You Say Clafooti, I Say (to be read with French accent) Clafouti!

Marmie came to visit me in Boston this weekend and we seized the opportunity to make our February Julia Child's recipe together.  After much searching of Mastering the Art of French Cooking we settled on Clafouti a la Liqueur (cherry flan with liqueur). We needed a main course to go along with our dessert so we surfed the pages of the internet for easy-to-make french dinners.  We decided on poulet sauce chasseur (chicken and mushroom sauce, www.easy-french-food.com/chicken-chasseur.html) and brussel sprouts with brown butter and sage (http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/brussels-sprouts-brown-butter-sage-10000001031590/index.html).  We also made mulled wine to keep us warm and toasty (http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/11/crockpot-mulled-wine-recipe.html).

Mulled Wine

Unfortunately for us cherries were neither in season nor in stock at our local food co-op.  So we thought we had remembered reading that one could substitute raspberries for cherries.  We bought a few bags of frozen organic raspberries, gathered the remaining ingredients, and headed home to get our cook on.

Shallots and Garlic Smell Good!

Reviewing the recipe upon our return, we discovered our friend Julia never mentions raspberries in the clafouti section.  But in the spirit of Ms. Child, we decided to just go with it! Armed with a few bottles of white wine, french music on Pandora, and Julie and Julia at the ready so we could watch while things baked and cooked, we whirled and twirled our way around the kitchen. Below is the recipe for Julia Child's Clafouti a la Liqueur, substituting frozen raspberries for the cherries.  We are adding some pictures of the whole process.

Bon Appetite!

Plating the Poulet

Brussel Sprouts and Sage

Clafouti a la Liqueur


*Follow the recipe for the clafouti.  Let the "cherries" stand in 1/4 cup cognac and 1/3 cup sugar (1/4 if using raspberries) for one hour prior to baking.


1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
3 cups cherries, pitted
1/3 cup sugar
powdered sugar

Preparation

In a blender blend the milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour. Pour a 1/4 inch layer of the batter in a buttered 7 or 8 cup lightly buttered fireproof baking dish. Place in the oven until a film of batter sets in the pan. Remove from the heat and spread the cherries over the batter. Sprinkle on the 1/3 cup of sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about for about 45 minutes to an hour. The clafouti is done when puffed and brown and and a knife plunged in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, serve warm.

Clafou-tini!

Mmmmmm!