Basic Clafoutis Food

CLAFOUTIS AUX CERISES (CLASSIC CLAFOUTI)

Steps:

• Combine milk and vanilla bean in a pot and steep for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch baking dish with butter. Spread out cherries in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
• Combine 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt in a bowl. Add eggs one at a time; beat with an electric mixer after each addition until smooth and creamy.
• Remove vanilla bean from milk and discard. Add milk to egg mixture. Pour in heavy cream; mix until smooth. Pour mixture evenly over cherries.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top of clafoutis is golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar on top. Let cool slightly before serving so that the clafoutis is set. Serve warm or at room temperature.

CHEF JOHN'S CHERRY CLAFOUTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter 2-quart baking dish.
• Place flour, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, and milk in mixing bowl. Whisk thoroughly to blend and break up any lumps. Whisk in eggs and vanilla until well blended. Ladle about half of the custard into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in preheated oven until set, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven. Distribute cherries evenly on top of the set custard. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar. Ladle in the rest of the custard; avoid rearranging the cherries.
• Bake until puffed and browned, about 45 minutes. Cool to just warm. Serve warm.

CHERRY CLAFOUTIS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4.
• Mix all the batter ingredients with a pinch of sea salt in a blender or food processor until totally smooth, then set aside for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, grease a 25cm round baking dish with the softened butter, then sprinkle over the sugar.
• Dot the cherries (stoned, if you prefer) around the base of the dish, then place in the oven for 5 minutes so the fruit can begin to soften.
• Remove the dish from the oven and pour over the batter until the cherries are just covered. Return to the oven to bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until puffy and golden.
• Dust the clafoutis with icing sugar and serve lukewarm.

FRENCH PEAR CLAFOUTIS (CLAFOUTIS AUX POIRES)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat an oven to 350 F.
• Butter a 9 x 9-inch square baking dish or a 9-inch deep-dish pie round with the softened butter.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and salt until it forms a smooth, thin batter.
• Spread 3/4 cup of the batter onto the bottom of the prepared baking dish and bake it for 2 to 4 minutes. Watch the batter closely and remove it before it cooks through completely. It should just start to thicken and set when it is removed from the oven.
• Transfer the dish to a heatproof surface and arrange the pears over the hot batter. Pour the remaining batter over the pears and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Sprinkle the confectioners' sugar over the finished clafouti and serve it warm.

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.