Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Little Cherry Clafouti: A Dessert Inspired by the VS Orient Express from Cleo Coyle #BastilleDay

 

From Cleo Coyle: I have no doubt that a trip on the Orient Express is on plenty of bucket lists out there, especially among fans of Agatha Christie. It's certainly on mine! The original train, of course, is defunct, but the Venice Simplon-Orient Express (VSOE) is a beautiful re-creation, a rolling museum that uses gorgeously restored carriages from the original line, dating back to the 1920s and 30s. Running from London to Venice and to other destinations in Europe, the train also covers that historic route from Paris to Istanbul....

Take a video trip right now, by clicking
the arrow in the window below.
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As for today's recipe, it was 
inspired by this very train. Read on...



Cleo Coyle writes two
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🍒 A Recipe Note from Cleo

A few years ago, the executive chef for the VS Orient Express (Christian Bodiguel) shared a version of this dessert recipe online. This classic French dessert originated from the Limousin region of France. Chef Bodiguel described it as one of his favorites, and I happily shared a slightly adapted version.

With Bastille Day being celebrated tomorrow (and several requests in my email box asking for this very recipe), I thought it was a great time to re-share it again with all of you.

It's also cherry season and while the sweet cherries looked beautiful this week at our local grocery store, frozen cherries will also work for this dessert. See my note in the recipe on how to use them. In the meantime, may you eat (and travel) with joy!

~ Cleo


🍒

FREE RECIPE PDF

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Individual Cherry Clafouti
with (or without) Kirsch

A recipe by the executive chef of the VS Orient Express, Christian Bodiguel. Slightly adapted for an American audience with photos by author Cleo Coyle

INGREDIENTS:

1 to 1-1/2 cups whole sweet cherries*
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
3 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon whole milk
4 teaspoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons kirsch*
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon + 1-1/2 teaspoons melted (and cooled) butter
1/3 cup powdered (aka confectioners' or icing) sugar
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

*Ingredient substitution notes.

*1 CHERRIES: Fresh is best, but out of season, you can substitute frozen cherries. Place them in a colander, run hot tap water over them briefly and drain well before proceeding.

*2 KIRSCH: Kirsch is a strong, clear, cherry brandy. If you don’t have kirsch on hand, substitute another brandy, or white rum. If you’d rather not use alcohol, substitute cherry juice.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and generously butter four 4-ounce ramekins or other small oven-proof cups. De-stem the cherries and remove their pits. Roughly chop them. Divide the cherries into the four buttered ramekins or oven-proof serving bowls.


In a mixing bowl, whisk up the egg, and egg yolks. Add the milk, cream, kirsch (or substitute), and vanilla, and whisk well. Whisk in the melted (and cooled) butter. Now whisk in the powdered sugar, making sure it's fully dissolved. Finally, whisk in the flour. The batter will be loose.


Divide the batter up evenly among the four ramekins, pouring it as you see below...




Place the ramekins directly on the oven rack. Bake for about 30 minutes.




Serve lukewarm with sweetened whipped cream, a scoop of ice cream, or even a dollop of cream cheese frosting, and...eat with Bastille Day joy! ~ Cleo 




Eat (and read) with joy!

New York Times bestselling author
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Haunted Bookshop Mysteries



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5 comments:

  1. Yum! This dessert looks so good! And your pictures are fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks fab, Cleo! The local cherries are starting to ripen and this will be perfect way to use them -- and a bit of that Kirsch in the liquor cabinet!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It looks beautiful and delish! And what a history ... Thanks, Cleo!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ooo, how lovely!
    The Orient Express would be fun, but I'd feel obliged to dress historically for it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cheers, Tina, Leslie, Mary Jane, and Libby -- Thank you all so much for stopping by today. Happy Bastille Day, everyone! xoxo

    ~ Cleo

    ReplyDelete