Clafoutis - impress your friends with the fancy name. You will be impressed with the ease of the recipe and the richness of the eggs.
Every spring I plant a few vegetables and herbs, with varying degrees of success. I wish I had more room to grow a variety of veggies, but living in the city limits the size of my vegetable garden. But the one constant from year to year is tomatoes. To me, nothing is better than a vine-ripened tomato bursting with juice.
Pandemic Gardening
This year, though, because of the pandemic and boredom, I gave a different method a try. After watching a video of a man starting his plants with seeds from a slice of tomato, I decided to give this experiment a try. Not needing the number of plants that a slice of tomato would provide, I picked out about a dozen seeds from a Roma tomato. I plunked the seeds into some dirt and waited. Since this method was so easy, I did the same with different varieties of grape tomatoes. And I waited!
Seeing the tiny little sprouts arising from the dirt gave me a thrill during a time when there weren't a lot of thrills to be had. Every day I would check on the cardboard egg carton I had planted the seeds in and obsess about their growth. Soon it was time to transplant the tomato plants to larger pots and bring them outside to soak up the sunshine.
Finally, the seedlings were big enough for their final pots. Many of you may wonder why we plant in pots - see below! The problem with the whole plan was I started too late. I usually buy starter plants at the nursery so I didn't account for the time needed to start my veggie garden from seed.
So now it is turning into fall and I have tomatoes. A lot of them.
Olive and Ivy
Another part of our urban backyard is a chicken coop. Olive and Ivy are funny little creatures that provide us with a lot of amusement as well as eggs. They can be a little hard on the garden though, scratching and digging around. Fortunately, Olive and Ivy are very consistent layers, so I'll tolerate their assault on the garden. Generally, as the girls lay their eggs, we keep up with them. But sometimes, like now we have a lot of them.
So it seems two worlds are colliding, the tomato garden and the chicken coop. I think the best solution is to make a savory buttermilk clafoutis.
Is it a flan or is it a clafoutis?
Traditionally, a clafoutis is a dessert recipe made with cherries. And it is delicious with a flan-like texture and cherries that have been baked to syrupy richness.
This savory clafouti is borrowing the best attributes of the dessert recipe. There is still the silken texture of the eggs but with grape tomatoes that are bursting with flavor. With the addition of red onion, oregano, and goat cheese there is a depth of flavor to the eggs. The buttermilk adds a little tang also.
Quick and Easy Prep
This is an uncomplicated recipe for brunch or dinner. While I use tomatoes, onions, goat cheese, and herbs in my version of a savory buttermilk clafoutis, feel free to use whatever veggies you have on hand. Prep the add-ins for your clafoutis - chop, slice, dice, or mince. 
Mix the eggs, garlic, buttermilk, and flour. Also, it is a good idea to add salt and pepper now. I use a blender but you can always use a whisk and some elbow grease. Just make sure to fully incorporate the flour so it is not lumpy.
Heat the pan, lightly saute your veggies and pour in the egg mixture carefully. I add the goat cheese at this point along with the herbs. Then into a 375-degree oven. That's it!
It usually takes about 20-25 minutes in my oven to bake the clafoutis but I would start checking at about the 18-minute mark. The eggs should be set and the center is not soft. Since the eggs will deflate, serve as soon as you take the pan out of the oven.
Serve with a fresh green salad and you will impress everyone with your command of the French language and cooking! A savory buttermilk clafoutis is a great recipe to have in your arsenal of quick and easy meals.
Savory Buttermilk Clafoutis
Equipment
- 9-inch ovenproof skillet, blender
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup red onion sliced thin
- 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- ½ cup flour
- 1 ½-2 ounces goat cheese
- 1 ½ teaspoons oregano and chives combined and chopped fine
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Combine eggs, buttermilk, flour, garlic, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, and ½ teaspoon of salt in a blender. Make sure that all the flour is combined and not sticking to the sides of the blender. Set aside while you saute the vegetables.
- Add the butter to the skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the onions and saute for 3 or 4 minutes. Once the onions look wilted, add the tomatoes. Toss the vegetables in the pan and add ¼ teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper.
- After 3 or 4 minutes, make sure that the onions and tomatoes are spread equally around the skillet. Carefully pour the egg mixture in the skillet so that the vegetables are still distributed. Add the herbs on top of the egg mixture. Lastly, place pieces of the goat cheese in the egg mixture around the skillet.
- Place the skillet in the oven. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until the eggs are set and the top is starting to brown. Depending on your oven, you may want to start checking the doneness at the 18-minute mark. Take the clafouti out of the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before you start to slice it. Tastes great with a salad!
Notes
Nutrition
Helen Demeranville
Yummmm ... This recipe for savory clafoutis is scrumptious. Def a hit with the family — even my son who refuses almost everything but Asian food or sweets loved it! Easy to make. Not a morsel leftover.
Julie
So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Use whatever you have on hand to make a quick and easy meal.