Wild Huckleberry Clafoutis
Clafoutis are the perfect desserts to make and enjoy with your family
hə-kəl-ber-ē, the edibleberry of any of various shrubs belonging to the genus Gaylussacia
klah-foo-tee, a tart made of fruit baked in a thick sweet batter.
Time just passes by too quickly; maybe I am just getting old. One season is gone and another arrives before I am fully ready for it. It seemed like only yesterday I was sauteing spring's flowering kales and broccoli rabes with chili flakes, garlic slivers, and olive oil. Now summer is here.
For many parts of the country, the first perfect tomato eaten warm with salt or that impossibly juicy peach signifies summer's presence. In the Pacific Northwest, it is July's arrival of wild huckleberries. Extremely juicy and reminiscent of a blueberry except with a more intensely sweet, tart flavor. They are hand-picked high in the Cascade mountains and can range from a deep bluish-black to purple to a bright firetruck red. Huckleberries are a very versatile fruit used both in savory dishes and a wide range of desserts like clafoutis, cobbler, milkshakes, and pancakes.
Of all the ways, I like them baked in a traditional clafoutis which is somewhere between a pudding and a custard. A while back the fad seemed to be to make vinaigrettes in mason jars and shake them up. Clafoutis can be treated the same way. Put all the ingredients except the fruit into a jar and shake away. Pour over fruit in a buttered casserole and bake.
Wild Huckleberry Clafoutis
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound huckleberries (or blueberries, raspberries, apples, peaches, or anything)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 - 1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar (for topping)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Generously butter an oven-proof dish. Put your fruit into it. Leave small fruits whole and slice or dice larger fruits.
Whisk together eggs, flour, vanilla, sugar, and milk. Pour batter over the fruit. Sprinkle the top with the remaining sugar and bake for 40 minutes, or until firm to the touch and browned.
Try eating with whipped cream or ice cream.