Clafouti patooti footi. It’s time for a French dessert recipe, everyone! The Northeast has experienced frigid temperatures and record snow falls this year. It’s driving me up the wall. On the news I heard there is even something called “snow rage”. Snow rage? Like….really? I’m a bit skeptical that it’s an actual thing, but the way I’ve been feeling, who knows. Everyones mood has been flipper faster than a table on New Jersey Housewives (yes, you have permission to roll your eyes at me for writing that). Basically it’s just a regional wide feeling of funk.
To cheer myself up, I thought it would be great to bake something comforting, simple, and undeniably French. There’s something about the effortless elegance of French food that I desperately needed. Since I’m no master of French cuisine (unless you count eating it), I turned to the culinary idol we all know and love; Julia Child. That woman was the culinary reincarnation of God. Any god. All gods. She was so smart, talented, amazingly quirky, and infinitely knowledgeable. The only difference between my clafouti recipe and hers is the amount of sugar and the type of fruit that is used (for the first time ever, I didn’t have cherries in the fridge).
So other than a silly name, what is a clafouti? I’m glad you asked. It’s a semi-rustic tart that’s made up of vanilla custardy batter and berries. It can be eaten either warm or cold, although I personally prefer it chilled. So does my mom. My dad…well, he inhales cake/pie-like desserts so I don’t think he had a preference. Don’t be scared to make it either…this is a”blend and pour” type of recipe. If you can use a blender, you can make all the clafoutis your heart desires. Enjoy!
**Makes 8 servings**
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
1/3 + 3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup blackberries
Powdered sugar, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Butter a pie pan.
Put the flour, milk, salt, vanilla, eggs, and 1/3 cup of sugar in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Pour 1/4 inch of batter into the bottom of the pie pan. Bake for 7-10 minutes (takes roughly 8 mins in my oven). Remove from oven and scatter fruit over this thin layer. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Pour the rest of the batter over the fruit and bake for 45-60 minutes (takes 50 minutes exactly in my oven).
Remove from oven, cool slightly or cool completely/chill before slicing.
Dust with powdered sugar, serve, and enjoy!