Quand je suis en France, I was fortunate enough to find a restaurant I will never forget.
Chic et Bohème was an antique store with a garden in the back where they served lunch. The food was simple: quiche, salad, and dessert, but it was done perfectly. Even more enchanting was the atmosphere. The garden held about five tables and was decorated with a few antiques: a mirror, a chandelier, a string of lights, wine crates. Trees surrounded the small patio, with tables covered in bright tablecloths. A ginger cat would walk along the edge of the wall enclosing us. Old jazz music would play softly as the young French waitresses would serve us our three course meal. It felt magical, straight out of a Renoir painting. One of the times I ate here I had clafoutis, a soft cake with some sort of fruit. It was light and refreshing, and in it's own individual ramkin. Something I noticed in France that differs from the United States is the quality and variety of fruit desserts. In the U.S. I am inclined to pick something chocolate, but in France, that was rare. Chocolate begins to look boring compared to all the other options, and clafoutis is the perfect example of this.
Ingredients:
(Serving Size: 6-8)
2 cups pitted black cherries (I used the canned
Oregon brand and drained them)
1 1/4 cups milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour
Preheat oven to 350°. Add flour, half the sugar, and salt to a mixing bowl. Next, work in the eggs into the dry mixture. Gradually beat in liquid ingredients. Grease a pie pan with a tablespoon of butter. Pour about half of the batter mixture into the pan as it sits on a burner on medium-low. Let sit for about two minutes, as you're looking for a film of batter to set into the bottom of the dish. Remove from heat, add the cherries and the rest of the sugar on top of them. Pour the rest of the batter on top and then bake for 60-70 minutes. To make sure it is finished, put a knife in the center and make sure it comes out clean. Serve with powdered sugar sifted over the top.
