If there wasn’t a restaurant on Sunset Boulevard here in LA with that name, I would have never known what the heck this is. Pronounced “Cla-foo-tee,” this is a French dish normally made with a kind of custard and fruit (mostly cherries). Recently, I’d heard people talking about making this with vegetables, so I thought I’d give it a shot myself–keeping the integrity of French cuisine, but making it a little healthier. I thought it came out really well. Give it a shot and let me know what YOU think!
Rona’s Savory Clafoutis
Ingredients:
Olive oil spray
1 small eggplant, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 red pepper, seeded and cut small
1 leek, cleaned and sliced thin
Fresh pepper to taste
1 slice of whole grain bread
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup fat free or part skim ricotta
5 egg whites (or you could use 1 whole and 3 whites)
2 tbsps fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp paprika
Preheat the oven to 350. In a large skillet sprayed well with the olive oil, saute the eggplant, pepper and leek over medium heat until all are softened. About 5-8 minutes. Season with pepper and set aside.
in a food processor, mix the bread, garlic, ricotta and eggs and puree. Fold in the vegetables, dill and parmesan until well mixed.
In a 9 x 12 Pyrex dish sprayed coated with the olive oil spray, pour this mixture in and sprinkle the top with the paprika. Bake for about 35 minutes. The top should be lightly browned. Serve.
I made this and had it as a side dish with some simple broiled chicken and I’ve also had it for brunch, adding a side salad to complete the meal. Both worked well. Feel free to add your own list of veggies. Try it with basil or oregano instead of the dill. There is so much you can do with this quiche-like dish.
Oh, it freezes well, too.
Enjoy!
Talk to you soon,
Rona
