Clafouti avec des Prunes

Clafouti avec des Prunes. Translation: Clafouti with plums. Clafouti is a traditional French dessert consisting of a layer of fruit topped with batter and baked. Cherries are the customary fruit of choice, but any other may be used. In this case I have used diced plums. I usually do not do anything very exciting with plums. In fact, I like to just eat them as they are; and this is exactly what I intended to do when I purchased them a few days ago at the grocery store. However, plans change and I was in the mood to experiment. Without any milk in the refrigerator, my options for baked goods was limited. (Yes I know it sounds strange but we rarely keep milk in the house--we just do not drink it.) Clafouti almost always calls for milk, cream or even sweetened condensed milk. Was my quest for a quick and easy plum dessert doomed? Of course not...I told you earlier...I was in the mood to experiment. While I do not have milk, I do have a lot of cream cheese on hand. Essentially they both come from a cow right? Luckily the clafouti was a success. Read on to find out how cream cheese went from experimental ingredient to secret ingredient!

SERVES 2

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plums, diced
• 2 medium eggs
• .33 cup sugar
• 3 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• .33 c flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• .24 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• non-stick cooking spray or butter (used to grease pie pan)

Cookware/Utensils:

• small bowl
• medium bowl
• large spoon
• measuring cups
• cutting board
• santoku or chef's knife
• electric mixer
• glass pie pan
  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease the pie pan with non-stick cooking spray or butter. (I prefer butter). Dice plums and place them in a small bowl; set aside. Add eggs and sugar to medium bowl and mix on low for about one minute. Add the cream cheese and mix again until smooth. Finally, add the flour, vanilla and salt to the bowl and mix again until lumps are no longer visible. Place fruit in pie pan. Slowly pour the batter over the plums. Be sure to evenly spread mixture in the prepared pie pan. Drizzle with the butter. Place in the oven =for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

Serve clafouti warm or room temperature. It is pictured below with vanilla bean ice cream. I have to confess...this was so yummy that I had two pieces!

***While I have referred to this as a dessert it also makes a great breakfast. This will serve breakfast or brunch for 2 people, twice. For this reason I like to call it a weekender. A weekender is a breakfast or brunch item that can be eaten on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Peaches, Apricots or Nectarines? O My!

I recently found myself in a grocery store standing in the produce aisle completely confused. Before my eyes was a huge mound of fruit. The fruit was labeled with a price, but no indication of its name. It looked like a miniature peach. I picked up the fruit, smelled it, and even asked my grocery shopping partner, "Is this an apricot or a nectarine?" With both of us second guessing our answers regarding the identity of this mystery fruit, we picked out two of them, put them in a bag and brought them home.

I think that all of us know what a peach looks like, but when it comes to the difference between apricots and nectarines it becomes, well, hairy.

To reveal the answer without being too technical, peaches and apricots have a skin that is "fuzzy" while nectarines have a skin that is smooth. My mystery fruit turned out to be an apricot. When an apricot is sliced in half a pit, or seed is revealed that is also very similar to a peach.

Once you've halved this nectarine a delicious snack or dessert is waiting for you! I encourage you to eat the fruit by itself or combine it with something light and sweet that will compliment its tart flavor. I suggest vanilla flavored yogurt or ice cream.
***Pictured above is a peach and two apricots. Pictured below is a bowl of vanilla yogurt and diced apricots.

Pere con Ricotta

Pere con ricotta--simple translation from Italian is pears with ricotta. Ricotta cheese is widely used in Italian cooking in everything from appetizers to desserts. It is a very soft, low-fat cheese that is actually a by-product of cheese making because it is made from the whey that has been separated from the curd in the process of actually making cheese. It is in fact technically a dairy product rather than an actual cheese because of this fact. Ricotta translates as recooked and was originally made in Rome when it was discovered that the whey could be reheated, then strained, thereby getting it’s name. To learn more about ricotta click here.
SERVES 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon ginger spice or 1 inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• .5 tablespoon lemon juice or zest of 1 lemon
• 2 firm pears peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
• .75 cup ricotta
• dash of cinnamon
• handful of fresh berries--your choice

Cookware/Utensils:

• medium saucepan or skillet
• slotted cooking spoon (wood, nylon or other heat resistant material)

In a medium saucepan or skillet bring the water, ginger, sugar and lemon to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pears and when the mixture returns to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain the simmer. Stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon. Continue to cook the pears until they are very soft to the touch of a utensil. (This may take up to 15 minutes, but your patience will be rewarded.) Remove the pan from the heat and using a slotted spoon divide the pears between two dessert cups or ice cream dishes.

Return the pan to the stove and add the ricotta and cinnamon to the warm syrup mixture. Stir until very smooth. Top the pears with the warm cheese mixture, then place a few berries over each serving. ***I suggest using cold berries. The sensation caused by the difference in temperature between the berries and the other component of the dessert adds an element of surprise to this dish.