Blueberry Clafoutis

We live in Southwestern Washington, one of the great things about living in the Pacific Northwest is the bounty of berries and other amazing fruits.  We went to a local berry farm it is only about 5 minutes away from our house, the place is Majestic Farms in Brush Prairie, WA. We bought 11 pounds of Blueberries for just over $13. These are wonderfully sweet and have great flavor.

Blueberry Clafoutis (pronounced kla-foo-TEE) is a french desert some say it is a cross between a crepe and a custard, or if you are familiar similar to a German pancake.  It is pretty easy to make and it is very delicious.  I think it makes a desert that looks like you worked hours on when start to finish it is about 30 minutes including bake time.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 - 1 lbs or fresh berries, in this case blueberries.
• *squeeze of lemon 1/2 to 1 tbs (optional)

Preheat oven to 425º

PREPARING THE BATTER:

1. Beat the eggs together until they turn pale yellow in color and become very foamy. Can take 3 minutes or so.
2. Add milk, vanilla, sugar, salt and mix until incorporated.
3. Add flour and mix until no lumps, only 1-2 minutes, you don't want to over mix once you add the flour it can make the final result tough and rubbery.

PREPARING THE DISH:

1. Brush your baking dish generously with butter, than sprinkle sugar all over the dish.  I like to use powdered sugar for this but most recipes call for regular table sugar.
2. Arrange the fruit in the dish, you can use as much or as little fruit as you like. I like to have some seperation between the berries.
3. Pour in the batter until the berries are almost covered but still poking out a little.

BAKING:
Bake at 425º, I like to use a pie pan for mine for that size about 15-20 minutes is fine.  It will puff up and can brown on the top.

Some people prefer a more custard consistancy for that let it cook less time 12-15 minutes, some like more solid.  Make one each way and see what you like.

SERVING AND EATING:
You can eat cafloutis fresh out or the oven, warm to room temp, I don't prefer it cold from the fridge.  Cut a piece, plate it and sprinkle with powdered sugar, you can serve with whipped cream or even ice cream. I like it as is.

*I like what the lemon adds to the flavor I put a squeze in the batter, traditional recipes don't call for lemon. I also add some on the slice clafoutis when I serve it and sprinkle with powdered sugar.