Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Berry Good Season

Berries are coming into season and although we don't have any strawberries or brambles planted, there are alot of berry farms that allow you to come and pick your own.

Fortunately my neighbors Joe and Susan have red raspberries and they love to share! There are tons and tons of raspberries on the vines but you can only pick as many as are ripe that day. On Saturday evening Joe braved the bees and picked berries. Sunday morning before church Susan dropped some off for me.

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There was a little under 2 cups of berries and although that's not enough to make a pie, it is enough to make a Clafouti. A berry Clafouti is a custardy mixture that contains flour. As it bakes the flour sinks to the bottom and makes a kind of soft crust. It's delicious. You make it with any firm berries.

BERRY CLAFOUTI

1-1/2 to 2 cups fresh raspberries
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt

Butter a glass pie dish or quiche pan. Beat eggs until light and foamy. Add remaining ingredients and mix on low speed until smooth. Pour this mixture in the prepared dish and add the raspberrries. and bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degress F, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with freshly whipped cream. Serve warm or cold.

Gather the ingredients.

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Beat the eggs until frothy. Add the remaining ingredients and beat on low speed until smooth.

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Pour the mixture into the buttered dish.

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Jiggle the dish so that the berries settle into the liquid.

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Raspberry Clafouti is delicious for breakfast!

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I'm going to research the dates for berry picking at a farm west of here. I'd like to take you on a field trip. I'm not sure my back or my knees will tolerate berry picking, but we can certainly try.

I'm in awe of my great-grandmother who picked cotton and stripped sugar cane with a machete, well into her late 80's! Pioneer women were certainly made of sturdier stuff than I.

Thanks for visiting today. Tomorrow we'll be up to more nonsense.

25 comments:

Significant Snail said...

Oh, that is very wonderful! I love raspberries. When I was quite young and living in the proper climate we had some neighbors with vines...

Anonymous said...

I remember going out berrying, but it was always blackberries, and there were thorns aplenty. They were in the fence rows of the various bean or corn fields nearby my grandma and grandpa's house, and grandma would drag me along. I didn't mind, as blackberry cobbler is still one of my favorites!

Mary said...

Oooo, that looks a lot better than the fiber bar I just had for breakfast!
xoxo,
Mary

Trish said...

Hey...that is perfect. I have not quite two cups of blackberries left from a pick down my neighbourhood trail. I will try it. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, I can smell that from here. It looks YUMMY. Thanks so much for the recipe too - I will be trying this one. BTW - first time visiting your blog with speakers on - LOVE the music. I just want to sit on the back swing and sip tea. Thanks for the nostalgia.

Anonymous said...

That looks like a yummy and simple dish...I will try that recipe!

Our pioneer women ancestors were made out of much sturdier stuff (than, me, for sure)...they had to be in order to survive. I think they were not only physically stronger than I could imagine, but braver beyond my comprehension.

Unknown said...

Oh, Suzanne ..that looks so good. I love clafouti!! I used to make one with gooseberries picked from my backyard. I am definitely going to try this one...

A food blog that I read from NZ is Bron Marshall . She recently featured a clafouti recipe that had one a contest ... Fig and Bacon Clafouti

http://bronmarshall.com/?p=1006

I haven't tried it yet, but it looks delicious. She has some other clafouti recipes on her site, including one for a Plum and Chocolate Clafouti.

Vee said...

Love the look of that dish and hope to try it soon. Must get some berries somewhere first.

And I love that mellow song playing. I never knew how much I enjoyed listening to Willie Nelson until recently.

Looking forward to more nonsense!

Louise said...

That looks so, so, so yummy! I need to find a berry farm. Which is unlikley where I live, but I have to give it a shot!

Bella Della said...

Yummy! I might have to try that recipe soon. Just need some berries :) This post reminds me of all the times we went out picking blackberries. I think we always ate more that we picked.

LIBERTY POST EDITOR said...

Raspberries are my No. 1 choice. Thanks for the recipe!

Unknown said...

Mmmmmmmm, that looks SO good.
Wy and I went to pick blackberries yesterday but ran into some very ugly spiders.
Eew.

I think I'll wait and let my braver half (The Mr) do the picking.

C.C. said...

Hi Suzanne, Sorry I've been so absent from your comments section. I have a confession to make...I can't see your writing against the background color. Is it this crazy African computer connection we have? Am I losing my ability to differentiate color? I don't know, but I want you to know that I'm trying to read your posts but having some difficulty doing so. Enjoying your photos very much though! Take care! C.C.

bj said...

ummm...can't wait to try this. i would do it this very minute but i have not a berry in the house!
bummer!!

Indiana Angel said...

Oh that looks good!!! Our neighbors have lots of berries they share too. And they are even gracious enough to do all the picking and deliver them! LOL

Rue said...

That looks so goooood.....

Your great grandmother was one heck of a woman! 80?? WOW!

hugs,
rue

Cathy ~ Tadpoles and Teacups said...

Ok, now I know another place besides the grocery store where I should never to go when I'm hungry. . . Those berries are making my mouth water. :)

cherry said...

Ohhh I love raspberries and have made a similiar type of dessert. This is my first time to your neck of the woods and love it. Love your header. cherry

Molly said...

ohmigoodness, that looks so good. And tomorrow is another go to work early day, so no real breakfast, just a breakfast bar like someone else mentioned. {sigh]

Suzanne said...

S-Snail- I love the bite of raspberries....but blackberries remain my favorite. Just because we had lots of blackberry brambles when I was a kid and I ate TONS of them.

Jazzi - Yes, the brambles were always along the fencelines. It takes alot of blackberries to make a cobbler.

Mary - Fiber bar?? FIBER BAR???? Shame on you. Get yourself some Clafouti fast.

Trish - Yes, this recipe is good when you don't have enough berries for a pie or a cobbler.

Reluctant - Some people like the music, some don't . I try hard to match the music to the subject matter. Some days I forget to change it!

Dana- Let me know what you think.

Karen - Fig and bacon clafouti?? It sounds intriguing and the local Italian market has some figs this week. You're my "savory pie" lady. Everybody always thinks of sweets but savory is good too.

Vee - Yes, I love WIllie Nelson. We went to his concert when I was pregnant with my son and he danced along (in utero) through the whole concert.

Louise - if you can't find a berry farm just buy a pint or two at the grocery store.

Bella Della - Yes, we always ate more than we brought home. But when the neighborhood had a picnic planned we were warned...bring those berries home!!

Liberty - Have you ever made homemade raspberry sauce for cheesecake. It's delicious.

Marilyn - I'm not braving spiders for any berries, that's for sure.

C.C. - My main background is a damask design, on top of that there's a pale blue background and the lettering is dark brown. I'm a total idiot when it comes to computer stuff but I'm thinking it might be your browser? I know sometimes browsers do funky things with photos and typefaces.

B.J. - don't forget the berries the next time you go to the store.

Indiana Angel - Don't you love neighbors that do all the work? Well, except for the baking.

Rue - She was tiny, wirey and tough as nails.

Cathy - Start baking!!

Cherry - I don't know how you found "At Home...." but welcome, and stay for awhile. Remember subscriptions are always free.

Molly - ditch those fiber bars, they're going to make you sick, and they don't fall into any of the major food groups.

Thanks for visiting with me today. Get cooking!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Hi Suzanne

Vee gave the link to htis recipe on her blog and it sounds delicious! My raspberries are almost finished for this year from my bushesbut I'll save it for when I buy blueberries, like Vee did.

Thanks!

I loved the story above about pin money --My mom used that expression too!


Hugs, Pat

Anonymous said...

Suzanne, thank you so much for posting this recipe for clafouti (something I've never heard of before; at my age, still learning something new every day, isn't life wonderful? oh yes indeedy). I usually get a cup or two of berries at a time and just freeze them for adding to pancakes and muffins. This recipe would work using frozen berries, right? (the recipe does say "fresh")-- Kate

Suzanne said...

I think frozen berries would be fine. I would let them thaw and drain well because they do give off lots of moisture.

- Suzanne

Unknown said...

Ditto about pioneer women being sturdier.

I think I'll have to make this simply cuz Clafouti sounds so fancy. I love words that are fun to say.

Antonio Tahhan said...

I recently discovered clafouti and have since become addicted :) my first try was with blueberries and hopefully I'll get to try this version with raspberries before summer's over!