I used to spend a lot of time antiquing in London and surrounding areas. I'd fly over every few months to attend antiques shows, flea markets, and shops. Across from my hotel was a book shop where I spend lazy Sunday afternoons if there were no shows or business meetings to attend. My relief from the hectic schedule was the book shop and there I discovered some of the most beautiful magazines I have ever seen. The Australian Women's Weekly cookbooks (magazines) were wonderful with the awe inspiring pictures and short easy recipes. The Australian women must have haunted their mailboxes each week anticipating the delivery of these wonderful cooking instructions. I bought an entire series over the years I spent there and today I've started going through them again. The bake shops of London and outlying areas always featured moist dense cakes, delectable tarts, and the fat deep biscuits (cookies). The rest of the food in London, as you have heard, was not to be written about in the same paragraph.
London sported very few open markets. One at Portobello Road (one of the world's largest flea markets) was nice, but the antiques took up all of my Saturdays with little thought given to fruits and vegetables down the hill from what I had my mind on, and really, the reason for being there at all. In the country side I don't recall seeing outdoor markets, but then I was fixated on my center of interest and how to pack it all and how to get it back to America.
The good news is that you can still get these magazines. I went to Amazon and typed in Australian Women's Weekly cookbooks and there it is! Unbelievable. I ordered a bunch more, so I will inundate you with pictures and recipes from these wonderful magazines.
The second picture shows a clafouti which is basically pancake-like batter poured over fruit and baked. The fruit of choice is usually cherries and now the bing cherries and the Queen Anne cherries are in season, it is my fruit of choice. Barefoot Contessa shows a pear clafouti (which she seems to mispronounce on her shows) in her book Barefoot in Paris. Perhaps there is more than one way to pronounce clafouti, but hers is just funny to me. I was told, in Paris, that it sounds like 'klaf o TEE'. Ina pronounces 'kla flutee' or some such thing. (Mine is correct, I heard it prounced on the Internet several times and it is confirmed below.)
Anyway, it is an easy doable recipe and is a quick fix for pop in guests or over-nighters. We must remember that most countries do not make their sweet treats as sweet as the Americans and its especially true with this one.
Cherry Clafoutis or clafouti (pronounced kla-foo-TEE) is a rustic looking French country dessert from the Limousin region that has become very popular in North America. Traditionally it was made with the first sweet cherries of the season, and the cherries were left unpitted so their kernels could release their delicate almond flavor as they baked. A Cherry Clafoutis is a pudding of sorts, with the sweet cherries covered by a thin pancake-like batter and baked in a hot oven until the batter has set with nicely browned and slightly puffed edges. The clafoutis should be served immediately with a dusting of confectioner's (powdered or icing) sugar.Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/CherryClafoutis.html#ixzz0u8RCtWmb
Cherry Clafoutis: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Wash the cherries, remove the stems and pits.
In your food processor or blender place the flour, salt, eggs, 2 tablespoons (25 grams) 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 (23 cm) 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 cherries, and cook until the cherries have softened a bit and are coated with butter (2 - 3 minutes). Then sprinkle the cherries with the sugar and cook until the sugar has dissolved and turns into a syrup (1 - 2 minutes). Pour the batter over the cherries and bake for about 20 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 confectioners sugar and yogurt, creme fraiche or softly whipped cream.
Serves 2 - 3.
Cherry Clafoutis:
1/2 cup (65 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated white sugar
3/4 cup (180 ml) milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 - 1 pound (340 - 454 grams) fresh sweet cherries, pitted
1 tablespoon (13 grams) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated white sugar
Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/CherryClafoutis.html#ixzz0u8TV3eSA
Barfoot Contessa:
(Pear Klaf o tee)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons pear brandy (recommended: Poire William)
2 to 3 firm but ripe Bartlett pears
Confectioners' sugar
Creme fraiche
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Butter a 10 by 3 by 1 1⁄2-inch round baking dish and sprinkle the bottom and sides with 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar.
Beat the eggs and the 1⁄3 cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, mix in the flour, cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest, salt, and pear brandy. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel, quarter, core, and slice the pears. Arrange the slices in a single layer, slightly fanned out, in the baking dish. Pour the batter over the pears and bake until the top is golden brown and the custard is firm, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with confectioners' sugar, and creme fraiche.
PEACH CLAFOUTI:
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds fresh peaches, (about 4 cups) peeled and sliced
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange liqueur
2 tablespoons cornstarch combined with 2 tablespoons water, to form slurry
Batter:
1 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
4 whole eggs
1/4 cup heated milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup flour
2 scoops peach ice cream
Fresh mint, for garnish
Cinnamon, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the peaches, sugar, orange liqueur, and slurry together in a sauce pot. Bring up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Reduce to a syrup consistency, about 3 to 4 minutes. For the batter: In a standing electric mixer, whip the sugar and eggs together until light in color and ribbon like texture, about 3 minutes. Mix the milk and butter together, and incorporate into the egg mixture. Fold the flour into the egg mixture. In a 13 by 9-inch baking pan, cover the bottom of the pan with the peach mixture. Spoon the batter over the peaches, spreading evenly. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes for until the batter has set and is slightly golden brown. Spoon the clafouti into a bowl and top with the peach ice cream. Garnish with fresh mint and cinnamon.
Reaction to Australian Women's Weekly:
As I review these magazines called cookbooks, I am having a tough time not squealing with giddy excitement. How can they turn out these wonderful magazines every week for over seventy years. I can literally feel my shirt and Capri pants morphing into a frilly apron, lace collar, and a broomstick skirt. Clear the way, I am ready to cook.
http://www.dispatchkitchen.com/live/content/recipe/cookscorner.html
If you are looking for good recipes try visiting the Cooke's Corner in our Columbus Dispatch newspaper. It once was bigger, but with the economy, the pages on Wednesdays have been cut back, but it is all on line. (Not as much fun as having it every Wednesday morning with a hot cup of coffee, but good, just the same.) I just made the Kroger recipe of peanut butter-oatmeal cookies as seen on my facebook. I want to try the ham rolls next.
