Peach Melba Clafoutis

Stop me before I buy again. I've gobbled so many Garnet Beauties lately, I swear my cheeks are sprouting fuzz.

When the cat stopped napping in the fruit bowl, I took this as a sign to keep it (the bowl, not the cat) brimming with peaches. But the fruit flies are swarming like a biblical plague and the freezer is full, so I had no choice but to bake.

Inspired by Cheryl's Impress-Your-Girlfriends peach and blueberry clafoutis, I decided to make a peach melba version.

Of course, things didn't go exactly as planned. Wanting to save enough milk for my morning coffee (which everyone who lives with me thinks is a stellar idea) I reduced the milk and upped the cream. The remaining peaches left me a very generous 2 plus cups of slices, so I upped the raspberry ratio. Despite ending up with more fruit than intended, the custard covered it all. However, my pie plate was so full it's a minor miracle I got it into the oven without incident.

Oh yes, I don't keep almond extract in the house, so I skipped that. Otherwise, I followed Cheryl's recipe to the letter.

The resulting clafoutis (pronounced kla-foo-TEE) is a light, not-too-sweet, well-set custard loaded with fruit. This version is dead easy as it has no crust and the fruit is simply sliced. I was tempted to make Julia Child's recipe, from The Way to Cook, but am still pastry-phobic. Her version is entirely different and far more time consuming. Child's calls for poached fruit and a pastry crust.

Sorry, folks, but I'm with Cheryl on this one. Slice, blend, pour and bake. And the results are very pretty, indeed.

I served the fancy-named dessert with salted caramel ice cream, which I made with another Cheryl in mind. But I will blog about that recipe another time. I can't have you going into diabetic shock on me.

In the meantime, tell me I'm not the only one seduced by this year's peaches. And yes, I'm heading back to the Farmers' Market tomorrow because I am a glutton — for peaches and punishment. What are you doing with your peaches? Or have you the discipline to resist?

Peach Melba Clafoutis
(serves 6-8)

Printable recipe

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups sliced peaches
• 1 1/2 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen and not thawed)
• 1/2 cup vanilla sugar (1/2 cup white sugar and 1/4 tsp vanilla)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup whipping cream (35%)
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Butter a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and dust with a tablespoon of sugar. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   
2. Peel and slice the peaches. Toss with the raspberries. Set aside.
   
3. Blend the sugar, milk, cream, eggs, vanilla, flour and salt in a blender for about a minute or until well blended.
4. Pour half the custard mixture into the prepared pie plate. Arrange fruit on top and pour the remaining custard over the fruit.
5. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the top is golden brown and puffy. Do not overcook. The custard should remain tender.
6. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or creme anglaise.

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