Île Flottante With Fresh Cherries

The good thing about the stone fruit season is that the season in India is more or less in line with the season around the world. And that means you are never short of ideas for what to do with the fruit in the basket. And amongst all those ideas, I have a soft spot for French desserts. They can be elegant, they can be rustic, they can be simple, they can be flamboyant and sometimes, all at the same time. And I'm always taken in by how pretty they sound. Makes me wish I had paid more attention in class when we were taught the language in school!

 

Like this dessert I made with the last cherries of the season. In English, it would translate as 'floating islands', which won't elicit much of a response. But, say 'ile flottante' and it's time to pull out the little black dress for the occasion, even if you have no idea what it means.

 

'Île flottante' is a dessert that consists of poached meringues that are served floating on a crème anglaise, French for a vanilla custard. There are numerous recipes on the Web and I turned to the most economical one that was Mary Berry's.

 

The meringues use the egg whites and the custard uses the egg yolks and Mary's recipe uses them in equal number. Which is just perfect because I find nothing more frustrating than when I have leftover yolks or whites at the end of a recipe, which then means I have to go look for another recipe just to use them up!

 

The recipe is also resourceful in the sense that it uses milk to poach the meringues and once that's done, you use the same milk to make the crème anglaise. Perfect score in home economics, I say!

 

 

Preparing the dessert was not difficult but I'll admit it was a bit too fiddly for my liking, specially the bit about poaching the meringues. Although the meringues transformed themselves into soft, fluffy clouds as promised, I just had to keep second guessing myself, never really knowing if I was getting it right. In contrast, making the custard is quite simple and remember it is better served chilled.

 

This is a very rich dessert that makes quite an impression when it first appears. There is that white, soft, fluffy, delicate meringue served on a bed of pale yellow crème anglaise, whose simplicity of appearance belies its extravagance in flavour.

 

That would also mean that if you are looking for something simple and light, you will find this dessert a tad overwhelming. And that would also hold true, if you are a person who likes the taste of eggs to be hidden in your dessert, because it plays a starring role in both the elements.

What I would have preferred is a little less sugar in both the elements. This dessert is usually served with a caramel sauce but that would have just piled on the sugar I think. And that's why, thank goodness for the cherries. The freshness and the slight, natural tartness of the cherries cut through all the sugar and the richness of the dessert.  So, the cherries were a brilliant idea, courtesy David Tanis for the NYT.

 

Have you made or eaten ile flottante?? Do tell me what you think of it. Hope you're having a good week!!

 

Cherry Clafoutis

I don't think the romance of the first rains of the season will ever fade for me. I simply let my senses take it all in. I see the rain wash away the grime and dust of the Summer months, I hear the sound of the rain drown out everything and then there's that scent of wet earth which is just pure magic. I don't think there is a person out there who is immune to the charm of that fragrance. They say you can buy the fragrance, bottled and sold in the markets of Old Delhi and Mohammed Ali Road in Bombay but it won't have half the magic as when you smell it with the first rains!

 

The rains, not only signal my willingness to enter the kitchen again but it also heralds the season of stone fruits. You will see the first cherries come during the last days of Summer but somehow, I am in no mood to enjoy them as long as temperatures stay on the wrong side of 40 deg C. Summer is after all, for mangoes and the monsoons for stone fruits, for which I have a soft spot.

 

 

Ever since I started writing this blog, I have wanted to make a cherry clafoutis but I have always put it off under the excuse that I don't have a cherry pitter. You would think that at some point, I would be convinced to buy one but procrastination, I'll have to say, is my Achilles' Heel!

 

So, a cherry clafoutis had to wait till Sunday evening, thanks to a cherry pitter that the sister bought for me. Last evening, I also made a beautiful goats' cheese and tomato tart but unfortunately by the time it got done, all trace of natural light was gone and I couldn't manage any photographs.

 

Clafoutis is a baked custard which sets rather firmly and that allows it to support a lot of fruit, in this case cherries. Searching around for a recipe, I got the impression that cherry clafoutis is a rustic French dessert with every home having its own recipe. I used Raymond Blanc's recipe that is his mother's and like a good son, he claims it's the best!

 

 

Apart from pitting the cherries, there is hardly any work that goes into a clafoutis. Note to self; you are not supposed to dust sugar on the custard as soon as it comes out of the oven. The sugar melts instantly and spoils the lovely golden hue on the custard as you can see from the photographs.

 

If you can overlook that misstep of mine, this is a wonderful, homey dessert, perfect to round off a hearty dinner at home. The cherries are macerated in some cherry liqueur. You won't taste it but I suspect, it saves the dessert from tasting too eggy. It is not too sweet, filled with fruit and the flavour of baked custard makes it a wonderfully familiar and comforting dessert on a rainy night. Most would tell you that you should have it warm, but I quite liked it cold too. You decide!

 

Before the deluge, I hoped you managed to take in some of the magic of the rains!!

Black Forest Gâteau

Some classics should never be touched. There is a reason why they are known as classics and messing with them is a never a good idea. But, there are a few retro classics whose time has passed and they could do with a makeover. For me, the one retro classic that I never took to, is Black Forest Cake.

Through much of my childhood, the choice for a birthday cake was either a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting or a black forest cake. For me, the black forest cake was never an option. There was just nothing appealing about layers of chocolate cake dunked in sugar syrup with a tinned cherry and cream filling and then slathered all over with an overly sweet buttercream frosting with a few measly chocolate shavings on top. Oh, and let's not forget those cream rosettes on top with the mandatory bright red canned cherry on each rosette. No, there was no way I could ever be convinced about a black forest cake!

 

And then, I saw the Hairy Bikers travel across Germany and make a black forest cake that looked like nothing like the black forest cake of my childhood. And that set me off on a Google hunt for a modern makeover to this 70s retro classic.

 

 

I decided to put to use the fresh cherries that are now in season and the bottle of cherry liqueur from last year. For the cherry filling, I used a combination of fresh, pitted cherries, cherry liqueur and organic cherry conserve. The layers were a regular chocolate sponge but instead of soaking them with a simple sugar syrup, I used cherry liqueur.

 

Am not a fan of whipped cream so that was kept to a minimum but you can be more generous if its to your taste. And there is no way, I was going to cover the whole cake with a cream frosting. Instead, I only covered the top with a chocolate fudge frosting. I left the sides unadorned so that one could see the layers!!

 

 

And what a difference a few tweaks can make! The first thought that will come to you is how 'fresh' this black forest cake tastes compared to its previous avatars. The cherry filling is sweet with a slight tartness that is rounded off with the cherry liqueur that is not overpowering in the least. Instead, the liqueur provides a certain finesse to the flavour profile. The sponge cakes cannot be faulted and that chocolate fudge frosting is much more suited to this modern makeover.

 

It got an all round thumbs up, across the age groups, from 10 to 60. This cake is best had on the day you make it. The freshness of it is what makes it so light on the palate and once cut, I doubt there's be any left overs.. we didn't have any!

 

 

So, today is the Finals and let this cake be a clue to which team I'll be supporting. The man who wears the No.10 jersey for Argentina is a very compelling player but football is a team sport and for me, Germany is the better team!! Hope you had a beautiful weekend!

 

Cherry Friands

The advantage a local, family-owned small shop has over the supermarkets is the  personal relationship it builds with its customers. They know exactly what you want, how you want it and won't waste your time introducing products they know you couldn't be bothered with.

Like the guy at the fruit shop. I am just one of the many who frequents his shop but he knows I am only interested in the fruit of the season. So no persuading me about mangoes in February and watermelons in October. He's also figured out that I am particular about where my fruit originates from. He does not know why but he knows better than to sell me Washington State apples and South African pears. All he knows is that the fruit I buy has to be 'desi'. And if you are wondering why, its because I am firm believer in eating local produce. The more miles your fruit travels, the less beneficial it is for you with all those chemicals pumped into it!

So, its strawberries from Mahabaleshwar, lychees from Dehradun, mangoes from Ratnagiri and these plump, red, juicy cherries from Himachal Pradesh. A whole box full of them were whipped out and as my eyes lit up, ever the salesman, he said, 'these are the best cherries that have come into the market in the past 5 years!!' I needed no convincing and every day, I have enjoyed a bowl full of them, all by themselves, with no frills.

But, I couldn't let the season go by and not do a post with them. I first thought of a cherry clafoutis but yours truly, has STILL not bought a cherry pitter. So, instead I turned my attention to these friands, a very popular recipe from the book, 'What Katie Ate'. I know the uber talented Katie Quinn Davies and her fabulous blog, after which her book is named, need no introduction. But, if you are one of those rare people who haven't yet seen her work, head over to her fantastic blog. Words don't do it justice! Katie makes them with raspberries and I thought they would adapt perfectly to the cherries in question.

Friands are little French cakes, made from egg whites and almond meal. I could have called them frangipane muffins but it is so much more dainty and pretty to call them friands instead. Traditionally, they are baked in a special friand tin which is essentially a muffin pan where the moulds are oval rather than round. Needless to say, I made do with a simple, muffin pan!!

Once your mise-en-place is done, the batter gets done in a matter of minutes. Then, all you have to do is pour the batter into the moulds, sprinkle the cherries and bake. And you will be rewarded on the other side with these beautiful, light, golden brown cakes, perfect for tea time.

The almond meal makes them special although the opinion was divided on their sweetness. I found them a tad too sweet but the rest had no problem with the level of sugar. That's why for me the cherries made all the difference. Their freshness that had a slight edge of tartness was the perfect foil for all the sugar action. And the portion size is just enough for one person!!

These friands are a charming tea time treat that can be rustled up in no time. Try them and tell me what you think of them.  I think you'll like them!! And anybody else want to tell me why the rains are being such a tease??

Night Express To Paris With Marvin The Martian

I never really know what my next blog post will be. All I know is that I prefer it to be something I've never tried before. A new technique, a new flavour combination or simply put, anything that looks like it will be fun to work with. For instance, in mid-July, the man at the fruit stall, pointed to a couple of boxes of cherries and told me they were the last of the season. I, then, remembered someone once telling me about homemade fruit wines and liqueurs.

Well.. it seemed the perfect opportunity to try my hand at it. From the response that initial photograph of the bottle of cherry liqueur got on my Facebook page, I wasn't the only one excited with my little experiment. Three months on, I didn't just stop at one bottle of cherry liqueur. There's now even a bottle of orange liqueur and coffee liqueur!! The bar's been getting a bit crowded!!

It's Friday evening..no time for baking a cake.. but perfect time for some cocktails!! The perfect excuse to put my bottle of cherry liqueur to work. There is no real reason why I chose these two particular cocktails other than they sounded fun and their names would give an interesting title to this post!!

 

 

Naturally, the cherry liqueur is the main star of the show. In the first drink, 'Night Express To Paris', the cherry liqueur is paired with brandy to transform into a beautiful, seductive drink, fittingly served in a cocktail glass. The deep ruby red liqueur lends this drink an amorous hue and the brandy added makes it deliciously, deceptively and devilishly potent!

 

In contrast, Marvin the Martian, is relatively well-behaved. The citrus soda brings out the fruitiness of the liqueur. It also results in a lighter, pretty hue which also reflects in its taste. This is a fresher, lighter drink that screams fun!

 

 

Whatever your mood this Friday evening, one of these drinks will match it. Because, while Diwali got over last week, the season of celebration has just begun!! Cheers!!

Stone Fruit Tart

There is an old-fashioned charm and romance about a picnic in the park. It is about being a child all over again. And I am convinced that given a choice, most people would pack their picnic baskets with the same food that was in the picnic baskets of their childhood. And, if not that, then with the stuff they read about in their childhood books. Think Enid Blyton with hard-boiled eggs, jam sandwiches and lemonade.

 

So, why am I talking about a picnic in the park when its pouring buckets here in India. Well, because Facebook is bombarding me with photographs of my friends in the Western Hemisphere, out in the park, food laid out on the mat and them cheekily grinning into the camera whilst lazily sipping on their sangrias from mason jars!  

 



And, while I do love the rains, I really do, I wouldn't mind going for a picnic and stretching out on the green grass and mindlessly gazing at the blue sky. And I'd take this stone fruit tart along with me.

 

This tart would have definitely not been in my childhood picnic basket but when you are a food blogger, your friends expect something better than jam sandwiches! And, this tart is perfect for the occasion.

 

 

The tart is from one of my favourite baking books, 'The Popina Book of Baking'. What is unique about the tart is that the tart shell is filled with a sponge dough that is then topped off with fruits. As the tart bakes, the fruits will sink a little and the sponge dough will rise in places.  Once baked, you don't have to worry about soggy fruit or the filling oozing out, the sponge dough bakes like a cake making it ideal to transport and for picnics and travel.

 

 

I went with stone fruits but you could go with an assortment of berries like the original recipe or any fruit of your choice. But, remember not to be stingy with the fruit because they are the stars of the show.

 

As you bite into the tart, you will encounter an array of textures from the firm, tart shell to the soft, sponge dough to the ripe juiciness of the fresh fruits. It is the slightly tart, fresh flavour of the fruits that counters the sweetness of the sponge and tart brilliantly. For me, this tart celebrates the stone fruits of the season beautifully and that is reason enough to make this tart.

 

So, whether it is Central Park or Hyde Park or just, your cosy, dining table, this tart is a perfect companion for you and your friends!

 

Cherry Streusel Coffee Cake

I've been missing all June and I don't really have any excuse except to say that I just needed some 'time-out'. I can't even blame the summer heat anymore, 'cause the monsoon rains have arrived. And they haven't just arrived, they have thundered in and shown their might. The northern Indian state of Uttarakhand has borne the worst with unprecedented landslides and flooding. A thought and prayer for all the flood victims and a salute to our armed forces for their relentless recue efforts!!

As for the rest of India, we've also been getting more than our fair share of rains this month. And whether it is a lashing downpour or a persistent drizzle, on days like these it makes sense to stay at home and snuggle up with a good book by the window. And what's perfect to go with a good book, by the window, on a rainy day?? Why, a hot cup of coffee and some cake, of course!!

And that prompted me to make this coffee cake. A coffee cake is a regular butter cake that has a distinctive streusel topping. And no, it doesn't have coffee in it but rather implies that this is a cake that should be served along with a cup of coffee!! How's that for some baking trivia for your day?!

Its stone fruit season and there aren't too many recipes that work with fresh cherries apart from clafoutis and pie. That's when I decided to add a layer of fresh cherries, right beneath the streusel. The streusel is a combination of walnuts, cinnamon and chocolate chips. Although since I didn't have chocolate chips, I went with chocolate chunks. And while the chunks tasted great, they didn't really help with the visual appeal of the streusel layer!

So, this is not a good looking cake but don't judge the book by its cover. The fresh, juicy cherries, the toasted walnuts, the chocolate and the cinnamon, all complement and heighten the flavour profile of this moist, buttery cake and give you something new with every bite. This cake is open to adaptation - get imaginative with the streusel layer, leave out the cherries if you can't find any or try another fruit, plums maybe?! The cake engages your palate just as the page-turner that you read alongside, engages your imagination.

As for me, I'll get back to the book that has me completely engrossed. I'm currently reading, Khaled Hosseini's "And The Mountains Echoed". What's been occupying your book shelf lately?? Tell me!

Cherry Frangipane Tarts

When I first started blogging, I did not have a clue on how this blog would shape up. All I knew was that I loved baking and I wanted to have my little corner where I could share my experiences, as I experimented and expanded my baking repertoire. I wondered, at first, on how I would decide which recipe to tackle and worried that I would overload on chocolate-centric recipes. After all, I came into this blog with one chocolate cake, one chocolate brownie and one chocolate-chip cookie recipe in my baking kitty!

 

And what a revelation it has been .... apart from the baking experience, I just did not anticipate how much I would enjoy weaving these little stories around my baking, whether it be with my writing or with the photographs that would accompany them. I've amazed myself as I've found inspiration for my posts from food memories, places, books and the seasons.

I found myself repeatedly turning to the fruit in season for inspiration and searching for recipes that incorporated them. I suspect that has much to do with the changes that I have brought about in my own diet over the past few years, to increase my intake of fresh and seasonal produce, which brings me to today's post.

 

We are right now in the middle of stone fruit season which occupies a tiny space in India's fruit calendar. Much of India lies in the tropics, except for a few northern states  that have the climate to grow these fruits. So when the plums, peaches and cherries make their annual appearance in the fruit market, you have to move fast or the season will just pass you by!!

The cherries from Kashmir, our northernmost state, have arrived and I knew I had to make something with them. I zeroed in on these tarts. Time and again, I have come across various frangipane tarts that have fruits in them and these juicy, deep red cherries called out to me!!

These tarts start off with a short crust base with a frangipane filling, which is essentially a mix of almond meal, vanilla, eggs and sugar. They are then topped of with pitted cherries which get immersed in the filling as these tarts bake!!

 

Before I go on to tell you how these tarts tasted, can I just to tell you that these tarts looked beautiful and dainty. They had me captivated the moment I pulled them out of the oven, with the dark cherries peeking out of the puffed-up golden brown filling, .

And they did not disappoint on the taste front either. The pastry was the same one I used for these galettes, a tried and tested one, that produces these lovely, flaky tarts. The frangipane filling with a slightly nutty taste and a delicate, vanilla flavour is a winner.

The juicy cherries, in my opinion, provide a balance of freshness as well as they lighten up a filling that could otherwise risk being a bit too rich, owing to the almond meal. And the best part, these tarts are not cloyingly sweet and the jam glaze on top finishes them off perfectly!!

What I would change the next time I make them and I ask you to keep in mind is to add more cherries. These are, after all, cherry tarts and you would want to encounter this juicy, beautiful fruit with every mouthful that you take. So, my suggestion, don't go stingy on the fruit!!

For someone who is increasingly enjoying baking with fruit, I can't stop praising these beautiful tarts that would make a perfect tea time treat. Pair them with cream or custard and they'd make a delightful dessert for a summer meal. Cherries are in season across much of the world right now, so try these before the season ends!!