Clafoutis (French pronunciation:[klafuti]; Occitan: clafotís[klafuˈtis] or [kʎafuˈtiː]), sometimes spelled clafouti in Anglophone countries, is a French dish of fruit, traditionally unpitted black cherries, arranged in a buttered dish, covered with a thick but pourable batter, then baked to create a crustless tart. The clafoutis is traditionally dusted with powdered sugar and served lukewarm, sometimes with cream, as a dessert. It can also be served as a breakfast or brunch main or side.
Etymology
One reported derivation of dish's name is from Occitanclafotís, from the verb clafir, meaning "to fill" (implied: "the batter with cherries").[1] Another reported derivation is that clafir comes from old French claufir, meaning "to fix with nails,"[2] explained as the cherries having the appearance of nail heads.[3][4]
Cyanide
A traditional Limousin clafoutis contains both the flesh of the cherries and the nut-like kernels.[5] Cherry kernels contain benzaldehyde, the compound responsible for the dominant flavour in almond extract.[6] They also contain a small amount of amygdalin, a cyanogenic glycoside - a compound potentially capable of releasing cyanide if consumed, but non-toxic in small quantities.[7]
Origins
Clafoutis comes from the Limousin region of France.
Variations and similar dishes
Clafoutis with unpitted cherries
While unpitted black cherries are traditional, there are numerous variations using other fruits, including pitted red or black cherries, other stonefruit such as peaches or plums, other fruit such as apples or pears, or berries.[8][9][10][11]
A flaugnarde is a dessert similar to clafoutis, made with other kinds of fruit such as apples, pears, apricots or plums.Cacou,[12] a specialty of Paray-le-Monial, is a dessert similar to clafoutis made with unpitted Bigarreaux cherries.[13]Far Breton is a dessert similar to clafoutis made with prunes.[citation needed] A flan is a similar dish made with a flourless batter.[14]
Savory clafoutis, made with vegetables and without sugar, can also be made.[14]
Ingredients, preparation and serving
A pourable batter, similar in thickness to a pancake batter, is made from flour, eggs, milk, sugar, and salt and sometimes other ingredients such as almond flour, yogurt, and flavorings such as vanilla or kirsch or other fruit brandies.[15][9][16] The batter is poured over cherries or other fruit in a shallow baking dish and baked.[15] Some recipes call for pouring the batter into the pan and topping with the fruit before baking.[9] The finished product has a light, custardlike texture.[9][11]
The dish is traditionally served as a dessert, but some less-sweet variations may also be appropriate as a breakfast or brunch dish.[16] It can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled.[15] It may be served sprinkled with powdered sugar and may be served alone or with accompaniments such as cream, whipped cream, or ice cream.[10][9][11]
Cultural references
In her autobiographical novel The War: A Memoir, French resister and writer Marguerite Duras carefully gathers up the rationed ingredients to make her husband a clafoutis when he returns from the concentration camps, only to find that he is too weak from malnutrition and exposure to eat it.[17]
^"CLAFOUTIS : Définition". cnrtl.fr. Retrieved 22 August 2023. flan fait d'un mélange de farine, de lait, d'œufs et de sucre, que l'on fait cuire au four dans une tourtière beurrée après y avoir ajouté des cerises sucrées [flan made from a mixture of flour, milk, eggs and sugar, which is baked in a buttered pie pan after adding sweet cherries
^"Clafoutis". The Concise Larousse Gastronomique: The World's Greatest Cookery Encyclopedia (Revised ed.). London: Hamlyn, a division of Octopus Publishing Group. 2003-04-15 [1998]. p. 311. ISBN978-0600608639.
