Good for Brunch...Or Dessert: Maple-Cinnamon Double Berry Clafoutis!

Until recently, I had never heard of a clafoutis (clah-fout-TEE). It's a French dessert that contains fruit...traditionally cherries...and a custardy filling. The texture is actually somewhere between a custard and a pancake. It reminds me ever so slightly of a Dutch baby pancake, only more soft and creamy inside. All I know is that it's really easy to make...and it tastes absolutely fantastic! It comes together in about 20 minutes using basic kitchen staples, then your oven does the rest of the work.

I love recipes that use basic ingredients that I keep on hand in my kitchen! I always have at least one container of berries on hand. You'll find either fresh or frozen blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries in my kitchen at all times. However, you can use 3 cups of any fruit in this clafoutis...pitted cherries, chopped apples, and chopped pears would work especially well. I had blackberries and strawberries on hand, so that's what I used. My main tweaks to the recipe were to add 1/3 cup of maple syrup and cinnamon to the batter. It's not traditional, but it sure was tasty!!

Maple-Cinnamon Double Berry Clafoutis
adapted from Bubby's Brunch Cookbook

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 10-inch oven-proof skillet and set aside while you make the batter. Add the following ingredients to a mixing bowl: 1 1/4 cups milk, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup pure maple syrup, 3 large eggs, 1 tbs. vanilla, a dash of salt, 1 tbs. cinnamon, and 1/2 cup flour. Mix with the whisk attachment until the batter is smooth, about 2-3 minutes.

Step 2:  Pour a 1/4-inch layer of batter into the buttered skillet. Set the rest of the batter aside for now. Bake for 10 minutes. While the skillet is in the oven, prep the rest of the clafoutis. Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine 3/4 cup blackberries and 3/4 cup quartered strawberries.

Step 3:  Remove the skillet from the oven -- make sure to use a potholder on the hot handle!! Carefully arrange the berries on top of the batter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Pour the remaining batter evenly over the top of the berries.

Step 4:  Bake the clafouti for 45 minutes, until it is golden and puffed. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean. I turned my pan around in the oven halfway through baking to ensure it browned evenly. When the clafoutis comes out of the oven, immediately squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the top and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. Let the clafoutis cool for 10-15 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve.

You can see that the berries are warm and juicy, and the clafoutis is firm on the outside and custard-like on the inside. I thought that the addition of the lemon juice and powdered sugar really complimented the flavor of the berries nicely. You can definitely taste the cinnamon and maple in the base of the clafoutis, but it's not the least bit overpowering. That flavor profile makes this dish especially well-suited for breakfast or brunch.

We ate our clafoutis straight from the skillet to the plate last night. However, the recipe says you can serve each slice with sweetened whipped cream or ice cream on the side as well. However you eat it, I hope you'll give a clafoutis a try soon. It may have a funny name, but this clafoutis is seriously good eating!!

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