What should my clafoutis look like?

[Coco]

.... And no rude answers thank you!

Last night I decided to make a clafoutis for the first time.  I used "Raymond Blanc's Foolproof Cooking" (and it usually is!)

Now I followed it to the letter and when it came out of the oven you couldn't tell mine from the picture of his.  However, when I cut into it I found that it had the texture of a Far Breton or creme caramel, very smooth and dense - not at all what I was expecting.  I was expecting something a little more cake or pudding-like.  It tasted fine, and was in fact quite light, not at all stodgy as it looked.  My husband thought it was excellent but as neither of us has ever had it before we didn't really know what to expect.

I've never seen it demonstrated on TV, so I don't know what it should look like inside.

In retrospect, it was made with plain flour, without any kind of raising agent, apart from air, so there's no real reason to suspect it should have a cake-like consistancy.  And if it tasted good, why should I worry?  It's curiosity more than anything else and also not wanting to serve it up to guests who have had clafoutis before and wonder what the hell I've done to it!!

Anybody with previous experience I would be interested to know.

[Clair]

It sounds just PERFECT and I want the recipe!

Most clafoutis are too dense, floury and cake-like, when they sould be more like a flan.

Please send me the recipe...!

[Boghound]

It looks like a Yorkshire pudding with fruit in and tastes like one but sweet! Excellent for repairing stone walls..another example of the British tasting over glamorised French peasant cuisine.

[Clair]

[quote]It looks like a Yorkshire pudding with fruit in and tastes like one but sweet! Excellent for repairing stone walls..another example of the British tasting over glamorised French peasant cuisine.[/quote]

That's exactly what it sould NOT look like!

And that explains the comment!

[Ian Hoare<br>All the best<br>Ian<br>La Souvigne Corrèze<br>http:www.souvigne.com]

Hi Coco,

it truly goes against the grain, but this time I nearly agree with the Boghound. Not about the glamorisation of the dish, but about what it is.

Basically, it's a cherry toad in the hole, but absolutely FULL of cherries! So think of it like that and you'll know the sort of texture it's supposed to be.

By the way, pedantic point. The generic dish is called Flaugnarde or Flognard, abbreviated to "Flan". It may be made with nothing in it, like a sweet yorkshire pudding and it can be made with fruit or even with non fruity fruit like cherry tomatoes.

Clafoutis is a Correzian sub category made with little black cherries (with stone in). As long as the stones are left in, I suppose it's legit to call it clafoutis though the original was only ever made with the local wild ones.

When made as it should be, you have the blandness of the batter, the tart juiciness of the cherries, which are intact because you've left in the stones and the crunchiness of the sugar which you sprinkle on top. The stones make you concentrate on what's in your mouth and give a slight woodiness. Absolute magic.

Here's the recipe I use.

@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Clafoutis (Limousin)

dairy, desserts, french, fruits

400 gm tiny black cherries *
200 gm flour
4  whole eggs
1/2 litre milk
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoon oil
150 gm sugar; divided
100 ml rum or eau de vie **

NB ** These cherries should be washed and destalked carefully taking care not to break the skin. They should never, ever under any circumstances be pitted.

 *** Eau de vie is a fruit based white brandy, like schnapps or Kirsch. For this recipe it wold make sense to use Kirsch, though any fruit alcohol (unsweetened) could be used.

Method. a) Without a food processor Sieve the flour into a bowl, and add the eggs, the salt, and half the milk. Work well with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the rest of the milk, a third of the sugar and the alcohol or rum. Beat till smooth again.

b) with a Food Processor (Use plastic blade).
Tip the eggs, half the milk, the salt, 1/3 of the sugar and the
alcohol into the bowl. Start processing while adding the flour. When all the flour is added, stop the machine, scrape any loose flour into the mixture, turn on again and add the rest of the milk. Process till smooth.
Leave the batter about an hour before continuing with the cooking. Preheat the oven to 210C (410F). Butter lightly a flan dish with fairly high sides. Arrange the cherries on the bottom - the dish should be of such a size that the cherries completely cover the bottom. Tip over the pancake batter and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes. The batter will rise spectacularly, and brown nicely. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with the remaining 2/3 of the sugar (courage!) Serve hot or lukewarm.

Recipe Jean-Pierre Poulain "Le Limousin Gourmand"
Translated & MMed IMH c/o LeMarYol BBS Fido 2:324/151.4

Yield: 6 servings

** Exported from Now You're Cooking! v5.66 **

 

 

[Boghound]

I think my "cuisiner" might have something to say about the origin.....though my dentist seems to be all for it.

 

[Coco]

Oh good, it sounds as though I was more or less there then.  Just a couple of things that I knew weren't right but it was only an experiment; I used a jar of griottes, being too early for fresh cherries at the moment, but they were pitted (as per Raymond Blanc's but not Ian's recipes!) and also, he had said cook it at 190 degreesC.  As I have a prety fierce fan-assisted oven I lowered this to 175C.  It was only after that I read in the foreword to the book that he always uses a fan-assisted oven and that anyone using a conventional oven should increase all of his temperatures by 10 degrees.  Therefore, I cooked it at too low a heat, which would explain why it didn't get crunchy from the sugar lining to the dish as he had said it would!

Anyway, for Clair's benefit here is RB's version - (yes, you other two, as you say, glamourised, as all celebrity chefs tend to do!)

500g fresh pitted (or not) cherries, 2 tablespoons caster sugar, 2 tablespoons kirsch

For the dish:  10g melted unsalted butter, 3 tablesoons caster sugar (I didn't use that much)

For the batter:  100g plain flour, pinch of salt, 3 organic eggs and 1 egg yolk, 6 tablesppons caster sugar, zest of a lemon, 6 drops of vanilla extract, 150ml milk, 150ml whipping cream, 75g  butter.

First, marinate the cherries in the kirsch for a couple of hours.

Brush the inside of the baking dish with 10g melted butter and coat with the sugar, this will (should, if you have the oven hot enough!) give the clafoutis a crust during cooking.

Put the flour and salt in a mixing bowl, make a well in the middle and add the eggs, lemon zest and vanilla.  Slowly incorparate the egg mixture in the flour with a whisk, until smooth.  Then whisk in the milk and cream.

Melt the remaining butter until it turns a pale hazelnut colour and whisk into the batter while it is still hot.  Mix the cherries and their juices into the batter and pour into the baking dish.  Bake for 30-35 minutes at 190C, until the blade of a knife, when inserted into the mixture, comes out clean.  Sprinkle with a little caster sugar and serve warm.

It was extremely nice, although, as you can see .... exceedingly fattening and truly excellent heart attack material with all that butter, milk and cream!!!

[Clair]

[quote]Hi Coco, it truly goes against the grain, but this time I nearly agree with the Boghound. Not about the glamorisation of the dish, but about what it is. Basically, it's a cherry toad in the hole, bu...[/quote]

Le vrai clafoutis du Limousin (dont le nom vient du mot patois clafi, "rempli", sous-entendu "de cerises") exige, "de savoureuses petites cerises noires que l'on ne trouve qu'en Limousin". Et "pour atteindre à la perfection du clafoutis, ajoutait-il, il faut avoir du sang limousin dans les artères"...

CoCo

Thanks for the recipe... I look forward to trying it!

[Boghound]

[quote]Le vrai clafoutis du Limousin (dont le nom vient du mot patois clafi, "rempli", sous-entendu "de cerises") exige, "de savoureuses petites cerises noires que l'on ne trouve qu'en Limousin". Et "pour at...[/quote]

Eeeee Lass...it dunni mather wot gibberish yer be tolken in...it still be tarted up Yorkshire pudd with fruit.

[Bones]

".... And no rude answers thank you!"

Dammit!

[Ian Hoare<br>All the best<br>Ian<br>La Souvigne Corrèze<br>http:www.souvigne.com]

Hi Clair.

Looks like we've got the same book!!

Although I've not got any limousin blood in my veins, I've been nicknamed "Le plus corrézien des Anglais". So perhaps that counts.

For the rest of you,

The reason I emphasize the use of unpitted cherries only in clafoutis, is because the result is dramatically different, if the fruit gives out its juice into the batter. It's not bad, I'm not saying that at all, it's just very different, and given that a generic name (flaugnarde) does exist, it seems respectful to the origin, Boghound's cuisinier notwithstanding (a relief) to maintain the difference.

[bizzer]

Hi guys

Clafoutis aux cerises ---- Cherries Baked in Batter there is also a Burgundian version called a tartouillat

Sharp unpitted cherries work really well and if you prefer them pitted well what the heck saves on the dental bills....

Kirsch can be used but so can dark rum

Happy tasting guys

BArry

[Ian Hoare<br>All the best<br>Ian<br>La Souvigne Corrèze<br>http:www.souvigne.com]

Hello Barry

You said:-

Clafoutis aux cerises ---- Cherries Baked in Batter

I really do wonder why I write sometimes. It's not "Clafoutis aux Cerises" because correctly Clafoutis is always and only with cherries.

there is also a Burgundian version called a tartouillat

Similar, but not the same.

Sharp unpitted cherries work really well and if you prefer them pitted well what the heck saves on the dental bills...

I explained what the heck. Pitting the cherries allows the juice to run out, and changes the dish completely.

Kirsch can be used but so can dark rum

Neither of these would be authentic. Kirsch is virtually unknown here where the dish was invented, and in any case is FAR too expensive to be used in the quantities needed.

Sigh.

[bizzer]

HI Ian

Version does that not mean similar???

Explaining what the heck--- if someone wants them pitted then great if they want a different appearnce and sllightly different taste texture.. Any fruit based liqueur could be used depending on personal preference/taste..

Always remember dishes move on as time progresses the traditional die hards stay the same and good for them but bravo also to inventive chefs/ cooks who move on and diversify..

Sigh wink wink

Barry

[Ian Hoare<br>All the best<br>Ian<br>La Souvigne Corrèze<br>http:www.souvigne.com]

Hi again,

You said,

Always remember dishes move on as time progresses the traditional die hards stay the same and good for them but bravo also to inventive chefs/ cooks who move on and diversify..

As long as the dish is not changed away from its essence. The essence of clafoutis is precisely the combination of juicy cherries, which can only be like that because the juice hasn't run out, and the bland slightly sweet batter.

It's not a matter of moviing on, it's a matter of changing away from the original to the point of deformation.

By all means invent/ change evolve diversify but don't use a name which is specific and precise. Hence my mention of Flaugnarde. A Flaugnarde aux Cérises can be exactly as you describe.

The fact that many french chefs neither know nor respect their past might explain why 4 out of the top 10 restaurants in the world are in the UK and not in France.

 

[Boghound]

"Kirsch is virtually unknown here where the dish was invented, and in any case is FAR too expensive to be used in the quantities needed."

Obviously not lived here long...move in the circles I entertain in...or live in the Vendee.

[Ian Hoare<br>All the best<br>Ian<br>La Souvigne Corrèze<br>http:www.souvigne.com]

[quote]"Kirsch is virtually unknown here where the dish was invented, and in any case is FAR too expensive to be used in the quantities needed." Obviously not lived here long...move in the circles I entert...[/quote]

Only 16 years. !00 mls of Kirsch is far too extravagant for what is - as you so inelegeantly put it - a peasant dish. Don't say you use "Fantaisie" in place of Kirsch. The real thing costs well over E30 a bottle, and no Limousin peasant would have dreamt of using it. Gnole is the stuff they'd use here.

 

[Calva]

Coco - I have a superb recipe for Toad in the Hole - if you like I'll E mail it to you separately - honestly it never fails. Why not substitute cherries for the sausages???

 

Let me know

 

Calva

 

xx