I never really liked cherries, because I had never really tasted cherries. Not as an adult anyway. I equated cherry with the artificial flavor used in candies, throat lozenges and cough syrup, which couldn't be further from the real thing. Or maraschino cherries, which are an aberration of nature. When I finally tasted cherries several years ago, with an open mind that was not thinking of Jolly Ranchers, I became obsessed. And right now is the season when obsession turns to fanatical obsession, because cherries are everywhere.

Of course, the cherry of all cherries is the Rainier. It is the most difficult cherry to grow and one third of the crop is eaten by very lucky birds. (In the next life, I would like to come back as a bird that feeds on cherries.) The fruit is yellow, with a blush of red like an embarrassed schoolgirl. To me, it tastes like a cherry combined with the most exquisite flower in the garden. Or a cherry, mashed together with a plum and drizzled with just the tiniest amount of honey. Yes, the Rainier are expensive, but worth the small price to enjoy a few at the peak of their ripeness. The little bowl above was full the day before yesterday, and now it's sadly empty. The price per pound isn't that much, when you consider that in Japan they sell for as much as $1 a piece. Per cherry.

When I buy cherries, they usually get eaten out of hand. If I do make something with them, it's a dessert from the Limousin region of France called clafoutis. The recipe I like is from Martha Stewart and makes six small individual servings, perfect topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

Recipe: Cherry Clafoutis
The batter in this recipes puffs to a golden brown cross somewhere between a cake and pudding, gently cradling the cherries. It's doesn't overpower the fruit, acting more like a cherry delivery system. In Limousin, it is conventional to leave the cherries with its pits, allegedly lending a deeper flavor to the dessert. Dangerous, but you're welcome to try it if you like to live on the edge and have a very good dentist.

3 tbsp. sliced almonds (optional)
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup plus 2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
4 large whole eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
1 pound fresh, ripe cherries, stemmed and pitted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sliced almonds (if using) on a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast until they are fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Coat six four to five inch diameter ramekins with one tablespoon butter and set aside.

Place flour, 2/3 cup sugar, salt and almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse until mixture is finely ground. Transfer to a big yellow bowl, add eggs, egg yolk, 3/4 cup cream, vanilla and lemon zest and whisk to combine. Place in the refrigerator and let set for 30 minutes.

Divide cherries among buttered dishes. Whisk remaining butter into batter and pour over cherries. Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and then bake until tops are golden and bubbly, 15-20 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Whip remaining cream until soft peaks form and serve on warm or room temperature clafoutis.

Mangez!