Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Killer Clafouti
It’s only a killer if you follow these instructions, and you are struck in the carotid artery with a large shard of glass. Otherwise, it’s merely tasty.
One more caveat: I haven’t made this yet with blueberries. Tomorrow maybe. Julia’s recipe uses 3 cups of pitted black cherries; blueberries should work, but they are a wetter fruit than cherries, so the result may be a bit odd. I’ll let you know.
Blueberry Clafouti (inspired by Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1)
Preheat oven to 350F.
Cleaned and ready to use: two small boxes of blueberries — about 2 cups (enough to cover the layer of your pie pan one-blueberry-deep)
Place the following ingredients into the blender jar in the order listed. Cover and blend at top speed for one minute:
1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
Melt about 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter in the bottom of a nonstick metal pie pan or pyrex pie dish (7 to 8 cup volume). Coat bottom of dish with the butter. Pour enough batter into the pan to make a 1/4 inch layer. Put it into the oven and wait until you have a rather firm layer adherent to the bottom of the pan.
Add blueberries and spread them out, single layer thick. Sprinkle 1/3 cup granulated sugar on top of the blueberries, and add the rest of the batter. (You might want to whir up the batter for a few seconds before adding it.)
Bake for one hour. It should puff up and be brown on top (between the berries). Sprinkle top with powdered sugar and serve hot or warm.
***
Coming soon:
I succumb to Candy’s meme, “Ten celebrities I would shag.”
Later!
D.
Ah, clafouti, the controversial dessert.
(I’m a cherry clafouti girl myself.)
Jacques Torres once publicly exclaimed that he didn’t like clafouti–thought it had a tendency to be too dry. Madame Julia was shocked and surprised that he didn’t like this French dessert, and so asked him to tweak the batter recipe for the French Culinary Institute for which she was a patron to ensure that no more dry clafouti would ensue.
Rumor goes that tweaking a recipe for a product you don’t really like can be a tad difficult. After much labor he debuted his improved recipe for a dinner honoring Julia at the French Culinary Institute. She remarked (on TV) something along the lines of, “Mmmm. It’s good. But I don’t see the difference between your clafouti and mine.” Jacques sort of blushed.
Just be forewarned that profiteroles are controversial too. (Mostly because they dominated restaurant menus through the 1970s but Julia Child still liked them. Which caused celebrated chefs great anxiety: Do I make this dessert knowing it will please Julia? Because if I do, the critics will hang me by my tocque for being boring and stuffy.)
Neat story, Suisan. And you know, I don’t think I’ve ever had a profiterole. That’ll be on my to-eat list 😉
I can’t wait to try this one! I’m assuming self-raising flour (?) and I’ll let you know how I get on :o)
Recipe calls for all purpose flour, Jona. However, since I had to throw out my flour, I’m going to use some self-rising stuff I have in the cupboard (pizza dough mix). We’ll see how that works out.
profiterole = cream puff filled with ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce.
Profiterole –> 1970s
Tiramisu –> 1980s
Creme Brulee –> 1990s
Slightly unclear what the dessert cliche of 2000 decade will be. Recent polling comes up with bizarre ice creams (pepper, cumin) or anything with mango in it. (Personally I think we’re seeing a heck of a lot of bread puddings and fruit crisps.)
Ah, Foodies–so self absorbed.
Ooops–looked back at the polls. Chocolate lava cake is a front-runner too.
(PS, in case you ask for a link, there isn’t a formal poll. Just a lot of bitchy restaurant planners and ex-chefs in the back room.)
Yup, I have not had profiteroles. Too young, I guess. I love tiramisu and creme brulee (especially creme brulee). I also love bread pudding the way my wife makes it — light as a mousse. AMAZING, especially with a bourbon cream sauce.
I haven’t had chocolate lava cake, but I think I can imagine. (I’ll have to google that, though.)
I fixed the biscuits, and they were a hit. All three kids ate two huge ones for dinner.
So did I, but I’m hypoglycemic, and now I’ve got the shakes, but it was worth it, my friend. Yess indeedy.
I might just try the clafouti next. Who knew you were a cooking instructor, too? I’m in awe of your many talents, Doug.
As for dumbass moves:
I’ve never had anything blow up on me, but I caught some grease on fire fixing french fries on a gas stove once. It whooshed up to the ceiling and left wonderful black circles up there, and to this day they smudge in honor of my cooking at age 14.
My brother was with me [although he was just watching the fun, since he was in a wheelchair across the room] He couldn’t say many words [he has cerebral palsy, have I mentioned that here before?] But I distinctly remember the word “Damn” coming out of his mouth, plain as day.
His next instructions [in eyeball sign- language] were, “Don’t tell mom.”
Smart man, my brother.
You haven’t had profiteroles? But. But. They’re timeless! Made well, they are one of my favourites! But I only know one person who makes them well, the rest are just soggy. I didn’t know there were cliche desserts of the decades, now I know I’m out of date ;o)
Desser cliches of the decade is definitely a topic of discussion for restaurant developers to avoid the wrath of restaurant critics. (Chicken caesar salad appearing on the menu of an upscale restaurant is a red cape waved in front of the critics.) OK, so I googled Mango dessert cliche and this came up as number one:
A recent restaurant review
To quote the last few lines:
At dessert time, the mango sorbet was tart, but we need more than that to keep us interested in what’s become as much of a dessert cliche as molten chocolate cake.
Michael Kors on Project Runway has nothing on those bitchy restaurant critics….
I feel so out of the food scene. Our last big dinner, and was it ever big: for our 20th anniversary, we went to The French Laundry. Most memorable dessert was a layered affair. Phyllo pastry bottom, toasted and caramelized; coconut ice cream; caramelized pineapple on top. I seem to recall a sauce (possibly mango) and some sort of crisp cookie thingy sticking out of the top. Take-home message: caramelized pineapple is a Good Thing.
Shelbi, glad those biscuits were a hit. I make them very infrequently because I find them irresistible. Not good for the flab.