Blackberry (as in the fruit) Clafouti
Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 12:15PM
Clafouti – say that three times fast. Or how about flaugnarde three times fast?
I know the true traditional French original clafouti is made with cherries and this should really be called a flaugnarde, but who ever heard of a flaugnarde? You can make this with plums, peaches, pears and obviously cherries. Maybe strawberries but I personally don’t like cooked strawberries. I don’t think raspberries, as they would collapse with the baking process and turn to raspberry mush, plus you’d have all those seeds to deal with – which again, I can’t stand – in fact, come to think of it, I don’t even like raspberries that much – they annoy me. Back to the clafouti…
I hadn’t made one of these in years and years. I pushed it unjustifiably to the back of my mental recipe memory box. A clafouti or flaugnarde is one of those things, once you make it, it becomes a “go to” dessert. It’s my pick as a perfect brunch dish since it’s a cross between a custard and a pancake chock full of fruit. A clafouti as versatile as it is delicious and dead easy to make – don’t let the name put you off!
16 oz blackberries, picked over and rinsed
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup heavy cream
½ cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons
½ cup flour, sifted
grated peel of one lemon
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 10-inch round pie plate. Toss blackberries with 2 tablespoons of sugar, peel and arrange in plate. Heat the milk and cream in a small pan over medium heat until just simmering. Remove and set aside. Whisk ½ cup sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl until combined. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. The batter will be thick. Add milk slowly and whisk constantly to make a custard. Pour custard over blackberries, if necessary tip plate to make sure all the berries are covered. Bake 35-40 minutes until the custard is set and slightly puffy.
