From the Kitchen - Food Memory

When I was in 5th grade I spent a summer in France through an exchange program at my mother's school.  I lived with a family, went to school with Aurelie, shopped with her mother at open air markets and ate the most delicious foods I've ever tasted.  For years I have had a food memory of a quiche like dish, but it was sweeter and had some kind of stone fruit in it.  I teased apart this memory, my 12 year old palate couldn't remember the specifics, then one day the internet came to the rescue - it was cherry clafoutis.  And it was amazing.

I've been researching recipes,  scrounging markets to find the perfect cherries - the original recipes keep the pits in the cherries to add this nutty flavor to the dish and I know my French mom included them as well - I remember the surprise of chomping into one. 

Cherries just aren't in season and I cannot abide cooking with bland, tasteless fruit, so I made do with raspberries.  Whipping the eggs, flour, sugar and lemon zest together released an aroma that took me back to Aurelie's tiny kitchen, the deck we ate almost all our meals on, scent memories are the strongest I think, we remember with our nose.

It turned out delicious, but I can't wait for cherry season.  This recipe was adapted from Food & Wine - I used far less raspberries than they called for simply because I only bought half a pint - I think it's the perfect amount.

Raspberry Clafoutis

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

Salt

3 large eggs

Zest of one lemon

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 pint of raspberries

Confectioner's sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and butter a 9 inch gratin dish.

2. Whisk together the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt.  Add the eggs, lemon zest, milk and butter and whisk until smooth.

3. Pour batter into gratin, add raspberries on top and bake for 30 minutes until it's puffed up and golden.  Let it cool and dust with confectioner's sugar. Enjoy!


Click here for a Printable Recipe Card