Kitchen Therapy - A Glass of Rose' & Savory Clafoutis

Gallup has recently confirmed what everyone knows:  70% of us don’t feel positively about our source of daily bread.  And by that they don’t mean our local bakers but our gig, our grind, our old 9-to-5.  The best thing about a vocation is a vacation, but an avocation can lead to many pleasurable hours and experiences.

As a culinary diva, food and beverages are my avocation, a status I would upgrade to vocation in a blink if I could thereby support sous chef and me.  That seems unlikely, however, so I pursue my passion in many ways:  restaurants, bars, wineries, farmers markets, food blogs, and the like.  Yet perhaps my favorite pursuit is cooking.  Not the sweaty, neurotic kind of cooking done in a restaurant or the frenzied kind of cooking for dinner parties or large groups.  But the serene, agreeable experience of trying new recipes or crafting old ones in clever and delectable ways, all in the comfort of one’s own kitchen.  What a great way to unwind after a day of drudgery—and it certainly does not hurt to have sous chef provide me with a glass of chilled French Rosé before the cooking begins (and refills as it proceeds). 

My sous chef and I love the challenge of using a favored dish as a platform for other dishes.  There is something about the inventive use of familiar fare that is fundamentally rewarding.  I would be pleased as punch to be known as the “MacGyver of the kitchen,” so I was thrilled that the sweet, luscious Cherry Clafoutis I wrote about in June can easily be turned into a savory delight.  I took the base recipe for Clafoutis, omitted the sugar, exchanged heirloom cherry tomatoes for the cherries, and added some fresh basil and cubed cheese to the mix.   The result was a Savory Clafoutis that can be served on its own as a first course, as a side to a brunch, or as a light lunch with an herb infused salad. 

The combinations and permutations for the little Clafoutis are seemingly endless.  Crave some pork fat:   just add bacon or pancetta.  Feeling Greek:  combine olives and feta with the tomatoes and garnish with some freshly diced cucumber and dill.  Fromage lover?  Go for it!  The base Clafoutis is the perfect canvas for mild to strong cheeses to shine.  Heck, why not have a Clafoutis party?  Fix up a batch of Clafoutis batter and let the guests add their own ingredients to make them sweet or savory.  

Savory Clafoutis

Batter:

4 eggs
¾ cup of sugar
Pinch of salt
Scant ½ cup ground almonds
2 Tbs all-purpose flour

7 Tbs creme fraiche (can substitute sour cream)
 7 Tbs Buttermilk (or regular milk)

Filling:

1 container Mini Heirloom  Tomatoes

1 cup diced cheese of your choice

2 spring onions diced

Chopped fresh herbs of your choice

Bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour 6-8 ramekins or one 7 ½ by 4 inch baking dish or pan.  (I used bread crumbs that I had seasoned with garlic, black pepper and sea salt, in place of flour in the ramekins.)

Place tomatoes evenly across bottom of the prepared ramekins or dish.

Whisk the eggs with sugar and salt until pale yellow and thick. Sift and fold in the ground nuts and flour, then stir in the crème fraiche.   Add cheese, spring onions and freshly chopped herbs.  Make sure the ingredients are well mixed.

Pour or ladle the batter over the tomatoes, place the ramekins or dish on a baking tray, and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.

Interested in reading more experiences with Cherry Clafoutis?  This week the Dorista's over at French Friday's with Dorie have a gaggle of experiences to read about.

The Other Boleyn Cake

I lost my head over this cake.  Fortunately, my loss was merely figurative, whereas the inspiration for the cake’s name literally lost hers. 

It is rumored that Henry VIII named a particular cake containing almonds the “Maids of Honour Cake” after seeing Anne Boleyn and her ladies-in-waiting eating them.  Henry became so fond of these cakes that the recipe was locked away in a chest in the Richmond Palace.  During the 18^th Century, the recipe was obtained by a Richmond bakery which thereafter made the cakes available to the public.  Today the cakes are frequently used at teas and as wedding favors.  They can still be found at: http://www.theoriginalmaidsofhonour.co.uk/about/. 

http://www.ehow.com/how_2309060_bake-maids-honor.html

Since the original recipe for the “Maids of Honour Cakes” seems to be under lock and key, there are many variations to it – including one from Emeril.   The following recipe is courtesy of Cooks Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchens for whom I am a recipe tester. 

The combination of almond and lemon is much used in baking as almonds help smooth the lemon’s sharpness in cakes and tarts.  There are two different flavors to almond – bitter and sweet.  The bitter almond has hints of mild, milky grass when raw, and when roasted a richer flavor with a slight toffee-popcorn flavor.  The bitter almond is what you taste in extract, essence and Amaretto.  Sweet almond has a soft, rounded flavor that makes them highly compatible with other ingredients.  Almond is used also to boost the flavor of other nuts, so if you think you taste almond in your pistachio ice cream you are probably right. 

Here is an updated version of what I will call “Ladies Who Lunch Cake”.  It is moist and light, with rich almond flavors.  The topping has a delightful surprise of citrus and delicate crunch.  Serve with a little Champagne and this may become one of your most requested recipes.

Ladies Who Lunch Cake – America’s Test Kitchens

Serves 8-10

1½ cups plus  cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted

¾ cup (3¾ ounces) all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

⅛ teaspoon baking soda

4 large eggs

1¼ cups (8¾ ounces) plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

¾ teaspoon almond extract

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

⅓ cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. 

Grease and flour one 9-inch round cake pan, line bottom with parchment paper.

Place almonds, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in food processor or Vitamix and pulse until almonds are finely ground, 5 to 10 pulses.  Transfer the almond-flour mixture to a bowl.

Place eggs, 1¼ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, and extract in the now empty food processor or Vitamix and process for 2 minutes (go smoothly up to 5 on the Vitamix).  While the food processor or Vitamix is running, add the butter and then add the vegetable oil in a steady stream.  Once processing is finished, add the almond-flour mixture and pulse 4 or 5 times until the mixture is fully combined.  Transfer the resulting batter to the prepared pan.

Using fingers, combine in a bowl the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and remaining ½ teaspoon of lemon zest until fragrant (approximately 5-10 seconds).  Sprinkle this sugar mixture evenly on top of unbaked cake batter and then sprinkle on the remaining ⅓ cup almonds.

Bake approximately 55 to 65 minutes, until center of cake is set and bounces back when gently pressed and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Pan should be rotated 180 degrees after 40 minutes.  Transfer pan to the wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, run a paring knife around the sides of pan to loosen.  Remove cake from pan, remove and discard the parchment, and let cake cool completely on the rack for approximately 2 hours.  Cut into wedges and serve.