Fruit Almond Clafoutis Food

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.

CHERRY ALMOND CLAFOUTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9 1/2-inch pie dish and evenly sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Put the cherries in the prepared pie dish, spreading out evenly.
• Add the eggs, almond extract, pinch salt, remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the almond milk to a medium bowl and whisk until combined. Sift the flour into the egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Pour the egg mixture over the cherries. Carefully place the pie dish into the oven and bake until set and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool to room temperature, if you can wait that long! Then lightly dust with confectioners' sugar and scatter the blanched almonds, if desired, and serve.

ALMOND PEAR CLAFOUTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. and butter a 10-by 2-inch round (1-quart capacity) baking dish. In the dish toss the pears gently with the lemon juice and spread them evenly in the dish.
• In a blender grind fine 1/2 cup of the almonds, add the milk, 6 tablespoons of the butter, the eggs, the vanilla, and the almond extract, and blend the mixture until it is smooth. In a bowl whisk together the flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and a pinch of salt and stir in the milk mixture, stirring until the batter is combined well. Pour the batter over the pears, drizzle it with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and sprinkle it with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and remaining 1/4 cup almonds. Bake the clafouti in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes, or until it is golden brown, and let it cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Serve the clafouti warm.

STONE FRUIT CLAFOUTIS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place butter in a 2-3-qt. shallow baking dish or medium (10") ovenproof skillet. Transfer to preheating oven and heat until butter has melted, about 4-6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, blend eggs, milk, lemon zest, salt, vanilla, and 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a blender until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add flour and blend just until combined.
• Pour batter into hot baking dish. Arrange fruit evenly over. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar. Bake clafoutis until top is puffed and lightly golden brown, 25-35 minutes. Let cool slightly, then sift powdered sugar over (if using). Serve warm.