Nothing’s more French than the clafoutis, and this version ups the flavour ante with chocolate, so it is best enjoyed warm.
Preheat oven to 350 F (180C).
Butter and lightly sugar six shallow ramekins or creu0300me bruu0302leu0301 dishes, 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter. Place cherries and Kirsch in bowl.
Place eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in a kitchen mixer with a whisk attachment and mix until smooth. Mix in melted chocolate. Slowly add and mix in milk and cream. Fold ground almonds, flour, cocoa, and vanilla into batter.
Divide cherries and Kirsch among the ramekins, then add chocolate pieces. Fill ramekins to the top with batter, about 1/4 cup (60 mL) per dish. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes, or until cake is done (a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean).
Place each ramekin on a plate and garnish with either whipping cream, frozen yogurt, or ice cream.
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.