Is it just me, or do you ever feel like some gluten-free flour blends may as well just “hit you over the head with a rolling pin?”

I had to do some research on sopaipillas and I learned that the temperature of the oil plays a very important role in the desired “pillowy-ness” of the fried dough.  If the oil is too cool or too hot there will be no “poof.”  Of all the flour blends I’ve tried, the taste test winner belonged to my personal favorite: Better Batter Gluten-Free Flour.  **Just to be clear, I am not affiliated with Better Batter in anyway, nor do they pay me to promote their product, nor do I earn a commission if someone buys their products because of my blog.  I just really love it!

If you haven’t heard of or tried Better Batter yet, let me tell you a little bit about it.  The following is from the Better Batter website (my emphasis added):

Approved for use in diet: GFCF, Kosher [OU-Pareve], Vegetarian/Vegan, Feingold Stages I and II

Ingredients: Rice and Brown Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Potato Starch, Potato Flour, Pectin*, Xanthan Gum

*Lemon Derivative

Allergen Advisory:

Shared Equipment with: tree nuts (but they are working hard to find a solution to this)

Better Batter Products are Free of: gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut, sesame, seafood (fish and shellfish), GMO

**ELISA Tested (batch AND third party lab) Free of : Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soy**

I have been doing a little bit of math over the past couple of days to add to Tia’s (of Glügle Gluten Free) recent post on Gluten-Free Bisquick.  I thought this was a great post and Tia made some very good points that personally hit home with me, and I will add my two cents in a moment.  But first, let’s make some gluten-free sopaipillas!

I adapted the following recipe from one I found on allrecipes.com (I cut the recipe in half):

Gluten-Free Sopaipillas

2 cups Better Batter Gluten-Free Flour

2 tsp. Baking Powder (I did not cut this amount in half, the extra baking powder can be quite helpful with gluten-free flours at times).

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 Tbs. Shortening (I used Spectrum)

3/4 cup Very Warm Water

Oil for Frying

• In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt then cut in the shortening.

• Stir in warm water; mix until dough is smooth.

• Cover and let stand for 20 minutes.  This is a good time to start heating the oil.

• Roll out on floured board until 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.

• Cut into 3 inch squares.

• Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). (Use a thermometer to make sure the temperature is EXACT.  If the oil is too cool, the sopapillas will not puff up and they will turn out soggy.  If the oil is too hot, they won’t puff up and they will turn out hard as a rock).

• Fry until golden brown on both sides.  Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Photo Tutorial:

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder.

Cut in Shortening.

Add warm water.

Cover the dough with a towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

Roll out the dough to 1/8 – 1/4 inch thickness.

Cut dough into 3″ x 3″ squares.

Add dough to 375° F. oil.

Fry until golden brown on each side.  It is SO COOL to watch them puff up!!

Serve warm, drizzled with honey for a traditional New Mexican treat or add some flare with a dusting of powdered sugar, hot fudge sauce or make these a main meal and stuff them with your favorite fillings!  Check out this video with Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives, for some inspiration!

Okay, so back to the topic that Tia at Glügle Gluten Free recently blogged on.  Tia posed the following question:

With all of the talk about how expensive gluten-free products are, why are people choosing a more expensive one because of the name?

Tia was referring to the cost of Gluten-Free Bisquick.  I mentioned something about the cost in my recent review, and while I paid less than Tia did for the GF Bisquick at my local Super Walmart ($3.98 for a 16-oz. box), I had to modify if it to make it more like the yellow box Bisquick (wanting to put the “quick” in the GF Bisquick, LOL!).  While adding the shortening to the mix worked great for the products I tested it on (for my review), shortly thereafter I made biscuits and they came out flat and hard as a rock.  I re-made the biscuits with the Better Batter Pancake and Baking mix, and just like I’ve always thought, they remind me much more of the Bisquick biscuits I grew up on (see my Better Batter Gluten-Free Biscuits post from February 2009).

So, I decided to do a little cost analysis of my own and here are my calculations per ounce of gluten-free flour (store cost) to add to Tia’s list:

Gluten Free Bisquick (at $3.98 per 16-oz. box): $0.25/oz

Better Batter Gluten-Free Pancake and Baking Mix (at $6.37 per 20-oz. box): $0.31/oz BUT Better Batter is ready to use, no need to add shortening (which adds more to the cost of the GF Bisquick).

Here is another comparison:

King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour ($7.95 per 24-oz. box): $0.33/oz (FYI: The King Arthur GF Flour DOES NOT contain Xanthan Gum, so you will need to figure in the added cost for that.

I have to admit that I was a bit miffed at the cost of the King Arthur GF Flour the second I read the ingredient list: Specialty Flour Blend (Rice Flour, Tapioca Flour), Potato Starch, Whole Grain Brown Rice Flour.

Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch and Potato Starch.

I don’t know about you, but in my experience those are the least expensive gluten-free flours out there and with no Xanthan Gum added (which is not cheap mind you), why are they charging $7.95 for a 1lb. 8 oz box of flour?  I will make an assumption here, but I think we are paying for the name brand King Arthur Flour.  Doing the math, I figured out that 5 lbs. of King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour would cost $26.50, and you would still need to buy the xanthan gum!

Better Batter Gluten-Free Flour ($18.50 per 5-lb. bag [80 ounces] + $7.50 for shipping on Amazon): $0.32/oz AND it includes the Xanthan Gum.

**I personally buy Better Batter directly from them (by the 25-lb. bag) and it reduces my cost even more: $0.18/oz. (and that includes the flat shipping rate of $7.50 per order).

While I understand (and feel) the excitement about all the new gluten-free products coming to market (and I can’t ignore that there’s a sentimental factor for the name brands I grew up on); I think it is very important to remember the smaller companies that have been making safe gluten-free products out of sheer love and passion (and quite often because the entrepreneur has celiac disease or knows a close friend or relative with it), long before the gluten-free diet went mainstream.

These are the companies that were here before the bigger companies wanted a piece of the “gluten-free pie,” and these are the companies that will be hit hardest by the current economy.

Large companies can get loans from the bank, can raise money in the stock market, or even get a government bailout; but it is the small companies (who can’t do any of this right now), who need the most help (trust me, I know lots of small business owners in this very boat right now).  In many instances, these folks have put their entire net worth on the line to develop these products for us and our families; and as far as I’m concerned, as long as the product works for me and the price is not much higher (if at all), I think I will be sticking with the products from companies that took the biggest risk early on.  They were there when I needed them, and now I want to return the favor.

Okay, I will step down off my own soap box now, but I would love to hear your personal thoughts about this too!

Thank you to all who entered the “Summer Of Easy Gourmet Entertaining With Chavrie Goat Cheese” Giveaway!

I used the Random Number Generator to pick the lucky winner and that person is:

#9, Shirley!

Shirley said, “Now that’s a great giveaway! Can you believe I’ve only had homemade chevre? Our friends have goats and always bring goat cheese, yogurt, etc. to support group meetings. Lucky me, for sure, but at first, I thought you’d spelled the name wrong when I read the title. LOL I didn’t even know this product existed. Silly me. I’d go for the souffle I think … such a classic.”

Congratulations Shirley!  I will email you for your shipping address and get your prize out to you.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, tomorrow is my sweet husband’s 37th birthday, so we are going to go have some fun!

xo

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My youngest son loves “jelly” cups (a.k.a. Jello/Gelatin), but when we started a synthetic dye-free challenge a few months ago, out went the Jello brand gelatin cups!  I tried a product by the NutraDrink company called Natural Jel Desserts back in May (see my “Funny Oranges post”) and while I was initially impressed with the product, upon further experimentation I discovered that it is prone to melting, especially when sitting in a child’s lunchbox all morning.  So back to the drawing board.  We are not gelatin-free, but I wanted to find something that works for our friends out there with beef allergies (most gelatin is derived from beef marrow).

Enter Pomona’s Universal Pectin!

Pomona’s Pectin works GREAT with 100% juice to make a gelatin-like dessert!

The recipe for the “sugar-free” jello is on the instruction pamphlet included in the package (the jello is not really sugar-free, as the recipe states; but there is no additional sugar added.  The only sugar in this recipe comes from the natural sugars in the 100% juice).  Not all 100% juices are created equal in the sugar content category, as I found out AFTER I bought some 365 brand Black Cherry juice.  One 8-oz serving contains a whopping 50 grams of sugar!!!!

See?  No sugar added to the juice (above).

But there is still 50 grams of sugar in one cup of the black cherry juice (above).

The good thing about the “jello” cups, is that I don’t make 8-oz. portions, so at least there is less sugar.  I guesstimate about 19 grams of sugar per 3-oz. jello cup, which is still hefty for a snack that does not provide any fiber or protein.

The problem with juice is that there is no fiber to slow down the absorption of the sugar (which is why whole fruits, peel and all, are a much better choice than juice).   I allow Luke to have a maximum of (3) 3-oz. jello cups a week and I usually add chopped whole fruit to it, for a little bit of fiber.  I will also be using 100% juice made from fruits with lower amounts of sugar from now on!

On the days Luke takes a jello cup in his lunch, he must forgo having a juice box, I leave the choice up to him.  I do subscribe to the philosophy of moderation is key (and since my kids can’t eat 99% of the popular convenience/processed foods due to their dietary restrictions, I don’t get too worked up over it).

The “jello” in the above photo is made from Tart Cherry Juice (24 grams of sugar per 8-ounce serving).  The whipped cream is dairy-free and soy-free (MimicCreme’s Healthy Top) and the Maraschino Cherry by Tillen Farms is all-natural (no artificial colors, dyes, or flavors and does not contain sweeteners derived from corn).

The following is the recipe for Pomona’s “Sugarfree Jello,” including my notes for cutting the recipe in half; which I do because I make a few different flavors at once:

Pomona’s Gelatin-Free “Jello”

4 cups of 100% juice (I used 2 cups)

4 tsp. Calcium Water (I used 2 tsp.) The mix for the calcium water is included in the package of Pomona’s Pectin.

4 tsp. Pomona’s Pectin (I used 2 tsp.)

• In a saucepan over medium heat, bring juice to a boil.

• Put 1 cup of boiling juice in a blender/food processor and add 4 tsp. of pectin powder, vent lid, blend 1 – 2 minutes until all powder is dissolved.

• Add pectin-juice mixture to remaining hot juice, stir well.

• Pour hot jello into serving bowl or individual dishes; allow to cool down some.  Refrigerate until jelled.

And yes, it will work in a mold!

Here’s how I did it:

Place 2 cups of 100% juice in a saucepan (above).

Add 2 tsp. of calcium water then bring the mixture to a boil (above).

Place 1 cup of boiling juice into a blender or food processor and add 2 tsp. of Pomona’s Universal Pectin, blend well (above).

Add blended juice/pectin mixture into the pan with remaining hot juice.

Whisk to combine then pour through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth* (see note below) into cups or jello mold, allow to cool then refrigerate until jelled.

Fruit jello cups:

Note: I learned by trial and error to strain the jello mixture with a fine mesh sieve (or use cheesecloth) to avoid the unsightly foam you see in the below photo:

I made the above “jello” fruit cups with Juicy Juice:

“Only” 26 grams of sugar (compared to the 50 grams of sugar in the black cherry juice), in one cup of Juicy Juice (Punch flavor), so I estimate a 3-oz. “jello” cup to be about 10 grams of sugar.

Now for the winners of the Goldbaum’s Giveaway!!

Using the Random Number Generator, the winners are:

#33: TinaK and

#80 CDM

Congratulations and I will email you for your shipping information!

I have another giveaway coming up later today, but first I would like to highlight a few of my blogger friends posts from the past week.

• Kim, from Cook It Allergy Free wrote a great post titled 15 Tips On How To Heal The Leaky Gut, I definitely recommend reading that article!

• Shirley, from GFE is hosting this month’s “Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger,” and I plan on doing my first adoption (can I adopt 10??)!

• Tia, from Glügle Gluten Free shared a recipe for Gluten-Free Banana Muffins, including a variation for Chocolate Banana Muffins (they are also dairy-free)  These will be perfect for a healthy school-day breakfast!

• Do you dream of gluten-free Pierogi?  Well, dream no more, my friends!  Both Alta, from Tasty Eats At Home and Lauren from Celiac Teen shared recipes and photos of their gluten-free pierogi as part of the August 2010 Daring Baker’s Challenge.

• Do you have a garden overgrowing with Basil?  On Friday, Diane, from The W.H.O.L.E. Gang announced that the theme for this week’s Friday Foodie Fix is Basil. Be sure to check it out for some great ideas for using all that yummy basil!

• Lastly, Erin, over at Gluten-Free Fitness has quite a few great posts on gluten-free living, celiac disease and nutrition news , which is a great resource for all of us.  Gluten-Free doesn’t always equal “healthy” and Erin does a great job breaking it down for us!
  

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For this chocolate pudding, I pretty much merged two recipes I found online: a recipe for Homemade Vanilla Pudding that I found on allrecipes.com and Tyler Florence’s recipe for Chocolate Pudding which I found on FoodNetwork.com.  I then made my dairy-free substitutions and finished with MimicCreme Healthy Top Whipped Cream!

Ingredients

2 cups Milk (I used MimicCreme, the Sweetened version).

1/2 cup White Sugar (I used 1/3 cup of Stevia Extract In The Raw, which is a cup-for-cup sugar replacement, but I have found that using a little less suits my taste better).

1/3 cup Cocoa Powder

3 Tbs. Cornstarch (I used Arrowroot to make this corn-free).

1/4 tsp. Salt (I used Celtic Sea Salt by Eden Foods.  This is an unrefined sea salt which still contains many natural trace minerals.  However, it does not contain any Iodine).

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 Tbs. Butter (I used Dairy-Free Earth Balance)  UPDATE: I made a serious faux pas by listing this as corn-free and then suggesting Earth Balance as the dairy-free substitute.  Earth Balance is not corn-free.  However, I do think this would work really well using Spectrum Shortening, a mild-flavored oil, or even coconut oil in place of the butter.  I will test it out in my next batch to see and I will report back.  So sorry about the oversight!).

Directions

• In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat 1 1/2 cups of the MimicCreme until bubbles form at edges.

• In a separate bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch (or arrowroot), salt and remaining 1/2 cup of MimicCreme.  Whisk until smooth.

• Pour into hot MimicCreme mixture, a little at a time, stirring to dissolve.

• Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.  Do not boil.

• Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and dairy-free butter substitute.

• Pour into serving dishes.  (To prevent a skin from forming on the pudding, I pour the warm pudding into one medium-sized glass bowl then cover with plastic wrap, having the plastic wrap touch the surface of the pudding).

• Chill before serving.

Wanna bite? 

More gluten-free, dairy-free, corn-free, soy-free and egg-free chocolate recipes from my blogging buddies:

Maggie, from She Let Them Eat Cake has a recipe for Triple Chocolate Pudding Sandwiches that look absolutely sinful!

Nancy, from The Sensitive Pantry has a recipe for Very Chocolate Gelato that I would die for right now in this desert heat!

Amy, from Simply Sugar and Gluten Free has a recipe for Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free Chocolate Coconut Pudding that you will just want to dive into, I know I did!

I’ve been running around like a (well, you know), getting ready for the first day of school (YEA!!!), in a couple of weeks and that means the hectic morning routine getting my charming, quiet, peaceful boys off to school on time.   Not wanting to miss the most important meal of the day, grab-and-go breakfast bars are my BFF! Jenn, from The Cinnamon Quill recently posted a recipe for Granola Bars and I’m with her, they are a necessity!

Speaking of Jenn, have you seen her new site, Gluten Free Feed?  It is FANTASTIC!  Think gluten-free version of Tastespotting!

I would love to have you “Like” me on my Facebook Page (is it just me, or is it weird asking people to “like” you)?   I  really enjoy getting to know everyone better and I love sharing ideas that make our dietary-restricted lives easier, healthier and a lot more FUN!

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NOTE:  This recipe does contain tree nuts (almond and cashews).  At the end of this post, I will tell you of a dry pudding mix that will setup with dairy-free milk (at least it does with So Delicious Original Coconut Milk).

Okay, I am really excited about this recipe!  My 3 year old LOVES chocolate pudding, but over the past 2 years that he has been “dairy-light,” I could not find a packaged pudding mix or a recipe that has actually turned out well for me.  The mixes I have tried (with the exception of one, which I will tell you about in a minute), would not setup with our preferred dairy-free milks (Coconut [not the canned coconut milk], or Rice Milk). Every scratch recipe I have tried has produced a less than desirable rubbery texture; chocolate pudding “Knox Blox” (a.k.a. Jello Jigglers), if you will.

Once my youngest son’s Enterolab results came back positive for anti-Casein antibodies a few weeks ago, I stepped up my search for a creamy dairy-free chocolate pudding and I hit pure gold yesterday!  I have only made this recipe one time, so I would still like to tweak it a bit more to fit our nutritional needs (low to no added sugar), but I couldn’t wait to share this recipe with you!

I want to tell you about MimicCreme first.  A few weeks ago, I discovered MimicCreme, a dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free cream substitute.  I must say, I have been BLOWN AWAY by this product (and I am not dairy-free)!!

From the MimicCreme website:

MimicCreme is the non-dairy, non-soy, gluten-free substitute for cream that truly is both tasty and healthy.  And we make it available to you in five versions.  There is an Unsweetened version; two sweetened versions– Sweetened, made from natural cane sugar and Sugar-free Sweetened made with a 100% natural sugar substitute– a Coffee Creamer (which is available in a convenient 16 oz. carton) and Healthy Top, the first totally non-dairy, non-soy, shelf-stable whipping cream.

The first product I ordered (yes, I paid for it), was the Healthy Top dairy-free, gluten-free soy-free whipping cream.  Holy cannoli, this product is AMAZING!  Everyone I had sample it, actually thought it was BETTER than homemade dairy-based whipped cream, and (since my old favorite was actually Cool Whip), I think this is much tastier than Cool Whip (and healthier to boot!).

The whipped topping you see on the chocolate pudding (in the above photo) is made from Healthy Top.  I also used it to top the Strawberry Shortcake in my Gluten-Free Bisquick review, and as the filling in the gluten-free, dairy-free Cream Puff photo I shared in a recent post (I will get that recipe up shortly, I promise).

Then, two weeks ago, while on our way to California for our family vacation, we made a stop in Arizona to visit with Kim (of Cook It Allergy Free) and her family.  Kim cooked a delicious meal for us, and for dessert, she made a dairy-free chocolate fondue, using the Sweetened MimicCreme.  Pure heaven!

So last weekend, while shopping at my local Co-Op (La Montanita on Rio Grande Blvd. for my fellow Albuquerqueans), I saw that they now carry the MimicCreme Sweetened and Unsweetened varieties.  So, I bought several of each and that brings me to this pudding recipe!

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, over at Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free.

I found a recipe online by Chef Joe Toma for MimicCreme Vanilla Pudding and he offers a variation for Chocolate Pudding.  I am going to list his recipe here just so I can tack on my changes/notes.

MimicCreme Vanilla Pudding by Chef Joe Toma

2 cups Unsweetened MimicCreme

¼ cup Sugar (I did use granulated sugar this first time around, plus a bit of Agave Nectar at the end, because I used a 100% Cacao Unsweetened Baking Bar by Ghirardelli for the chocolate.  The end result was too bitter for our taste preference, so I will use something different next time; such as Sunspire’s Tropical Source GF/DF Chocolate Chips or Enjoy Life’s chocolate chips).

2 Egg Yolks

1 Whole Egg

2 tbs. + 1 tsp. Cornstarch  (I am going to try this next time with Arrowroot, for those with corn allergies)

¼ cup Sugar

1/8 cup Butter (I used Dairy-Free Earth Balance)

1 tbs. Vanilla

• In saucepan dissolve the sugar in Unsweetened MimicCreme and bring to a boil and remove from heat.

• In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolk and whole egg then add cornstarch and sugar.  Mix until smooth.

• Slowly add the hot MimicCreme mixture to the egg mixture while mixing.  It is important to add the hot MimicCreme mixture slowly so as not to “cook” the egg mixture while you are mixing.

• Return the combined mixture to the heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

• When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from heat.

• Stir in butter and vanilla (and melted chocolate, see variation below).  Mix until butter is melted and pudding is smooth.

• Pour into individual serving dishes.

Variation:
Chocolate Pudding – 1 oz. melted chocolate may be added into hot mixture during Step 6.  (I used 2-ounces of Ghirardelli’s 100% Cacao Unsweetened Baking Bar, see note above).

I plan on making the boy’s pudding cups for their lunchbox this year since we are trying to avoid the all chemicals, added dyes, sugars, sodium, etc., that are in most processed foods and Glad now has containers that are BPA-free!

Okay, now for a quick dairy-free Chocolate Pudding option.  The Jello Brand Chocolate Cook and Serve Pudding will setup with So Delicious Original Coconut Milk (this is the only dairy-free milk substitute I have tried).  For your reference, here is Kraft’s gluten free labeling policy.  While I personally prefer not to use this version due to the high amount of sugar in the mix, this is the only version of Jello brand pudding (that I have found anyway) which does not contain any synthetic food dyes, so there’s a plus!

A 1/2 cup serving of the Jello Chocolate flavored Cook and Serve Pudding has 15 grams of sugar, way too much in my book, but like I said, it does firm up with So Delicious Original Coconut Milk:

I will be sharing a gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and egg-free recipe next!

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I love cherries; they are the perfect fruit for me.  The perfect balance of sweet and tart.  The plump and juicy flesh of this stone fruit takes me back to a much simpler time, when I could spend the hot summer afternoon in my parents’ backyard with a bowl of fresh cherries and eat them until my fingers and mouth turned a deep crimson red, having not a care in the world.

After spending a recent afternoon at my local co-op, I brought home a bounty of fresh cherries.  I turned off the television, filled the baby pool with cool water from the hose (and taught my boys how to drink water from it), and we sat in the pool and ate cherries.  A lot of cherries.  We were a bit silly and had a pit spitting contest (they could not get over “mom” doing such a “boy” thing.  Little do they know, their mom was once a better tree climber than all the boys on her block when she was growing up).    The long, hot, lazy days of summer, how I have missed them so.  Eating cherries until our fingers and mouths turned that familiar shade of red.  To share this memory with my babes is beautiful and priceless.

The following recipe is linked to this month’s ‘Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free’ blog carnival which was started by Naomi Devlin of Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried.  This month’s host is Sheryl of Breaking Bread and her theme is “Ohh La La Bastille Day.”

I decided to try something new with the remaining cherries.  A cherry clafoutis (pronounced kla-foo-TEE).  This would be a brand new experience for me, as I had never heard of this French breakfast/dessert pudding-like cake from the Limousin region of France.  Traditionally, this dessert is baked with the whole cherry, including the pits, as they are thought to release an almond-like flavor when baked.  I went ahead and removed the pits with my new cherry pitter that actually works without causing bodily harm in the process (really, one could poke their eye out with a flying cherry pit!).

I adapted the following recipe to be gluten-free and dairy-free from a recipe I discovered on What’s Cooking America.

Cherry Clafoutis

1 Tbs. Butter (I used Earth Balance buttery spread which is dairy-free)

4 Eggs

1 cup Granulated Sugar, divided (I used 3/4 cup total of SUSTA natural sweetener)

1/2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 tsp. Almond Extract

1 Tbs. Brandy (I used the author’s recommendation of Amaretto Liqueur)

1 cup All-Purpose Flour  (I used Better Batter Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour)

1 1/2 cups milk (I used So Delicious Original Coconut Milk)

1 pound Pitted Cherries

Powdered Sugar (Confectioner’s Sugar), for dusting

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

• Butter an ovenproof dish, deep dish pie plate, or cast-iron pan (at least 1 1/2-inches deep). (I used a cast iron pan, but next time I will use a deep dish pie plate because I had some trouble removing the clafoutis in one piece).

• Place eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, brandy, flour, and milk in a blender: puree till smooth.

• In a mixing bowl, toss the cherries with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. (I omitted this step)

• Place three-quarters of the cherries and their juices in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the batter over the fruit; arrange the remaining cherries on top.

• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is brown and a knife inserted into the middle of the dish comes out clean.

• Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving (cake will sink slightly).

• Sprinkle with powdered sugar over the top with a sieve.

• Serve the Cherry Clafouti warm.

Are there any foods that trigger strong summer memories from your childhood?

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