Rhymes with Tofuti

My friends at the Provence WineZine spent the better part of last month in Provence. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

Naturally, having seen posts from them on a daily basis, I was reminded of our wonderful trip to Provence for my 50th birthday. I don't even want to think about how long ago that was...

I recall so many wonderful moments and I know you won't be surprised to know that most of them are connected to food.

We made visits to the markets on a daily basis, choosing produce, bread, cheeses, meats, spices, and sweets to take home.

I loved the meals we made at home, and those we had while on the road touring. Our day and meal at a goat farm - which served the most amazing chèvre - was one of the most memorable meals in my life. It was also one of the simplest. Salad. Jambon cru. Chèvre. Rosé.

There were also regional dishes I tried and loved. One of them was the traditional Clafoutis aux Cérises Noires.

Many people tell me that they want to learn how to make this dish but, before I share my recipe, let's work on pronouncing it.

Clafoutis kind of rhymes with "Tofuti." But not really. It would if you said it with an American accent (gasp!). Please don't.

It is really pronounced: CLAH-foo-TEE. Accents on the first and third syllables, not on the second.

Now that we have that out of the way, let's eat.

~ David

Clafoutis aux Cérises Noires

The traditional way to make this is to use the cherries whole WITH the pits. Having had a little too much dental work lately, and not wanting my friends to have any, I choose to pit the cherries.

softened butter, for the pan

3/4 cups milk

1/2 cup cream

2/3 cup sugar, divided

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons brandy

pinch salt

1/2 cup flour

2 cups cherries

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F, and lightly butter a deep dish pie plate or ceramic casserole.

Whisk together the milk, cream, 1/3 cup sugar, eggs, vanilla, brandy, salt, and flour. Pour a 1/4-inch layer of the batter into the baking dish. Place in the oven until the film of batter sets in the pan – about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the cherries evenly over the batter. Sprinkle the remaining ⅓ cup of sugar over the cherries. Pour the rest of the batter over the sugared cherries. Bake for about for about 45-50 minutes. The clafoutis will be done when puffed and brown, and a knife plunged in the center comes out clean.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar; and serve warm.

Serves 6-8.