My schedule was crazy yesterday, and though I knew about dinner guests, I hadn’t planned it out fully. I thought somehow it would all just come together. Most of the time this method works for me, but it was not one of those times—win some, lose some, pour yourself some wine.

As I dashed in the door (late) and ran between the kitchen and bath time for the girls, I realized that I had forgotten about dessert completely. Thankfully, I had gone to the farmers market earlier in the week and had cherries on hand. Even more thankfully, I have Elizabeth on speed dial and she offered up this Cherry Clafouti recipe she created for Martha Stewart Living. I’ve made clafouti before, but this was by the far the easiest recipe I’ve tried (and it was very forgiving with my limited pantry situation).

First, I pitted and sliced the cherries, tossing them in a bowl while I pulled together the rest of the ingredients. The best part about this dessert is that I could get it all prepped and let it sit on the counter while we ate dinner. Then, thirty minutes before we were ready for dessert, I poured the batter over the cherries in the pan and placed it in the oven. I may have mutilated the pork, but at least this dessert turned out fantastic.

Since I was under the gun, I did do a bit of freelancing—instead of crème fraîche I used buttermilk (in the batter, not for serving), and 1% milk in place of whole milk. I also substituted white whole-wheat flour for the all-purpose, because that’s how I roll. Admittedly, it would have been better with crème fraîche for serving; it creates a nice balance with the sweetness of the warm cherries. I’ll be sure to have that on hand next time. Trust me, there will be a next time.

Cherry Clafouti

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Serves 6-8

 

Unsalted butter, for dish

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1/3 cup white whole-wheat flour

3/4 cup crème fraîche (this is where I used buttermilk), plus more for serving

3/4 cup 1% milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for dish

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 ounces cherries, halved and pitted

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter tart pan and coat with granulated sugar; tap out excess. I make a paste first so that the batter isn’t lumpy, whisking the eggs, yolk, flour, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Then, slowly add the rest of the ingredients- crème fraîche (or buttermilk), milk, granulated sugar and vanilla- until everything is entirely mixed together.

 

 

Arrange cherries in prepared dish, round side down. Pour batter over cherries by straining through mesh sieve (I put my sieve over my bowl of batter to remind me of this step come assembly time). Bake until browned around edges and set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly.

 

Clafouti is best warm, so bake it just before you serve dinner. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, and scoop it into bowls with a spoonful of crème fraîche.

 

I have a thing for sweet peas. My love affair began when I first saw them growing in the garden of my college boyfriend’s mom. And while that relationship ended up in the compost bin (sorry, Chad), the sweet peas found a permanent place in my heart.  Sweet peas are wonderfully fragrant and make pretty, simple bouquets that squeak springtime.

This is the first year that I’ve grown sweet peas in my garden. I always thought I had missed my window of opportunity to plant them. But then I just thought planting calendars be damned and gave it a try. Now, I have a whole wall of  blooms.

I like to place small bouquets all over the house, they’re perfect for side tables or bathrooms.  Just be sure not to place them  on the dining table because the fragrance interferes with the wine and food. Here are a few little tips I use to arrange sweet peas in the most beautiful manner.

When you arrange sweet peas keep in mind that there is a front side of the flower and a back side.

This is the front side or face of the sweet pea...

...and this is the back side. See the stems are exposed.

You always want to arrange them with the flowers or face, facing outward. This will give you a much fuller and more colorful looking bouquet.

Mondays are for roasting chickens in my house.  Most of the time it’s a whole chicken (sometimes just the breasts — see my quick recipe below). I’ll roast on Mondays and we have it for dinner that night. The rest is “featured again” later in the week (don’t tell my husband — he hates leftovers).  Often, round two of the roast chicken becomes taco night or quesadillas con pollo, but if there’s enough I’ll make chicken salad.

Preheat oven to 375

2-4 chicken breasts split with skin and bones

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt & pepper

 

Place the chicken breasts on a cookie sheet and splash olive oil on each of the pieces — cover evenly.  Then sprinkle your desired amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

 

Roast for 40 minutes.

 

Note: I usually roast 4 breasts at a time so I have leftovers.  Two breasts will yield what you will need for the chicken salad.

I tried to hit fast forward to summer this weekend— we heated up the pool, blasted reggae and barbequed chicken on the grill.  There was one necessary summer ingredient missing: those sweet, juicy summertime tomatoes.  In a pre-season pinch, I always choose Campari tomatoes at the store. Small in size and packed with sweetness, they really are the best choice when you need a little bite of summer— right now.

Though I wish they would do away with the plastic containers...

After the last few insanely busy weeks of travel and events it feels wonderful to get back to work in my garden. The benefits of spring’s sunshine and rain are evident everywhere.  I’ve seen too many restaurant menus lately (yes, it is possible) and the swell of produce scoots me back into my kitchen to cook family meals brimming with garden goodness.

Here’s a peek at what’s sprouting in my garden, I would love to know what’s happening in yours, too.

A wall of fava's

My first harvest of cherries

Mulberries

I crafted this trellis from stone fruit branches, it's actually really easy.

Chamomile