Bon Papa Brand Confiture

The wonderful cherry harvest was finally drawing to a close, and we had stuffed ourselves with as much of the fruit as possible before the rain the birds got to it. There still clung a few precious bundles of sweet fruit, and after three weeks of nearly daily visits to the cherry grove, I still wasn’t ready to surrender back to nature what remained of the year’s bounty.

After a few too many cherries eaten by the handful, eaten in pies, and in Clafoutis all over the village, there was still one rock left to uncover… Confiture.

The cherry harvest only lasts for a few weeks in the spring when there are literally more cherries than anyone can or would care to eat. Then, winter comes and the trees are bare- not a cherry to be seen for a few months at least. So, in just about every French home you will find a cave or a cupboard literally packed with amazing confitures, sirops, jellies, and preserves. In this way the amazing variety and surplus of fruit projects from warm spring and summer days, stores over the winter.

The were fruit trees all over the village unattended and full of ripe fruit. After the cherries, came the cassis and groseilles. Then, raspberries, and just recently the blackberries are growing into their name. Once word got out that there was ‘free labor’ available I had invites all over the village to come harvest what fruits I wanted, and I brewed up confitures of all colors. I started joking around the village that no one would need to buy Bonne Maman (local brand) anymore since I was around to fill up their old jam jars with fresh, organic, home-made, and super-delicious confiture of my own…

Now they call me Bon Papa.

Confiture is actually amazingly simple to make and doesn’t require and special equipment as canning does nor any of the elevated risks of improperly preserved foods. Simply wash the fruit well, cook over low heat until it is slightly soft and then add about 800g of sugar for ever 1000g of fruit. If you want to make jelly or remove pits and skins from the fruit, you can pass it through a vegetable mill and then add the sugar to the resulting juice. Then cook over low heart until the mixture begins to thicken, and add to sterilized jars while it’s still hot.

That’s it. Get out there and hit the local woods- those blackberries are waiting for the pickin’.

'Traditional' Cherry Clafoutis

Yes, there’s an exclamation mark in the title, that’s the way it needs to be.

Since late March when the cherry trees started blooming, I have been hearing about Clafoutis. Seems like every time the subject of cherries happens to come up (and often it is when the villages are all eying the multitude of cherry trees waiting for the fruit to ripen), a long conversation inevitably follows about how insanely delicious it is, how tasty it is, how fluffy it is, etc., etc., usually followed by a lot of lip smacking and drooling on the part of those in the know.

Unfortunately, I had never had the opportunity to goûter this specialty. Finally, the cherries everywhere were ripe and I waited patiently for the chance. I had been given a beautiful new oven (Thanks to the wonderful Mains family!) a few days previously, I had a couple buckets of cherries just sitting around, and Jeneane sealed the deal when she gave me the hook up on some amazingly fresh (still warm) eggs and a liter of unpasteurized milk. If I was ever going to try this famed delicacy, now was the time to do it.

Only one problem: Not only had I never baked or eaten one of these myself- I had never even seen one. I had only a vague idea of what it was like based on what I had heard from others, and that description was always pretty vague and mixed with more lip smacking and reminiscing on how damn good it was anyway…

“Make it like a crêpe batter and then add in the cherries and bake it.” This was the most definite description I had to go on… So, I got to work immediately.

In the end it turned out rather nicely- I was really afraid at first when the batter was all runny and it puffed up in the oven like it was going to explode. Then, when the crust was starting to brown it looked like the center was still an eggy mess… I just went with the flow and took it as it came. Sure enough, over the next few days my novice recette was tried and approved by Creusois everywhere. “Don’t change a thing,” I was told. I didn’t listen. I had to perfect it, and so over the next week I climbed the cherry tree daily looking for the freshest and sweetest fruit, lugged it back to my dirty kitchen and worked some magic. I think I’ve got it down, and solidified my reputation in the village in the process. This one’s a keeper…

So, here it is… Give this a try. It’s sooo worth it.

Cherry Clafoutis:

Four Eggs
50g Sugar
25g Butter (softened)
100g Flour
250ml Milk (or 125ml Milk and 125ml Cream)
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Cherries (lots of them- about 600-800g)

Mix first four ingredients in order. Then add milk slowly while stirring. Mix in vanilla and add to greased tarte pan and then gently lay cherries (float) on top of the batter. Bake in 180°C/350°F oven for about 30 minutes. When the outer edge is brown, it’s ready. Let it sit for about 15 minutes and eat while it’s still warm!

TIP: “Some purists strongly advise against de-pitting the cherries used in a clafoutis. According to them, the pits release a wonderful flavor when the dish is cooked. A traditional Limousin clafoutis contains pits. If the pits are removed, the clafoutis will be milder.”

I said to the [cherry] tree,
Sister, speak to me of Beauty.
And the [cherry] tree blossomed.
–Nikos Kazantzakis

Cherry Blossoms, Early March

Since late March when the cherry trees around the village bust into an amazing display of white or pink blossoms, we have been waiting and watching for the payoff.

Well, the time has finally come and we’ve been stuffed with cherries, filled buckets, pie pans, and jam jars and there’s no end in sight.

The back yard with with cherry tree in full blossom

Alex and his Guitar

Ripe Cluster

The cherry harvest begins with an empty stomach perhaps. The tiny green nubs had ripened and darkened with the summer sun, and they were finally ready to be plucked from the branches that bore them to fulfill their higher destiny- or at least that which we deem them fit to pursue…

This year was an amazingly good year for cherries. They filled nearly every branch and hung heavy and juicy in clusters. It was such an amazing feeling being among them in the trees, with the birds chancing a taste, and the afternoon sun shining through the waxy leaves. The view from our trees looked out over the west, towards the setting sun over the river valley.

Cherries on the Tree

Darren’s family came out one afternoon and shared a wonderful picnic in the clover patch. After we’d finished our tea, we grabbed ladders and buckets and headed over to the orchard where the cherries were waiting. We picked a few large buckets, destined for cherry pies, confitures, and Jeneane’s freezer. It was amazing the amount of beautiful fruit that was at our disposal for so many wonderful things. The branches were full and heavy with ripe cherries and harvest required only reaching into the branches and plucking them by the handful. Buckets and stomachs were quickly filled (at least for the moment), while everyone dreamed of what sweet delicacies were planned for our spoils…

Later that night, I got to work on a very special project: The making of my very first Clafoutis.

Also, a few days later and trying to salvage what remained of the now over-ripe and bird eaten crop, I took my first try at some Confiture and Jelly Making.

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