Blackberry Clafouti

I can't believe I waited until now to make Clafouti.  It has been on my list of things to try for a while now and I finally got around to it last night... this dessert has the makings of becoming a household favorite.  It is simple, non-fussy, homey, and has a wonderful taste.  And is easy to make to boot.

Tradionally clafouti is made with cherries but when we were visiting my parents we were smitten with their blackberry patch and so had brought back with us a nice bag of fresh picked blackberries.  I had seen around the blogosphere other people using blackberries in clafouti so decided to give it a try. 

There are many variations of clafouti recipes out there but I decided to go with an adaptation of the Julia Child version.  Partly because it is Julia Child and a it is French recipe.  And also because I liked the ratio of the ingredients and the steps to assembling.  I did add a bit more vanilla as I like my desserts rich and a touch of Grand Mariner.  It turned out lovely and had Dan wishing that he hadn't eaten so much for dinner earlier in the evening as he took a second serving.

Blackberry Clafouti

Adapted from the Julia Child version found on Cooking with Amy
Serves 6-8

1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
3 cups blackberries
1/3 cup sugar
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a blender, mix the milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour until smooth. Pour a 1/4 inch layer of the batter in a buttered 7 or 8 cup lightly buttered baking dish.

Place in the oven until a film of batter sets in the pan. Remove and spread the blackberries over the batter. Sprinkle on the 1/3 cup of sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for about for about 45 minutes to an hour. The clafouti is done when puffed and brown and and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, serve warm.

Enjoy!

~ Tara

Blueberry Compote

This past weekend was hot hot hot.  For those who have been saying they have missed summer hot weather this year, this past weekend was a nice big dose of that heat that we have been missing.    With blueberry season lingering, I really had a hankering for a blueberry dessert on Saturday.  Yet with our air conditioner working over time it didn't seem quite right to add more heat with the oven, so a cobbler or cake was out.  A berry compote with vanilla ice cream was the answer.

Compotes are one of the most simple items yet they are such a treat.  They can be homey and rustic or quite elegant and chic depending on how you use them.  There is also a huge variety of options and combinations out there for compotes.  I was looking for simple and the lowest number of ingredients.

Recipe: Blueberry + Strawberry Compote
Serves: 4 or so
Adapted from Gourmet

• 1 heaping cup blueberries
• 1 heaping cup strawberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Cook berries, sugar, and zest in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, thoroughly crushing blueberries with a potato masher, until juices are released and sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes.

Stir together lemon juice and cornstarch and then stir into blueberry mixture. Boil, stirring, 1 minute or so until mixture has thickened.

Transfer blueberry compote to a bowl and chill until cold, about 1 hour, or serve at room temperature

Enjoy!