CHOCOLATE CHERRY CLAFOUTIS: NATIONAL CHERRY DAY

I meant to post this Cherry Clafoutis recipe on Monday for Bastille Day. What could be more French than a Clafoutis? Perfect for today's Cherry Day holiday! Fresh cherries are everywhere!

A clafoutis is a simple French country dessert that's comprised of sliced stone fruit over which a pancake-like batter is poured and then baked. You'll be glad to learn that there is such a thing as Chocolate Clafoutis. Following is an easy, quick, and delicious recipe adapted from the French Chef herself, Julia Child, from her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1.You can substitute other stone fruits, such as pears, peaches, apricots, nectarines, and plums, but cherries are in season, and it's Cherry Day! Chocolate and Cherries!

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CLAFOUTIS

Directions:

Heat oven to 350˚F. Butter a heavy cast iron skillet.

3 cup cherries, pitted and halved.

Arrange in dish cut-side facing upwards.
To make this even more chocolate, add chocolate chips in with the cherries.

Into a blender put the following, in any order:

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 cup good quality cocoa powder, sifted
Dash of salt
2/3 cup superfine (castor sugar)* (and you can also use regular white sugar)
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large room temp eggs

Blend it all together and when thoroughly combined, pour carefully over pitted cherries.
Sprinkle a handful of superfine sugar on top and bake in oven for about 1 hour.
Clafoutis rise, but they also fall quickly, so plan to eat it warm with some whipped cream or ice cream on the side.

***
Superfine Sugar
* I usually have a box of superfine sugar in my pantry, but if you don't, you can make it quickly at home. 
For one cup: Grind one cup and two teaspoons of white granulated sugar in a blender or food processor for 30 seconds. Also called castor sugar, this is simply sugar that has been ground into finer crystals than regular granulated sugar. 

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CRUMBLE: National Cherry Day!

Today is National Cherry Day! Fresh cherries are in the markets and all the roadside stands, so I thought I'd make a Crumble. Here's an easy Chocolate Cherry Crumble recipe. Of course, there are so many different "crumble" toppings you can use. This dessert is very forgiving, so feel free to play with the ingredients.

Chocolate Cherry Crumble

Ingredients

Topping
1 cup walnut halves, chopped  (you can substitute almonds)
7 Tbsp unsalted, cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour

Fruit
About 25 or so fresh cherries, pitted and sliced in half
2 Tbsp local honey
Zest of 1 orange
1 -1 /2 to 2 oz. 65%-75% dark chocolate (bittersweet chocolate), broken into chunks

Directions

Preheat oven to 350
Mix cherries, honey, chocolate, and orange zest in mixing bowl.
Distribute cherry/chocolate mixture on the bottom of 8 inch pie pan (lightly buttered)

Make Topping: Combine 1 cup flour and sugar. Add the pieces of butter and chopped nuts. With your hands, mash up butter and combine into a loose dough. Break into small pieces and sprinkle mixture evenly over the top of cherry/chocolate mixture. You don't have to use all of the topping.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Crumble should be golden brown, but not burnt. Serve warm.

Alternative Crumble Topping (delicious)
1 cup flour
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
8 ounces unsalted butter
1 Tbs cinnamon
Combine  flour, sugar, butter, and cinnamon until blended and beginning to gather into small balls. Break into small pieces and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the cherry/chocolate mixture.

Rustic Cherry Tart

Photo: Chukar Cherries

Today is National Cherry Day! (FYI: There's more than one cherry day!) I love Chukar's Cherry Pie Filling  - both the sweet and the sour - and I use both a lot when I don't have fresh cherries. Here's a recipe from the Chukar Cherries site that is just fabulous! This recipe uses the Sweet Cherry Pie Filling.

RUSTIC CHERRY TART

Ingredients 
2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cane sugar
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup very cold water
1 egg beaten
2 Tbsp large sugar crystals (course sugar)
Sweet Cherry Pie Filling

Directions 
Combine dry ingredients and cut-in cold butter using pastry hand blender. Add a few tablespoons of icy water (just enough to bind dough) and refrigerate for several hours, covered.
Divide dough into 12 equal parts.
On floured surface, roll pastry dough into 7-inch diameter circles and spoon cherry filling into center. Gather the edges of the dough toward center and pinch edges.
Brush pastry edges with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar crystals.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until centers are bubbly and crusts are golden.

HINT: Pastry works best when all ingredients and utensils are very cold. Yields twelve 3-inch tarts.