If you're like me, it's impossible to resist the baskets of fresh summer berries at the farmers market. If you have more restraint than me, and you haven't gobbled up your berries yet, here's a great way to add them to a dessert. Clafoutis (clah-FOO-tee) is a French flanlike dessert. It's light, elegant and studded with fruit baked in lightly sweetened egg batter. It's also a perfect recipe for lazy cooks because it can be whipped up with little effort in less than an hour with a simple list of ingredients.

So when berries are in season (like now!) I load up on blueberries, blackberries and raspberries at my farmers market and head home with my stash. Naturally, a good amount is devoured on the spot and during the car ride home, but I always make sure there is enough left over to make a clafoutis.

You can get creative with how you present the dish. It can be baked in a tart or shallow gratin dish, as well as individual ramekins or mini cast-iron skillets, which are a fun way to serve dessert for a dinner party. If you are feeling extra festive, you can even prepare little tastes in Asian soup spoons for a dessert-inspired party bite.

The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the vessel you use, so simply bake the clafoutis until the top is tinged golden and the custard is set. This can take up to 45 minutes for a tart, 25 minutes for ramekins or about 12 minutes for little (ovenproof) serving spoons. And feel free to mix and match your berries. This recipe uses a combination of blueberries and blackberries. Raspberries and cherries are also delicious.

Black and Blueberry Clafoutis

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 40 to 55 minutes

Yield: Makes 6 (6-ounce) or 1 (10-inch) clafoutis

Unsalted softened butter for greasing the pans

1 tablespoon plus 1/3 cup sugar

6 ounces fresh blueberries

6 ounces fresh blackberries

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/4 cups half-and-half

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus extra for garnish

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 6 (6-ounce) shallow ramekins or 1 (10-inch) ceramic tart pan. Sprinkle the ramekins with 1 tablespoon sugar and tap out any excess. Place the ramekins on a baking tray. Arrange the berries in one layer in the ramekins.

Beat the eggs and 1/3 cup sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, mix in the half-and-half, flour, lemon zest, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt until just combined.

Pour the mixture over the fruit. Transfer the clafoutis to the oven and bake until the top is tinged golden-brown and the custard is set, 25 to 30 minutes for the ramekins (or 40 to 45 minutes for the tart pan). Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

Before serving, sprinkle the clafoutis with powdered sugar and garnish with additional lemon zest. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

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Weekends are made for grilling, and this weekend was no different. California halibut is in season, and while halibut's firm flesh is ideal for roasting thick filets on the grill, I prefer to cut the fish into chunks, quickly marinate them and thread them on skewers. By doing this, more of the fish flesh is exposed to the flavors of the marinade, and there are more edges and corners exposed to the flames of the grill to crisp and char (which are the best bits). I like to thread the fish with vegetables, such as colorful bell peppers and onion. The vegetables add flavor to the fish and bright color and freshness to the skewers -- plus they are a great way to stretch pricey fish to feed a crowd.

The key to these skewers is the marinade, which has an unlikely ingredient: coarsely grated yellow onion. The onion pulp and juices add natural sweetness and bite to the marinade and nicely balance its salt and acid. Any thick, firm flesh fish, such as halibut, tuna or swordfish, can handle a longer marinating time, upward of 2 hours, but 30 minutes to 1 hour is sufficient to infuse flavor.

When assembling skewers, make sure all the ingredients are cut in uniform size, 1 to 1 1/4 inches, including any vegetables that may be threaded along with the fish, to ensure even cooking. Bamboo skewers should be soaked in warm water for at least 30 minutes before assembling. This will help to prevent them from burning while grilling.

Grilled Halibut and Vegetable Skewers

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 1 hour for marinating plus 20 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients for marinade:

1/4 cup coarsely grated yellow onion with juices, about 1/2 small onion

1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for skewers:

2 pounds halibut, cut in 1-inch chunks

2 red, yellow and/or green bell peppers, seeded, cut in 1-inch chunks

1 large red onion, cut in 1-inch chunks

Parsley sprigs for garnish (optional)

Lemon wedges for serving

Whisk the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the halibut chunks and gently turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

While the halibut is marinating, soak 8 (8-inch) bamboo skewers in warm water for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat. Thread the fish on the skewers, beginning and ending with the halibut and alternating with onions and peppers. Lightly brush the vegetables with some of the marinade.

Grill the skewers over direct medium heat, until the fish is charred in places and just cooked through, about 8 minutes, turning as needed. Arrange the skewers on a serving platter, garnish with parsley sprigs and serve warm with lemon wedges.

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Squash blossoms might make this pizza sound pretty fancy, but it really isn't. Delicate squash blossoms are everywhere at the farmers market at this time of year. I've been eyeing them and contemplating ways to easily incorporate the floppy, sunny flowers into a meal. I've eaten blossoms fried and stuffed, but to be honest, I find them time-consuming to prepare and often oily and rich. So I decided to simply layer them, with no other preparation, on a white pizza -- a pizza with no red sauce -- and see what happened. The results were resoundingly good and a unanimous hit at the dinner table. The flowers shriveled and crisped while cooking, which concentrated their subtle and nutty flavor. This was nicely rounded out by sweet Jimmy Nardello peppers, onions and a kick of heat from crushed red chili flakes. These fragile squash blossoms may be delicate, but it's clear that they are no shrinking wallflower.

For this recipe, you can make your own dough or purchase a good quality fresh dough from your supermarket, which is a simple shortcut for an easy meal. This recipe stretches 1 pound of fresh dough into a large rectangle, but you can also shape it into two smaller pizzas.

Squash Blossom Pizza With Sweet Peppers, Onions and Pecorino

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Yield: Makes 1 (10-by-15-inch) pizza

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt for taste

1 pound homemade or prepared fresh pizza dough

1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet red peppers, such as Jimmy Nardello peppers

8 squash blossoms, quartered lengthwise

1 (8-ounce) fresh mozzarella ball, patted dry and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the grill for indirect cooking over high heat (about 500 degrees for a gas grill) and preheat a pizza stone for at least 15 minutes. (Or preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place a pizza stone on the lowest oven rack and preheat for at least 15 minutes.)

Whisk the oil, garlic and a pinch of salt in a small bowl.

Stretch the dough out as thinly as possible and lay on large pizza peel (or rimless baking sheet lined with parchment). Lightly brush with the oil. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the pizza. Top with the onions and peppers. Arrange the squash blossoms over the vegetables, and then place the mozzarella around the squash. Sprinkle the oregano, chili flakes and pepper over the pizza and lightly season with salt to taste. Top with the remaining cheese.

Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone. Close the grill lid and grill until the pizza is golden brown, about 15 minutes. (If baking in the oven, slide the pizza onto the pizza stone and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.) Remove and brush the crust with some of the oil. Drizzle any remaining oil over the pizza. Cut into serving pieces and serve immediately.

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