Baked Savory Mushroom Clafouti

Well it's Sunday and I am inspired to cook this exciting recipe. The recipe calls for a medley of mushrooms cooked in a rich and flavorful cream sauce. The cream is infused with an aromatic and earthy fragrance from the mushrooms with a Clafouti batter for the crust.

Clafouti is a classic French custard with a berry or cherry filling. It is easy to prepare and it has an elegant presentation, which makes it a perfect choice for any occasion.
So after brunch with Kwan and Steven, we drove over to Berkeley Bowl to get some fresh mushrooms. The recipe called for Portobello mushrooms, but I've decided to use fresh shitake, dried chanterelles and porcini. Hmmm, this dish will be perfect paired with a glass of cabernet or pinot noir--life is good!

Top: shitake, bottom (L-R): chanterelles, porcini

Ingredients: (Adapted from Savory Baking, with minor changes)
8 ozs fresh shitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1-inch slices
1 Tbsp. shallots, finely minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1¼ cups heavy whipping cream
salt and blacke pepper to taste
1½ Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. black or white truffle oil
Baking dish or individual ramekins
Batter:
½ cup dried mushrooms (mixed variety of chanterelles, porcini, or morel)
¾ cup boiling water
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
pinch of salt
Method:
1. Add boiling water to the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with dish towel. Soak mushrooms for about 20 minutes. Squeezed and drained most of the liquid from the mushrooms into the bowl. Reserve half of the mushroom liquid. Chop the hydrated mushooms into small bite-sized pieces.
2. In a mixing bowl, add flour and pour the reserved mushroom liquid into the flour. Beat with a wooden spoon until mixture is smooth. Add salt, pepper, beaten eggs, and chopped mushrooms pieces. Continue to mix into a smooth batter. Set aside for later use.
3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly butter baking dishes or ramekins.
4. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the fresh mushrooms and sauté until most of the liquid evaporates from the mushrooms. Continue stirring until the mushrooms lightly browned on both sides, giving an aromatic and earthy fragrance. Add shallots, garlic, and spices and continue to sauté until the shallots are translucent.
5. Stir in the heavy cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a rapid boil and cook the cream until it reduce by half. The mixture is ready when it thickly coats a spoon. Remove and stir in the truffle oil. Remove and divide mushroom mixture into prepared baking dishes. Place prepared dishes on a baking sheet.
5. Pour the Clafouti batter evenly on top of the mushroom mixture and bake in the center of the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust begins to puffed up and and mushrooms are bubbling. Remove from oven and serve warm with or without toast.

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