Rhubarb Clafoutis
I grew up eating rhubarb raw, dipped in sugar. (A precursor, perhaps, to Fun Dip? Maybe I should suggest a rhubarb flavor. But I digress.) I've been a huge fan ever since.
I make rhubarb compote to serve with pork chops. I pop in regularly for Honoré Artisan Bakery's rhubarb vanilla tart in Ballard. I pine for Port Townsend's Fountain Cafe's rhubarb fool parfait, no longer on the menu. And I'm primed for my father-in-law's strawberry rhubarb pie, sure to appear once Washington's strawberries are in full flush.
I thought I had seen rhubarb in all its guises, until I walked into Seattle's Le Pichet one evening. Among the dessert selections on a chalkboard on the wall was rhubarb clafoutis. Hmm...
I have always been a purist when it came to clafoutis. I've put my nose up at pear, peach and plum. For me it was cherry or nothing. Until rhubarb came along. It never occurred to me that you could put rhubarb in clofoutis. Wasn't it too sour? Well, not with Chef James Drohman's secret ingredient... It's divine!
Special thanks to Chef Drohman of Le Pichet for sharing this recipe:
Rhubarb Clafoutis
Ingredients:
1 pound rhubarb
1 vanilla bean
7 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for dusting
3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup cream
2 tablespoons of dark rum
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon butter
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Clean and trim the rhubarb. Cut in 1/2 inch dice. Toss the rhubarb with the rum.
2. Butter a 10-inch round deep pie dish with the 1 teaspoon of butter. Dust the pan with sugar, rotating the pan to evenly coat. Tap out any extra sugar.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and sugar. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl, whisk lightly, then whisk into the dry mix. Whisk in the cream.
4. Halve the vanilla bean and carefully scrape out the seeds and pulp. Whisk into the custard mix. Whisk in the salt. The custard should be smooth. Let the custard rest for 20 minutes.
5. Drain the rum from the rhubarb and whisk the rum into the custard mix. Spread the drained rhubarb evenly in the prepared dish. Pour the batter over the rhubarb. Sprinkle the top of the clafoutis generously with sugar.
6. Bake until the clafoutis is nicely browned on top and just set in the middle, about 20 minutes. This can be served warm or at room temperature, with sweetened whipped cream and a little confectioner's sugar sifted over the top.
Serves 8
--Tracy Schneider
Delishhh on June 01, 2010 at 02:57 PM
Ok this story is great, this is what i used to do. I ran home to grandmothers with a bowl of sugar and dipped my rhubarb in it. Read my story here: http://delishhh.com/?p=1336
drew on July 23, 2010 at 09:44 AM
I tried this recipe earlier this month, having had it at Le Pichet. My Rhubarb was a little early, but it was still good. Thank you for posting this.