Blueberry clafoutis

Go ahead, say it out loud. You know you want to. Bloo-bare-ree-clah-foo-tee. Fun, no?

Ever since the berry gratin last week, I've had clafoutis on the brain. The inimitable Clotilde of Chocolate & Zucchini posted her recent contribution to NPR's Kitchen Window, a recipe for strawberry clafoutis. Clafoutis is of course traditionally made with cherry, but pretty much any sweet, ripe fruit will do; I look forward to trying this with peaches. Blueberries worked gorgeously though, elevating the almond flavor in the batter to a pleasantly warm, spicy note. And lemme tell ya: It's even better cold for breakfast the next morning (pictured). I'm a big fan of dessert for breakfast.

The clafoutis was the topper on a dinner party last night. (I served it with ice cream, but in retrospect perhaps I should have used Tofutti for maximum verbal whimsy factor?) I started off with a salad of my usual formula -- Boston lettuce, oil-cured olives, supremed blood oranges, quartered radishes, torn basil and lightly dressed with vinaigrette. The lettuce from this one vendor at Heart of the City Farmer's Market is just fabulous -- brilliant chartreuse, flecked with red and positively silky.

For the entree I did a redux on the involtini di pollo al porro e salvia, only this time I wrapped a stalk of asparagus in each involtino as well and dropped the leek wrapper. For a side, I boiled up some little creamer and fingerling potatoes, and tossed them in molten butter with fresh tarragon. The aroma that emanates when tarragon meets hot butter is like the breath of angels.

Unfortunately, my timing was all catty whompus last night. I had done tons of prep earlier in the day, trying to be on top of things. But by the time company arrived I was distracted and exhausted, and wasn't keeping my ducks in a row. But it all got cooked -- and eaten -- by and by.