Clafoutis aux Abricots

Why, oh why? Can someone please tell me why "The Mentalist" Season 2 is not available on Apple TV? I just don't understand! It's driving me crazy! I miss Patrick Jane and his gorgeous smile way too much... What can I have to look forward to all day at work now?

To make myself feel a little better, I decided to buy some fresh apricots and make some mini clafoutis, and they helped....a little bit. :) Here is a superbly delicious recipe for Apricot Clafoutis, a dessert that can be easily dressed up by making individual portions or dressed down by tossing it all into one large, homey pan.

Apricot Clafoutis

(adapted from Eating Well)

Ingredients:

• 6 apricots, pitted and cut into wedges
• 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar (plus more for sprinkling)
• 1 small egg
• 1/3 cup nonfat milk
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Combine apricots and Grand Marnier in a large bowl. Grate zest from the lemon and set aside. Juice the lemon and stir 2 teaspoons of the juice into the apricots. Let stand for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 3 small ramequins with cooking spray. Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon sugar evenly over the bottom of each. Drain the apricots (reserving the syrup) and arrange in the baking dish.
3. Combine egg and the sugar in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale yellow. Add milk, flour, vanilla extract, salt, the reserved lemon zest and the reserved syrup; beat well to blend. Pour the batter over the apricots.
4. Bake the clafoutis until puffed and golden, about 3o minutes. Let cool about 20 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.

Happy Baking!

Jessica

Cherry and Raspberry Clafoutis

Oh my god. I am so excited to share this recipe with you today. I was definitely skeptical when my mom first suggested I make a Clafoutis (pronounced klah-foo-tee) because she described it as a flan. Although I am not morally opposed to flan, I just don't particularly see the interest in them. I would SO much rather enjoy a chocolate mousse, or yogurt, or even Jell-O...and that's saying something! So basically flan? Not my thing.

And then......this BEAUTY came out!

The most difficult part of this super simple recipe was removing the pits from the cherries, although even that wasn't neuroscience. :) I love this recipe for the summer especially because it showcases the fruit so well. You could easily sub in peaches or blueberries or any number of fruits to switch it up. Another thing I liked was that there wasn't a lot of added sugar, because when you have organic fruits that are so fresh and delicious, why take away from that?
Cherry and Raspberry Clafoutis
-Kay at Kayotic Kitchen
half a lemon's zest
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup and 3 tablespoons milk (I used skim)
1 vanilla pod (so expensive!! I used a teaspoon of vanilla extract)
6 oz fresh cherries
3 oza fresh raspberries
2 eggs

Directions
1. Preheat oven too 350 degrees F.
2. Wash and grate the zest of half a lemon.
3. Sprinkle a few pinches of sugar on bottom of baking dish. (I used a glass 8x8 pan)
4. Add flour, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest to a large bowl. Add eggs and milk and mix.
5. Place washed and dried fruit along bottom of baking dish and pour batter over it.
6. Bake calfoutis for 40 to 45 minutes until puffed, golden-brown and a knife stuck into the center comes out clean.

My family LOVED this dessert and it was devoured within 20 minutes of being finished. Do yourself a favor and try this one out. So easy, and super yummy. :)

Happy Baking!
Jessica