Peach and Raspberry Clafoutis

My parents have had quite the bumper crop of raspberries at their home in southwest Washington this year, and my mum and I have been racking our brains for interesting new recipes in which to use them. We have also – inexplicably – been talking about making a clafoutis for years, despite never having tried one. Hundreds of raspberries + irrational clafoutis obsession = raspberry clafoutis!

What the heck is clafoutis, you might ask? Clafoutis (pronounced klah-foo-tee) is a French dessert of stone fruits arranged in a buttered dish and baked in thick, custard-like batter. Originating in the Limousin region of central France, clafoutis is typically made with whole, stoned cherries, but can also be made with other fruits, including plums, pears, or apples. I went a bit rogue with this recipe (adapted from Woman’s Day), using peaches and raspberries instead, which technically makes this dessert a flaugnarde (for all intents and purposes, a non-cherry clafoutis). That said, my mum and I were crushed at the prospect of having our clafoutis dreams dashed, so … we’re calling it a clafoutis. Call it whatever you want, just make it – it’s so yummy!

When I make this again, I’ll double the raspberries and omit the peaches. I LOVE peaches, but very little peach flavor comes through in this recipe (and the raspberries are fantastic!). Otherwise, its delicious served warm as breakfast or dessert – enjoy!

PEACH AND RASPBERRY CLAFOUTIS

Serves: 6

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 fresh lemon
• 1 1/2 lbs fresh yellow peaches
• 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
• 1 vanilla bean
• 4 large fresh eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Confectioners’ sugar, to serve
• Soft whipped cream or ice cream, to serve (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Grease a shallow 2 1/2-quart baking dish with the butter and lightly dust with granulated sugar.
2. In a medium bowl, finely grate the lemon zest (about 2 teaspoons), then squeeze in 1 tablespoon juice. Add the peaches, raspberries, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and gently toss to combine.
3. Using a sharp knife, cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, flour, salt, spices, 1/2 cup heavy cream, remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and vanilla seeds and pulp (discard the pod). Blend on high until slightly frothy, about 1 minute.
4. Transfer the fruit to the prepared pan along with any juices and pour the batter on top. Bake until just set, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.
5. Dust the clafoutis with confectioners’ sugar and serve with softly whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

Individual Blackberry Cobblers

Blackberry cobbler is – HANDS DOWN – my favourite summer dessert. As soon as I spotted the world’s largest blackberries for sale at my local farmer’s market this week, I knew cobbler was in my near future.  I used a recipe that – while in my family for decades – differs from others floating around the Internet these days. It’s actually a recipe for ‘cottage pudding’, featured in the 1918 edition of the AMAZING Fannie Farmer cookbook (if you don’t have one, visit your local bookstore ASAP!!). With the addition of fresh berries, the original Fannie Farmer recipe becomes the BEST cobbler you will ever taste! And by ‘taste’, I mean DEVOUR.

While I divided the recipe into individual serving-size portions, it can just as easily be made in a shallow baking dish. Enjoy!

INDIVIDUAL BLACKBERRY COBBLERS

Makes: 4 servings

• 2 cups fresh blackberries
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup finely granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat milk
• 1/2 cup butter + extra for greasing

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). Grease four 6-ounce ramekins with butter.
2. Rinse blackberries and pat dry. Set aside.
3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix the egg, milk and melted butter. Stir gently into the flour mixture to combine.
4. Place a layer of blackberries in the bottom of each ramekin. Spoon a layer of batter over the berries, repeating this process until the ramekin is full (I like to add several berries to the top of the final batter layer). Transfer ramekins to a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes (cobbler topping should begin to brown lightly at the edges). Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

*Re-posted from my old blog, Cucina Fresca*

Persimmon Bread

It’s persimmon season!

Don’t worry, I forgot to mark this on my calendar too. In all honesty, I had no idea what a persimmon was until four mysteriously showed up in my Farm Fresh to You box last week. Thank goodness for Wikipedia (it’s not a tomato) and Google (it’s actually a sweet, delicious fruit)! Persimmons can be used in a variety of baked and non-baked goods, including this bread recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com. It’s moist, has a great spice flavor, and is a unique, crowd-pleasing autumn alternative to pumpkin bread. Enjoy!

PERSIMMON BREAD

Yields: 1 bundt cake, 2 full-sized or 4 miniature loaf pans

For the bread:

• 2 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 fresh eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups persimmon pulp
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• Vanilla glaze (optional), recipe follows

For the glaze:

• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 4 teaspoons milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

To make bread:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Grease baking pan(s) well.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, oil, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Blend until smooth. Mix in persimmon pulp alternately with flour-baking soda mixture. Fold in nuts.
4. Divide batter into the prepared pan(s), filling (each) 2/3 full.
5. Bake for 45-55 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool for another 15 minutes.
6. If using, spoon vanilla glaze over almost cooled cake. Serve when cooled.

To make vanilla glaze:

1. Melt the butter and add to rest of ingredients. Mix until creamy and smooth.