Cherry Clafoutis: Hello, Summer

The summer solstice crept up on me quietly this year. It’s a day I usually relish, but this year I’ve been distracted by writing and family and found myself waking up by the very early morning light and realizing that, wow, is it the summer solstice today? With nothing planned to celebrate, I realized it would probably end up being just like any of the other long days I have, albeit with a bit more sunlight.

But nature works in funny ways. And this year she wasn’t going to let the solstice slip by without my notice. Subtle, she is. At the Greenmarket I was met with giant, overflowing crates of vibrant red sweet cherries. Whoa, it is summer! The slow progression from apples to strawberries to the first stone fruit always seems to hit me so quickly. Much like the bare winter trees do; slowly budding, flowering, gaining leaves–all of a sudden I think, sheesh, when did the trees get so green?

So I feasted on cherries, still with tatters of blossoms and leaves attached, right there in the market. I ate them on the way home, I ate them in the kitchen, and brought more with me as I shuffled around the house. I started thinking about cherry recipes, and started planning a cherry clafoutis.

Yet for some reason summer still didn’t really sink in. Even though the sun was settling so late, I kept forgetting that the season was smack dab in the midst of changing. But when I looked out the window down into our instantly (seeming) lush urban garden, I did an absolute double take to see a small coterie of fireflies, lit for the first time this year. How punctual they are. Flitting around, attracting one another with their pulsing luminescence. Cherries and fireflies, yes, summer is here.

Next: the recipe

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Read more: All recipes, Desserts, Food, cake, Cherries, clafoutis, summer

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Nimue P.

6:38PM PDT on Mar 24, 2012

Can't eat this, it has eggs, milk and cream. I'm vegan.

March 24
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Robert O.

11:37AM PDT on Mar 23, 2012

Thanks Melissa.

March 23
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KS G.

12:13AM PST on Mar 5, 2012

Thanks for the article.

March 5
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Pamela F.

2:16AM PDT on Sep 7, 2011

How could you possibly know if you are eating healthy if there is no nutritional values listed. The calorie count could be 5oo and the total fat could be 600. I am on a low carb, low sugar diet and I need to know the nutritional values. I would think that this website that is dedicated to good health would print that info.........

September 7
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Madeline L.

5:46PM PDT on Sep 6, 2011

Pamela V,
Who cares about calories when you're eating healthy! It plainly does not matter.

September 6
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12:26AM PDT on Aug 13, 2011

How can this website that is so organic not list the nutritional values for it's recipes. This is just too strange. You preach health and yet you think that it is not important for people to know the caloric contents of a recipe. I just do not under stand this kind of mentality!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

August 13
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KrassiAWAY B.

9:01PM PDT on Jul 9, 2011

Noted with interest.

July 9
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Past Member .

7:26AM PDT on Jul 6, 2011

thanks

July 6
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Bessie V.

5:21PM PDT on Jul 5, 2011

Sounds delicious...I do wish there were more diabetic friendly dessert recipes on here..just found out recently I have gestational diabetes and can only eat wheat flour and sugar substitute.