The Year of Living Gorgeously

Clafoutis

  

So brace yourselves for a raft of cherry recipes coming up - the cherries on our tree are getting riper by the second.

In celebration of our first batch I made an immense cherry clafoutis.  When I was a student living in the South West of France many moons ago this dessert appeared on the menu everywhere in cherry season. It apparently originated in the Limousin, an area famous for its cherries, but is now found all over the Languedoc and indeed most of France.  

A clafoutis is essentially fresh fruit baked in an egg-y, vanilla-y, creamy custard, thickened slightly with flour. It is traditionally made with cherries, but other fruits such as apricots, plums and pears can also be used very successfully.

The best recipe I've found today is adapted from Paula Wolfert's The Cooking of South West France a book which really is not as well known as it should be. 

Cherry Clafoutis

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds cherries

3 tbsps plain flour

Large pinch of salt

4 tbsps granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 egg yolks

14 fl. oz whole milk + 2 fl. oz single cream, heated and kept warm

1 1/2 tsps vanilla essence

2 tablespoons of kirsch or some other fruity eau-de-vie or grappa (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C/Gas mark 4.

Find a 10 in wide cake pan or shallow earthenware dish or porcelain gratin dish and butter it extravagantly.

Wash your cherries and pit them if desired.  The clafoutis is much easier to eat with pitted cherries but purists swear it tastes better if they're left unpitted. And it's much less fiddly to prepare.  I think it tastes amazing either way.

Arrange your cherries in a single layer over the bottom of the dish making sure there are no gaps.  Cram in as many as you can.

Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl.

In a second bowl whisk the eggs and egg yolks and then add the warmed milk and cream, whisking all the time. Add flavourings.

Stir the egg mixture into the flour.

When well blended pour the custard over the cherries.

Bake in the oven until it is set quite firm and is golden brown on top, about 40 minutes.

Dredge thickly with granulated sugar while still warm and serve either lukewarm or cold from the fridge with pouring cream if you dare.

A Reminder and a Request

First of all I'd like to remind you about this month's photo competition, which closes on the 30th.  Lots of beautiful June colour up there now - give yourselves a treat and have a peek.

June in the San Juans, Pacific Northwest

For those of you having trouble entering (Maryam, I'm looking at you), you need to first click on the group and then hit 'Join this Group' (bottom right of the page).  When the group is duly joined go the photo you want to enter and hit the  'Send to Group' button above it.  The 'Year of Living Gorgeously - June' should now appear on your list of eligible groups.

My request is as follows.  Readers of my other blog will know that we've somehow fallen into hosting a Fourth of July party here in Seattle (the irony of Brits holding a party for the Fourth of July is not lost on us, but it transpires that we should have a great view of the fireworks from our roofdeck).

However, we have absolutely NO IDEA what goes into making a successful Fourth of July extravaganza. (My chiropractor suggests hotdogs, jello and Bud Light which all sounds faintly revolting).  Please let me have any ideas which have worked well for you or point me in the direction of any online recipes or decorative ideas I can steal. 

All the best ideas will also be featured next month on Gorgeously, with very grateful thanks.

A mid-year gorgeous pause...

As the summer solstice passes us by in a deluge of rain and flooding (God love England), it seems only right to mark this mid-point with a few thoughts on my atttempts to live gorgeously so far.

Certainly, this blog has encouraged me to bake even more than I usually would and expand my culinary repetoire beyond the safe and straightforward. Not all ventures have been wholly successful but I have explored beyond my usual confines with a courage and a determination that some might call brazen.

I am usually a fast and furious reader, but with the advent of my bike, I've lost my precious book-time on the buses. That, combined with studies demanding much less interesting concentration, has left me staggering from one gorgeously read to the next. Without this blog, I would probably have left reading for pleasure altogether. That, however, may very well have been a good thing as more often than not, I have been left a wreck.

Photography is never going to be my strength, but I have really enjoyed seeking inspiration from your images and attempting to improve my own. I fear Paola will eternally excel me in this category, as her flickr hits can attest!

All in all, I have enjoyed having the impetus to get projects made and look for events and posting potential in my day to day existence. I have stitched, baked and viewed, all in the name of blogland and, considering the pecuniary disadvantage I have had this year, it's been going pretty well! I'm looking forward to the next few months and, if this dreadful weather is anything to go by, I'll have plenty of reasons to stay indoors and get bloggorgeous!

Finally, a brief pat on the back to myself and all the fabulous helpers we enlisted at the major fundraising push that took place this Saturday. There are more images here, but a taster of our Summer Fete is below. We even had media coverage. The weather managed to stay reasonable all morning and rain called off play at 3pm, not before we took home a tidy £800 from sales of plants, cakes, books, craft projects, jams, chutneys, old toys and face painting. With a local bank pledging to match us up to £750, we are delighted that we now only have £800 to make by next February. I will be auctioning off the leftover craft items in the coming weeks and promise to let you know when and where you can find them.

Here's to a gorgeous rest of year, with many more projects, discussions and loveliness promised.... Oh, and maybe even some kitchen disasters too... You never know.

Paper Magic

As readers of my other blog will know, it is my little sister's 21st birthday this summer. She is ultra-groovy and much more trendy than me and is having a black tie garden party at our parents' house in Cheltenham.

In order to rein her rugby loving friends into suitable levels of dress and behaviour, I suggested a suitably formal invitation. The theme is 'Black Tie with a Hint of Pink' and the order of the day was economic style!!

We came up with A5 text printed onto acetate (clear plastic) and then tied through punched holes with pink organza ribbon onto cream handmade paper inlaid with pink rosepetals.  I used the back of a ruler to tear the paper into shape to continue the rural, country look. This all sounds much more complicated that the process actually was: an afternoon in front of a couple of Harry Potter's and it was all done!

The flower which embellishes the text is *ssshhhh* the tatoo that she has on her left butt cheek...See I told you she was a classy girl.

This is the finished article...

 

And the final cost was 24pence per invitation, including envelopes.

The Princess and the Peas

There is nothing more summery than shelling peas outside on a warm evening.  I've never been particularly fond of frozen peas, but freshly podded peas are another thing entirely. It amuses me that here in the US they are called 'English peas' - for yes, there is nothing more quintessentially English, even though nowadays it's really difficult to get fresh peas in an English supermarket.

Yesterday evening we fired up the outside grill, roasted a chicken, baked some potatoes and whipped up this salad from Nigella's seminal How to Eat.

The recipe makes it sound it sound more complicated than it is. All you do is take some shelled peas, boil them briefly until the cooked but still firm to the bite (2 -3 minutes for mine) and then marinade them while still warm in a goodly slurp of olive oil,  a couple of teaspoons of white wine vinegar, lots and lots of chopped mint and a teaspoon of sugar.  I forgot to put the sugar in last night but my peas were so sweet they didn't really need it.

If possible, marinade the peas for at least an hour.  Then separate the leaves from a couple of endives, add chunks of the butteriest avocado you can find (don't even bother if you haven't got ripe avocados) and spoon the dressed peas over the top.  The bitterness and crunch of the endive marries fabulously with the creaminess of the avocado and the sweetness of the peas and mint.

And there you have it.  June on a plate.

Oh, I forgot to add that I've made this before with frozen peas and it's still really delicious.

Father's Day

Yes, maybe this blog should be re-christened The Year of Making Cookies but for the life of me I couldn't think of anything else to make for Father's Day (why oh why did Kiddley have to close down?)

The Minx, who aged nearly two and a half, has acquired a little step stool for 'helping' in the kitchen, set to work eagerly.  Though in her case this mostly involved spilling flour all over the floor and licking out the bowl.

She was allowed to choose four cutters - so we went with Space Needles (rather appropriately), stars (because Daddy's a star), hearts (to say I love you) and er, rabbits.

All colours were also chosen by the Minx (though I hid the most garish tubes of writing icing) who also applied most of the sprinkles and all of the little crunchy balls. She thinks they are the most amazing things she has ever clapped eyes on and keeps announcing solemnly, 'these are WONDERFUL cookies'.  She also had to say goodnight to them before going to bed and visit them in their box first thing this morning. You never saw a prouder girl.

Or a prouder daddy.

Stocking the Supply Cupboard

The girl who is going to make a success of her job of running her home may be inexperienced but there is no reason why she should not be capable, and so she will recognise at once the advantage of managing on a budget, preferably a weekly one. She will soon acquire the foresight to apportion that money as efficiently as possible. If at the end of her week she finds she has a little money left, she will spend it on supplies for her cupboard. She will realise that a well-stocked cupboard is an economy and answers many emergency calls.

Suppose we make a tentative list of the articles that should be kept in stock.  The quantity of each depends on the amount one can spend, but the variety can be established. The most unpretentious list should include the following:

One box of cheese
One packet biscuits
One packet crispbread
Four tins of assorted soups
Two jars of jam
Four tins of vegetables
Two tins of grapefruit
One bottle of mayonnaise
One bottle of olives
Four tins of sardines
Two tins of tongue
One bottle of tomato catsup
One pound of rice

The Bride's Book, Edited by Dorothy Stone, March 1938

Off Registry or On?

I have mixed feelings about Wedding Lists. Some feel the inclusion of a 'We Are Registered At...' cards in invitations are elegant and understated, while others feel the implication that you are not invited unless you come bearing gifts a touch unsavoury.

If you plan to tread the path unlisted, you could investigate the wonders of locally produced, design-led gifts to ensure that your offering is unusual and heart-felt.

I love this selection from the vast catacombs of the Hidden Art Shop. Bowl and vase may be a bit girlie, but the Flow wine rack will please many a groom, I'm sure.

What are your thoughts on registeries? What's the worst present you've ever been given?!

Large Grass Bowl £65

Baby Porcelain Vase £45

Flow Bottle Rack £30

Miss Moneypenny Aluminium Change bowl £30

Ash & Oak Flower Pot £35

Sensible Shoes

I have a dream. I have a dream that one day, a girl can walk down a street in comfort and style. I have a dream that one day, a fashionista will walk across a field, a park or a dale in elevation that won't sink into the earth, in straps that won't cut into the feet and in elegance that will live up to the outfit that graces her form.

I believe in a world where you can pay from £30 to £185 and remain proud of the lower portion of your ensemble.

I believe that I found comfort and a small amount of elegance in these. I believe, however, that had I looked further (ie below!), my dreams may have come true.

Fado Heels from Toast £185  Patent leather sandals from Faith £45

Cotton Archive Print Espadrilles from Laura Ashley £30

Slingback wedges from Boden  £79

June Photo Competition

It's that time of the month again. I'll rephrase that. It's photo time again! As we're going a bit bridal over here this month, here's mine, taken at my brother's wedding last June.

Get your pictures online over here anytime before midnight on 30 June.

As ever, we have a prize: this month, a simple and versatile silver heart on a chain to complement your wardrobe on more restrained days. Elegant simplicity which, as we all know, I'm not so great at.

Bribing and peerage requests go to Mackenzie, designer and purveyor of beautiful paper products and delights as well as having a great eye for a delicious accessory or centrepiece at her blog Something Old Something New.

Her tagline is 'Nothing Ordinary Will Do' which we at Gorgeously are happy to subsribe to.

Confused about envelope addressing? In a pickle with the mother-in-law? Drop Mackenzie a line and she can ask Xochitl, founder of Always a Bridesmaid. She will then post Xochitl's responses to some of your most burning etiquette questions in a weekly segment called "Wediquette, Shmediquette".