Seasonal Clafouti Recipes

BASIC CLAFOUTIS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and butter until the sugar is dissolved. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Pour the batter into a cast iron skillet or pie pan.
• 2. Now add your favorite fruit or flavoring (see below). Bake until the clafoutis is beautifully puffed and golden, 35-40 minutes. Serve immediately.
• Clafoutis Variations: Concord Grape Clafoutis: Once the batter is in the skillet, scatter 2 cups slightly crushed Concord or other black or red grapes on top. Cherry Clafoutis: Scatter 2 cups pitted cherries onto the batter once it's poured into pie plates. Pear Clafoutis with Pear Eau de Vie: Core 1 ripe pear and cut into pieces. Pour the batter into the skillet and top with the pear pieces. Bake. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons eau de vie and serve immediately. Milk Chocolate and Hazelnut Clafoutis: Melt 1 cup chopped milk chocolate in a large mixing bowl set above a simmering pot of water. Fold in the clafoutis batter until smooth and fully incorporated. Pour into a skillet or pie plate, sprinkle with 1/4 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts, and bake.

APRICOT CLAFOUTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9- to 10-inch shallow pie plate.
• Combine the egg yolks and 1/3 cup of the sugar in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high speed until ribbons form when you lift the beater just slightly out of the batter, about 3 minutes. Add the flour, heavy cream and vanilla extract. Reduce the speed to low and beat until thoroughly blended, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Slide the prepared pie plate into the oven to preheat for 4 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg whites and salt in a small bowl for 30 seconds; add to the batter and beat with the mixer on low speed until just incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Combine the apricots, lemon zest and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl, and gently stir until the apricots are thoroughly coated. Remove the pie plate from the oven, pour in the apricots in a decorative pattern, and top with the batter.
• Bake until set in the middle, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm with a small dollop of the whipped cream, if using.
• Add the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip just until soft peaks form.

SEASONAL CLAFOUTI

Steps:

• Set the oven at 425 degrees F.
• In a food processor or blender, combine the milk, ricotta, eggs, sugar, flour, and vanilla, and process until smooth.
• Spread the fruit evenly over the bottom of an 8-inch ovenproof skillet or deep-dish pie plate. Pour the batter evenly over the top. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes.
• Serve warm, or room temperature, or chilled, cut in wedges.

PEACH-RASPBERRY CLAFOUTI

Steps:

• Butter a 12-inch round baking dish; set aside. Bring Lillet, 1 1/2 cups water, 3/4 cup sugar, and the vanilla bean and seeds to a boil in a large, wide saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add peaches, cut side down, and cover with a round of parchment paper, placing it directly on top of peaches. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer until peaches are very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a slotted spoon, transfer peaches, cut side up, to prepared dish; reserve 1/4 cup poaching liquid (discard the vanilla bean). Arrange raspberries among peaches.
• Whisk eggs, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and the salt in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in flour. Whisk in milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, orange zest, and reserved poaching liquid. Pour around fruit.
• Bake until edges are puffed and golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 20 minutes before serving.

JULIA CHILD'S BERRY CLAFOUTIS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a medium-size flameproof baking dish at least 1 1/2 inches deep.
• Place the milk, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour in a blender. Blend at top speed until smooth and frothy, about 1 minute.
• Pour a 1/4-inch layer of batter in the baking dish. Turn on a stove burner to low and set dish on top for a minute or two, until a film of batter has set in the bottom of the dish. Remove from heat.
• Spread berries over the batter and sprinkle on the remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter and smooth with the back of a spoon. Place in the center of the oven and bake about 50 minutes, until top is puffed and browned and a tester plunged into its center comes out clean.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving. (Clafoutis need not be served hot, but should still be warm. It will sink slightly as it cools.)