Delicious Apple Clafouti Recipe

Tis the season for baking!! I like to kick off this cozy socks, warm boots and snuggly sweater weather with some hearty kitchen baking. That being said, I made this dessert in the dead of summer. Err. :/ haha But made it again after our recent stint of apple picking with the babies which consisted of hubs and I picking apples :) There are tons of great apple recipes out there for the fall season since it is the season of pumpkin and apple recipes. There are some great ones here. At this rate, I will *never* lose this baby weight - but it's worth it!

I found the original recipe from this amazing lady's site. She has scrumptious picks, delectable pictures and easy to follow recipes. I love her story and her blog. Definitely check it out. Her CLAFOUTI recipe originally calls for peaches. I loved the idea but adapted it for apples since I have them coming out of my ears these months - everywhere I turn, there are apples apples and more apples!

I love learning about everything and anything life has to offer and esp in the kitchen. Love to try new recipes, altho many of them failed :/ It's alright. Just have to mop it up and keep going. I learned that a clafouti is a French dessert baked in a buttered pan. A true clafouti consists of black pitted cherries which must be pitted because that's what gives it the lovely flavor for if it's not - then the dessert will be milder in flavor. Isn't that interesting? After a little digging, I've seen people make clafoutis with a variety of fruit - apples, peaches, blackberries, u name it. I found it to be super easy to make because for some reason, I can't make apple pies - it's beyond me and I've accepted it. I prefer the french rendition :)

This is the original recipe I worked off of for my Apple Clafouti. I didn't follow it to a tee - I clearly changed it around to make it simpler and to use what I had on hand (like not using creme fraiche (no idea where to even start with that) and like using plain ol' vanilla extract instead of slicing a vanilla bean - what the..?). It turned out amazing and was much easier than it seems. The hubbinator was praising me for days which lemme tell ya -- a girl can get used to :) The aroma that filled the house was like none other. For a day it felt as if we were living in a log cabin in the middle of the woods where apple pies were made around the clock. Does that even exist? I have no idea but u get my point! The taste is also much lighter than the feeling you get after eating a heavy pie. Definitely try it.

For the Batter you will need:

• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup whole milk
  

For the Apples you will need:

• 1 vanilla bean sliced lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apple (about 1 large apple)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon grappa, Calvados, or other fruit brandy
• Confectioners' sugar for dusting
• 1/3 cup creme fraiche

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Make the batter: Sift the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolk, and milk until well blended. Add about 1/3 of the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whiskuntil smooth, then gradually incorporate the remaining egg mixture. Whisk until well blended. Cover withplastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Cook the apples: With the tip of a knife, scrape the vanilla bean seeds from the pod into an ovenproof 10-inch cast iron or stainless steel skillet. Add the pod and the butter and cook over moderately high heat until the butter turns nut brown. Add a pinch of salt. Add the apples and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean pod and discard. Sprinkle the apples with the sugar, reduce the heat to moderately low, and cook until the apples are almost cooked through and the sugar has melted and is coating the apples in a light syrup. Add the grappa or other brandy off the fire while pouring, place back on the fire, wait for flame to die down, the swirl the pan briefly. Spread the fruit evenly in the skillet. Working quickly, pour batter evenly over the fruit. Bake until the edges of the clafouti are puffed and browned and the center is set, about 15 minutes. Put some confectioners' sugar in a sieve and generously dust the surface of the clafouti. Serve warm directly from the pan with a dollop of creme fraiche.