Clafoutis - Fun to Say, Better to Eat

I had never made clafoutis, but since Bron chose the next round of HHDD to be the Clafoutis Edition, I knew I would be making it this month. After I read her post, I started getting all kinds of ideas for what flavor combinations I would make. While Autumn is starting for Bron, Spring is just starting here.

I think that is a big part of the fun in blogging - getting to know about life in other areas of the world vicariously through others. The fact that we all share the same passion for food and creating wonderful things to eat makes it a simple and natural bond.

And speaking of simple and natural combinations - that is exactly what I thought of clafoutis. I honestly don't know why I've waited so long to make clafoutis - I know I won't wait very long before I make it again. Since Bron opened this round up to multiple entries, I think this might just be my first of a few. I really enjoyed this dish, and since you can serve it either hot or at room temperature, I tried it both ways. I think that room temperature was actually my favorite.
For my first flavor combination, I decided to play off of another of Donna's recipes, the Raspberry Spiked Brownies, I made a couple of weeks ago. While I've read that clafouti(s)? (I don't know which is appropriate - either way it is still really good to eat!) is traditionally using cherries, there just aren't any good cherries here yet. I'm sure there are purists who wouldn't put chocolate into a clafoutis either, but I liked it. Perhaps if I had had it the traditional way first, I would feel the same. So, my recipe is by no means traditional and ended up being a lot more like dessert even though I had already decided to try making my first clafoutis as breakfast. Yeah, there is a trend of eating treats for breakfast going on here - I still don't feel bad about it.

As always much thanks to Barbara for creating this event and a big thank you to Bron for her theme choice. I really enjoyed making this and I like the flexibility to play around with the flavors while it still being a simple dish to make and eat. I just based my recipe off of the one Bron posted for the Plum and Chocolate Clafoutis - from Donna Hay’s Original Recipe. I also replaced the dark chocolate in the original recipe with white chocolate chunks. I didn't increase the amount of cocoa powder I used in the recipe, but the cocoa I use is 100% Extra Brut Cocoa from Callebaut and is very very dark. I imagine that would be why my chocolate version looks so much darker than Bron's did.

Raspberry Double Chocolate Clafoutis
1/3 cup (50g/1 3/4oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
1/4 cup (30g/1oz) cocoa powder, sifted
1/3 cup (75g/2 2/3oz) caster (superfine) sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup (8 fl oz) (single or pouring) cream
1 cup chopped white chocolate
20g (3/4 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 cup red raspberries (fresh, not frozen)

Preheat the oven to 180degC (355degF).

Place the flour, cocoa and sugar in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, place the vanilla, eggs and cream and stir to combine.

Add the vanilla mixture to the flour mixture and whisk to combine.

Stir in the chocolate.

Divide the butter between 2 x 2 cup (500ml/16 fl oz) capacity 13cm (5in) frying pans over a medium heat until melted. (The only pans I had to use for this were cast iron and they worked perfectly).

Pour over the chocolate mixture, top with the plum halves and bake for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and cooked through.

Makes 2.