idun Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Has anyone ever ever had one that is not claggy stodge?I have french friends who love it, and I simply put it down to fond memories from childhood, because without a drink at hand, I cannot manage to chew the stuff and swallow it. And avoid it at all costs.I used to think that friends just hadn't got the right recipe, but I tried a couple of times and binned the results. So does a 'light' edible one exist? And if so, what is the recipe.I ask as an english friend mentioned that she had made one and it was terrible, when I suggested 'claggy stodge' she agreed and I said that that is how I have always found it.I'm sure that there are many who like clafoutis, because we are all different and all have our likes and dislikes, lets face it, some people even like andouillette. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindal1000 Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 I never realised Clafoutis was a French desert until I lived here as I used to make it in UK. Isn't it just baked egg custard with cherries? Didn't think you could vary egg custard that much, although I suppose you could whip up the egg whites separately and fold them into the rest of a mixture. Would that make it lighter? More like a souffle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 How about canelées? They are a bit claggy too[:(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 I would say that the clafoutis mix was more like a yorkshire pudding/crepe recipe than egg custard.And what about the dreaded 'flan' with the pastry, which should be like an egg custard and isn't, I'd be ashamed if my egg custard turned out like that.And I'll add to that Le Pudding, which is dire and I have never had a good one either. All three I'm sure are in the catagory of fond memories of childhood things, and I may have been comparitively 'young' when I moved to France, but I was an adult as opposed to a child.I'm not saying that the french do not have truly delicious sweet things, they certainly do. Where I used to live we had the wonderful Gateau Savoyarde, which was really really good and light,that amoungst many other things which I adore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 Just looked the canneles up, as I didn't know what they were, says on wiki that they are from the Bordeaux region, which was a long way from chez moi. They look at first glace rather like rum babas.I have to say of the flan'ny type things, I do like a good far Breton, and have had delicious ones, and of things from Brittany, I adore a warm slice of kouign amann with a good cup of coffee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Idun you have reminded me that our french neighbour has asked us, last week, to pick the cherries off her tree "before the birds get them" and has put her steps out for us. Husband hasn't got the energy, and no way am I going up on steps after my accident in March.re french desserts - in the Elizabeth David book French Provincial cookery she says the french don't go in for a big variety of desserts, mostly simple recipes based on fresh fruit. Recently they've found out about our crumbles and seem to like them.One village meal we went to they just served some very sugary brioche as a dessert. So - I've never tried clafoutis [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindal1000 Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Must admit never seen any of them in restaurants here.. most places do ice cream, tarte tatin, crème Brule or le brownie! when we do the summer fête desert is usually eclairs or fruit tart, both of which are ok. Maybe the secret is to make the clafoutis as if it were a baked custard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 [quote user="Patf"]So - I've never tried clafoutis [:D][/quote][quote user="lindal1000"]Must admit never seen any of them in restaurants here.. most places do ice cream, tarte tatin, crème Brule or le brownie![/quote]My goodness how your posts have surprised me. We have clafoutis (in season natch) on some resto menus here in southern Brittany. And I thought we were already backward enough with the paucity of flavoursome desserts hereabouts. It seems that some other areas are much, much worse.Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindal1000 Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 I don't think it's traditional to this area. Mind you neither is Le Brownie! I just looked up the recipe for clafoutis and egg custard pie and the batters are pretty similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Mrs G has done Clafoutis on the odd occasion, but she reckons that the 'stoning' of the cherries is a real pain - juice splattered everywhere!We were served the dish at our neighbours some time back, but she hadn't stoned the cherries. Not very easy to eat!On the subject of cherries, we're currently buying them from our local fruit & veg. They're the Burlat variety from over Mt Ventoux way - 2x the price, but multiple times the quality. Large fruits, sweet but with just that hint of sharpness & no wastage (provided you only buy 2-3 daysworth at a time). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Yes, idun, "claggy" is the term I would use for my clafoutis, too. Even though the recipe came from Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". It was slightly less so when eaten warm over eaten cold. That's the best I can say about it.Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 Sue, why would the bretons have clafoutis, instead of far breton, the latter is 'far' nicer!![Www] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 I must say that I rather enjoy Ile Flottante after a meal. True the pudding menu is not usually very good in restaurants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 The problem with clafoutis is that it is so ubiquitous that, for the sake of politesse, it is sometimes impossible not to make a show of eating some[:(]And, Guardian, I have never eaten it with cherries that are stoned! Early on in our French life, I bought one of those cherry stone remover gadgets but it's stayed in the drawer for some years now and not seen the light of day.If I were making muffins (American muffins), I would definitely stone the cherries. I have eaten cherry cake beautifully dusted with sugar and VERY yummy but the stones are left in.To coin a phrase, I guess life is too busy to stone a cherry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 [quote user="mint"]To coin a phrase, I guess life is too busy to stone a cherry?[/quote]One of the pleasures of living here is to pluck a few cherries from roadside trees and walk along munching, then spitting out the stones.There are several wild cherry trees around too - the cherries are smaller but just as tasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share Posted June 24, 2015 Lindal, I have never put flour or thickening of any sort in an egg custard,, and there is in a clafoutis. It is also a heavier recipe than plain pancakes too, what with the extra egg yolk and melted butter and sugar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 More like a Yorkshire pudding batter really, as far as I recall.Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I'm not long back from lunch with friends, a picnic, where everyone took something to share between 18 of us. One of my friends took apricot clafoutis, which was definitely stodgy, more so than others I've eaten in France or in England. But it all disappeared, went down very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Naturally, GG, washed down with whatever it is that you were all drinking![:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I must admit there was a fair amount of local rosé, plus several bottles of Pineau de Charente, made by my friend's parents, who are from that area.We'd had lots if exercise going up and down hill, watching the wonderful traditions of the fete de la St Jean (John the Baptist) at the village of Barbatane near Avignon, lovely horses with and without carts, racing up and down to the church square and others racing down hills and round the roundabout. Exciting stuff is good for appetites! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindal1000 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 This clafoutis recipe only uses 2 eggs and a tablespoon of flourhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/cherry_clafoutis_18623And this is quite a good discussion on the merits of both typeshttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/aug/29/how-to-cook-perfect-cherry-clafoutisI must admit the only time I made it I just used an egg custard recipe..a.maybe that's why I quite liked it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share Posted June 24, 2015 I love a proper egg custard and could imagine it being lovely with some fruit in it too. I do sometimes cook it without the pastry case in the micro wave and have served it with compote, and cream, but never cooked the fruit in it.I have to admit that I do make Drop Puddings. I make up a Yorkshire Pudding batter, put some oil in the baking tin and when it is very hot add the batter as if making a normal yorkshire pudding and then drop lots of soft fruit into the middle, sort of scattering it and bake for 20-25 minutes until very golden brown and the fruit looked cooked. Now this is not heavy, the sides rise up as they should in a yorkshire pudding.I get it out of the baking tin and sprinkle with sugar and a good measure of cream and eat hot, always to be eaten fresh out of the oven, like the best of yorkshire puds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 I just love clafoutis and all of these custard-like puds, in fact when I went to Brittany the first time and discovered Far, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven [:D]My lovely neighbour makes a variation of clafoutis but with rhubarb instead of cherries. It is very sharp as she makes it for her husband who cannot have sugar but she gives me a slice or two - Yum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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