In my upcoming book, you'll read about cooking with your Kitchen Intuition — by feel, without needing to rely on an exact recipe. It’s the easiest way to cook. Once you learn a few simple recipes by heart, you can modify them based on what you have on hand. A French clafoutis is a perfect example.
Traditionally, a clafoutis is made by mixing eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and a few tablespoons of flour, then pouring the batter over fruit. But you can also make a savory clafoutis — just skip the sugar. It’s a wonderful way to repurpose leftovers, and you can add just about anything!
This version features leftover roasted zucchini and Roquefort cheese. You’ll find more variations after the recipe.
Leftover roasted zucchini or 2 medium zucchini to cook
About 3 ounces of Roquefort (preferably from a fresh block, not pre-crumbled)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup cream
3 eggs
3 tablespoons flour
Sea salt & pepper
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Butter a baking dish (optional step — see the notes below).
Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl.
Add the flour and whisk until well combined and the lumps have dissolved.
Add the milk and cream and whisk.
Season with salt & pepper.
If using leftover cooked zucchini, place it in the baking dish.
If starting with raw zucchini, slice the zucchini about 1/4 inch thick and sautee the zucchini slices in olive oil, or place them on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and roast at 350° F until tender.
Crumble the Roquefort and sprinkle it atop the zucchini.
Pour the batter over the ingredients.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until firm and golden on top.
Serve the clafoutis warm or at room temperature. To warm leftovers, cover with foil to keep the clafoutis moist.
Experiment with goat cheese or Parmesan — you can create endless combinations.
Throw together a clafoutis with your leftovers — even if it's not picture-perfect, you'll make a great dinner!
Preparing the baking dish with butter prevents the clafoutis from sticking to the dish. However, I often skip this step to save time, and it's fine!
This recipe produces a light and custard-like result. Some people prefer clafoutis that are denser and more cake-like. To try this, use 1/3 cup of flour instead of 3 tablespoons.
You can make clafoutis batter ahead of time and store it in the fridge to use later. It saves you a step when it's time to make dinner, and the batter is better after it sits for a while — the lumps will dissolve.
Goat cheese, Gorgonzola, and Gruyère are also excellent with zucchini.
Again, you can put just about anything in a clafoutis!
Mixed Fruit — made with what I had at the time
