When Quilters Cook

When women who like to share recipes and ideas gathered last weekend for Quilt Retreat, it was three days of fun, food, and fabric. Quilters who frequent Needle in a Haystack came from all over Kansas and at least 3 other states to sew and share. Everyone brought dishes of food and projects and filled the lodge with the hum of sewing machines and laughter.

Here are a couple of the recipes from that weekend.

Cherry Clafoutis

A Clafoutis is an easy French dessert that can use fresh summer cherries and be served warm or cool, or even for breakfast. Traditionally the pits are left in the cherries to release an almond flavor, but I think this version with pitted cherries and almond extract is a better choice. Other fruits besides cherries can be used, and the dish is called a flagrance. Clafoutis means 'to fill' (implied: "the batter with cherries")

We had fun at Quilt Retreat saying the name - the correct pronunciation is ka-foo-TEE. 

 Ingredients:

20 oz. fresh sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted

2 tablespoons butter, melted

4 eggs

1 cup milk

¾ cup flour

¾ teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon almond extract

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a round 10-inch baking dish with butter. Dust with about 2 tablespoons sugar.

2.     Arrange the cherries in a single layer, set aside until you prepare the batter.

3.     Mix eggs with remaining sugar and salt. Stir in flour. Add milk, vanilla extract, almond extract and mix well until well blended. Add melted butter and stir to combine. The result is similar to crepes mixture.

4.     Pour mixture over the cherries.

5.     Bake for about 40-45 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Cool on a rack for a few minutes while it deflates. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Serve warm or chilled.

This cake was a hit! Simple and light tasting, but with lots of flavor.

Pineapple Orange Cake                          

1 box yellow cake mix

4 large eggs

¾ cup oil

1 – 11oz. can mandarin oranges with juice

• Mix these ingredients together. 
• Bake at 350 ° for 25 minutes

Frosting:

1 box instant vanilla pudding mix

20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained (save juice)

1 small whipped toppiong

• Mix juice with pudding mix. Add drained pineapple. 
• Fold in cool whip. Refrigerate.

A 'deconstructed' Peach Melba
Fresh Colorado peaches, raspberries,
sponge cake and whipped cream.

A morning walk at the retreat center before a day of sewing.