Peach Clafoutis & Vanilla Creme Fraiche

I don’t know whether to call this a dessert or a breakfast because it would be appropriate for either occasion. The classic clafoutis is a cherry clafoutis which will do perfectly well since cherries are abundant but I wanted to change things up a little and use peaches. I added a whole lot of fresh vanilla bean to this which goes just perfectly with sweet ripe peaches. If you’ve never had clafoutis, it’s like an eggy pancake batter (imagine a souffle without the lift or perhaps after it’s been sitting out for a while). It’s custardy and barely sweet, allowing the fruit juices to ooze into the batter and permeate the batter. And clafoutis couldn’t be easier to make– it’s rustic simplicity is why I keep coming back to this dish. That and those browned edges. Last but certainly not least, the vanilla infused creme fraiche, in my opinion, is really the star of the dish. It’s elevates the clafoutis into a complex peaches and cream. Trust me, you’re gonna love this!

PEACH CLAFOUTIS AND VANILLA CREME FRAICHE

Ingredients:

• 4-5 ripe but firm peaches
• 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 3 extra large eggs
• 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1/2 cup of all purpose flour, sifted
• 7.5 ounces of creme fraiche
• 1 large vanilla bean
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, plus more for dusting

Directions:

• Peel the peaches, halve and pitt them. Slice into 1/3 inch thick slices.
• In a small pot heat the cream and butter until the butter has melted and the cream is hot but not boiling.
• Split the vanilla bean length wise and scrape the inside of one half with the back dull edge of a knife to extract the caviar.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla together and add the sifted flour, salt and sugar.
• Pour the cream/butter mixture into the flour mixture while whisking and keep whisking until smooth. The batter will be pretty thin. Allow to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven at 375 degrees with the rack positioned in the middle.
• Rub the inside of two cast iron skillets with butter and sprinkle the two tablespoons divided between them over the butter. Alternatively, you can use a large shallow baking dish or large cast iron skillet.
• Add the peaches to the pan and pour the batter over them so they just cover the peaches.
• Bake for about 45 minutes until puffy and golden brown around the edges. The middle should be set so that when you shake it you’ll know it’s set.
• Mix the creme fraiche with the vanilla from the  other half of the vanilla bean and add the 1 1/2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Mix until combined and put back in the refrigerator.
• Allow the clafoutis cool to room temperature or serve warm. It will deflat when you take it out of the oven.
• Sift powdered sugar over the clafoutis and serve with a dollop of the creme fraiche.

(images by HonestlyYUM)