Sun-Kissed Summer Bounty

Hundreds of them have the blush of the sun’s kiss. For two years, I have missed apricots on my little tree, but this year it produced a bumper crop. My father says apricots can be a temperamental fruit to grow, and he has seen trees do the very same thing as mine: produce wildly and then take a break. I thought perhaps the lack of apricots was due to The Great Bee Death, about which I had been hearing so much. Although Malibu is not exactly the optimum place for stone fruit since we have so little heat and an abundance of fog, I have waited patiently for them to ripen, chasing off robins and blackbirds daily who were looking for a sweet treat.

This evening marked the first picking of the crop, which was a bit of a precarious task since various cacti grace the base of the tree. I enlisted my youngest son, Kevin, to join me, and the result was a glorious array of sun-burnished, pale orange fruits. We tried several and declared them perfect.

Caitlin, my youngest, who is enjoying the French countryside this week, is having the opportunity to try many a mouth-watering dessert, but she knows her mother is no slouch when it comes to sweets, and in particular, when it comes to French sweets. I began baking at age seven, producing with my cousin, Denis, a mile high cake with sea foam frosting and a chocolate drizzle. I recall that our families were so impressed that I was thereafter declared my mother’s dessert chef for her parties. When Julia Childs began her television series, my mother christened me, “The French Chef,” because I managed with aplomb to dirty every dish in the kitchen whenever I cooked.

By my early twenties, I had already lived abroad, so was quite attuned to European cuisine. Alice Medrich opened Cocolat in Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto, and it was not long before her amazing French tortes found their way into Bon Appétit magazine. I determined to master the art of the perfect genoise and the slick ganache. I cannot recall one flop. None was difficult—just time consuming and a bit expensive, given our limited budget while my older daughter, Anna’s daddy was in law school. Good chocolate, fresh nuts, and unsalted butter were luxuries on this teacher’s salary.

I have also been on a mission to teach my son, Kevin, the fine art of cooking, and as he finished dinner, I told him he was going to learn to make Clafoutis d’Abricot—a French dessert that is a bit of a cross between a pudding and a cake. The typical clafoutis is made of fresh cherries, but as my daughter, Anna, best said it: we like to eat the cherries as is and we have a tree filled with apricots. The batter is nothing more than a basic pancake or crepe batter. We first whipped that up in the food processor, with Kevin doing the measuring. As soon as we left the batter to rest, we began to prepare the apricots. Because the apricots are fully organic—no sprays of any sort—they only needed a quick rinse. Into the 9-inch pan they went, along with a bit of sugar and a pat of butter. We brought the pan to a quick simmer and pulled it off the heat. Kevin poured the batter on top and in it went into the oven.

Less than fifteen minutes later, we pulled out this glorious soufflé-like dish. I served up a portion, graced it with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, and dusted it with confectioner’s sugar. Not too sweet, clafoutis is a perfect light dessert—one that brings back memories of the French countryside and of sunny afternoons. Here is our recipe for Clafoutis d’Abricot, which you can enjoy with any fresh fruit you have on hand or in garden.

Clafoutis d’Abricot Elizabeth et Kevin

Serves 4

½ cup all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs
¼ cup granulated white sugar
¾ cup milk
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ - 1 pound fresh sweet apricots
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons granulated white sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven. Wash the apricots, slice in half, and remove pits.

In your food processor or blender place the flour, salt, eggs, ¼ c. sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Process for about 45 - 60 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once the batter is completely smooth, let it rest while you prepare the fruit.

In a large 9-inch heavy nonstick ovenproof skillet melt the butter over medium heat making sure the melted butter coats the bottom and sides of the pan. When the butter is bubbling, add the pitted apricots, skin side up. Add just enough apricots to cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 T. of granulated sugar. Cook until the apricots have softened a bit and the mixture has turned into a syrup (1 - 2 minutes). Pour the batter over the apricots and bake for about 15 minutes or until the clafoutis is puffed, set, and golden brown around the edges. Do not open the oven door until the end of the baking time or it may collapse. Serve immediately with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar and vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream. Bon appétit!