Blackberry Clafoutis

Fabulous is the only way I can describe my clafoutis when I saw how beautiful it looked when they began to puff up in my oven! And so easy to prepare! I have baked grunts, slumps, cobblers, pan dowdies and the like, but I have never baked a clafoutis. I must be only person in the whole world who hasn't, judging from the plethora of clafoutis recipes on the Internet. All were beautifully prepared and photographed, so I was a little hesitant to post my blackberry clafoutis in Hay, Hay, It's Donna Day #19 hosted by two time winner of HHDD, Bron Marshall. If you aren't familiar with HHDD, it's a fabulous blog event created by Barbara of winosandfoodies and I am proud to be one of the event's winners with my blackberry lemon verbena sorbet. It was just a coincidence that I chose another blackberry dish for this event. The recipe I used was part of a Fall menu and used dried cranberries and toasted walnuts which would make it very much an American dish, but I loved the way the blackberries looked nestled in the egg milk mixture. I did a little research on clafoutis and found that the dish when made with fruits other than cherries becomes a flaugnarde.

While shopping in my favorite restaurant supply store, I found four Lodge pre-seasoned iron pans about 6 inches in diameter with au gratin handles on either side. I would have bought more, but that was all they had in stock at them moment. I love cooking in cast-iron and knew my clafoutis would look great in these little pans.

Recipe adapted from "Sunday Suppers at Lucques" by Susanne Goin.

Blackberry Clafoutis

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
3 extra large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 pint fresh blackberries, washed and drained

Heat milk and the 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until warm but not hot. In a large bowl, whisk eggs together. Whisk in 1/2 cup sugar, the flour, and the salt. Add the warm milk, whisking well to incorporate completely. Let the batter rest 1 hour at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 10-inch round baking dish or 4 6-6 1/2 inch cast-iron pans with the 1 teaspoon butter. Sprinkle the baking dish or individual pans with the 2 teaspoons sugar. Tip to coat bottoms and sides of dish. Pour batter in the pan. Arrange the fresh blackberries around the pan. Bake about 45 minutes for large pan and about 30-35 for smaller pans. Serve hot or cold.