Cinnabar Newsletter

Welcome to the new online Cinnabar newsletter!
 
Each month we will offer recipes from our kitchens, and wine matches from Zoltan Szabo, Sommelier.
 
This month we feature a delicious raspberry dessert, and two wine selections from Southbrook Farms.

Summer is here, with all it's bounty.  Raspberries have to be one of my favourite summer berries, and there are myriad ways of using them.  Eating them out of hand is always wonderful, with a touch of whipped cream, or they can be preserved in jams, Rhumtopf, or steeped in red wine vinegar.  Basically, raspberries rock, and this month's recipe gives a twist to a classic bistro dessert, clafoutis.

Traditionally, clafoutis is made with cherries, set in a ceramic dish, covered with a light batter and baked until puffed and lightly browned.  The dish works wonderfully with raspberries as well.  I like to do this dessert in shallow fluted ramekins, in individual servings.  Individual ceramic fluted ramekins are availible at specialty kitchen shops.  This dessert is best served fresh from the oven, just dusted with a little icing sugar, but it can be made ahead and reheated with no loss of flavour.  However, the dessert will not exhibit the dramatic puff of the fresh-baked.  Like a souffle, clafoutis starts to sink soon after coming out of the oven, but it is not quite as delicate, and will survive sitting around for a bit if you choose to pre-bake it.

Zoltan's 'Wine of the Month' :

Southbrook Farms Canadian Framboise  $14.95 
Southbrook Farms Framboise d'Or (made from golden raspberries)  $29.95

 

Raspberry Clafoutis
(serves 8)
 
2 quarts raspberries, approximately
 
Batter:
4 eggs
4 oz. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch salt
1 Tbsp. rum
4 oz. flour
12 oz. milk
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 
Lightly butter and flour your ramekins.
 
Whisk eggs and sugar together vigorously until foamy.  Add vanilla and rum.  Add flour and salt and whisk until smooth.  Slowly pour in the milk, whisking well to keep the batter smooth.
 
Place ramekins on a tray.  Arrange the raspberries in the ramekins, leaving space for the batter to go around all the berries.  Pour the batter over the berries and gently press them down so the batter covers the fruit.  Bake 35-45 minutes, or until puffed and lightly browned.  Dust with icing sugar and serve right away.
 
 

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