Clafouti - A mouthful of berries and chocolate

Berries every which way -  Berries, berries, and more berries.  I'm certainly not complaining, I live for this to happen.  I like berries any and all times of day.  I like them warm just off the bushes, in the morning topping my cereal or yogurt, as nibbles when passing through the garden, and as that little sweet taste treat just after dinner.  There have been years when I have saved the daily harvest of strawberries until I had enough to freeze or make jam, but so far this year I have just been eating as many of them as possible. Oh, and sharing them with anyone who comes to dinner.

Now that I'm in the low-fat mode I've been trying some new approaches to dessert.  I have been inspired by one of Julia Child's classics.  Clafouti.  Traditionally made with cherries, Julia offered recipes for clafoutis using many other fruits, pear being one of my favorites.  For those of you who have not tried this culinary treat, a clafouti is simply an oven baked custard filled with fruit or, in this case, berries.  It is simple to make, just buzz the ingredients in a blender and pop into the oven, requires no attention while baking, and is oh, so good.  It is also be low in fat, containing nothing other than milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and a little flour.

To finish off last night's dinner I made individual custards filled with strawberries, raspberries, and blue berries.  I was struck by a bolt of inspiration as I was just sliding the custards into the oven and at the last minute slipped a triangle of Scharffen Berger dark chocolate into each dish before it was baked.  My timing was such that the custards came out of the oven as we were sitting down to eat, so were still warm at dessert time.  The berries were melt-in-your-mouth delicious in the sweet rich custard.  The chocolate addition was sublime.

Susan's Berry Clafouti with Chocolate
for 2

about 2 cups of mixed berries
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1/4 cup flour
dark chocolate

Lightly oil two ramekins, fill with berries.  Place remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour batter over the berries, filling the ramekins.  Slide a piece of chocolate into each ramekin, leaving some of the chocolate above the surface of the custard. Place in a rimmed baking dish, then pour boiling water into the baking dish until it comes half way up the sides of the ramekins.  Bake in 350F oven for approximately 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the custard comes out clean.  Allow to cool slightly, then enjoy.