Saturday, February 18, 2012

Clafoutis Provencal & Cookbook Sundays # 11

Clafoutis Provencal 1

My goodness where did the last week go to?  It seems to have vanished in a flash, and here we are at Saturday evening again and time for another Cookbook Sundays.  If you've been delving into your cookbooks lately, I'd love you to share your post with me and my friends who are trying to get those cookbooks down off the bookshelves and onto the kitchen bench.  Keep reading for full details on how to participate.

In the meantime ... what did I conjure up from my cookbooks this week?  In actual fact my recipe this week comes from "The French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook".  This book is not in my collection, and is probably not the kind of book that I would buy.  But I was at the library the other day, and it was out on display.  Don't really know what made me pick it up, but the book immediately fell open at this recipe and I knew that I just had to make it.

The French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook

Now, one glimpse at my photos, and you won't need me to tell you that this dish is not going to win any beauty contests.  It's brown food, people, and not even Lord Lichfield could have made this look good.  Still, for all its wallflower looks, this dish delivers on flavour.

In the introduction to this recipe, the author says, "Clafoutis usually refers to a dessert preparation, but in Provence it can be a savory yet still rich dish with cheese, eggs, and bread."  The sweetness of peppers in this dish, with the pungency of garlic, the salty brininess of black olives, the earthy herbaceousness (probably not a real word, but you know what I mean) of basil, and the nutty, tangy Parmesan makes a great combination.  If I had a disappointment in this dish it was probably the aubergine.  Now I love aubergine - it's one of my favourite vegetables - but in this dish it somehow didn't shine and didn't do anything to enhance the dish.  I would definitely make this dish again, but I think I would use red peppers instead of yellow - I think red have just a bit more sweetness and more flavour, also the bright colour I think would look a bit more appealing.  Other changes I would make ... I think some slow roasted tomatoes would be great in here, for both colour and flavour, and I feel inclined to swap the aubergines out for some courgette - again I think the colour and flavour would be better here.  But, hey, really you could put just about anything in here.  You could even take this in a totally different direction using some Italian sausage or chorizo, with sweet potato or pumpkin, some spinach and blue cheese ... mmmmm, think I just might have to try that.

A funny thing ...  The recipe stated that it would serve 4 and I have to say that when I got it out of the oven, my first thought was "Well that's obviously why French women don't get fat - this would barely feed two".  I was wrong - I served this as a main meal with a light green salad, and it would easily give 3-4 servings.  I think this dish would really shine served for a late summer lunch, followed by a long siesta.

Clafoutis Provencal 2

Clafoutis Provencal Recipe
Adapted from recipe by Mireille Guiliano from
Serves 3 to 4
Vegetarian
Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1x medium aubergine, cut into 1 cm (1/2 in) dice
1x yellow pepper, deseeded & cut into 1 cm (1/2 in) dice
flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1x slice of bread, crusts removed
2x garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup ricotta
3x large free-range eggs
2 tablespoons fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/2 cup black olives, stones removed and halved
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

fresh basil to garnish

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).

Grease a 20 cm (8 in) square baking dish with butter and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in pan set over medium heat, and saute the yellow pepper and aubergine until softened and just starting to caramelise.  Season with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Set aside to cool.

Put bread, garlic, eggs and ricotta into a food processor, and process until smooth.  Remove to a bowl;  add the basil, olives, Parmesan, and the cooled aubergine and pepper mixture;  season with more flaky sea salt and black pepper;  and mix everything together gently.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and put into the hot oven.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly golden on top.  Take care not to overcook.

Remove from the oven and serve warm, garnished with extra basil.  A crisp green salad makes a good accompaniment.

Now read on to learn more about Cookbook Sundays.

Cookbook Sundays Badge 

If you're anything like me you have dozens of cookbooks gathering dust on your bookshelves, some of which have never even been cooked from.  Sure I spent hours browsing through them when I first bought them, marking all the recipes I was going to make with little post-it notes, and yet still those books languish in the bookcase and never make it to the kitchen.  There are others from which I have made but one recipe which was such a resounding success that I've made it over and over again, and yet somehow I've never made anything else from that book.  Sound a bit familiar?!

Take comfort - you are not alone, and now Cookbook Sundays is your opportunity to change that.  Every Sunday I'm going to share with you a recipe that I haven't made before from one of my ever expanding collection of cookbooks.  And, because I know that if you have read this far then you are guilty of this too, I'm inviting you to join in with me.  Each week my Cookbook Sundays post will have a linky for you to share something you've cooked from one of your cookbooks.

The rules for joining in are simple:
  1. Your post must state the author and the title of the book your recipe has come from.
  2. Your post must mention Cookbook Sundays and link back to this post.  Including the Cookbook Sundays badge is optional, but always appreciated.
  3. You may submit as many entries as you like, and you may use the same cookbook as many times as you like.  Old posts are also welcome.
  4. Lastly,  remember that what goes around, comes around - one of the reasons you are participating in this is because you want people to read your posts, so do the right thing and go and visit a few of the other participants - you can even "Like" your favourites. 
Now, go and dust off those cookbooks and get cooking!  Use the linky tool at the end of this post to submit your entry/entries - simply scroll down to where it says "You are next ... Click here to enter", and then follow the instructions.  The linky will be open for one week.

Lastly, if you would like to use the Cookbook Sundays badge in your post, simply copy the code in the box beside the badge below and paste it into your post.  Feel free to also use it in your sidebar if you wish.

CookbookSundays

36 comments:

  1. I wanna play! Currently the cookbook count is something over 3,000 and I haven't even looked at some of them. This is the perfect opportunity to put a few of the even very obscure ones to service.

    by the way... I'm loving the savory Clafoutis!

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    1. Oh, I've answered your questions about the courgette pickles on the post. Toby

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    2. Thanks, Toby - I would love you to join in here. Wow - a cookbook collection of over 3,000 tomes is amazing - I defy anyone to top that!! You could actually start a cookbook library.

      Coming over now to check out the courgette pickles.

      xo

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  2. Looks delicious! I've had sweet clafoutis before, I'd love to try a Provencal. I joined in this week with a black bean soup! This is the push I need to start using my cookbook collection.

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    1. Thanks, Carol. It was great to try a savoury interpretation of this classic dish.

      Thanks so much for joining in with Cookbook Sundays, and for sharing your black bean soup with us - I hope you'll join in again :-)

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  3. Morning Sue! I love the name of that cookbook, lol. I have to go check it out on Amazon now. I'm contributing some classic Black and White Cookies to Cookbook Sundays today. I've had this cookbook a while and this is only the second time I've used it. So many cookbook, so little time. Thanks for hosting and have a great weekend!

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    1. Hey, Brenda - I agree with you - too many cookbooks, not enough time. Love your Black & White Cookies - I've never heard of them before. Thanks so much for sharing them with Cookbook Sundays xo

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  4. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment on my homemade peanut butter post -- please let me know if you do give it a try. :)

    I like the theme of your Cookbook Sundays. It's comforting, in an odd way, to know I'm not the only one with a cookbook collection that doesn't always get used. We all have our go-to cookbooks, I guess. And isn't that just the way it should be?

    ~Lisa

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    1. Hi Lisa, thanks for stopping by. Yes, I definitely have a few go-to cookbooks that I turn to all the time, so I'm really enjoying making myself dip into some of the others that I don't use so often, and I'm finding some gems in the process :-)

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  5. What a wonderful find from the library. Like you I wouldn't have bought such a book but that's what libraries are for. It made me laugh to read what you said about portion size as I'm on a kick this year to reduce all the portion sizes rather than put myself on a diet.

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    1. Hi, Julie - portion control is my biggest challenge - I'm truly such a glutton I'm convinced of it. I pretty much always find around here that a recipe for four usually feeds just the two of us!!
      xo

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  6. I've only ever come across sweet clafoutis before, this one looks gorgeous! Perfect for Sunday night dinner :)

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    1. Nice to have a savory variation, Jemma - but I think my next clafoutis is going to be a plum and chocolate one I came across in Donna Hay's "Seasons" book. You're right though, this dish is perfect for a Sunday night dinner, in fact I ate leftovers tonight :-)
      xo

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  7. Your clafoutis looks delicious! Have heard of this book and am curious to see the contents actually! Glad that this recipe is a winner! I have just linked up! Wish you a lovely Sunday!

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    1. Thanks, Joyce. Even though, as I said in the post, I probably wouldn't have bought this book, I've been quite surprised by it, and there are quite a few recipes I want to try.

      Thanks for joining in with Cookbook Sundays again - the Chilli Pork looks great.

      xo

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  8. This does look delicious. I've never made a clafoutis - sweet or savoury - but it's something I'd like to try one day soon. I love the mediterranean vegetables in it.

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    1. Thanks, Corina - just about anything made with Mediterranean vegetables is a winner - it's the food language of summer.

      Thanks so much for sharing your Potato & Pea Samosas - I can't wait to try them :-)

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  9. Ah, yes. Gems to be found, indeed!

    ~Lisa :)

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  10. Hi Sue-seems like all the past Sundays were about different foods that I posted that were not from a cookbook...otherwise I would have linked up. Love your French Provencal Clafoutis, love the textures, the vegetables, and the beautiful presentation. All you need is a nice green salad with this, and a nice glass of red wine, and it will make you feel like you're in South of France...sigh! (wishing)

    I linked up with my Weight Watchers Corn Bread from my trusty WW New Complete Cookbook.
    xo

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    1. Thanks, Elisabeth - funnily enough a nice green salad and a glass of red wine is exactly what I had with it.

      Thanks so much for sharing your corn bread.

      xo

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  11. If a cookbook falls open to a particular recipe, I think that's a good sign!

    Thanks for hosting! I brought a yummy shrimp dish this week.

    To answer your question about the King Cake Baby...
    It's a crazy blend of old pagan fertility rituals (which is what Mardi Gras as a whole originates from) and religious symbolism (baby Jesus). That's Louisiana for ya! Weekly (often on Fridays) during Carnival season people have King Cake parties. The person who gets the King Cake baby in his/her piece of King Cake has to provide the cake at the next party.

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    1. You're right Michelle - it's definitely a sign!!

      Thanks for sharing your shrimp dish. I've had that one bookmarked for a while. I had this dish, sitting in a little sidewalk cafe, on my first night in Athens last year - so this dish holds a special place in my heart.

      Hope you enjoy Mardi Gras, and thanks for letting me know about the King Cake baby.

      xo

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  12. I did not realise that clafoutis could be savoury as well as sweet - this recipe sounds wonderful! I love all the wholesome ingredients - it really does sound like a taste of summer. I've shared an Orange Angel Food Cake this week, from The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook. Thank you for hosting.

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    1. I love it when you come across dishes which are savoury interpretations of classic sweet dishes. Thank you for so much for joining in and sharing your Orange Angel Food Cake - what a special cookbook.

      xo

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  13. Hi, I just found your blog via Elizabeth @ Food and Thrift and have been enjoying my visit. You have such a lovely blog and I plan on many more visits.
    Your clafoutis looks so delicious! I never knew that clafoutis could be savory! It sounds marvelous!

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    1. Hi Kathy - nice to "meet" you. Thank you so much for visiting and taking the time to leave your lovely comment.

      A savoury clafoutis was a revelation to me too, but I'm pleased I discovered it :-)

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  14. Your savory clafoutis sounds so good. I've only made the sweet kind, and we call them Dutch Babies for some reason. I usually put fruit at the bottom, cooked in a bit of butter, then add the batter.

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    1. Hi Claudia - I have never heard of Dutch Babies before but, like you, I had only ever heard of the sweet kind until now.
      xo

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  15. Nice to see a vegetarian French recipe :-). Did you enjoy the book? I didn't read it but heard so much about it!

    Ciao
    Alessandra

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    1. Hi Alessandra - actually not a bad book, and it does contain plenty of vegetable dishes and salads. There are a few meat dishes, but very few, and quite a few fish dishes as well. I have bookmarked Roasted Cauliflower with Raisins and Capers to try, as well as Eggplant with Curry and Honey.
      xo

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  16. Hi Sue, I've just linked up! Have a nice day!

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    1. Thanks for sharing your lovely little coconut cakes, Joyce xo

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  17. I love this book! I have two of the Frenchwomen books at home. Good reading and great recipes. My Welsh buddy said Clafoutis is like a creamy sweet Yorkshire pudding. I haven't made one yet but am always wanting one each time I see a photo.

    Very nice, Sue!

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    1. I suppose clafoutis is a bit like a sweet Yorkshire pudding - never really thought of it like that before. Hope you give it a try sometime.
      xo

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  18. Hi Sue, I've linked one more to share! Have a lovely weekend!

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    1. Thanks for sharing another recipe, Joyce. Hope you enjoy your new cookbook xo

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