Laurent’s Clafoutis aux Fruits
Clafoutis is a great entry-level recipe for French baking. It’s elegant in its simplicity and is a great way to use up some extra fruit you might have that risks spoiling–which is the likely origin of the recipe. Have fun experimenting with this one and let me know what fruits and liqueurs work well for you.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a medium-sized oven-safe baking dish (make sure it’s also safe for an open flame if you have a gas stove–that will be important later), careful to coat all the edges well. 2″ deep or more is best. This is a good time to bring out the table-ready stoneware as you will serve it from this dish.
Place the milk, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, liqueur, salt and flour in a stand mixer or blender. Blend until frothy, about 1 minute. Check for lumps and blend until the mixture is smooth.
Pour a thin layer of batter in the baking dish. Turn on a stove burner to low and set dish on top for a minute or two, until a film of batter has set in the bottom of the dish. Carefully remove from heat.
Spread the fruit over the batter and sprinkle on the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter and smooth the top with a spatula or rubber scraper. Place in the center of the oven and bake for 50 minutes or until top is puffed and browned and a toothpick comes out clean from the center. It will sink a bit as it cools.
Garnish with powdered sugar, mint leaves, or anything else you desire. Leftovers are amazing for breakfast!