A wonderful new book for any egg lover is Lisa Steele’s “The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook.” It recently came across my desk, and I was intrigued by the author’s story.
Steele, a former Wall Street worker, left her city life for a cozy home on a farm in Maine, where she maintains a farm that produces eggs galore. She now shares her experiences, recipes, and lifestyle with her readers.
Steele’s chickens gave her the impetus to write a deliciously enticing cookbook. From fried eggs to omelets and even soufflés, the recipes will have you wanting more. I perused the book and found that I wanted to try the combination of roasted rhubarb with a clafouti (pancake-like) batter. This is a recipe that fits into Seriously Simple cooking.
This classic French dessert, which usually calls for whole pitted cherries enveloped in a pillowy, custard-like batter, can be made with other fruits as well. The author uses fresh rhubarb from her garden. If you can’t find rhubarb, you can use cherries, apples, or pears.
I love that the rhubarb slices are first roasted with sugar before the batter is poured over the hot fruit. The batter will be thin, like a pancake batter, and the flour should be blended in until the batter is just smooth, so that the clafoutis doesn’t become tough or chewy.
Once baked, the consistency of the batter will be similar to a loose pudding, but it will firm up as it cools. I like to serve it warm. It’s so pretty to look at, I recommend bringing it to the table, setting on a trivet, and spooning it out to serve in front of your dinner companions.
Roasted Rhubarb Clafoutis
Serves 6 to 8
- Butter (for greasing the pie plate or skillet)
- 2 cups sliced fresh rhubarb (1/2-inch slices)
- 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use butter to grease a 9-inch pie plate, skillet, or other oven-safe dish. Sprinkle the rhubarb with 2 tablespoons of sugar, toss to coat, and then arrange the rhubarb in an even layer across the bottom. Bake for 10 minutes while you prepare the batter.
Add the milk, eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla bean paste, ginger, and melted butter to a blender and blend until smooth. Add the flour and pulse until incorporated. Pour the batter over the roasted rhubarb. Set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to prevent overflow, if necessary.
Bake the clafoutis for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are set, and the top is puffed and golden brown. Remove the clafoutis from the oven and let it cool slightly, then dust with confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm if you like more of a pudding consistency or at room temperature for a firmer slice.
Recipe excerpted with permission from “The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook” by Lisa Steele, published by Harper Horizon, 2022.
