flirting with flavor

When the word rolled off my tongue my dinner guest blushed and quietly insisted I not talk dirty to him, since, after all, we were both married and not to each other. As tempting and natural as it is for me to combine lust with food my intentions tonight where purely innocent. Tonight I was merely dancing around my introduction for the French dessert I was eagerly pulling out of the oven, a dessert whose name alone guaranteed, at the very least, bitefuls of deliciousness.”Cla-foo what?” my guest, now safely twirling his banged up wedding band,inquired with misdirected disappointment.”Clafoutis”, I clarified, explaining that the dish is pronounced “cla-foo-tee” and is a custard-based batter mixed with fruit, typically cherries. I went on to explain that if pudding is the epitome of the American comfort dessert, then clafoutis most definitely should serve as France’s, only healthier because of the fruit thrown in.I pretty much lost my guest at “tee”, which was all right and expected. The minute this dessert, which is best served warm out of the oven, arrived at the table, everyone was silenced and dazzled. Mind you, this was one of those evenings where I had no clue what I’d produce for the meal’s finale and had to come up with something good and quick in a hurry.Clafoutis is best served warm out of the oven or at room temperature. The freshness of the dessert makes its shelf-life last a nano-second, which is a good thing, because it usually takes one sitting for this treat to be gobbled up. Oh, and your guests will be wowed beyond belief. They’ll think you are a culinary genius, and as they look at that round, delicious dessert bursting with fresh fruit teasing through a gentle sprinkling of powdered sugar (there’s something to be said about sprinkled powdered sugar) they may even want to sleep with you. So serve clafoutis at your own risk, wear your new undies, (because you just never know), and enjoy this spectacular dessert either way.Clementine Clafoutis (adapted from Mark Bittman)Mark Bittman came up with the brilliant idea of replacing the traditional cherries used in this dessert with clementines, of which you will find boxes piling up in your local grocers these days. It makes for a refreshing alternative, the zest and juice of the clementines works nicely with the mellow warm custard. Of course, Clafoutis is a most flexible dessert and will work well with many fruits, so poke around your fridge for any forgotten ones: peaches, plums, or pears. Dried fruits (apricots or prunes) will also serve as proud stand-ins. Butter as needed1/2 cup flour, more for dusting pan3 eggs1/2 cup granulated sugarPinch salt3/4 cup heavy cream3/4 cup milk5 to 15 clementines, peeled and sectioned, about 3 cups1/2 teaspoon clementine zest1/2 teaspoon vanilla extractPowdered sugar.1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a gratin dish, about 9 by 5 by 2 inches, or a 10-inch round deep pie plate or porcelain dish, by smearing it with butter, just a teaspoon or so. Dust it with flour, rotating pan so flour sticks to all the butter; invert dish to get rid of excess.2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs until frothy. Add granulated sugar and salt and whisk until combined. Add cream and milk and whisk until smooth. Add 1/2 cup flour and stir just to combine.3. Layer clementine sections in dish; they should come just about to the top. Pour batter over fruit. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until clafoutis is nicely browned on top and a knife inserted into it comes out clean. Sift some powdered sugar over it and serve warm or at room temperature. Clafoutis does not keep; serve within a couple of hours of making it.6-8 Servings