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.

Time for a change!

Today I saw a documentary called "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" it is about an Australian man, Joe Cross, that for various health reasons needed to loose weight.  He had an autoimmune disease that affected his skin and he was dealing with increasing high blood pressure. He was about 300 lbs.  He had tried admittedly with little personal commitment to change he'd loose a little weight and quickly gain it back.  He was to the point were with the extra weight he was carrying made any attempts to exercise difficult and painful.  He spoke about how his taste buds were seemingly brainwashed to like only fast foods and such.

He decided he needed to make a radical change.  He decided to go on a 60 day juice fast, not store bought juice but by juicing fresh fruits and veggies.  That is all he'd consume for 60 days.  To avoid some of the trappings and temptations of being at home and among family and friends he came to the states.

He did a road trip across the country, while doing so met several people. He'd explain what he was doing and introduce them to the juices he'd drink.  He met one man, Phil a morbidly obese trucker, the shared the same skin autoimmune disease and he told Phil that he has been able to stop taking the steroids, Phil thought it was cool, and even though Joe tried to encourage Phil to jump on the bandwagon he gave a list of excuses as to why it wouldn't work for him.

A month or so later Joe got a call from Phil.  "You said you'd help me if I changed my mind, if the offer still stands I'd like to take you up on it." Joe back in Australia, decided to come back.  He set Phil up taught him how to make all the juices and got him going. When we first met Phil in the movie he did not look good, 420 lbs he could barely walk and looked very unwell.

It was amazing to see Phil's progress, he committed to 10 days of the Juice fast, it wasn't easy for him but he did it and the difference was astounding. His change in energy levels and look on his face was remarkable, inspiring.

I was struck by people in the movie that had many excuses why they couldn't make changes in their lives.  Phil's brother was one of them, and during the making of the film he had a heart attack.  For me it was a wake up call.  I am not as bad off as Phil but I am surely bad enough. I need to make a change.

I am changing this blog at least for now into a journal of my progress.