Fulfilling a Childhood Dream : Cherry Clafouti

Anybody who was friends with me growing up knows my mom is a super baker. It was inevitable that her love of baking would transfer to me. I started baking hard-core in college with easy recipes that became more elaborate and refined as I got older.

My mom feels that in order to gain a love of cooking and baking, you have to start young. I don't know if this is true, although I do plan to bake and cook with my kids. I have many distinct memories of standing on a stool and staring at my reflection in the stand mixer, stirring when allowed, and waiting to lick the whisk or paddle depending on what was being created. I remember looking on with envy during Christmas season when my mom would make spritz cookies with the cookie press (Way later I learned that my mom gets very frustrated making cookies with a press... the humidity in Georgia makes for many repeats. When I lived with my parents for two years before moving to Colorado, I would be the spritz maker in her place).

So, naturally, I received cookbooks in addition to fiction as presents when I was a kid. I think it was my 5th birthday when I received Yum yum! I'll be my own cook by Monique Felix. It is an obscure (I think) illustrated kid's cookbook and is obviously translated from French. I remember fantasizing about making all of these fabulous recipes. In reality, I think we made only one thing from the book... the directions were vague and we often had our own recipes for many of the dishes. Regardless, I still covet this book because who doesn't like reminiscing about a good childhood?

I generally like to bake something on my days off and today I decided to fulfill one of my Yum yum! dreams by baking a Cherry Clafouti. I was perusing through one of my favorite baking books, when I came across the recipe I would use. I had some sour cherries left over from spring baking, so I decided to make use of them after some major pumpkin overload over the past few weeks.

So here are a couple pictures of the Yum yum! recipe. Notice how I circled the recipe in the right hand corner because I wanted to make it.

Also pictured is the final product before baking... illustrated.

Here is my final KAF creation. I had to make the custard-y version in a 9in. pan because my only 10 in. pan is a springform, and the batter would leak through...

I'm too lazy to type in the recipe, but here is another KAF recipe that I bet is just as good.