Easy Cherry Clafoutis #Recipe by @Donna_Fasano

Dictionary.com pronounces “clafoutis” as Klah-foo-tee and defines the dessert as “a tart made of fruit, especially cherries, baked in a thick, sweet batter.” I define is as absolutely delicious, and Cherry Clafoutis is the perfect way to use the beautiful cherries that are now in season. I believe home-cook-turned-TV-icon Julia Child first introduced this dessert to Americans after she had spent time living in France.

Cherry Clafoutis

I’ve seen recipes for this custardy fruit tart call for all different measurements of flour and sugar. Some recipes call for melted butter, others do not. I wasn’t sure which recipe was best. That’s why I decided to nail down this recipe for myself. The end result of the recipe below is a wonderful, fruit-filled, custardy delight that will have your friends and family screaming for another slice. You can serve this warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Easy Cherry Clafoutis

  • 1 tablespoon butter for greasing the dish
  • 1 lb. stemmed and pitted fresh cherries
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • Confectioners Sugar for dusting (optional)
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Use the 1 tablespoon of butter to grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch quiche pan. Set the pan aside.
  2. Wash, dry, stem and pit the fresh cherries. For a tart filled with fruit, there should be 1 pound of pitted fruit for the tart so start out with over 1 pound. Add the cherries to the tart pan and spread into an even layer.
  3. Crack the 3 eggs into a bowl and beat with electric mixer until well combined. Add the sugar and beat for 1 minute.
  4. Add the 1/4 cup melted butter, heavy cream, milk, flour, salt, and vanilla extract to the egg mixture and beat until all ingredients are combined.
  5. Pour the batter over the cherries. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is puffed and golden. The Clafoutis will deflate as it cools. Top with confectioners sugar if desired.

Feel free to substitute other fruit for the cherries—blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, sliced peaches, strawberries—any fruit that is in season. I have made this with frozen berries. The result tastes just as delicious. However, it isn’t as pretty as when using fresh fruit because frozen fruit tends to bleed its juices into the custard.

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This month, I’m celebrating Christmas in July by pricing my 3 holiday romances at just 99¢. I hope the books will help you ho-ho-ho your way through the rest of the month.

Donna Fasano Christmas

Her Mr. Miracle

An Almost Perfect Christmas

Grown-Up Christmas List

The Beauty of … Christmas in July

Christmas in July is a phenomenon that is celebrated all over the world. Those living in the southern hemisphere especially appreciate the celebration because the weather is cold and snowy.

July is the perfect month to gather around your outdoor firepit, and string festive and twinkling Christmas lights. Here are more ideas to get the holiday party rolling:

Cheer up residents in nursing homes or an isolated neighbor and be a secret Santa. Wrap your gifts in holiday paper and personally deliver. Don’t forget to stay for a visit.

Fun decorations for your front door can include sunglasses, pairs of flip flops, and colorful leis.

Crank up the holiday music, and binge watch the Hallmark channel’s Christmas in July movies.

Create holiday cards with a personalized note for a special someone, and hand them out to family and friends.

Christmas stores are open all year round. Take the opportunity to purchase new ornaments and hang them on your favorite potted fern.

Volunteer in your community. Remember that Christmas is the season of charity.

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A chocolate-making competition for the women’s shelter’s annual fundraiser should be an easy, even pleasurable, assignment for Maise, new food critic for the Bloomingfield Daily Dispatch. Too bad just the smell of chocolate makes her stomach roil.

By the time she reaches the last table, she hopes her face isn’t as green as her holiday sweater. But the tall, square-jawed man behind piles of fudge makes her want to linger, even savor the moment along with his chocolate-coffee-flavored confection.

Except there’s something Ben Elliot is hiding behind his piercing blue eyes and lazy grin, and her reporter’s nose senses a story worth exploring. She finds herself longing to discover the secret ingredient sweetening their mutual attraction.

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The Beauty of Freedom … by @JosieRiviera

July is the time we celebrate the birth of our country and freedom. This year, we are also celebrating our freedom from Covid, and a return to “normal,” or at least our new normal.

As the world begins to open, many of us plan to see family and friends, dine at restaurants, and travel!

My family and I will be celebrating the events we’ve missed. Everything from holidays, a milestone birthday, graduations, new members of the family – two or four-legged – we can safely gather again.

I look forward to a fun afternoon enjoying a delicious, leisurely lunch with a good friend—solving the problems of the world and supporting each other through life’s challenges.

Theaters, concerts, sports, and community events are reappearing. Broadway’s first return was “Springsteen on Broadway” on June 26th and will fully reopen on September 14th. So, book your tickets now!

The return of family vacations is a highlight, and I am ready to travel. In fact, airports are busier than ever! 

This year let’s appreciate our many freedoms.

Happy July!

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The Beauty of July and Friendships @josieriviera #mgtab

Did you know that connection with others is one of the six core needs for human development? It is as important as food and water to our well-being and survival.

We begin to develop connections from birth, with our mom, dad, and siblings. As we grow, so does the group of people we connect and form relationships with. These relationships impact our physical health and are key to our wellbeing even as adults.

Realizing the importance of the relationships in our lives made me think about how to nurture and care for them during this pandemic. Of course. we are not spending a lot of time together physically, so how do we keep our connections alive and well, and thereby, those we care about and ourselves healthy?

Group texts can connect you with a group of family or friends. Maybe a simple good morning or a shared joke, just to get the day started.

Send a handwritten card or letter. Write about a shared experience that holds a special place in your heart or tell that special person why they are important to you.

A care package is a wonderful surprise—anything you know your friend will enjoy. From a book to a gourmet meal, simply order it online.

Host a virtual dinner, happy hour, or family game night. Always fun, and our family loves board games.

There are many examples of ways people are caring for others which you’ve probably seen pop up in your social media news feeds during this crazy time. Neighbors singing from their balconies in Italy, or gathering to applaud frontline workers, closed restaurants supplying meals to those in need are all ways to keep connections alive. May you do the same with those in your circle of friends and family!

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Cozy up and lose yourself in this wonderful season of love.

Set includes:

Sweet Peppermint Kisses

There’s no place like home. Until the heart gallops off in an unexpected direction…

A Chocolate-Box Christmas

Love is sweeter with a touch of mischief.

Holly’s Gift

Miracles don’t always come easy. Sometimes it takes a secret wish to light an angel’s way.

Grab your copy today before price goes up. Also available in Paperback and Large Print Paperback.

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