Recipe | Blackberry Clafoutis

Traditionally made with cherries, instead this French classic is filled with juicy blackberries and is tasty with a coffee or as a dessert.

Serves 8

400g blackberries, washed
75g flour
100g sugar
3 eggs, beaten
250ml milk
Icing sugar (to serve)

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/ Fan 180C/Gas 6. Grease a baking dish about 25cm diameter (or ovenproof cast-iron frying pan) with butter.

2 Mix the flour and sugar, then make a well in the centre and add the eggs.

3 Gradually incorporate the flour into the eggs from the sides. Slowly add the milk, a little at a time, until you have a smooth, lump-free batter.

4 Pour one-third of the batter into the baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 5-7 mins. Remove from the oven, add the blackberries on top of the partially-baked batter, and pour over the remaining batter.

5 Return to the oven and bake for a further 35-40 mins, or until the clafoutis is golden brown and puffed up. Serve warm, lukewarm, or cold, dusted with a little icing sugar.

Why berries are good for you

They may be little, but blackberries pack a punch when it comes to nutrition, offering an abundance of fibre, vitamin C, manganese and potassium. They are also great at aiding digestion and helping your gut health, their antioxidants may improve memory and cognitive function, they can help lower cholesterol and stabilise blood sugars as well as boosting immunity and bone health.  

Meanwhile, elderberries, long known for their use relieving cold and flu symptoms, are also rich in antioxidants, are an excellent source of vitamin C and can help reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels. They must be cooked before eating as raw elderberries contain toxic compounds that can cause stomach upsets. 

This clafoutis is just one of the recipes from our September issue feature ‘Berry Nice’ which also includes recipes for Roasted Beetroot, Apple & Blackberry Salad, Chicken with Blackberries & Elderberries, Blackberry Brownies with Elderberry Yogurt and a couple of jams for good measure. The recipes are by Anna Rubingh.

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Recipe | Pavlova with Berries and Rose Petal Cream

Taking a giant spoon and smashing into a pavlova you’ve spent hours constructing feels like a radical act. But finding that child-like glee is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Bring on the spring silliness!

Serves 8

For the meringue:
4 egg whites
250g caster sugar
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping:
250g strawberries, hulled and halved
250g raspberries
200g blueberries
3 tbsp icing sugar
350ml double cream
3 tsp rose water
Rose petals, to decorate

1Preheat the oven to 150C/Fan 130C/ Gas 2. Using a pencil, draw around a dinner plate on baking paper and use to line a baking tray.

2 Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then whisk in the caster sugar, one spoonful at a time, until the meringue looks glossy.

3 Whisk in the white wine vinegar, cornflour and vanilla extract.

4 Using a spoon or spatula, spread the meringue onto the baking paper, using the circle as your template. Make the sides higher than the middle so you have a dip for your filling.

5 Bake the meringue for 1 hr before turning off the oven and leaving it inside to cool completely.

6 For the pavlova, make a berry sauce by putting 100g of the strawberries, 100g of the raspberries and 2 tbsp icing sugar in a food processor. Blitz, then push through a sieve.

7 Whip together the double cream, rose water and remaining 1 tbsp icing sugar. When soft peaks form, spread it over the meringue, top with the berries and drizzle with the sauce. Scatter rose petals over to finish.

The pavlova recipe is one of the ideas from our ‘Kitchen Therapy’ feature ‘Take It Outside’ from our June issue, which includes recipes inspired by the outdoors and that can be partly created (and definitely eaten!) outside. The recipes are by Lottie Storey and the photography is by Kym Grimshaw.

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