This cooking adventure was inspired by my sister-in-law, Liz. She posted on Facebook all about her and my nephew making a apple clafoutis. Now, I have heard of clafoutis, and even looked up a recipe or two, but I was always a little intimidated by the number of eggs (as many as six!) and the use of half-and-half or cream. Not that I’m opposed to eggs or cream, but I really wanted to find a recipe that was a little lighter on the eggs and used low-fat milk, so that I didn’t have to make a special trip to the store if I got in the mood to make one.
Traditionally, clafoutis is rustic French dessert made with dark cherries. I think it gets a different name (flognarde) when you use other fruit, but I’m going with clafoutis because it’s more familiar to folks. Fancy French words aside, this is a baked custard and fruit delight! Served warm, perhaps with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream or a dusting of powdered sugar, it would be a lovely end to any dinner party. Served cool or room temperature the next day, it could grace a brunch table. But it’s also rustic, and we were happy to eat it a bit too warm with a spoon and gobbled it up cold the next day for breakfast!
Mixed Berry Clafoutis
Adapted from Apple Clafouti – a Recipe from a French Girl
A teaspoon or so of softened butter
2 1/2 to 3 cups mixed fresh berries (I used raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries)
2 tablespoons creme de cassis
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup low-fat milk
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 400F. Set a rack in the center. Smear the softened butter evenly on the bottom and sides of a 9″ pie plate.
Rinse and drain the berries well. Mix the berries with the creme de cassis and 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl and allow to macerate (hang out) while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Put the remaining ingredients (eggs through salt) in the food processor and whir until completely smooth. You may use a blender, but be sure to scrape down the sides frequently. My sister-in-law uses a whisk and does it by hand!
Pour about half of the batter into the prepared pie plate. Gently spoon the berries over the batter, making sure that the different types are evenly distributed. There will be a little juice/liqueur in the bottom — just drizzle that over. Pour the remaining batter over the berries.
Put the nearly-overflowing pie plate in the oven. Cook for about 30 minutes until golden brown on top and the center is JUST set (check it at 25 minutes). Also, I like to rotate the plate about halfway through the cooking time.
Remove and allow to cool on the counter until warm. I cut this one just a hair too soon — notice how the center is still a little loose? Refrigerate any leftovers.
