Recipe: Apricot Clafouts

Apricot Clafoutis

This is a beautiful summer clafoutis. Make sure your apricots are not over-ripe, or they will fall apart during baking and all the batter will be on the top.

1 1/2	pounds firm but ripe apricots, cut in half if small, quartered if large, and pitted

2	tablespoons peach or apricot brandy

1	tablespoon lemon juice

7	tablespoons sugar

3/4	cup milk

1/2	cup plain non-fat yogurt

3	eggs

1	vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

	pinch of salt

2/3	cup sifted unbleached or all-purpose white flour

	powdered sugar for sprinkling over the top

1. Toss the apricots with the peach or apricot brandy, the lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl. Let sit 30 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 10- or 10-1/2-inch ceramic tart pan or clafoutis dish.

2. Drain the liquid from the apricots and beat together with the milk and yogurt. Beat the eggs with the seeds from the vanilla bean or the vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a whisk, until smooth. Add the remaining white sugar and the salt. Beat together. Slowly beat in the flour, then the milk and/or yogurt. Mix together well. The ingredients can also be combined in a blender and mixed at high speed.

3. Arrange the apricots in the baking dish, rounded side up. Pour in the batter.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is browned and the clafoutis is firm. Press gently on the top in the middle to see if it's firm. If it isn't, return to the oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly on a rack. Place 2-3 teaspoons of powdered sugar in a strainer and tap it above the clafoutis to dust. Serve warm.