Roasted Vegetable Clafoutis

Usually, a clafoutis is a fruit and custard dessert. Here we have a savory version...with roasted vegetables and Parmesan. I was able to find nearly all the unusual ingredients at Whole Foods, but if not available in your area, substitute anything reasonably close. We thought there was too much potato, but small purple sweet potatoes were not available and I found one large and cut it in half before roasting....it turned out to be too much, even after quartering. Fingerlings were not available either and I substituted small Yukon Golds, which no doubt added even more potato than needed. We both wanted more veggies and less potato, but this was not a problem with the recipe, just my not adjusting the recipe properly.

Because time was an issue, I roasted the vegetables the day before and refrigerated them, then made the custard right before baking the next day. Worked out fine. We loved the dish and I would make it again. 

Roasted Vegetable Clafoutis
From Food and Wine

Ingredients for the vegetables:

8 medium carrots of varying colors (3/4 pound)

6 baby beets of varying colors (about 4 ounces), scrubbed

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing

6 fingerling potatoes

2 small purple sweet potatoes (3/4 pound total)

2 heads baby orange cauliflower (about 4 ounces), cut into 3/4-inch florets

1/2 small head Romanesco broccoli, cut into 3/4-inch florets (3 cups)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Ingredients for the batter:

1 3/4 cups half-and-half

4 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for sprinkling

Kosher salt

Softened butter, for greasing

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400°. Spread the carrots and beets on 2 separate sheets of foil and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Fold up the edges of the foil sheets to make two sealed packets. 

On a small baking sheet, rub the fingerling and sweet potatoes with olive oil and prick them all over with a fork. 

In a medium baking dish, toss the cauliflower and broccoli florets with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 

Roast the broccoli and cauliflower for about 15 minutes, the potatoes for about 30 minutes and the carrots and beets for about 35 minutes, until all of the vegetables are tender and the broccoli and cauliflower are browned in spots. 

Let cool slightly. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into quarters lengthwise; peel the fingerling potatoes and cut them in half lengthwise. Season the roasted vegetables lightly with salt and pepper. 

In a blender, combine the half-and-half with the eggs, flour, 1/2 cup of the cheese and 2 teaspoons salt and blend until smooth. 

Butter a 9-inch-square glass or ceramic baking dish and sprinkle all over with cheese. Arrange the vegetables in the baking dish in 2 stacked layers, lining them up in the same direction. Pour the batter on top. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese and bake in the center of the oven for about 45 minutes, until puffed, golden and set; cover the dish with foil halfway through to prevent over-browning. Let the clafoutis cool slightly, then cut into squares and serve.