Apricot Cornmeal and Buttermilk Clafoutis.

- Apricot Cornmeal and Buttermilk Clafoutis – REAL SIMPLE FOOD:
If you want to replace the apricots with very juicy fruits like cherries or blueberries, increase the eggs to 6 to ensure the clafoutis will still set.

Ingredients
4 eggs
50g honey
Pinch of salt
300ml buttermilk
50g polenta
500g apricots, halved with the stone removed

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and grease a pie dish generously with butter.
In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs and honey until the frothy.
Pour in the buttermilk and whisk to combine.
Lastly, fold in the polenta and the pinch of salt.
Pour the batter into the pie dish and carefully sit the halved apricots, cut side up, in the batter.
Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the clafoutis is puffed up and the centre is just set.

The clafoutis will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
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Sweetness of Spring: Strawberry Clafoutis.

Sweetness of Spring: Strawberry Clafoutis : NPR:
Clafoutis is the epitome of the French grandmotherly dessert: unpretentious, easy to make, and blissfully comforting.

– 55 g unsalted butter
– 600 g fresh strawberries (I added Rhubarb!)
– 60 g all-purpose flour
– 50 g whole blanched almonds
– 100 g granulated sugar
– 1 tablespoon cornstarch
– A pinch of salt
– 3 large eggs
– 185 ml milk
– 1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
– Confectioner’s sugar
– Oven temperature: 180°C

Coulis:
– 200g fresh strawberries
– 2 tablespoons sugar
– 2 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350F and grease an 20cm/8-inch-square glass or ceramic baking dish (or 6 1-cup ramekins for a more elegant presentation) with one tablespoon of the butter.
Melt the remaining butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat (or in a small bowl set in the microwave for a few seconds) and set aside.

Rinse the strawberries under cool water — do not soak or they will loose some of their flavor.
Drain in a colander for a few minutes, and gently pat dry with a clean dishtowel.

In a food processor or blender, mix together the flour and almonds until finely ground.
Add the sugar, cornstarch and salt, and mix again.
Crack in the eggs one by one, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
Pour in the melted butter, milk and rum if using, and mix again until well blended.
The mixture will be thin, like crepe batter.

Hull the strawberries, cut in halves or quarters depending on their size, and arrange in a single layer in the prepared dish or ramekins.
Drizzle the batter over the strawberries, and put the dish in the oven to bake for 40 minutes (30 minutes if you use ramekins), until puffy and set.

Transfer dish to a rack, and let cool to room temperature.
Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar, and serve directly from the baking dish or ramekins.
Clafoutis is traditionally served on its own, but if you like you can add a few fresh strawberries on the side, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a little whipped cream.

Strawberry Coulis
1 cup fresh strawberries, rinsed and patted dry
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water

Hull and quarter the strawberries.
Combine with the sugar and water in a food processor or blender, and mix in short pulses until smooth. Pour into an airtight container, and cover.
Refrigerate for up to a day, or freeze for up to a month.

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Coulis.

A coulis is a form of thick sauce made from puréed and strained vegetables or fruits.
Fruit coulis are most often used on desserts.
This intensely flavored sauce is a real treat served on ice cream, puddings, or poached fruit.

Raspberry Or Strawberry Coulis.
Ingredients
750 g ripe strawberries (hulled and quartered) or raspberries
60 g caster sugar
Freshly squeezed juice of
1 lemon
Method
Rinse the fruit in a colander.
Briefly shake off any excess water – a little leftover water will encourage the fruit to release its juices.
Put the fruit and sugar in a pan and heat very gently to prevent it from scorching.
Simmer softly for 10 minutes, or until the fruit has lost its shape.
Strain through a sieve, making sure to work the pulp with the back of a spoon in order to extract as much juice as possible.
Add the lemon juice (also through the sieve).
Stir well before serving.
The coulis will keep for up to one week in an airtight container in the fridge.

For the strawberry coulis
200g strawberries, hulls removed, cut in half
200g raspberries
75g icing sugar, sifted (or caster sugar)

Heat the strawberries and raspberries in a large pan for 4-5 minutes, or until they start to break down.
Add the icing (or caster) sugar and continue to cook the fruit for a further 2-3 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved.
Transfer the coulis mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth, adding a splash of water to the mixture if necessary to loosen.
Strain the coulis through a sieve and set aside to cool.
Chill in the fridge until needed.

Red berry coulis
200g raspberries
100g redcurrant (removed from stems)
100g golden caster sugar

Place raspberries and redcurrants into a saucepan with sugar.
Set over a medium heat, crushing with the back of a fork until the sugar has dissolved and the berries have become saucy.
Taste and add a little more sugar if the berries are particularly sharp.
Strain through a sieve, then chill until ready to serve.

Blackberry coulis
250g blackberries
50g golden caster sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract

Put the blackberries and sugar into a small pan with 100ml water.
Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 mins until the fruit is soft. Stir in the vanilla, remove and cool a little.
Tip the contents of the pan into a blender or food processor, and whizz to a purée, then strain through a sieve, rubbing it through with the back of a ladle or spoon.
Serve warm or chilled.
Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Raspberry Coulis
1⁄2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 lb fresh raspberries or 1 (12 ounce) bag frozen raspberries, thawed
1 teaspoon kirsch (optional) or 1 teaspoon framboise eau-de-vie (optional)

Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring from time to time, until the sugar dissolves completely, about 5 minutes.
Put the raspberies and the sugar syrup in a blender and puree.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds and stir in the kirsch or framboise, if using.
The sauce keeps well, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for 4-5 days and freezes perfectly for several months.

Recipe from Good Food magazine.
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Fruit and cobnut crumble cream.

By Yottam Ottolenghi
From Great British Food Revival
Make the best of autumnal produce with this scrumptious pudding that can be made well in advance. You will need a baking tray that snugly fits the pears and apples, and four large glasses or glass bowls.

Ingredients

4 small pears, peeled and cut into 2cm/¾in dice

2 tbsp lemon juice

4½ tbsp caster sugar

2 medium cooking apples, preferably Bramley variety, peeled and cut into 2cm/¾in dice

16 blackberries

40g/1½oz wholemeal flour

40g/1½oz plain flour

50g/1¾oz unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 2cm/¾in cubes

25g/1oz soft brown sugar

pinch of salt

100g/3½oz dried cobnuts or hazelnuts
For the cream

150ml/5fl oz double cream

100ml/3½fl oz Greek yoghurt

100ml/3½fl oz mascarpone

1 tbsp caster sugar

½ tsp vanilla essence

½ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp ground star anise
Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Mix the pears, lemon juice and 1½ tablespoons of the caster sugar in a bowl. Spread the pears out on the baking tray, cover with aluminium foil and place in the oven. After 10 minutes, add the apples, cover with the foil again and return to the oven for 30 minutes. Crush the fruit with a fork, set aside to cool then fold in the blackberries.

To make the crumble, place both the flours in a mixing bowl with the butter and sugar and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Spread out on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and set aside to cool.

For the cream, place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk to soft peaks, taking care not to over-whisk.

To assemble, spoon two thirds of the crumble into the bottom of the serving glasses. Cover with two thirds of each of the fruit mixture, cream and nuts. Add the remaining crumble followed by the remaining third of the fruit and cream. Scatter over the remaining nuts and serve at once, or chill for a few hours. If you are serving the dish chilled, scatter over the nuts at the last minute.

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