Clafoutis Craving Foiled

Bummer. I tried the cherry clafoutis recipe from Elizabeth Prueitt's Tartine cookbook and it was a disaster. I should have known not to trust it when it didn't say to strain the creme anglaise mixture - not that that was the error but it's a sign of bad recipe writing. One mistake I may have made was to add a few extra cherries - probably too many created too much liquid in the batter.

Her suggestion to top with tons of sugar (1/4 cup!) and then caramelize in 500 degree oven didn't work at all for me. Maybe that works in a professional convection oven or under a salamander but not in my household maytag. I kept waiting for it to caramelize and probably overcooked it. Anyway, the inside came out like warm creamy scrambled eggs with overly sweet cherries. Not the silky smooth custard I had in mind. I hate when this happens, especially when I waste a whole pint of perfect farmer's market cherries.

I'm so mad at the damn thing I'm not showing you any pictures, so there!

I was so craving clafoutis and now I have to try another version at some point to figure out what I should have done to make it work. I think next time I'll try Sweet Melissa's version since she never steers me wrong.

This was my first recipe from "Tartine" and I was soooo looking forward to it. Sigh.

Anyone out there have a good clafoutis recipe for me?

Fast, Cheap & Out of Control

Well, it's all true except for the cheap part. Nothing with fresh berries in it is cheap. But I couldn't resist using that title for a post.

You want dessert fast? You want it out-of-control good? I got it right here for ya.

Here's what you need:
Pound Cake: homemade, store-bought, fresh or stale
Chocolate Sauce: your own, Hershey's or a fancy gourmet brand
Berry Sorbet: I like Haagen Dazs raspberry but any one will do
Fresh Berries: any kind you like, a mix of 2 or 3 is nice for color but not mandatory
Mint Sprig: optional, only if you want to really impress them

What is fast about a dessert with 5 elements on the plate, you say? Well, okay, it's only fast if you happen to have all of those things in the house. But with some advance shopping, you can bang out a photo-worthy dessert in just a few minutes.

I wanted a dessert for July 4th that only involved minimal baking as I was making pies for a July 5th party as well. I wanted it colorful and to include fresh berries which are so amazing at the farmer's markets right now.

I couldn't remember the last time I made a plain pound cake. Banana bread; zucchini bread; pumpkin bread -- those loaf cakes are regulars at our house. But plain, buttery pound cake had somehow escaped me for years. I used a recipe from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book. It was good, but I'm not sure I'd make it again. But in this dessert, it really doesn't matter where you get the pound cake from.

I happened to have some leftover hot fudge sauce in my freezer, but again, you can just buy some. Then you pick up some berry sorbet and fresh berries.

When you're ready to serve dessert, toast slices of pound cake. Drizzle warm chocolate sauce on the bottom of the plate, top with a slice of cake, followed by a scoop of sorbet and toss a handful of berries on top. Sure, add the mint sprig if you have it growing in your garden or happen to have in the fridge. Oh my god, you have just created a restaurant dessert in your own home. And it tastes as good as it looks, seriously. Let's take another look at mine, just to tempt you again:




(I am hereby using the Benetton/Gap theory of marketing...show the people the same thing over & over and eventually they will need to own it -- do you need to see it again? Just scroll back up to the top and keep staring at it...you're getting sleepy...you're getting sleepy...you're taking out the loaf pan...you're softening up the butter...you're rinsing berries....there you go, you're on your way to dessert stardom in your own home....)

Hot Potatoes on a Stick!

For those of you who have outdoor grills and are not confined to cooking indoors in the summer, you really must try one of my new favorite side dishes: grilled potato skewers, or as I like to call them, hot potatoes on a stick.

This works best with a real charcoal grill using natural wood charcoal, but it can also be done over gas or regular coals. I am a purist about my charcoal but I know from experience that my diatribes about the quality of charcoal or gas vs. coals, do not create converts. So do as you please with what's under the grates, but you should try this the next time you want spuds with your burgers.

Take a bunch of small potatoes - fingerling, red, baby yukon gold, whatever you like. Cut them in half lengthwise so that you have one flat surface.



Put the taters in a pot of cold salted water to cover, bring to boil and cook until just al dente - a fork should be able to go through the center easily but they should not be completely tender. Drain. You can do this earlier in the day and just keep them at room temp or refrigerated until ready to grill.

Next, toss the potatoes in a bowl with a good dose of olive oil, a handful of chopped garlic, plenty of kosher salt and pepper. The potatoes should be slick with oil and well-salted. Herbs are optional.

Then put the spuds on long, 12" skewers, about 3 per skewer - thread them on so that they will lie flat.



Heat up your grill and lay the skewers so that the potatoes' flat side is down. I like to start them over direct flames so that they get crisped up but if you are using that side of the grill for something else, it really doesn't matter. Since the potatoes are mostly cooked already, you are just finishing them off and getting some crispiness and grill flavor. Use tongs to carefully flip the skewers, grill a little bit on the other side and then serve hot or at room temp.

Pass them out on the skewers or drop them back in the bowl you used to toss them with the oil to serve on the table. Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, smokey all the way through...mmmmm....