A Birthday Meal for Julia Child + Cherry Clafouti

 

 Happy 100th Birthday, Julia Child!

Today we celebrate a legend, a national icon, a lover of good food, a great teacher and an inspiring woman. I didn't become familiar with Julia Child until my adulthood but ever since, I have channeled the French Chef for inspiration, words of wisdom and fantastic recipes. I've even dressed as her for Halloween.

To celebrate her birthday, my husband and I enjoyed an intimate dinner of recipes, exclusively from her classic cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Main Dish: Poulet en Cocotte Bonne Femme (Casserole-roasted Chicken with Bacon, Onions and Potatoes)
Side: Tomates Provencal (Baked tomatoes with herbs and bread crumbs)
Dessert: Cherry Clafouti (Cherry Flan) - A simple peasant dessert. A pancake batter poured over fruit in a fireproof dish, then baked int he oven . It looks like a tart and is eaten warm.

 

The meal was beautiful and true to Julia's style. Though I don't think I'll be preparing my next roasted chicken according to her directions where you boil bacon, onions and potatoes separately and then proceed to sautee them in butter and add to a roast... I will be making her Tomates Provencal and Cherry Clafouti over and over again!

My absolute favorite Julia Child recipe is Scrambled Omelette (L'Omelette Brouillee). It's a fantastic method for making an omelet, and even better when you add fresh garden herbs. Each time I make it I chant to myself, "Be fearless, no fear...be fearless!"

It sounds so simple to have that as my favorite recipe, but I think it illustrates just how wonderful a teacher Julia Child is and was. I've learned so many proper cooking techniques and the most simple recipes become masterpieces because of her.

I'm also happy to tell you that I was included in local newspaper article about Julia Child's 100th birthday and how a few local bloggers are celebrating this special day. Lindsey of Cafe Johnsonia and Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen featured which means I'm in absolute great company! Give the article a read. It's a quick, fun read and shows just how influential Julia was to us in both her personal and culinary lives.

 

Now back to that Cherry Clafouti! This dessert recipes is a keeper and so simple to make. I actually made the batter (it's basically pancake batter) in my Blendtec blender. The most time consuming part of the recipe was pitting the cherry. That's easy, folks! You can serve the dish warm with a dusting of powdered sugar. 

It was definitely like a flan, but also a bit more like bread pudding and perfectly sweet with carmely edges and bursts of cherry in every bite. I love that it's almost more fruit than anything. Perfect for summer. I can't wait to make all the other variations. Apple is next.

Julia Child's Cherry Clafouti

serves 6-8 from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups milk

1/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flour

3 cups cherries, pitted

1/3 cup sugar

powdered sugar(for serving)

Directions:

In a blender blend the milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour. Pour a 1/4 inch layer of the batter in a buttered 7 or 8 cup lightly buttered fireproof baking dish. Place in the oven until a film of batter sets in the pan. Remove from the heat and spread the cherries over the batter. Sprinkle on the 1/3 cup of sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about for about 45 minutes to an hour. The clafouti is done when puffed and brown and and a knife plunged in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, serve warm.