Clafouti aux Baie (berries in French)

I bet that you thought that Memorial Day was over.  Well, it’s not.  Today is the real deal.  In order to make a 3 day holiday of it, this holiday was changed to the last Monday of May.  So, I am still thinking red, white and blue.  France also is a red, white and blue nation, so I thought that a French dish could be appropriate for today.  The clafouti is an excellent and easy dish to make.  It actually looks elegant when dusted with a bit of powdered sugar.  I’m not sure that elegance was in mind when the clafouti was originated. It started out as an ancient rustic peasant French pudding made in late spring and featuring typically stone fruits. It was served for desert, but it can also work as a nice breakfast dish. You can make it with various fruits and with many slightly different ingredients.  I serve mine warm with French vanilla ice cream or yogurt.

Ingredients:

4 egg whites, lightly beaten

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 C. granulated sugar

3 Tblsp. honey

2 Tblsp. Kirch (cherry liqueur but you can also use orange liqueur or juice)

1 Tsp. vanilla

Dash of salt

1 ½ C. whole milk yogurt

1 C. Flour

3 Cups mixed berries—or if you wish, of just one kind of berries

2 tsp. sifted confectioner’s sugar

For garnish, save some berries

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 F

1. In a large bowl beat together the egg whites, eggs, sugar, honey, Kirsch, vanilla and salt with an electric beater.
2. Stir in the yogurt till smooth
3. Add flour and beat until combined and smooth
4. Arrange the berries on the bottom of a buttered or non-stick sprayed 10-inch ceramic quiche dish.  Pour the batter over the berries.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the center seems set when shaken slightly.
6. Cool for 30 minutes.

To Serve:

Serve the clafouti warm.  Just before serving sprinkle with the sifted confectioner’s sugar and garnish with the left over saved berries.

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Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share.