Clafoutis

Clafoutis (French pronunciation: [klafuti]; Occitan: clafotís [klafuˈtis] or [kʎafuˈtiː]), sometimes spelled clafouti in Anglophone countries, is a French dish of fruit, 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 tepid, sometimes with cream, as a dessert. It can also be served as a breakfast or brunch main or side dish. It originates in the Limousin region.

Clafoutis

Clafoutis made with pitted cherries
Type	Tart
Course	Dessert, breakfast
Place of origin	France
Region or state	Limousin
Serving temperature	Warm, room temperature, or chilled
Main ingredients	Eggs, milk or yogurt, black cherries or other fruit
Ingredients generally used	Flour or almond flour, fruit brandy, powdered sugar, sugar
Variations	Flaugnarde
Media: Clafoutis

Etymology

One proposed derivation of the dish's name is from the Occitan clafotís, from the verb clafir, meaning "to fill" (implied: "the batter with cherries").^[1] Another is that clafir comes from the Old French claufir, meaning "to fix with nails",^[2] explained as the cherries having the appearance of nail heads.^[3]

Cyanide

A traditional Limousin clafoutis contains both the flesh of the cherries and the nut-like kernels.^[4] Cherry kernels contain benzaldehyde, the compound responsible for the dominant flavour in almond extract.^[5] 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.^[6]

Origin

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. This includes pitted red or black cherries, other stonefruit such as peaches or plums, and other fruit like apples or pears, or berries.^{[7][8][9][10]}

A flaugnarde is a similar dessert, but made with other fruits such as apples, pears, apricots or plums. Cacou,^[11] a specialty of Paray-le-Monial, is a dessert similar to clafoutis made with unpitted Bigarreaux cherries.^[12] Far Breton is a dessert similar to clafoutis made with prunes.^{[citation needed]} A flan is a similar dish made with a flourless batter.^[13]

Savoury clafoutis, made with vegetables and without sugar, can also be made.^[13]

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 flavourings like vanilla or kirsch or other fruit brandies.^[14][8][15] The batter is poured over cherries or other fruit in a shallow baking dish and baked.^[14] Some recipes call for pouring the batter into the pan and topping with the fruit before baking.^[8] The finished product has a light, custardlike texture.^[8][10]

The dish is traditionally served as a dessert, but some less-sweet variations may also be appropriate as a breakfast or brunch dish.^[15] It can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled.^[14] It may be served sprinkled with powdered sugar and may be served alone or with accompaniments such as cream, whipped cream, or ice cream.^[9][8][10]

See also

• List of French dishes
• List of French desserts