***Now, you didn't really think that I would let Julia's birthday go by without sharing a new recipe by Julia with you, right? I've been curious about what a classic French clafoutis (pronounced Kla-foo-TEE) tasted like for a while now. They always looked beautiful in the photos that I saw, and I wondered if they tasted as good as they looked. This dessert has a luxurious custardy filling and tastes perfectly french!
I knew that if I was going to make a clafoutis, it would be a crime not to begin with Julia's recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I. The recipe sounded incredibly simple, which it ultimately was.
Traditionally, a clafoutis is made with cherries, so that is how Julia presents this recipe in her cookbook. Being the southern girl that I am, I decided to substitute the cherries with the freshest, most gorgeous Clanton peaches. They were superb! Feel free to subsitute about 3 cups of any fruit that you like. The only other addition that I made was the cardamom. There's just something about cardamom in fruity, pastry-like desserts that I adore. I've included my changes in purple, below.
I did make one big mistake, though...I was in such a hurry that I forgot to sprinkle the second 1/3 cup sugar over the fruit, before pouring the rest of the batter into the pan. As a result, the finished dessert wasn't quite as sweet as it should be, however, I'm sure my hips will thank me for that mistake later!
Bon Appetit!***
Clafoutis
Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I; by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck
serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
3 ripe peaches, sliced
1 tsp. ground cardamom
powdered sugar, for garnish
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a blender blend the milk, 1/3 cup sugar, eggs, vanilla, cardamom, salt and flour. Pour a 1/4 inch layer of the batter in a buttered 7 or 8 cup lightly buttered fireproof baking dish. Place in the oven until a film of batter sets in the pan (about 2-3 minutes).
Remove from the heat and spread the peaches over the batter. Sprinkle on the remaining 1/3 cup of granulated sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes to an hour. The clafouti is done when puffed and brown and and a knife plunged in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, serve warm.
Comments
Thank you, I am definitely going to try to make this. soon.