Philippe & Le Clafouti

This summer, more than any other summer, every single food magazine is blessing their covers with gorgeous fruity pies, cobblers and grunts. I have clipped a good 10 recipes that I want to try, but being mindful of my waist line, I have to take it easy :) As I flipped through Bon Appetit in June, I saw a beautiful picture of a cherry almond clafouti. Not only had I never tasted a clafouti before, I had no clue what it was. Last summer when we were in Paris & Nice, I was more focused on creme brulee and tarte aux pommes, oh yeah and gateaux de chocolat...you get the picture.
I asked my French trainer, Philippe, if he ever ate clafouti....I got a mouthful about his mother making it when he was a child and how good it was....Apparently, clafouti is what the real French eat at home and doesn't find its place on many dessert menus at restaurants. So, I invited him for dinner and decided to make clafouti, not knowing what I was really making.

Clafouti is a french dessert that, as Bon Appetit promises, tastes like a "cross between a pancake and a custard". Cherries are the most traditional fruit to use, but it was my first time eating cherries and I have to say I think I like berries better...so next time, I will be making strawberry clafouti. A famous French food blogger, Clotilde Desouliers, of "Chocolate and Zucchini", has a strawberry recipe, it will be my next conquest. Cherries are a pain to pit and their red juice runs onto everything! This dessert reminds me of eating slightly undercooked pancakes, it has the consistency of a doughy cookie. You should try it on a night you are eating rustic French food!

Philippe ate more than 1/2 of the clafouti and I thoroughly enjoyed it as well. Ironic that he always tells me to eat fish, but when I invite him to dinner, he tells me: "no fish for dinner, I get hungry." Yeah, you and ME both! So, I made him chicken after being told beef is too hefty for night....and he ate 3 servings of chicken, asparagus, sweet potatoes and 1/2 the clafouti.

One happy trainer ...and one LUCKY BASTARD ! I don't know many women who could devour half a pie and 3 chicken breasts for dinner and still look good!

Cherry Almond Clafouti (Bon Appetit June 2006)
6 servings

1/2 cup whole almonds (about 2 oz)
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 tbsp plus 1/2 cup sugar
8 oz dark sweet cherries, pitted & halved (about 2 cups)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 tsp almond extract
pinch of salt
1/4 cup all purpose flour
powdered sugar

Blend almonds in processor until ground, but not pasty. Transfer to a small saucepan; add milk and bring to simmer. Remove from heat; let steep 30 minutes. Pour through fine strainer, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids in strainers.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter 10 inch diameter pie dish, sprinkle with 1 tbsp of sugar. Scatter cherries evenly over bottom of dish.

Using an electric mixer, beat eggs, almond extracts, salt and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in medium bowl until well blended. Add strained almond milk & beat to blend. Sift flour into egg mixture and beat until smooth. Pour mixture over cherries. Bake until set and knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

This can be made 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Lightly dust clafouti with powdered sugar & serve.

Bon Appetit!