Recipe

Haskap Clafoutis and Crumble

Photography By Ben Welland | June 11, 2017

Haskap clafoutis

When it came to contributing haskap recipes for this issue, Chris Wylie's thoughts immediately lean toward the things he'd like to eat on a day off, cooking for family and friends. "Simple flavours that I crave, textures that hit all those great childhood memories of my mother introducing me to joy of uncomplicated home cooking," Wylie says.

Haskap clafoutis by Chris Wylie

2 cups whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out
pinch of salt
3 whole eggs
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups haskaps, washed and picked over for stems
1/4 cup sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 425F. Butter a 10-inch ceramic quiche mold or pie dish.

In a small saucepan, combine milk, 2/3 cup sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, salt, and butter. Place over medium heat and stirring to dissolve the sugar, heat to just under a boil.

While the milk mixture is heating, break 1 egg into a bowl, add the flour gradually and whisk until free of lumps. Add the remaining 2 eggs and whisk until smooth.

Remove the pan from the heat and slowly ladle the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour into the mold and add the fruit, making sure that it is evenly distributed. Place the pan on a shelf in the middle of the oven.

Bake the clafoutis until it is just set in the centre and slightly puffed and browned around the edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove it from the oven, turn up the temperature to 500F. Evenly sprinkle the 1/4 cup sugar over the top. Return the clafoutis to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes to caramelize the sugar. Watch carefully as it will darken quickly. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve the clafoutis warm or at room temperature.

Photo 1: Chris Wylie, former chef of Gezellig

Photo 2: Haskap and rhubarb crumble

Wylie's pro-tip for making a well-textured crumble is to get messy. Don't be afraid to use your hands to mix the oats and butter for the crunchy topping — it's key. Look for large clumps to form which will toast up and achieve that crunchy, crispiness that contrasts the silky fruit filling.

Haskap-rhubarb crumble by Chris Wylie

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking oats)
4 cups chopped rhubarb
4 cups haskaps
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large bowl, toss rhubarb and haskaps with lemon juice, cinnamon and remaining ½ cup granulated sugar. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Cut butter into flour, using a pastry blender or two knives, until mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Add oats, and use your hands to toss and squeeze the mixture until large, moist clumps form.

Transfer the fruit to a shallow 2-quart baking dish, and sprinkle with topping mixture. Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until golden and bubbling, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Get Creative
Buying fresh fruit at the height of its season is the most delicious and economical way to stock your freezer to last the winter. It is also one of the easiest ways to put a fresh dessert on the table.

Mix and match your fruit. Don’t worry that you don’t have a full amount of one fruit for your recipe, add a handful of one of your other favourites — strawberries, cranberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches and plums — to the mix. You may be surprised at how good the combination can be.

Feeling really adventurous? Using just three simple ingredients, you can create a dozen variations of this dish. Try a cobbler, grunt, pandowdy or buckle using the infographic on our website, edibleottawa.ediblecommunities. com/endless-fruits-of-summer.