Clafoutis
Clafoutis (French pronunciation: [klafuti]; Occitan: clafotís [klafuˈtis] or [kʎafuˈtiː]), sometimes spelled clafouti in Anglophone countries, is a baked French dessert of fruit, traditionally black cherries,[1] arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter. The clafoutis is dusted with powdered sugar and served lukewarm, sometimes with cream.
Course | Dessert |
---|---|
Place of origin | France |
Region or state | Limousin |
Serving temperature | Warm |
Main ingredients | Flan batter, black cherries, powdered sugar |
Variations | Flaugnarde |
Other information | It can also be made with apples, pears, etc. |
A traditional Limousin clafoutis contains pits of the cherries.[2] The pits contain benzaldehyde, the active chemical in almond extract adding a complementary note to its flavor.[3] They also contain a small amount of amygdalin, that create cyanide, but are not toxic in the small amounts.[4]
Origins
The clafoutis comes from the Limousin region of France, and while black cherries are traditional, there are numerous variations using other fruits, including red cherries, plums, prunes, apples, pears, cranberries or blackberries.[5] When other kinds of fruit are used instead of cherries, the dish is properly called a flaugnarde.
The dish's name derives from Occitan clafotís, from the verb clafir, meaning "to fill" (implied: "the batter with cherries").[6] Clafoutis apparently spread throughout France during the 19th century.
References
- Wells, Patricia (1991). Simply French. New York, N.Y.: William Morrow and Company, Inc. p. 276. ISBN 9780688066420. OCLC 23771182.
- "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. ISBN 978-0600608639.
- "cherry clafoutis – A Toast and Tea". A Toast and Tea. July 6, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
- Nick, Jean (July 25, 2018). "Are Stone Fruit Seeds Poisonous? What to Know About Cherry, Peach, and Plum Pits". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
- Larousse Gastronomique, Clarkson Potter Publishers
- The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. Oxford University Press. 2015-04-01. ISBN 9780199313617.