Fruit of the cherry tree of the Rosaceae family, the cherry, which ripens at the dawn of summer, from the end of May, announces the heat then accompanies the long and languid days. Fleshy fruit with a stone, it is a spherical drupe that can take on various sizes and colors: small with thin skin or large pulpy, carmine red, black purple, light pink or almost white yellow depending on the variety. Its ancestor, the cherry tree, prunus avium, or wild cherry, is spontaneous in most of the forests of Central and Eastern Europe, as far as Russia, widely distributed by birds and harvested by man since prehistoric times.
In the XVe century, the cultivars (cultivated varieties) are already numerous: agriote, or morello cherry, very acidic (Prunus cerasus)guigne, bigarreau, Napoleon, burlat… Today there are more than 600. In Japan, cherry blossoms, or Sakura, have been the subject of contemplative rituals since Antiquity and give rise to the festivities of hanami, associated with drinking, eating, feasting and picnicking under the crumbling branches of pink petals of Prunus serrulata – so many cherry trees that do not yet produce fruit.
naked
In high season, the cherry, juicy, tasty and fleshy, is eaten raw, in its simplest way. We keep an unalterable memory of this plate of cherries served to us for dessert by the then three-starred chef Pascal Barbot, one day at the end of June, at L’Astrance, murmuring: “Why complicate everything? I can’t do better than that. » It was one of the best desserts we’ve ever had and a great lesson in humility.
Primed
In clafoutis, creamy or traditional, with stones for the purists, the cherry lends itself well to cooking. It is just as delicious in compote or jam and plays its role in summer fruit salads. But it also blends divinely with savory compositions, tomato-mozzarella, for example, to add a touch of acidity. As for cherry blossoms, the Japanese preserve them with salt – a laborious, artisanal and highly prized process, especially for wagashi (Japanese pastries).
Guy Savoy’s cherry clafoutis
The cherries are coming! The starred chef Guy Savoy offers you to sublimate them in clafoutis… and without flour. The recipe also works with apples, pears, Mirabelle plums, depending on the season.
Ingredients for 4 persons :
- 32 Burlat cherries
- 2 eggs
- 25g ground almonds
- 75 g caster sugar
- 30g cornstarch
- 125g heavy cream
- 125 g whole fresh milk
- 1 vanilla pod. For the liner:
- 20g butter
- 20 g caster sugar.
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