La Petite Chinoise : LPC

Ever noticed that when we are stressed, we often reach out for a sugary something? It may be our bodies saying that we need a bit of a sugar boost. Or it may be just that S-T-R-E-S-S-E-D spelt backwards is D-E-S-S-E-R-T-S!

Eh ben, le sort s’acharne. (Oh well, fate is playing with us!) With a shrug of the shoulders, a puffing of the mouth (Ah Bouf!) and life goes on. I reach for another slice of cake.

The first gâteau (cake) I learnt was from a dear lady called Michèline, a great grandmother at the age of 83 who makes the best cakes in our village Canari in Corsica. It was a clafoutis that Michèline called “Gâteau Mimi”, in honor of one of her friends.

Cherry clafoutis is one of the easiest cakes to make and all that is required is an average strength arm for stirring the batter and a cherry pitter. The original recipe calls for whole cherries with the pits in them, as the pits impart an almond-y flavor. A clafoutis is like a giant pancake with ripe fruits and is a “rustic” country farmhouse type of cake.

I like my cherry clafoutis without the cherry pits. For one, I would prefer not to crack my molar when sinking my teeth into the clafoutis nor get sued by a soon-to-be-ex-friend for attempted murder by choking. Also, I think it is nice to sit around with friends in the kitchen pitting cherries over a glass of Kir… and to be able to eat the cake en toute liberté (with complete abandon). To compensate for the almond-y taste, I add a dollop of almond essence.