High summer. The brilliant orange daylilies are blooming in profusion, the roadsides are dotted with baby blue chicory and white Queen Ann’s lace. Everyone’s flower and kitchen gardens look great just about now, and the Japanese beetles have not quite made it to our rose bushes yet to spoil the fun. We know they are coming, but for now we have a little paradise.
Ah, but there’s always a little weather
The weather has been all over the place. We had two perfect, low-humid days this past weekend, but otherwise the week was hot, humid, and dotted with strong thunder storms, red haze from the Canadian wildfires, cloudbursts, hail, and even tornado watches, and more of it to come today we’re told. Yes, tornados in hilly Vermont. This seems to have become typical for Vermont in July, but rest assured there has been plenty of time for folks to head to the swimming holes and lakes, and our summer visitors are everywhere. The sunshine and showers also make a perfect setting for rainbows, including a rare horizontal one that my daughter captured with her camera last week. I had never even heard of this before, but it is called a “circumhorizontal arc.” It was quite magnificent, and you learn something every day.
Visitors
As I sat at my desk writing this post, a deer waltzed through my front year. She stopped to look around and graze on the grass, then leaped off into the woods. Somehow, my dogs missed it all, which is unusual since they are known to bark at any leaf flying about. I love seeing the deer, but I don’t love the ticks they often bring along with them, and it has been a big season for these little blood suckers. The warmer winters mean less natural die-off of the ticks, so the populations seem to be thriving.
Let’s sit outside
But, ticks and tornados aside, there is so much for which to be grateful. Gardens are bulging, farmers markets are filled to the brim with everything we could possibly want, and daylight is still long and lingering. We eat every meal outside on the porch unless there’s driving rain, and I would sit outside even later to enjoy the crickets and fireflies if not for the mosquitos. You have to take the bad with the good, and in the summer that means pesky bugs.
Enter the exquisite
The strawberries have become scarcer, but blueberries and cherries have taken their place, and what a tasty blueberry year it is. Fresh local berries every morning for breakfast. I never tire of that treat, and I freeze as many as possible for the winter, my treasure trove for February’s dark evenings.
Let’s try something different
The cherries are delicious as well, and I was going to make my annual cherry clafoutis, that lovely eggy French oven-baked pancake that is sort of a breakfast or sort of a dessert. The baking dish I often make my clafoutis in is also the same one in which I make my chickpea flatbread, socca, so I got the idea to mix the two recipes. I’d never heard of a sweet socca, but since everyone in the family loves the flavor of the chickpea pancake, it was worth a try.
A delight
Socca also hails from France, in Nice originally a common street food flatbread with a unique and delightful taste all its own. Simple ingredients, really just chickpea flour, water, salt, olive oil, and little additions to give it character, perhaps some garlic or scallions, some herbs, or nothing else at all. It’s a family favorite here, at least the savory version. Cooked at high heat, its edges get crispy, and the middle stays a little soft. I like it best with garlic and scallions, but there are many possibilities.
We’ll make it sweet
So the cherries beckoned. To sweeten it up just a bit, I added a touch of honey, but you could also use maple syrup, and I scraped the seeds and paste from a vanilla pod from my homemade vanilla extract. Just a pinch of cinnamon and almond extract rounded out the flavors in the batter. For a little bit of savory and salt, I dotted the cake with some local sheep feta.
Which will you choose?
It turned out to be a really nice combination, the unique flavor of the chickpeas went really well with the sweet cherries and salty cheese. A keeper recipe when the cherries are in season, or when they are not if I have some stashed in the freezer. Will it replace traditional cherry clafoutis? Of course not, but it is really tasty and will be an alternative served up happily, especially for my gluten-free folks. Or maybe, the next time I make clafoutis, I’ll add the feta…
Socca with Cherries and Feta
- ¾ cup chickpea flour
- 1 cup ice water
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp. honey
- Seeds from one vanilla bean or tsp. extract or paste
- ¼ tsp. almond extract
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 1 cup pitted cherries
- 2 oz. Greek or vegan feta (optional)
Preheat oven to 450 F. (230 C.) degrees and place a shallow, heavy cast-iron or ceramic frying pan or baking dish on the middle rack to preheat along with the oven. I used my trusty enameled cast-iron shallow baking dish sized 11-inches X 8.5 inches (27 cm X 21 cm).
Mix together the flour, water, salt, honey, vanilla, extract, and cinnamon. The batter will be very thin. Let this sit while the oven heats, it will thicken as it sets. You will want that pan screaming hot.
When cool, remove the pan from the oven and brush in a tablespoon of olive oil. Pour the batter in; it will immediately begin to sizzle and set around the edges. Dot the top with the cherries and the feta and return to the oven. Set your timer for 25 minutes. It should be set with the cheese and edges browning.
Once ready, let cool for a couple minute, then remove from the pan and cut into desired pieces, usually four to six, and serve warm.
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That looks amazing! I love the library quote at the end, too. An antidote too so much striving in this world.
Absolutely! Of course, as I grow older, I have less patience with books that don’t grab me after a few chapters! Too many good ones out there.
As I love cherries, this combination is perfect for me, Dorothy!
Joanna
I love cherries too! Maybe because the season is so fleeting a thing here.
What a great idea. I’ve eaten socca in Nice, France, but never tried making it.
It’s one of the easiest dishes in the world to make, so give it a try. Just get the pan nice and hot and let the oven do the rest.
Ooooooh, I love socca, and I can’t imagine how good this combo is!!
It was quite delicious, different from the savory version, but I’m glad I gave it a try.
This is a great recipe for cherry season. I am amazed at your photo of the circumhorizontal arc, I’m so glad you were able to capture it and share!
Thanks, it’s a good recipe. My daughter actually took the picture, she is always delighting me with beautiful scenic shots.
Oh isn’t this looking like I need some!
And that kind of rainbow… how cool was that!
It was certainly nothing I’ve ever seen or even; heard of before. What wonders!
I have learned a lot in this read; I feel the happy corners of my mind bursting with new knowledge…and the urge to go make a pancake with those yummy cherries I have. Love the photo of the circumhorizontal arc! Fascinating.
I was amazed to have never heard of this before Suz, but it certainly was a show-stopper!
I hear ya. I am a mosquito magnet.
My husband is too. His theory is that people with type O blood, his type, are more attractive to mosquitoes. I’m not sure if it’s true, but they do seem to flock to him. Dog fleas too.
https://m2labs.wordpress.com/2019/05/15/are-you-a-mosquito-magnet/
Oh, most interesting!
I’ve never heard of socca so when I saw your cover photo, I thought this was a cherry and feta pizza. One of the best pizzas I ever had consisted of a very thin and delicate crust topped with mozz, shaved pears, and a smattering of anchovy and gorgonzola (no sauce). It was awesome …. so good, I had to try making one at home. It was also amazing and now I’m thinking “why not cherry and feta pizza?” I’ll let you know!
Keep me informed dear friend, it definitely sounds like it would word. Cherries! 🍒
The salty sweetness of the pear/anchovy/gorgonzola pizza was heavenly. Not sure I’d use anchovy with cherries, though. I need to think about that. 🍒
I think anchovies go with just about everything…
I love them! Going for it, babe!
Unique indeed and looks delicious!
It was tasty!
Amazing rainbow! How lucky to see it. Never eaten socca but will give it a go. Will also try it with cherries when they come round again. Don’t read books that don’t grab my interest within the first few pages! When I went to school (many moons ago!) if you read a book you had write an essay about it……..no, no, no! :)))
Mary 🙂
What torture! We also had to give oral book reports, not easy if you are shy and did not like the book!
Adding Socca to my list of recipes to try. A fun sweet and salty take on the dish and it looks yummy! A friend of mine was just camping and had sent me a photo of her pudgy pies stuffed with fresh blueberries and raclette, another unusual but delicious sounding combo. You can’t really go wrong with fruit and cheese. 🍒🧀
You are so right about fruit and cheese JM! I saw this show ages ago, don’t remember the name, but it was a cooking show and they had this wheel they spun and the contestants got to randomly spin for a fruit and a cheese to make a tartine. Every single combination was a winner! I’ve always tucked that in the back of my mind – so many more possibilities than pears and Roquefort or apples and cheddar!
Cherry and feta?! That’s the combination I’ve never tried! Sounds interesting
Thanks Magda! It was delicious!
looks delicious
Thanks Charlie!
Absolutely unique but sounding very ‘me’ – definitely further investigation required 🙂 !
Have a tasty exploration!
Reposted this as a whole to a few groups of friends – did not have your email to send a courtesy copy – am certain they will love it!
Thank you! You can reach me at read@sover.net
I had never heard of a circumhorizontal arc before. It is stunning!
Ugh! Japanese beetles 🪲! At least the swarm has moved on, leaving just a few behind. My poor sorrel plants are mostly lace.
The Socca sounds delicious. I
Thank you!
I’d better get my traps up!
Best of luck keeping the pest from eating everything!
Thanks!
This is a perfect blend of sweet cherries, feta cheese and a dash of honey – yummy!
Thanks my friend! I will definitely make this again.
That circumhorizontal arc looks amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it! This recipe has interesting flavors, definitely a delicious combination 😋
Thank you! I’ve never seen one of those arcs before either. Amazing!
What a fun combination of flavors!
Thanks! It was tasty for sure!
Well, now that is an interesting recipe. Looks quite delicious.
Thanks Judy. We really liked it. A good experiment!
I was about to make some hummus today Dorothy, which I probably will still do – I freeze what doesn’t get eaten on the day. However, I’m also thinking of this recipe for lunch, minus the cherries – I do have blueberries…
My family love socca Ang way, sweet or savory. Such a unique flavor, and perfect for lunch.
PS hummus is one of my go-to lunches too, and sometimes breakfast!
You are a creative cook/baker, Dorothy. I love cherries, and this looks perfectly delicious.
The Canadian smokes are here in the Chicagoland. I heard you are experiencing it too. It makes me sad not to be outside and know that forests are burning.
I know, it is sad for everyone. The forests are so dense there, no access roads, that fighting the fires is challenging on every level.
This dish looks so tasty, Dorothy. So many of my favorites. We have an open backyard, and the deer make their daily appearance and often fall asleep on our grass.
Oh, they must feel quite secure! I’m afraid our dogs would never put up with a sleeper!
A different and surprising cherry combo.
I’m glad I tried my little experiment!