Berry-Vanilla-Olive-Oil Flourless Springtime Clafouti

Where I live, there’s still frost in the early morning, and most days I leave the house bundled in a sweater and jacket. But. The hyacinths are up, and above the front porch a pair of finches are at work building their nest with strands of shimmery, iridescent Easter-grass. Spring is here! Is it here yet?

Berries, the quintessential spring-summer fruit, are definitely not. Luckily, I have frozen berries hidden away, ready to transform into something unexpectedly perfect for the any-day-now springtime. For me, this recipe pulls it off: after eating it, it’s spring.

Clafouti is one of the most gratifying breakfast-desserts I know: It looks elegant, tastes like a combination of cobbler and flan, and is ridiculously quick and easy to make. Often clafoutis call for butter and heavy cream, and I confess I’ve never even tried it that way. But why bother, why it’s SO GOOD just like this? In my version, I decided to leave out the flour, and add more eggs and more berries. I’ll never look back.

I adapted this recipe from this, although there are many other delightful ones out there. Because of the additional eggs and sweet berries, this clafouti needs a longer cook time than most. Some things are worth the wait.

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Ingredients

6 eggs

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/3 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

¾ cup milk

½ cup plain yogurt

4 cups berries (I used blackberries, blueberries, and cherries)

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Directions

1. Heat the oven to 375°. Olive-oil-spray a 10” round gratin dish (or some other type of tart pan, roughly equivalent in size).

2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, olive oil, and vanilla. Add the sugar and salt, then the milk and yogurt, and whisk until smooth.

3. Toss the berries into the baking dish, and then pour the batter on top. Wheeeeeeeee!

4. Place in the oven, and bake for about one hour until it’s firm, browned on the edges, and the center is just set. I always serve this warm (but then usually sneak some from the fridge cold, later, and personally I think it’s delicious that way, too).

SPRING!

Previously: Lemon Olive Oil & Lemon Olive Oil Muffins

Natalie Eve Garrett is an artist who likes surprises and loves olive oil. You can buy prints of her paintings here.