A deliciously light starter or side dish to celebrate the French asparagus season this spring. Recipe adapted by Eric Frechon, author of "Clafoutis" and executive chef at the Bristol in Paris. I've added lemon zest, delicious with both parmesan and French white asparagus.
Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F/140°C fan/gas 3. Wash the asparagus spears and snap them ⅔rds of the way down, where they break naturally. Peel them as close as possible to the spear heads. Keep the peelings!
Cut the asparagus in 3 (or 4 if extra big), reserving the spear heads.
Fill a large pan with water and bring to the boil with the asparagus peelings, adding a tablespoon of sugar (to reduce the bitterness).
When bubbling, remove the peelings and cook only the spears for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
Using the same cooking water, drop in the rest of the asparagus chunks and cook for no more than 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the clafoutis batter: mix the eggs, cornflour, cream, grated parmesan, lemon zest and season with a little salt and pepper.
Drain the asparagus chunks and, using a hand blender or food processor, mix the asparagus and cream together.
Pour into a non-stick tart dish and decorate with the reserved asparagus spears. Sprinkle over some pine nuts or sesame seeds for an optional crunch.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until golden.
Notes
Individual portions: pour into a greased or non-stick 6x muffin or briochette tin and bake for only 25 minutes. Turn them out directly on guests' plates for an elegant but simple starter (or prepare in advance and reheat before serving).Weight: I urge you to weigh the asparagus in this recipe. If much more than the recommended amount (500g/1lb), it will add extra water/juice to the clafoutis. Wine pairing suggestions: enjoy this asparagus clafoutis either warm from the oven and serve with a glass of chilled Pinot Blanc from the Alsace or Chenin Blanc from the Loire.Nutrition facts: 36% total fat; 8% fibre; 4% carbohydrate; 444% vitamin D; 23% calcium; 26% iron; 8% potassium.
Keyword asparagus recipes, savoury clafoutis recipe, white asparagus recipe French