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Baked Blueberry Clafoutis
Have on hand
2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
4 tablespoons sugar, separated
5 whole eggs
1 cup half and half, or whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup All purpose (AP) flour
1 pint blueberries
Powdered sugar, for dusting, optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F
In a medium, oven safe, non-stick sauté pan, combine the butter, with 2 tablespoons sugar and place over medium heat. Meanwhile whisk the eggs plus the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar on high speed until tripled in volume, and pale, or canary yellow in color, about 5 minutes. Then by hand, gradually whisk in the half and half or milk, the vanilla extract, lemon zest, salt, and flour until just incorporated. It’s pretty foamy stuff. Not to worry. You’ll see. Pour this mixture into the hot pan, top with the blueberries, then transfer into the oven. Bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top, and the Clafoutis has puffed up. Remove from the oven, and turn out onto a cutting board. Slice, and serve with the optional powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes with Real Maple Syrup
Have on hand
1 1/4 cup AP (All Purpose) flour
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 whole eggs, separated
1 and 1/4 cups, buttermilk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup ricotta cheese, drained in cheesecloth for 15 minutes
1 pint fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons unsalted butter – melted
Pure maple syrup, as needed
Directions
In a small bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. In a second bowl, whisk the egg yolks, plus the remaining wet ingredients up through and including the ricotta cheese. In a very clean third bowl, whip the two egg whites until medium peaks are reached. Slowly combine the dry mixture into the wet, then gently fold in the egg whites, only until just incorporated, adding a touch more buttermilk if it looks super thick. It should be slightly thicker than regular pancake batter.
Spray or butter a non-stick griddle or large sauté pan. Place over medium-low (err more on the low side of medium), and heat until just hot. Add 1/4 cup pancake mixture, then dot the pancake with some berries. Don’t go crazy. Add only a few, like, seven, tops. Cook for approximately 3 minutes on first side, then, gently flip the pancakes. Cook for approximately 2 additional minutes on the second side. The edges will be dry, and when lifted, the bottom should be light brown in color. Know what I mean? Like a pancake! Serve on warm plates, with a pad of real butter, and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.
For more information:
About Nathan Lyon
Chef Nathan Lyon is known for his simple, innovative cuisine featuring fresh, seasonal and local ingredients. You can find him on Growing A Greener World as well as shows on Veria Living, Discovery Health, Fit TV and TLC.
His first cookbook, Great Food Starts Fresh, is a seasonal exploration with recipes for the five seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter and...chocolate!
Hey I have noticed chef Lyons isn’t there anymore, what’s up
Nathan was with us during the first 3 seasons of our show. We were unable to work out details on contract renewal heading into season 4. We’re all on good terms and hope to see him back periodically Carolyn.
My go-to flour is no longer the all purpose. I now mostly use white whole wheat. It is ground from a different variety of wheat, is light tan, and less dense than regular whole wheat. It’s a way of getting more fiber and nutrients with far less change in texture.
Ah….very nearly identical to the recipe for a large German Pancake/Dutch Baby…but with fruit. Can’t wait to try it! Maybe with some fresh cranberries?
Hi Jim,
I season with a little Crisco (not oil, it doesn’t work as well) after every use (and over the heat) till it starts to smoke just a little. Pull it off the heat, wipe out the excess and put away. I initially was putting a little oil or butter in the pan before cooking anything, but I found that if I had reheated some precooked bacon or a little frozen sausage, and then wiped out the excess grease from them, I could just put my eggs in and have no sticking. I make egg crepes and roll them up with cheese and bacon etc.
I have to remember to keep the heat at medium, any lower and things do start to stick.
I use my carbon steel crepe pan every day and plan on getting one of the deeper fry pans. I really have no problem with it, so I don’t know what else to tell you. Maybe different manufacturing methods produce different pans? I have a fairly inexpensive one and I’m fine with it.
BTW, I never use soap on it. I use a stiff dish brush and really hot water to clean. If anything remains, a little salt and then the brush will do the job. But almost everything comes off with the hot water and brush.
Sorry if I rattled on.
Thanks, Rosie
Yay Rosie. Looks like you might have just saved Jim 10 more years in his quest to properly season the pan. Thanks!
Hi Joe,
Let’s hope it works for Jim.
I’m looking forward to trying this clafoutis recipe. I have a recipe for clafoutis, but I always like to try new versions – sometimes little differences make the dish!
Love the show.
I wouldn’t use a non-stick pan for regular cooking and certainly not for something in the oven.
This is about the most ungreen thing you can do when cooking. Throw out those non-stick pans, please.
Try a carbon steel crepe pan (they also make deeper frying pans) – if you season it correctly, it’ll be as slick as nonstick pans.
You can also make the clafoutis in a metal or stoneware pie pan.
rosie,
just how do you season the pan correctly. i’ve been trying to season them for about 10 years and have used around 20 different methods with very little consistent results. thank you, jim martin
Yummy nothing more said headed to the kitchen : )
Surely it’s the eggs and not the sugar that should be separated?
Hi LHunter,
It may sound strange, but YES – it is the SUGAR that is separated. The recipe calls for 4 tablespoons total. However, it needs to be separated into two groups. 2 tablespoons go with the butter and 2 tablespoons go with the eggs.
Thanks for your comment and I hope you decide to try the recipe. It is delicious!!