Need a Dessert in a Hurry ?

Clafouti aux Pommes (Apple Clafouti)

I finally caught my mom making a dessert, gotta be quick ! We were invited for dinner last night and she decided to bring a dessert. With only 90 minutes at her disposal to a) prepare a dessert, b) bake it, and c) change and get ready, she had no time to hide from my sneaky camera (ha ha !). But I had to be quick to note down all her ingredients, she was done in only 15 minutes ! I offer you full frontal nudity in my mom's kitchen (lucky devils !).

Step 1

First she grabbed a baking pan (about a foot in diameter) and greased it with butter, then filled it with apple slices all the way to the top (about 4 apples I think). According to her, the more apples the better it tastes (I totally agree). She added on top a few tablespoons of apricot jam (homemade, the best kind, I licked the spoon !) and butter and set it aside.

Step 1: apples and jam

Step 2

In a food processor (Thermomix TM31, a true beast that does absolutely everything, I was flabbergasted ! I so want one now, anyone knows where I can get one ???) she prepared the batter by mixing 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of flour, and 1/2 cup of sugar, and poured it on top of the apples.

Step 2: ready to bake

Step 3

The cake was baked at 380F for about 30-40 minutes, cooled down and flipped for presentation (see top picture).

Step 3: out of the oven

The results ? A soft pastry softened by cooked apples (choose baking apples for fully cooked apples), and not very sweet. It's best served warm, alone or accompanied with a creme anglaise or vanilla ice-cream.

Bon Appetit !

French summer dessert: "Clafouti"

Yummy dessert that can be eaten warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream ("a la mode") or cold at picnics and BBQs.

Clafouti is a traditional dessert from the Provence region where cherry orchards abound. It makes use of cherries that are getting too ripe for direct consumption. The texture is close to bread pudding with fruits in it.

While clafouti is best made from fresh cherries, other fresh fruits can be used as well, like peaches, apples, pears, or bananas, making this dessert available year-round.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb pitless cherries



• 1/2 cup flour



• 1/2 cup sugar



• 3 eggs



• 1/2 cup half and half



• 2 tablespoon marsala

Directions (prep. time 30 mins, bake time 50 mins):

1. Preheat the oven to 370F



2. Grease the pan and add the pitless cherries, evenly distributed at the bottom.



3. In a bowl, mix flour and sugar, then create a hole in the center in which eggs, marsala and a little bit of half and half are added



4. Whisk everything together to make a thick paste, to which the remainder of the half and half is added.



5. The resulting mixture is added to the cherries.



6. Bake at 370F for 50 minutes.



7. Let the dessert cool down before transferring it out of the baking pan.

Enjoy !

Pierre.