It’s finally happened. After months of very un-south-of-France–like weather, we’re at the start of a very hot summer.
And you’ll find no complaints here. After hearing more than my fair share of weather–grumblings from French colleagues and family (what, the French complain?), it’s nice to see those scowls replaced by big smiles … and complete wardrobe overhauls. Lots of bikinis making their way onto the streets, in just that perfect summer-casual thingy that the French do so well.
But this post is more about the glorious changes that are taking place at the Provençal markets. Spring and summer are by far my favorite times of year for cooking. And with so many good & simple dishes to make, it’s hard not to be motivated to use the best products of the season.
So, after a trip to the Sanary-sur-Mer market with foodie-extraordinaire Kathy Ayer, we decided to try a few new cherry recipes. For mine, I picked a (French) oldie-but-a-goodie, a cherry clafoutis. The recipe (from a French food magazine) called for sheep cheese from the Basque region, which sounds absolutely yummy, but somewhere between the market and the cheese counter, I opted to go with Brie cheese.
We found the “marriage” quite good between sweet and savory and Kathy had the best comment post clafoutis-tasting……“It needs more cheese”. A concept applicable in most situations you might find youself in in France…and music to my ears…
To see Kathy’s delicious cake, and oh-so-tempting cherry photos, visit her post at:
Market Cooking: Flourless Chocolate and Cherry Cake
I know what I’ll be making this weekend!
Clafoutis aux cerises noires et formage de brie
Ingredients:
2 cups dark cherries
Butter for the tart molds
1 cup corn flour or regular flour (use corn flour for gluten-free)
1 wedge Brie cheese
4 eggs
¾ cup sugar
½ cup milk
½ cup creme
Directions:
Cut the brie cheese in strips (taking off the rind) and place the strips in six, buttered tart molds. Each mold should hold approximately four strips. Rinse, de-stem, and pit the cherries. Place them on top of the cheese in the molds.
In a large bowl, mix the sugar, eggs, and flour together with a whisk. Incorporate the milk and the cream. Pour the mixture over the cherries in the tart molds. Let the molds rest for one hour.
Heat the oven to 350 F and bake for 40 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
recipe credit: http://www.cuisineactuelle.fr/
Belle Provence Travels 