Summer Fruit Clafoutis
Summer Fruit Clafoutis
By Sheryl Julian
Serves 6
The French baked custard with fruit, called clafoutis (cla-foo-TEE), is as easy as a dessert gets. You whir similar ingredients to pancakes -- eggs, milk, flour, and sugar -- and pour the batter over fruits in a baking dish. The original clafoutis comes from Limousin in south-central France, where cherries (unpitted) went into the dish. Unless you stop by a farmhouse in the Limousin region, you won't find it made that way. Clafoutis can be baked with a variety of fruits, such as apples, pears, and plums. Here, the bottom of the dish is filled with raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cut-up peaches, and quartered figs. We use more fruit than a typical clafoutis so it's hard to cut the dessert into wedges. But you get all those beautiful summer tastes surrounded by an eggy custard (some cooks compare it to flan). To prepare the clafoutis in advance, make the batter and refrigerate it; overnight is fine. Spread the fruits in a well-buttered dish and refrigerate them too. When it's time to bake, let both come to room temp and pour the batter into the dish. Clafoutis puffs nicely in the oven and deflates immediately (as quickly as a souffle). Nothing you can do about that. Just sprinkle it with confectioners' sugar and serve it with a big spoon. It's juicy and custardy and a very welcome summer dessert.
| Butter (for the dish) | |
| 3 | eggs |
| 1½ | cups whole milk |
| 1 | teaspoon vanilla extract |
| Grated rind of 1 lemon | |
| ½ | cup granulated sugar |
| ¾ | cup flour |
| ¼ | teaspoon baking powder |
| ½ | teaspoon salt |
| 3 | cups mixed summer fruits (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cut-up peaches, quartered figs) |
| Confectioners' sugar (for sprinkling) |
1. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Generously butter a deep 10-inch baking dish (2-quart capacity).
2. In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, lemon rind, and sugar. Work until the mixture is smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Work again until the mixture is smooth.
3. Spread the berries in the baking dish. Pour the egg mixture on top. Transfer to the oven.
4. Bake the mixture for 40 to 45 minutes, or until it is set and golden and puffed.
5. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar (the clafoutis deflates quickly) and serve with a large spoon.