I'll get right to it: I love fruit. Forget juicy T-bones and creamy mashed potatoes, for me any fruit would trump that. One of the easiest ways to appreciate this season's fruits is to turn them into clafouti (pronounced cla-foo-ti), a classic French dessert resembling a cross between custard and a puffy pancake. This dessert originated from the Limousin region of France. It’s classically made with black cherries, pits and all. Supposedly the pits add more flavor to the dessert, but I usually make it less traditional by removing them.
Not only is clafouti quick and easy to make, but it's also versatile. It can be made with other fruits such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and stone fruits like apricots and peaches. When I took a peek at my blueberries this morning, I realized that they were in less than stellar condition but not mushy or bad enough for me to get rid of. Here's how I saved them:
Blueberry Clafouti
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar
2 ½ cups blueberries
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a shallow 1½ quart baking dish. Sprinkle the bottom and sides with 1 tablespoon sugar. Scatter blueberries over the sugar.
Put the eggs, milk, vanilla, flour, salt and the remaining sugar in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour gently over the berries. Bake until clafouti is puffed and firm to the touch, about 35 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm.
