. Pour batter over the crust (I poured half, put in some pitted cherries, then poured the rest over)
Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until edges brown and the cheese mixture is set.
Two super yummy summer cherry desserts!
Make me eat my words. 