Cocktail, clafoutis and more: This week’s recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

Clafoutis. It’s a rustic French dessert of fruit topped with a batter and baked. This week, S. Irene Virbila shares a beautiful story of a classic cherry clafoutis she remembers from long ago. The method is simple:
“Rinse off the cherries, remove their stems, lay them in a single layer in the bottom of a casserole, its glaze crackled with use and age. Whisk together two or three eggs, some flour and sugar, a little milk and cream and pour over the cherries to barely cover.

“Bake until the room is enveloped in that heady scent, until the custard is set and browned at the edges, still yielding to the touch.

Don’t worry -- she includes a recipe, if you’re looking for specific amounts.

Looking for a meal in liquid form? Jessica Gelt can help you out, in a way, with this fun cocktail:

“Sometimes a cocktail is as good as a meal. That’s certainly the case with a big, bold summer drink called the Horchata Colada. Created by Paul Sofsky for the new Mexican restaurant El Corazon de Costa Mesa at the Triangle in Costa Mesa, the concoction serves up gooey pineapple chunks in a creamy base of smooth coconut rum, tangy lime and spiced horchata rice milk. The rim of the glass is an experiment in layering with crushed pretzels clinging to a sticky layer of sweet caramel sauce.”

This week’s recipes include:

• Cherry clafoutis
• Destination Cocktail: Horchata colada
• The Luggage Room Pizzeria chopped salad

When you try one of this week’s recipes or any L.A. Times recipe, let us know! Upload a photo to the “Our Recipes, Your Kitchen” gallery to share your take on the recipe and tell us about yourself. Your photo will be posted online on our L.A. Times Food page.

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