President’s Day – Feb. 17

President’s Day is so named in honor of all the former United States Presidents.

Up until 1968, the birth anniversaries of Presidents Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and George Washington (Feb. 22) were celebrated in various states as holidays.

President Lyndon B. Johnson established President’s Day in 1968.

On June 28, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson changed all that when he signed the Monday Holiday Law.  This law established Monday observances of Washington’s Birthday as well as various other holidays such as Columbus Day, regardless of the traditional dates.  The new law went into effect in January 1971.

The third Monday in February was chosen as Washington’s Birthday and a legal holiday.  It has since been renamed President’s Day.

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Julia Child’s Clafouti Recipe

As defined by Wikipedia:

Clafoutis  (French pronunciation: ​[klafuti]; Occitan: clafotís [klafuˈtis / kʎafuˈtiː]), sometimes in Anglophone countries spelled clafouti, is a baked French dessert of black cherries arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter. The clafoutis is dusted with powdered sugar and served lukewarm.

Cherry-Clafouti-Dil-Se

A traditional Limousin clafoutis contains pits of the cherries.^[1] According to baking purists, the pits release a wonderful flavor when the dish is cooked. If the cherry pits are removed prior to baking, the clafoutis will be milder in flavor.

Julia Child’s Cherry Clafouti

Chef Julia Child introduced French cuisine to many Americans.

This recipe is from “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck.

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8

• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2/3 cup sugar, divided
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 cups pitted cherries
• Powdered sugar for garnish

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the milk, one-third cup sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour in the blender jar in that order. Cover and blend at top speed for 1 minute.

2. Pour a one-fourth-inch layer of batter in a lightly buttered, fireproof 7- to 8-cup baking dish or a 1 1/2-inch deep Pyrex pie plate. Set it over moderate heat until a film of batter has set in the bottom of the dish, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Spread the cherries over the batter and sprinkle on the remaining sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.

4. Bake until puffed and brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Sprinkle the top of the clafouti with powdered sugar just before bringing it to the table. (The clafouti need not be served hot, but it should still be warm. It will sink slightly as it cools.)