Rhubarb Clafoutis

Rhubarb is one of my favorite springtime offerings. I love the beautiful pink hues that definitely encapsulate the feelings of the season. And I love it's sweet tart flavor. I picked up some rhubarb at my local grocery store this week and I wanted to try something with it I'd never done before.

I decided to make a French clafoutis, which is essentially a pancake batter poured over fruit and then baked in the oven. I sliced the rhubarb into about 1/2 inch slices and tossed them in a couple of tablespoons of sugar to macerate. This is an important step because rhubarb contains a lot of water and tossing it with the sugar helps to draw out some of the excess moisture. Plus it sweetens it up a bit. Then I drained the rhubarb in a colander before adding it to the recipe.

This recipe is such a snap to make, it literally took me 5 minutes to throw the batter together. It bakes and puffs in the oven. The center becomes just set, like a custard, surrounding tart and sweet little gems of tender rhubarb. Delish!

I had it for dinner tonight & I'll probably have it for breakfast in the morning too. (Bad, I know it.) It would be heavenly served hot with a tiny scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

Rhubarb Clafoutis

~serves 8~

Ingredients:

1 lb. rhubarb, sliced into approximate 1/2 inch pieces

5 T. unsalted butter, 4 T. melted, 1 T. used for buttering the baking dish

2/3 c. sugar, plus 2 T. sugar, for tossing with the rhubarb

3 eggs

3/4 c. flour

1 c. milk

pinch of salt

2 t. vanilla extract

confectioner's sugar (for dusting the top)

Instructions:

1. Toss the rhubarb with the 2 T. sugar in a medium bowl and set aside. It's good if you can let this sit for at least an hour.

2. In a separate large bowl whisk the eggs and sugar together until combined. Add the flour and half the milk, whisk until smooth. Add the remaining milk, the salt, vanilla and melted butter. Stirring gently until just combined. Let the batter rest at room temperature for about an hour. (You can skip this step if you are in a rush, it just makes the dough a little more tender.)

3. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Use remaining 1 T. butter to grease a 10 inch pan, (I use a cast iron skillet here, but you could use a ceramic dish, a cake pan, or a 8x8 inch Pyrex baking dish). Drain the rhubarb well in a colander and spread evenly in the prepared pan and then pour the batter evenly over the top. Place the pan on a baking sheet (in case it overflows) and bake for 1 hour. Let cool slightly before serving. Dust the top with confectioner's sugar before serving.

Recipe source: Adapted from, Glorious French Food by James Peterson