Monday, July 16, 2012

Apricot Clafoutis


This is the best!

I discovered clafoutis last year when I had some ripe pears. 

What is clafoutis? It’s a traditional French custard cake that originated in the Limousin region. Traditionally made with black (sweet) cherries, including the pits, there are almost as many versions of clafoutis as there are cooks!
 
By the way, clafoutis is pronounced “cluh-foo-tee”. Sometimes written with an “s” on the end, and sometimes not, both spelling variations are pronounced the same way. It is a French word, after all.

While searching for a way to use the pears, I ran across this recipe on Ree Drummond’s Pioneer Woman site: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/11/pear-clafouti-three-ways/

Now, you can go over there and read about her adventures with clafoutis (but be sure to come back!), or you can stay here for a while and get the scoop on what I’ve done to make it even easier - - and some would say better :)

This time I had apricots. I bought 25 pounds of apricots last week (man, I love those things!). I made apricot jam, apricot fruit leather, apricot slices with sugar, apricots straight up…and then I remembered the Pear Clafouti from last year. What about Apricot Clafoutis?

So I looked for some recipes, and sure enough, I found them. But some of them got pretty complex, and around here we’re all about getting the best food to our mouths with the least trouble, right?

I ended up with the recipe I used last year (the Pioneer Woman’s version, revised by yours truly), and it was FABULOUS!

So here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:
 4 fresh apricots
1 teaspoon ginger
2 Tablespoons sugar
¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½  cup sugar
3 whole eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups milk, or a milk/cream blend to make 2 cups
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Grease a 10” pie plate with butter. Yes, you can use cooking spray, but the butter adds a touch of flavor…or maybe I’ve watched too much Paula Deen since my daughter moved home!

Slice each apricot into 6-8 slices, depending on the size of the fruit, and discard the pit. Arrange the slices in a pinwheel design in a pie dish. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar and the ginger over the top. 

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a larger bowl, whisk the eggs slightly, then whisk in sugar. Whisk in flour mixture, and then add milk, and vanilla. Whisk all together until smooth. Pour over the top of the apricots. 

Bake for 45 minutes. You’ll know the clafoutis is done if it’s puffed up and if the center no longer jiggles like liquid when you move the dish.

Remove the clafoutis from the oven and let it cool for at least 10 minutes (the puffiness will collapse – it’s supposed to!).

Serve warm or cold, as a brunch dish or a dessert. You can sprinkle the top with powdered sugar and cinnamon or nutmeg before serving. Some people serve it with whipped cream, but I haven’t tried it that way. Yet.

One of the beauties of this dish is that you can substitute almost any fruit – pears, peaches, sweet cherries, sour cherries (use more sugar), blueberries, blackberries, apples…if you can make a pie out of it, you can make clafoutis out of it!


 Now, while all of you are drooling over the clafoutis recipe, I'll be on vacation. My dear husband and I have been married 30 years as of tomorrow!

When my husband was still a wet-behind-the-ears high school kid, he was talking with his grandfather, who had been a widower for about two years. Grandpa said, "You know, tomorrow it will be sixty years since your grandmother and I got married. That's a long time." Then Grandpa looked at my husband and said, "But not nearly long enough."

Thirty years seems like a long time - but it really isn't. Not when you spend that time with your best friend.

Enjoy your chatting! I'll be enjoying our cabin on a ranch and the Wyoming/Montana scenery!

See you next week :)









9 comments:

  1. Jan, I'm so glad you used the pronunciation!! LOL I was going to ask. :)

    This looks divine! And it does look fairly simple. I think I can handle it. :)

    Happy anniversary!!! Have a great trip. Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos.

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  2. Not looking Not looking Not looking

    I have to fit in a bathing suit over at Missy's Beach Writing Retreat.

    Seriously, it looks delicious, Jan.

    Happy Anniversary. I hope you have a wonderful week!

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  3. LOL, Mary! You're right!

    You know, my daughter snuck one photo of me coming out of the ocean in my swimsuit, and I was mortified!! Threatened her that it could NOT go on FB! LOL

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  4. Oh, WOW!!! I love this!! It's apricot season here and my kdis eat those things like peanuts. YUM.

    And it's cherry season... And bluebrry season. So, anyway, definitely going to try this one!!

    And Jan, happy anniversary. Love that you guys get away and take time for yourselves. Beautiful. Praying for a wonderful time!!

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  5. I'm calling Missy's daughter to get my hands on that pic, LOL!

    Jan, this is similar to a custard kuchen they sell here, but I had no recipe for it! Can't wait to try this. I love custard-based pastries, egg pastries, custard kuchens... Oh, to die for!

    I'm still staring in amazement that they're in such a beautiful place. Together.

    Someone would probably have to die if Dave and I did that. Maybe two days. Three.

    Four?

    Shotgun involved!

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  6. Ruthy, Dave is your husband?

    I think me and mine would survive just fine...

    Because he would start taking the cabin apart and rebuilding it. I would be inside cooking. Maybe outside reading.

    Together. Kinda.

    :D

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  7. Happy Anniversary, Jan! Those pictures are breathtaking. Some day I have to see me some mountains! And I love custard and fruit together so I bet I'll love this but I'd switch the apricots to peaches or maybe a blueberry/peach combination.

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  8. Jan, this looks absolutely wonderful. And listen to you, everything you did with apricots.

    Happy Anniversary. The scenery looks very inviting.

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  9. Jan, this looks seriously marvelous!!!! And what a gorgeous trip! So I am envying your culinary skills and your travel adventures.

    Happy Anniversary.

    Peace, Julie

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