Blackberries and raspberries clafoutis

I would like my pictures to look as good as the dish tastes but taking mouth watering pictures is very challenging. Food photography is not easy. Like painting, you start with a blank canvas and build your layers. You construct the photo until you reach the perfect balance of reality and art.

Each photography has its story and I would like to share it with you. I always put love and passion in my dishes and I would really like to make my photographed dishes look so delectable, you’ll want to lick your screens.

So I’ve started studying a little bit of food photography. The light is one of the most important factors they say. Lighting determines not only brightness and darkness, but also tone, mood and atmosphere.

The word photography actually comes from Greek roots that mean “writing with light.”

They say that I don’t need to spend a lot of money to get started, I only need a window. I only need to use my creativity, some props and the light and I cannot go wrong. My difficulty is making the setup as beautiful as I see it in my mind. However, only by trying and trying and trying again I can improve, so I will keep cooking and trying to make my pictures mouth watering as the dishes are. Never give up!

My inspiration for this recipe comes from Cupcakes and Couscous and Giallo Zafferano. Thank you!

Blackberries and raspberries clafoutis, a very simple and easy French dessert for when you crave for something sweet and your pantry is almost empty.  Traditionally, the Clafoutis is made with cherries, but it works with a lots of other fruits: peaches, apricots, apples, plums, grapes…you may choose the type of fruits that you most like.

• Difficulty: Low
• Time for preparation: 20 minutes
• Time for cooking: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 90g flour
• 100g granulated sugar
• 200ml milk
• 20ml brandy, whiskey or rum
• 1 vanilla bean or vanilla extract
• a pinch of salt
• around 150-200g blackberries and raspberries
• a little bit of butter to grease the pan and granulated sugar
• lime zest, optional

Preparation:

Preheat your oven at 180 degree and grease your pan (a 28cm pie dish or smaller). Sprinkle a little bit of granulated sugar and keep it a side. You may use whatever pie dish you have, round, in ceramic or glass. At home I used to have a lot of pie dishes but here I only have this rectangular ceramic dish. Since we relocate quite often I try to not have too many as more you have to pack, more you have to unpack…😆

Whisk the eggs, add the granulated sugar and whisk until creamy and fluffy and it doubled in size. Add the sifted flour, the pinch of salt and vanilla and whisk at low speed until everything is combined and creamy.

Add the milk slowly and whisk by hand in the end add the brandy, whiskey or rum.

Arrange the fruits in the pie dish and pour the batter over the top. I’ve grated a little bit of lime zest just because I feel it gives a nice flavour to all dishes. Bake for 55 minutes at 180 degrees, static oven or 45 minutes at 160 degree in a convection oven. The cooking time will be lesser if the pan is smaller.

Let it cool and dust with icing sugar.

And voilà! As simply as that! And your French dessert is ready.