Rhubarb Clafoutis

Traditional clafoutis (cluh-FOO-tee) is a French dessert somewhat like a Dutch baby pancake with sweet cherries baked into the top. It's the perfect cross between custard and cake but is both faster and easier to make than either. My rhubarb version stretches the name a little and while the French wouldn’t go along with calling this a clafoutis, I’m taking the liberty and running with it. Even though you’ll need to cook the rhubarb a bit before adding it to the clafoutis batter (rhubarb is too sour to top a dessert without a little help and you’ll get a sweet syrup for garnishing by cooking it), this dish is still a flash in the pan you can toss into the oven while dinner cooks and enjoy a hot dessert tout de suite (right away or as I like to say, “tootie sweetie.”) Later, it’s lovely warm, at room temperature, or even cold the next day for breakfast. To serve 8, you might want to add a small serving of sliced strawberries to each plate.

serves 6-8

Ingredients

3 cups rhubarb sliced into ½-inch pieces
½ cup granulated sugar plus 6 tablespoons -- divided
¼ cup water
Kosher salt
Softened butter
6 large eggs at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier-optional
1 ¼ cups milk
¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Powdered sugar for serving (You'll also have a syrup for drizzling on the baked cake after cooking the rhubarb.)

Instructions

PREHEAT OVEN to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and place rack at center.
COOK THE RHUBARB: Add rhubarb, ½ cup granulated sugar, the ¼ cup water, and a pinch of salt to 3-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook gently for 8-10 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Strain rhubarb into a bowl, reserving the resulting syrup to use as a drizzle on top after the clafoutis has baked. Set aside both the rhubarb and the syrup.
BUTTER + HEAT THE PAN: Butter generously a 10 or 11-inch cast iron skillet and warm it over low flame while you make the clafoutis batter. (You can use a 2-quart casserole, too. Warm it in the oven with the butter and brush the melted butter around all over before adding the batter and baking.)
MAKE THE CLAFOUTIS BATTER/POUR INTO WARM PAN/ADD RHUBARB: Combine the eggs, vanilla, Grand Marnier, if using, milk, other 6 tablespoons of sugar, and a pinch of salt in a blender or food processor (or with a whisk by hand), blending a few seconds. Add the flour and blend until smooth, about one minute. Pour the batter into the warm skillet. Gently spoon the cooked rhubarb onto the top of the batter -- about 2 tablespoons at a time -- evenly around the pan. I made one circle around the perimeter, another circle inside that, and one last dollop of rhubarb at the center. You can create your own design.
BAKE THE CLAFOUTIS/SERVE WITH DRIZZLED RHUBARB SYRUP: Bake for about 30 minutes or until quite golden brown and puffed. Let cool a few minutes and then dust with powdered sugar. Slice and serve hot, warm, at room temperature, or cold with a drizzle of the reserved rhubarb syrup.