Easy Skillet Recipe: Dark Cherry Clafoutis & Cream

Since I featured steaks in a cast iron skillet yesterday for game day, I thought this recipe for Clafoutis (pronounced kla fou TEE) would be a good follow-up. Clafoutis is French, but don't be intimidated. It's simple and rustic, but can be very elegant. I've made it for a dinner party and also when camping! The batter puffs up around the fruit and the edges get browned and a little crusty; it's delicious. The texture is almost like an egg custard. So, get those cast iron skillets out and try this! You'll love it. I always serve it warm with a generous dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of heavy cream. It's a winner! You can make it with different fruit. I like it with pears or apples, too.

DARK CHERRY CLAFOUTIS

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

6 eggs

6 tablespoons sugar

1 ¼ cup milk

Pinch salt

¾ cups of flour

3 cups pitted cherries (don't get the canned cherries in heavy syrup. Use the 24.7 oz  bottle of Dark Morello Cherries in light syrup, if you can find them. Drain them well. Or you can use fresh*)

Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a large cast iron skillet or baking dish. I love the presentation in the skillet, personally. Combine vanilla, eggs, sugar, milk, and salt in a food processor or blender. Blend for a few seconds until combined and then add the flour and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. (if you don't have a blender, you can just whisk until well combined, the sugar is dissolved, and batter is smooth)

Pour the batter into the skillet. Cover the top evenly with the well-drained cherries. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Don't be tempted to open the oven during baking or the clafoutis may fall. Serve warm. Dust the top with powdered sugar or a drizzle of heavy cream, etc.   

*Using fresh fruit: Put the butter in the skillet and let it melt. Once it has, add about a pound of  fresh, pitted Bing cherries to the butter and let them cook to soften for about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and stir until the juice thickens into a syrup. Pour the batter over the fruit and bake as directed above.

Ultimate Summer Party Fun: Make Homemade Ice Cream!

In Argentina: Freddo's Dulce de Leche Ice CreamWhat is the ultimate party food? Ice cream, of course. I've been on a homemade ice cream kick. I just made a batch of homemade Dulce de leche. (caramel) I swear, it's pretty close to my favorite ice cream in the world, Freddo in Argentina! I'm going to work on perfecting the recipe but it's already pretty good.

HOMEMADE DULCE DE LECHE ICE CREAM

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used organic)

3 Tablespoons butter

pinch salt

1 cup whole milk

3 cups heavy cream

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and cook it for about 4 minutes stirring constantly. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat and keep stirring so that the caramel won't stick or burn. Reduce the heat to low. Slowly stir in 1/4 cup cream and stir until smooth. Continue adding and stirring in the cream until it is all incorporated into the caramel. Next, whisk in the eggs, one at a time until well incorporated. Whisk in the milk and salt. Return to the heat and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until the mixture reaches about 160 degrees with a candy thermometer. Stir in the vanilla. Place the pan into an ice bath or you can pour the mixture into a container and place it in the fridge until it has cooled completely. Once cooled, transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and freeze according to directions. Once it is frozen, you'll have a nice soft serve or you can put it in the freezer and let it harden up a bit. Maybe I won't even need to go to Argentina this year!

Summer Fun: How to Create a S'mores Bar!

Want to add a little old school fun to any summer party? Build a s'mores bar! It's really easy to create some old school fun... who doesn't love s'mores! 

First question: what kind of party are you having? Casual? More elegant? Don't worry. You can create a s'mores bar with unique ingredients to suit the style and theme of your party. Use containers and vessels to suit the decor and mood of your event.

I like to make the marshmallows easy to reach so I create a little "sculpture" with them. For roasting, use something you can put into the fire--- wooden skewers work well, but only if you soak them in water for 30 minutes first so they don't burn up.

Select ingredients that will suit your menu. For this backyard camping party theme, we went a little old school with Hershey bars, graham crackers, and Jet-puffed marshmallows but added some fun with Nutella, the chocolate and hazelnut spread, sliced strawberries, coconut toasted marshmallows and even peanut butter. Then we also added some different cookies: Biscoff, Almond Thins, and ginger snaps are all good choices. 

Simply toast up your marshmallows to the desired degree of doneness. I don't like mine too burnt, but I know some of you do. Spread Nutella on your cookie. Layer sliced strawberries or raspberries. Add your toasted marshmallows and top with another cookie spread with Nutella. Your guests will love this variation on a campout classic!

Watch Martie's video on how to throw a backyard camping party on MyRecipes.comGreat ingredients for a s'mores bar:

Almost any topping you find at an ice cream or yogurt shop will work for a s'mores bar!

Hershey Bars

Nutella spread

Peanut Butter

Mini chocolate chips

Marshmallows

Orange marmalade

Sliced strawberries

Raspberries

Chopped peanuts

Sprinkles

Shredded coconut

Dulce de leche or caramel

Chopped, toasted hazelnuts

Chopped pistachios

MORE FUN WITH S'MORES! TRY MY OTHER RECIPES FOR THIS CLASSIC SUMMER TREAT:

INDOOR S'MORES- Rain? No time to build a fire? Try these fast, easy s'mores. And they keep!

S'MORES POPSICLES- Layer chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows for a frosty treat!

FOLLOW MARTIE ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE RECIPES, COCKTAILS, PARTY IDEAS & FUN!

Holiday Cookie Recipes: Kelly's Favorite English Toffee Cookies

I soooo love it when my friends and our readers send me their favorite recipes--- because I know they're going to be really, really good! I get all of the benefit of a great new recipe without all of the work perfecting it. Kelly, my website designer, longtime co-worker, friend, and the busy mother of two beautiful boys, sent me her favorite holiday cookie recipe--- and I just popped my first batch in the oven. Try these for your Christmas Eve party or take a batch to the office. They smell delicious! Can't wait to give them a try!Thanks Kelly!

Kelly's English Toffee Cookies

1 Cup Butter (unsalted) room temperature

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Egg Yolk

2 Cups Flour (all-purpose)

1 Tsp. Vanilla

1 Large Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar (broken into small pieces) for the top

1 Cup Chopped Nuts OR 1/2 Cup Crushed Candy Canes

Kelly's adorable boys, Camden & TuckerDIRECTIONS: Combine butter, brown, sugar, egg yolk, flour, and vanilla in a bowl. Pat into a greased 15x10 jellyroll pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Remove and add the chocolate pieces over the top. Return to the oven for a few minutes until chocolate softens. Remove and spread the chocolate over the top. Add chopped nuts or the crushed candy cane for garnish. Place in the refrigerator for an hour. Cut into 1.5 inch squares.

                                      HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Need more recipes? Here are some good, tried and true recipes for your holiday get-togethers!

COCKTAILS

Hot Apple Pie Toddy                    Hot Buttered Rum  

Oatmeal Cookie Martini               Pralines & Cream Martini 

OTHER EASY FAVORITES:

Endive Leaves with Herbed Goat Cheese

Tipsy Tomatoes, Mini BLT's, and Caprese Kabobs

Pickled Citrus Shrimp

Butternut Squash Soup

Apple Tart with Pomegranate Carmel Sauce 

Back to the Classics BBQ for Memorial Day: Dessert Ideas

Don't forget the dessert! For this year's back-to-the-classics Memorial Day BBQ, you're going to need some refreshing old-school desserts to round out the menu. Here are a few easy suggestions: 

WATERMELON FREEZE

Everyone loves watermelon at a summer BBQ so I always have it on the menu. In addition to big wedges of watermelon, I've added a new favorite I call Watermelon Freeze. You can make this with or without the alcohol but we loved it with!

Use a small melon baller to scoop out about 10-12 melon balls per guest. Put them in a large mixing bowl and add 1 cup lemon-lime soda and 1/2 cup Limoncello liqueur. (I substituted Orange liqueur once and it was good, too) Toss well to coat the melon. Allow it to absorb the liquid for about an hour in the fridge then you can pop the melon balls into individual serving cups or you can transfer to large freezer bags if you need to transport. Place into the freezer allowing the melon to freeze for at least 2 hours. To serve, carefully scoop the frozen melon balls into serving dishes and top with a drizzle of the Limoncello- I keep my Limoncello in the freezer so it is really cold. Delish!

ICE CREAM DREAMS

I dream about ice cream, do you? Homemade ice cream is not as difficult as it was when I was a kid; there's no cranking these days! My mom made the best homemade ice cream so we never really complained about the cranking--- it just took too darn long to get to the good stuff! Here's a recipe I found on MyRecipes.com that is very close to my mom's fresh peach ice cream, which was one of our favorite treats every summer. Make ice cream sundaes, or just add a bunch of sweetened, fresh berries to your double scoop. Here's a whole ice cream slideshow to help you find the perfect recipe for your crowd.    

OH MY---PIE!

How about an ice cream pie? I've seen tons of beautiful cherries in the stores lately--- so perhaps your should pick this Cherries Jubilee Pie as your sweet ending? Yum.

So, you don't want to cook this holiday weekend? Then I have a little secret for you. Costco has the most amazing apple pie! It is soooo good and it is beautiful, too. I have served this several times and guests thought it was homemade. (I may or may not have corrected them) Take a look at this Costco apple pie topped with ice cream-- the ultimate old school dessert for our back-to-the-classics BBQ.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Update on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at 9:14PM by Martie Duncan

Hey! I made the Watermelon Freeze again yesterday for a backyard BBQ with friends Sam and Carolyn--- two of my favorite foodie friends and most reliable recipe taste testers. Sam made his famous ribs and BBQ sauce-- more on that tomorrow!! Yum!

A few more tips for Watermelon Freeze:

If you don't want to fool with a melon baller, watermelon chunks taste just as good!

Save your watermelon juice to make Watermelon Mojitos--- recipe to come!

Use 1/2 of the amount of Limoncello to the lemon-lime soda. You can always add a little more if you like.

Leave it in the freezer for about an hour before serving--- max. Tastes best just slushy.

It looks really pretty when you add the lemon-lime soda-- it fizzes up. You might add a little at the table for show just before serving!

If you want to make it for the kids, skip the Limoncello and add a little sprinkle of lemon-lime Kool-Aid mix, and stir in the soda.