There is a very long list of things I look forward to as summer starts to come an end and fall arrives. But my most anticipated BIG three are: (1) the release of movies most likely to be considered Oscar-worthy, (2) new book releases having compelling stories and/or written by some of my favorite authors, and (3) comfortably cool, low humidity days when the air-conditioning is turned off and the windows are finally opened again. Throw in fall apple picking season, the autumnal landscapes, crackling fires to take the chill off the day, and making homemade caramels again, and I get almost giddy just thinking about them. Much to my surprise, at least two of my favorite BIG three things, arrived early this year. While a shift in the weather wasn't one one of them, my Amazon book wishlist seems to grow almost daily and my consumption of movie theatre popcorn (a guilty pleasure) has increased significantly in the past couple of weeks. My preferences books and movies are somewhat similar in that they usually don't skew to the humor genre. I am more of a drama, fable, historical fiction, realistic fiction kind of girl. But after seeing the Rom-Com "Crazy Rich Asians" this past weekend, I may have to put humor back on the list. Have you seen that movie yet? OMG it is so-o-o-o-o crazy good, I almost want to see it again. You absolutely have to see it as there is more to this film than a love story. It might even be one of the contenders for the family Christmas movie this year. Fingers crossed it's out on DVD or available on demand when December rolls around.
As the glory days of summer come to an end, sadly so does the tomato, peach, and berry season. Which means I have to get my fix in for all of them before they have all but disappeared from the Farmer's Markets and grocery stores. At least overindulging in summer tomatoes, peaches and berries isn't such a bad thing.
Four years ago I shared a recipe for a Cherry Clafoutis, a slight adaptation of a version shared by Williams-Sonoma. This time I am sharing a slightly altered version of Julia Child's recipe for this classic French custard-like textured dessert. Clafoutis, pronounced 'kla-FOO-tee' (or you can hear it spoken here), originates from the farming region of Limousin, France but didn't gained widespread popularity until the nineteenth century. The word clafoutis comes from the verb 'clafir' which means 'to fill'. Traditionally it is made with un-pitted cherries. Yes, unpitted. While not discounting the subtle almond flavor cherry pits give to the custard, today most Cherry Clafoutis are made with fresh pitted cherries. Seems risking someone choking on a cherry pit is considered slightly more important than a hint of almond flavor these days.
But Clafoutis purists might argue a clafoutis is not a clafoutis if it's made with anything other than cherries. Instead a clafoutis made with berries or any other fruit would be considered a flaugnarde. Although in her cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I", Julia Child refers to one made with blackberries or blueberries as "Clafouti aux Mures or Claufouti aux Myrtilles". Which means I feel safe calling this a Black and Blue (berry) Clafoutis.
With the creation of clafoutis being attributed to peasants and farmers, it is and is intended to be a simple dessert. How else would we consider a pancake batter poured over fruit and baked in an ovenproof dish anything else? Yet, as simple as it is to make, the mere presentation of a Clafoutis as a dessert makes it appear to be so much more.
The technique used here for assembling the clafoutis is different than one recommended by Julia Child. Instead of using a blender to whip up the custard's ingredients, I used a standing mixer with a whisk attachment. Additionally, I did not whip all of the custard ingredients at once. Using the technique from my Cherry Clafoutis recipe, I whipped the eggs and 1/3 cup of the sugar together for approximately four minutes (until they had almost tripled in volume) before adding in the flour, milk, cream, salt, and vanilla. With the exceptions of increasing the salt from 1/8 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon and using a milk/cream combination versus using milk only, I kept all of the other ingredient amounts the same as Julia's recipe. Well that's not completely true. I made one more ingredient exception. Instead of using 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour as she recommends for a clafoutis made with juicy, berry fruits, I used the 2/3 cup of flour amount from her Cherry Clafoutis recipe. After having made this Black and Blue (berry) Clafoutis I am not sure I would increase the amount of flour to the higher amount. Maybe I would use up to 3/4 cup of flour if the berries were overly ripe.
After buttering a heat proof dish (use an au gratin style or round pan), a quarter of the batter is poured into it. Instead of setting the pan over moderate heat on the stove top to allow the batter to develop a film, I placed the pan in a preheated 350 degree (F) oven for approximately 5 minutes. And then I sprinkled on the berries and the remaining 1/3 cup granulate sugar before pouring over the rest of the batter.
The recommended baking time will range from 45 to 60 minutes, however, the size and depth of the pan will affect it. With the pan I used, my baking time was closer to the 45 minute mark.
A clafoutis is intended to be served warm, not hot. Once removed from the oven, it can sit for 5-10 minutes before it is finished with a dusting of confectionary sugar.
But even after we finished our first helping of the Black and Blue (berry) Clafoutis, it was still delicious at room temperature several hours later.
I used a combination of fresh blueberries and blackberries, but it would be equally delicious using one or the other. Don't let the summer berry season come to an end without making this Black and Blue (berry) Clafoutis because it wasn't intended to be with frozen berries. Bon Appetit!
Black and Blue (berry) Clafoutis (several alterations to Julia Child's Berry Clafoutis recipe as shard in her cookbook 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I')
Ingredients
2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar, divided
3 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
2/3 cup (87g) all-purpose flour
14 ounces fresh berries (mixture of blackberries and blueberries or use only blackberries or blueberries) Note: Do not use frozen berries.
Confectionary sugar for dusting
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Butter a 10" baking pan or dish with deep sides and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment beat 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar and the eggs until light, fluffy, and has more than tripled in volume (approximately 4 minutes).
3. Add in the milk, vanilla, sea salt, and flour. Mix on medium speed to blend.
4. Pour 1/4 of the batter into the prepared baking pan. Place in oven and bake for 5 minutes or until a film forms on the batter.
5. Remove from oven. Sprinkle the berries evenly over the partially set batter. Then sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar over the berries. Pour remaining batter over the berries.
6. Return pan to oven and continue to bake for 45-60 minutes or until sides are lightly golden and clafoutis is set in the middle. Note: Size of the baking pan will either increase or decrease baking time.
7. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before sprinkling with confectionary sugar. Serve immediately. Note: The clafoutis is best served warm but it is delicious at room temperature.
Notes: (1) Instead of using both whole milk and whipping cream, can use whole milk only. If using whole milk only use 1 1/4 cups. (2) Instead of blackberries and/or blueberries, could also use freshly pitted cherries. (3) Check for doneness at the 40 minute mark. Again, the size of the pan will affect baking time.
Sedona, Arizona (March 2016)
