Blackberry Clafoutis

It's been a while since I've posted (for which I do apologize). And, it's now blackberry season, with a large, rambling blackberry vine behind our office blessing us with an abundance of fresh, luscious berries.


I've been through blackberry and feta salad... blackberry cake with cream cheese icing... blackberry liqueur... you get the picture. (Unfortunately, I did not take any).

And now, with a bunch of extra blackberries, I decided to try a clafoutis recipe from Williams-Sonoma. A clafoutis has a baked custard-like filling, usually with berries or cherries.

Now one thing that I have not figured out is if a crust is typical for a clafoutis. At the bakery I worked at, our clafoutis had a short biscuit-like crust. But a lot of recipes I've seen since are more like casseroles - baked directly in a dish and spooned out for serving.

I like having a crust, as a person who has an abnormal preference for crust (pizza, pie, etc). A crust provides a delicious counterpoint to the creamy filling and tart berries. It also makes serving easier, and I'm all about presentation.


And if you're making one tart, you might as well make a whole bunch of extra tartlets.


A clafoutis is quite simple. Once you have your tart shell (or not, depending), just lay out your berries. Choose your favourite, or any combination thereof. Frozen berries could be used just as well as fresh.


The filling is simply beaten eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, flour, and whipping cream. It's essentially a custard, but not cooked before baking. It's poured around the berries, almost to the top of the crust.


And through the magic of the internet...


Enjoy! And I promise to post soon.