MADDIE DAY here, full into a New England fall. And you know what that means - apples! Cider Hill Farm is a mile from my house and has acres of apple and other fruit trees and bushes plus, of course, apple cider donuts. Yum.
I like to bake with apples, and this recipe from the Boston Globe caught my eye. It's easier than pie and a looked like a nice change from apple crisp. Also, to minimally assuage my deep envy of Leslie Karst eating her way through France for an entire month, Clafoutis is a French dish.
Apple Clafoutis
Adapted from a recipe by Sheryl Julian in the Boston Globe.
According to the article, clafoutis came about in the Limousin region of
France, which is famous for cherries. Bakers made a batter similar to what they
would use for crepes and poured it over black cherries in a baking dish. It’s
now made widely with other kinds of fruits (the dish technically is called a flaugnarde when the fruit isn't cherries).
Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup unbleached white flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
½ cup granulated sugar plus more for sprinkling
3 medium baking apples
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Generously butter a 10-inch baking dish or deep pie pan (2 inches deep) and
set aside.
Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the milk and vanilla, and then the flour. When the mixture is smooth, whisk in the baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Slice apples in half through the core. Carefully remove cores, keeping each
half intact. Note: The original recipe calls for peeling the apples, but I think
they are fine unpeeled.
Set each apple cut side down on a cutting board. Holding the knife
perpendicular to the board, slice the apple half thinly. Keeping the slices
together, transfer to the dish and fan them slightly. Repeat for each half.
Whisk the chilled batter until smooth. Pour it over and around the apples, letting
it settle in an even layer.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the batter is set at the edges and the apples are starting to brown.
Note: I hadn't made this before, and my apples came out looking a bit dry on top, with all the batter cooked underneath. I spread butter over the top, sprinkled it with cinnamon and granulated sugar, and put the dish back into the oven for five minutes. Butter and cinnamon aren't shown in the ingredients photo.
Remove dish to a wire rack and let settle as it cools for at least fifteen minutes. Enjoy warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.
Readers: What's your favorite apple dessert? I'll give away a copy Murder at the Toy Soldier, my latest release, to one lucky commenter (include your email address).
🍎🍏🍎
Murder at the Toy Soldier, Cozy Capers Book Group #8, is out and available wherever books are sold!
My other recent releases are:
A Poisonous Pour, Cece Barton #3,
We hope you'll visit Maddie and her Agatha Award-winning alter ego Edith Maxwell on our web site, sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit us on social media, and check our all our books and short stories.
Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and sweet cat Martin north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.
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