SO French

For Christmas just gone I received the wonderful cookbook and memoir 'SO French' by acclaimed restaurateur Dany Chouet and Trish Hobbs from my thoughtful parents. I absolutely adore french cuisine and this particular book hit the spot for me. Apart from sharing over 60 recipes the book details Dany Chouet's French beginnings, her arrival in Sydney in the early 1970's, and her adventures shaping French cuisine in Australia through her successful restaurants 'Upstairs', 'Au Chabrol' and 'Cleopatra'.

With the abundance of cherries at the moment, I'm planning on baking Cherry Clafoutis over the weekend; a simple fast family dessert - with an air of elegance... I hope!

Cherry Clafoutis Clafoutis aux cerises

INGREDIENTS

500 grams pitted very ripe black cherries

1 tablespoon of kirsch

40 grams unsalted butter

3 eggs

55 grams caster sugar

35 grams of ground almonds

200 ml thick cream, plus extra to serve

1/4 teaspoon natural vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon natural almond extract

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Place the cherries in a mixing bowl with the kirsch, let them marinate, tossing from time to time, for about 15 minutes or until the juices are released.

With some of the butter, grease a 25cm pie or flan dish and set aside in a cool place.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar, add the ground almonds, cream, extracts and lemon zest and mix well. Strain the cherries and add their juice to the cream mixture. Spread the cherries in the dish, pour over the cream mixture and dot the remaining butter over the surface.

Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until set and golden brown.

Serve warm or cold with extra cream.

yum!

vR x