The church bells rang four o’clock. The afternoon felt warm, certainly less cool than some days we’d had in May.
“Bing bang!” Lulu exclaimed with a smile. She was already used to the cyclical pattern of the church bells in the village. No matter the time of day. One o’clock. One thirty. Two o’clock….I pulled out a blanket and arrange it under the cherry tree where we sat.
Lulu was busy collecting pebbles that she dropped, one after another, in one of the small metallic buckets my father likes to keep outside. The air was filled with a light breeze that was moving gently between the leaves, which caught her attention. I looked up at the patches of red nested in the foliage, which indicated that the cherries were ripening…finally…
“On les cueille dans quelques jours?” I asked my father who was just walking by. (We’ll pick them in a few days?) He’d admonished me for stealing some that he assured me were not yet ripe. “Tu vas avoir mal au ventre,” he had added in a fatherly tone. (You”ll have a sore stomach)
Did I care? Fresh cherries are a weakness. Cherries picked right from the tree are a necessity. I was glad to be there at this time of year, even if the season started late.
The next day, my father pulled the ladder up against the tree and started to work. After one hour, we had a few buckets filled with beautiful fruit.
Lulu who was watching from a distance was running around with excitement, walking back and forth between us to feed us with cherries. My father picked her up and carried her closer to the tree. “Prends une cerise,” he whispered, prompting her to pick a few cherries herself. She was hesitant at first but then extended her arm to reach for the fruit. I was watching the scene. So pleased to see the proud look on her face as she was drawing a bright red cherry to her lips.
“Je fais un dessert aux cerises ce soir?” I asked. (Shall I make a dessert with cherries?)
It wasn’t necessary to ask. That night, after indulging in salads served with BBQ-ed steaks of deer, we ate cherries baked in a flan made of almond, eggs, sugar, butter and cream. It was a delicious dessert extremely simple and quick to prepare, ideal to seal the evening meal we enjoyed outside as we sat with our feet brushing the grass.
Ah the first cherries of the season!
You need:
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, slightly cooled
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon almond meal, or finely ground blanched almonds
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon blond cane sugar (or light brown sugar)
- 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out, or 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2.5 tablespoons crème fraiche or mascarpone
- 12.5 oz cherries
Steps:
- Preheat the oven at 400 F and butter four small (5 inches) oven-proof ramekins. Wash the cherries (remove the pits, if you prefer); set aside.
- In a bowl, beat the butter with the almonds, vanilla seeds and sugar.
- Add the eggs, one by one, until well incorporated. Beat in the cream.
- Divide this batter between the ramekins and arrange the cherries on top. Bake the desserts for 20 minutes, or until the flan is set and golden in color. Let cool before eating (I personally prefer to eat the dessert lukewarm).
Ingrédients :
- 2 gros oeufs
- 60 g de beurre non salé fondu, légèrement refroidi
- 60 g de poudre d’amandes
- 60 g de sucre de canne blond ou de sucre Demerara
- 1/2 gousse de vanille, fendue et grattée ou 1/2 càc d’extrait de vanille pur
- 2,5 càs de crème fraiche ou de mascarpone
- 350 g de cerises
Steps:
- Préchauffez le four à 200 C et beurrez 4 ramequins (12,5 cm) résistant à la chaleur. Lavez les cerises et dénoyautez-les si vous le souhaitez; mettez de côté.
- Dans un bol, mélangez le beurre fondu, les amandes, la vanille et le sucre.
- Ajoutez les oeufs, un après l’autre, et mélangez bien. Ajoutez ensuite la crème.
- Divisez cette crème entre les ramequins et arrangez les cerises. Faites cuire pendant 20 minutes, ou jusqu’à ce que le dessus soit doré. Laissez refroidir mais servez tiède si possible.
Lovely photos. Makes me want to go cherry picking.
Thank you for sharing, lovely pictures and a delicious recipe! I will have to try the amadines!
Oh my goodness–Cherries!!
My favorite fruit of all. Gorgeous images. (that last pic of Lulu–swoon! adorable!)
our cherries won’t be ripe yet for a few more weeks, but the birds come from everywhere to get them before us….
Such gorgeous photos! You make me want to take the next flight out to France. I wish I could actually do that. Lulu looks like she’s having a whale of a time at grandpa’s!
Du rouge, du jaune, du sucre, le babil de ta petite fille et de son grand-père, elles respirent le bonheur simple tes images et c’est bon!
J’espère que ça va mieux…ma princesse de bientôt 2 ans a mangé sa première cerise de l’année et adoré regardé ses lèvres rouges dans la glace mais faut pas lui enlever le noyau sinon la cerise perd tout son intérêt…j’aime beaucoup ta recette.
ahhhh…I wish I could write that beautifully. What a nice story on this gloomy afternoon!
So glad to see you back Bea! Gorgeous photos. French countryside is really beautiful.
What a shame you couldn’t be at Food Blogger Connect in London. I hope to meet you there next year!
I’m stunned by these gorgeous photographs! When I recover I’m going to buy some ramekins.
What beautiful photos–I really can’t wait to visit France someday…
Sigh, I adore these pictures so very, very much, Bea. You’ve made my heart sing with these lovelies! I hope you have a beautiful weekend. 🙂
breathtaking. that first photo looks like a painting. now, i can’t wait to go home and lay down on the grass under my uncle’s cherry tree!
Bea, whatever your sad event was, my thoughts and prayers are with you. Thank you, as always, for your inspirational photographs and beautiful way with words. xxx
What a beautiful story. There is just something about fresh food from the source. I had a similar experience in the Napa Valley a few weeks ago and literally posted a blog today! Fresh eggs right from the chicken pen. Would love for you to check it out if you have a free moment. http://sarahwinchester.wordpress.com/2010/06/16/napa-style/
Also, beautiful photos. That cherry color red it beyond!
Beautiful and breathtaking photos! Lulu looks so adorable and happy. Love the french country side.
What a lovely blog! I have just found it and was thrilled to see your post and photos taken when you were in New Zealand. The photos are stunning. We are lucky to live in such a beautiful country. Do come back soon. Meanwhile I’ll continue to follow your amazing blog.
I feel like I just returned from follicking through the French countryside. These photos are stunning, and the lipstick red cherries looks so luscious that they might as well be forbidden fruit.
Oh what stunning photos (as usual!) We picked up some lovely cherries on Sunday morning from our local farmer’s market and I had such good plans for them…Unfortunately they never made it to my recipe, they instead were all consumed by sundown. We could not resisit. What beautiful colors in Lulu’s outfit…She looks like a colorful bowl of precious cherries!!
Incredible pictures!
Mesmerizing photos. They really sweep one away. I can even taste the cherries. I love that they’re baked with the pit.
quelle belle histoire Béatrice – tu es une excellente conteuse 🙂
amusez-vous bien en France les filles!
les photos donnent envie de déguster ces cerises…
Tu as raison.. des cerises prises sur l’arbre… quel régal.
En faire des boucles d’oreillle pour les petites qui adorent ça…
En espérant que ce billet soit le signe d’une énergie retrouvée et de moments apaisés…
Beautiful pics and story! Since I can’t go to the countryside as I’d like, your holiday posts bring the countryside to my screen.
Oh, and glad to see you back here 🙂
Des photos vraiment superbes!
Et une recette qui fait envie…
Welcome back! Beautiful photos of the French countryside. Lucky you made it in time for the cherry season. And wonderful dessert!!
La France est si belle prise en photo par toi ! Comment fais-tu pour avoir des couleurs et une lumière si belles, et toujours autant de poésie ? I’m so jealous ! 😉
just so glad to see you back! I hope it’s getting better again for you 🙂
wonderful post by the way, it’s always exciting to observe “les premières fois chez les enfants”…
impossible d’attendre, c’est une certitude! J’ai fait le même chose la semaine dernière : des cerises déjà très acides par natures… et là, même pas encore tout à fait mûres… mais quel plaisir de les manger comme ça!
Ta France est envoutante!
What a perfectly lovely experience. Now I would really like some cherries…
What beautiful photos, and a lovely photo memoir of a spring day.
The recipe looks delicious!
I love seeing France through your eyes!
Oh my gosh, Bea, what a beautiful place to be.
Good to have you back Bea. We’ve missed you. It is strawberry season where I live (Sunshine Coast Queensland, Australia) so I’m going to try the recipe with big plump gorgeous strawberries!!!
What a beautiful treat! I can never seem to keep the cherries around long enough to bake with them – they disappear almost as soon as I bring them in the house!
so cute lulu~
now it’s realy the cherry-season!
Almonds and cheeries, what a perfect marriage of flavors, though I fear the almonds may have a later affair with some fresh peaches of mine (if I have anything to say about it). Merci . I love this recipe. (Take that, Monsieur Clafouti!)
Welcome back Bea. Beautiful post.
♥♥♥
What amazing photos and beautiful dessert.
Great shots, i can feel Lulu’s anticipation and excitement when picking those cherries.
And good choice of dessert.
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You cannot imagine how much I missed your magic tales and bright photos! And what a strange coincidence that I posted a cherry/almond clafoutis just today!
Your posts and your photos always make my heart feel so warmed. I have to try cherry amandines. Thanks for sharing.
Une bonne variation sur le thème des clafoutis! Que pourrais utiliser comme alternative à la crème fraiche si un de mes invités est allergique au lactose?
Béatrice,
Le commentaire d’un des lecteurs est vraiment approprié, tes photos sont des tableaux. Sauf que tes textes sont aussi des tableaux. Bravo !!
smells good from France 🙂
You a so sweet way to make life songs like a dream…
J’aime voir ces petits doigts en train de sélectionner une cerise. So cute !
La petit is so pretty and all pink like a cherry herself.
c’est joli, cela fait envie, mon seul regret est que ce ne soit pas en français, pour moi qui ne parle pas anglais, je sais, j’ai honte, mais voilà je ne le parle pas, alors pour moi cette belle recette et bien c’est frustrant …. mais c’est trop joli, les photos sont merveilleuses
oh désolée, je n’avais pas vu la recette en français 1000000 excuses …. oups
Promis je vais me mettre à l’anglais ….
Toujours un roman gai et frais. Merci pour ce voyage dans le monde des cerises et des petites mains gourmandes 😉
Beautiful post! Wish I could find the appropriate word to express the bliss I feel just viewing the pictures and reading of the simplistic harmony of life where you were raised!
J’aime bien quand tu nous racontes ces petits potins de ton quotidien et celui de la petite Lulu.
Ce dessert me tente vraiment, d’autant plus que j’ai rapporté hier des cerises. Non pas de chez nous car y a pas de cerises au Québec, mais peu importe, elles sont tellement bonnes.
love your incredible photos, especially the fields and les coquelicots, dreamy!
Lulu is absolutely adorable, Bea! I love how you dress her, so pretty. 🙂
That is a mouthwatering dessert – I’ll save it for the end of the year, when cherries will be available here in Brazil.
It is great to see you blogging again. Hope you’re feeling better, dearie.
xx
Dear Bea, so lovely to read this post. text and photoes make up for pure poetry and I always have a wonderfuj ‘journey’ when I visit your blog. Love the recipe. Tried your clafoutis with strawberry, rhubard and coconut milk today. it was a hit. Thank you for all these beautiful recipes
Lovely pictures as usual :):) !!
Dear Bea,
Can I tell you how much in awe I am of your photography? It never ceases to amaze me how you can make the simplest thing look so beautiful. I’ve recently started a blog since I’m in love with everything about food. I’m an amateur photographer and learning has never been so much fun. Are there any books or sites you can recommend for food photography? Any advice you have (or a pointer to any post on this site that I may have missed) will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Stunning photography as usual. I am amazed at how as a reader I am able to see your Lulu grow from baby to toddler and the different food you give her from when she was a baby. Isn’t that amazing? :0
Thank you everyone for the very kind words. It warms my heart, in this challenging time for us.
As to replacing the cream, use coconut milk instead. Use the creamiest, thickest of it you can (perhaps before stirring it too much)?
Oh my, those are some absolutely beautiful pictures! I love seeing things through your eyes. And that last photo of Lulu is perfect – look at those lips! And those cheeks!
great colors,great recipes!Lulu is so lucky!
Superbes photos, rouges comme un beau soleil de provence… elles ont un bon goût de cerises d’été, même celles qui donnent mal au ventre!!
What a treat to have you back, hope all is well for you and your family. And what a beautiful post! I miss our country so much, you made me dream of going back there, merci Bea, a tres bientot, je t’embrasse.
Im following your blog since last 2 years but dont know why never found courage to leave any comment..but since today when i made these Cherry amandines I thought I have to tell you…It came out really tasty and very easy to do…:-).
And ofcourse all your pictures are beautiful…:-)
The countryside is simply stunning!
Where exactly is this?
And, of course, the amandines are mouth-watering. I might have to try these immediately tomorrow….
Mademoiselle Lulu a l’air d’aimer les cerises ! Si le soleil se décide à revenir et que les cerises se colorent alors je testerai ta recette !
Beautiful photos and beautiful place!! Great recipe as well 🙂
Samruddhi,
Delighted to hear the dessert was a success. Merci!
Ivy, this is in Lorraine, in Moselle more precisely.
Béa, reading your post is like getting a favourite magazine as I did when I was a youngster. It was called “100 ideés” and came all the way from France by sea mail, which took about two months. It has not been published for decades but your shots have the same sense of style and and are even more inspirational to me now because I’m in the food world. Welcome back.
This post is so beautiful it makes me want to cry. How charming the red cherries are- Gorgeous!
Absolutely gorgeous photos! I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to eat cherries so much in my life. I just recently stumbled across your blog and look forward to reading more!
Great! It’s just fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bea, beautiful pictures. I am so glad that you are back and said a little prayer that the sadness you have experienced was not too heavy a load on your beautiful spirit!
Oh yes one of my favorite dishes. I make my clafuti with milk instead of creme fraiche. I will try yours soon too.
Lovely pictures Bea and the French countryside is really something.. don’t I wish I was there with you or could have a holidy like this in the French countryside.. just to be able to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.. and what got me was the sound church bell tolling!!
I was just telling my daughter (who happened to come by my table) about your blog and Lulu.. She’s grown so much!
BTW, my daughter took the name Marie (French version of Mary) for her confirmation name.. I know it’s your grandmother’s name too. We missed you Bea.. and Lulu too!
Thank you so much for such a great recipe! I tried yesterday with the cherries we picked in the morning. DELICIOUS!!!!
Béa, you continually manage to maintain the most wonderful tonality on this blog. I don’t even remember how I discovered it, but I am so glad I did. Thanks as always.
Your pictures bring tears to my eyes they are so beautiful. I miss the fields and the open outdoors, always so mesmerizing to me. I bet Lulu looks just like you with her pretty red (cherry) lips and curly hair. Both of you are so fortunate to have one another.
When I saw the recipe-I high tailed it to the Farmer’s Market- and, low and behold, cherries are early this year. I made it today and it was ooh ooh soooo delicious. Will be making this for lunch guests I am having on tuesday. Thank you Bea
Many many thanks everyone fro your kind words. I am, too, glad to be back, even if it’s still challenging to work without props and proper gear, until the new kitchen, which won’t happen before the fall!
Rebo, Susan, I am *so* delighted to hear you enjoyed the dessert. Merci beaucoup for the feedback!
Your photos are just beautiful and the cherries look so delicious.
lovely pictures, lovely story!
i also hope you are feeling better meanwhile…
thanx so much for all the inspiration and same goes for many who posted comments… i am amazed at the talent out there, and have so much more to learn myself! wow!
Qu’est ce qu’elles sont belles tes photos, c’est toujours un bonheur de te lire !
amazing pictures… i just love them… so nostalgic and pure. your little baby is so cute. and the cherries, wow, so yummiiii… i would love to try this recipe. i don’t have ramekins, what can i use instead?? a flat pan won’t make them rise?!!
Fragolina, thank you!
You can definitely do the same dessert in a larger dish, oven-proof. Make sure not to use one that is too big though, since this dessert is for 4 servings. Otherwise you might want to double the quantities.
J’ai 50kg de cerises qui m’attendent toutes les idées je prends 😀
My feet were brushing the grass for the first time last weekend. What glorious weather. Finally. And, the silent whisper of Summer came today!
🙂
Valerie
I want to be where you are! that looks like a little slice of heaven. I wish cherry season was all year long!
Thank again, everyone. I’ve made lots of variants, which I think you’d enjoy!
Recette testée et approuvée! La version myrtille est excellente aussi! Merci pour cette recette, je la garde dans mes tiroirs ,)
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Fantastic receipe and the most gorgeous photos. I was anxious after you last post about your recent sadness, I hope you are feeling better!
Quel bonheur de te retrouver… Lire ton blog me donne une bouffée de fraicheur, de candeur et d’énergie… Tes photos sont pour moi une respiration si douce et si “peaceful” dans la journée. J’étais en manque !
just made these last night. so very perfect i july. thank you for the recipe and the photos of france!
Me too! Just made a batch this afternoon, great, simple recipe and great results. Thanks for the recipe and photos!
Crops are really beautiful and eye catchy. Seems to be full of nutrients and energy
Stunning photos and beautiful imagery in your words. My weakness for cherries has drawn my first comment on your blog. I’ve been reading for a while and I will probably try this recipe. 🙂 your daughter is tres cute!
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I found this post though Pinterest. The photo was so beautiful that I just had to come here to read the recipe! Love it! And love your site :-).
I would like to invite you to share this post (and your other posts 🙂 ) on a new photo based recipe sharing site that launched in May. The idea is simple: all recipe photographs are published within minutes of submission. And, of course, the images link back to the author’s site.
It’s called RecipeNewZ (with Z) – http://recipenewz.com
I hope you get a chance to visit and to share some of your delicious posts with our viewers. It would be a pleasure to have you on board 🙂
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