French Apple Clafouti Recipes

APPLE CLAFOUTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Make the batter: Sift the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolk, and milk until well blended. Add about 1/3 of the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth, then gradually incorporate the remaining egg mixture. Whisk until well blended. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.
• Cook the apples: With the tip of a knife, scrape the vanilla bean seeds from the pod into an ovenproof 10-inch cast iron or stainless steel skillet. Add the pod and the butter and cook over moderately high heat until the butter turns nut brown. Add a pinch of salt. Add the apples and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean pod and discard. Sprinkle the apples with the sugar, reduce the heat to moderately low, and cook until the apples are almost cooked through and the sugar has melted and is coating the apples in a light syrup. Add the grappa or other brandy off the fire while pouring, place back on the fire, wait for flame to die down, the swirl the pan briefly. Spread the fruit evenly in the skillet.
• Working quickly, pour batter evenly over the fruit. Bake until the edges of the clafouti are puffed and browned and the center is set, about 15 minutes.
• Put some confectioners' sugar in a sieve and generously dust the surface of the clafouti. Serve warm directly from the pan with a dollop of creme fraiche.
• Michael's Notes: If you plan to serve individual clafoutis from mini pans, heat the pans in the oven until quite hot, about 5 minutes, then divide the cooked fruit among the pans, top with the batter, and bake. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the pans.
• To make a cherry clafouti, use 1 1/4 cups pitted cherries. Substitute 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest for the cinnamon and Grand Marnier for the grappa.

APPLE OR PEAR CLAFOUTI (AN EASY FRENCH DESSERT)

Steps:

• Sift flour, sugar and baking powder into a bowl.
• Make a well in the center of mixture and add the eggs, milk and vanilla extract.
• Mix in well to form a smooth batter.
• Add 4 TBS of the melted butter.
• Let batter stand for 30 minutes while preparing the fruit.
• Pre-heat the oven to 450°F.
• Butter an 8 inch round cake tin.
• Stir the fruit into the batter and pour into the tin.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
• Serve warm, or cold.

APPLE CLAFOUTIS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Mix eggs and brown sugar in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in flour and salt. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly until well combined. Stir in vanilla extract and set aside to rest.
• Melt butter, brown sugar, and water in a 10 1/4-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Stir frequently until mixture starts to boil. Reduce heat to medium; swirl skillet, but do not stir, until mixture starts to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add apples and cinnamon. Cook and stir until apples are crisp-tender and starting to brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Stir egg mixture and pour over the apples in the skillet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden brown and custard is set, 28 to 35 minutes.

FRENCH APPLE CLAFOUTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees; butter a 9x9 pan or 9" pie pan with softened butter.
• In a large bow; whisk together, milk,cream,flour,eggs,sugar vanilla,lemon zest,cinnamon and salt until it forms a smooth thin batter.
• Spread 3/4 of the batter onto the botom of the prepared baking dish and bake for 3-4 min., watch the batter closely and remove before it cooks through. It should just (JUST) start to thicken, when it is set, remove from oven.
• Transfer dish to a heatproof surface and arrange apples in a fan pattern over hot batter.
• Pour remaining batter over apples; bake 35-40 minutes longer, until knife inserted comes out clean.
• Sprinkle powdered sugar over finished clafouti, serve warm.

APPLE CLAFOUTIS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10- or 10 1/2-inch ceramic tart pan, baking dish or clafoutis dish.
• Peel, core and slice the apples into 16ths. Toss with the lemon juice in a large bowl.
• Heat the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until they begin to look translucent, about four minutes. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir together until the apples have softened slightly and begun to caramelize, six to eight minutes. Remove from the heat, and transfer to the baking dish.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the seeds from the vanilla bean or the vanilla extract. Add the sugar and salt, and whisk together. Slowly beat in the flour, then add the yogurt and milk. Whisk until thoroughly blended. Pour over the apples in the baking dish.
• Place in the oven, and bake 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and the clafoutis is firm and puffed. Check by pressing lightly on the middle. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack, or serve 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.

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.