TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2020
THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 3B
HOME & LIVING
Clafoutis: It’s a luscious
French dish easier to
prepare than pronounce
■ Not quite a pancake nor a quiche, it’s classic comfort food
By Arthi Subramaniam
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Clafoutis has a luscious yet
homey French pedigree.
Pronounced kla-FOO-tee,
it requires little muss or fuss
to be instantly satisfying. A
slightly sweet egg-fl our-milk
batter is poured over tiny
cherries, baked and fi nished
with a dusting of powdered
sugar.
It is often likened to other
egg batter-based foods. But
please don’t call it a pancake
because it is not fl ipped and
cooked on both sides.
Neither is it a quiche
(which has a crust), a fl an
(which has more fl our making
it thicker) or a far Breton (a
custardy cake from Brittany
that has a smooth fl an-like
texture and is dense). When
made with pears, peaches or
apples instead of cherries,
purists say it is not a clafoutis
but a fl augnarde.
To confuse matters even
more, clafoutis is known by
other names within France.
In the Auvergne region, it is
called millard, and in central
France, fans ask for a cacou.
Clafoutis is derived from
the word clafi r, which means
to fi ll. Typically, small black
cherries are laid out on a but-
tered baking dish, which is
then fi lled with a batter made
with eggs, fl our, milk and
sugar. Some believe the name
comes from the Latin expres-
sion clavum fi ngere, which
means “to fi x a nail,” referring
to the cherry-studded batter.
The dish’s origins can be
traced back to the Limousin
region in southwest-central
France. The French writer,
raconteur and prince of gas-
tronomy, Maurice Edmond
Sailland, better known as
Curnonsky, once said a true
clafoutis is made only by
people from that area who
have beautiful dark blood like
the juice of Limousin cherries.
Christiane Larhantec, who
lives north of Paris in Coye
la Foret, has no connections
to Limousin but believes a
real clafoutis is made with
unpitted tart cherries. Part
of the pleasure of eating one
is enjoying the fruit with pits
intact, she says.
Also if the pits are re-
moved, she says, the cherries
will let out more juice, mak-
ing the custard thinner. But
she offers this warning: “You
need to pay attention and
not bite into the pit.” It might
crack your tooth.
Didier Berlioz, an assistant
professor at the Culinary
Institute of America in Hyde
Park, New York, says small,
unpitted black cherries are
ideal. Pits add a complemen-
tary fl avor to the clafoutis, he
says, but the bigger the pit
the more tannin it will add to
the dish.
“That’s why small pits are
so much more desirable,” the
Nice native says.
A perfect clafoutis is
delicate, with a crisp edge and
top and a creamy interior. The
batter should not be over-
mixed, Berlioz says. Other-
wise it will have a souffl e-like
feel and end up as almost two
layers.
It’s important to match the
texture of the batter to the
fi lling. If the fi lling is made
with ingredients that tend
to release a lot of moisture,
add a suffi cient amount of
fl our so that it can absorb the
excess liquid. He prefers us-
ing a light pastry fl our when
compared to heavy ones like
bread fl our.
After mixing, the batter
needs to rest for about 20
minutes so that the fl our
can absorb the liquid. Fi-
nally, bake at 350 degrees for
around 40 minutes.
The traditional way to
serve a clafoutis is piping hot,
right out of the oven. But be
warned: The hot cherries can
burn your tongue. If there
are leftovers, consume them
at room temperature or cold.
Don’t ever reheat it, especial-
ly in the microwave, because
the texture will fall apart.
Clafoutis can have a savory
side, too, and there is no limit
to the type of fi lling. It will
work just like in a quiche,
Berlioz says, and it is mainly
about controlling moisture
content. He suggests cutting
savory versions into little
squares and eating them with
a toothpick as a snack.
Recently, I came across
clafoutis recipes in two cook-
books that featured vegeta-
bles and cheese and sounded
delicious. With the cherry
season long past and farmers
markets still selling sweet
tomatoes and richly colored
bell peppers, I geared up to go
the savory route and took my
cues from the two authors.
Diana Henry features a cla-
foutis with cherry and plum
tomatoes, olives and basil in
her book, “From the Oven to
the Table: Simple Dishes That
Look After Themselves.” The
ingredient list also includes
goat and Parmesan cheeses,
milk and heavy cream, mak-
ing the dish rich and luscious.
It also tastes just as homey
and satisfying as its sweet
counterpart made with cher-
ries.
In “Dinner in French: My
Recipes by Way of France,”
New York Times food writer
Melissa Clark suggests pour-
ing egg batter made with
whole milk, creme fraiche,
basil, white cheddar cheese
and sliced ham over cooked
red and yellow peppers redo-
lent with garlic. The clafoutis
is fi nished with more cheddar
and Parmesan cheese.
However, the goodness
does not end there. It gets a
good squirt of fresh lemon
juice and a sprinkling of
crushed red pepper fl akes,
before a table (dinner’s
ready).
The clafoutis is simply
French comfort food with a
lot of style.
SWEET PEPPER
AND CHEDDAR
CLAFOUTIS
Steve Mellon / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-TNS
Melissa Clark features a savory clafouti, made with sweet pepper and cheddar cheese,
in her book, “Dinner in French.” After taking it out of the oven, it is topped with fresh
lemon juice and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper fl akes.
then top with lemon juice and
red pepper fl akes.
Serves 4 to 6.
2 tablespoons extra-
virgin olive oil
3 sweet bell peppers,
preferably red, yellow and
orange, seeded and sliced
into 1/4-inch-wide strips
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup grated
Parmesan cheese
Fresh lemon juice, for serving
Crushed red pepper
fl akes, for serving
The pepper and garlic mixture
can be cooked ahead of time
and refrigerated. When it is
time to make the clafoutis,
warm vegetables in a skil-
let before adding to the egg
mixture and baking it. If you
cannot fi nd creme fraiche,
sour cream can work as a
substitute.
Heat the oven to 375 de-
grees.
In a large bowl, whisk
together milk, creme fraiche,
eggs, fl our, basil, 1/2 teaspoon
salt and pepper.
Stir in 3/4 cup of the ched-
dar and the ham.
In a 9-inch ovenproof skillet,
heat oil over medium heat.
Stir in peppers and cook until
3/4 cup whole milk
they are softened and golden
1/2 cup creme fraiche
at the edges, 10 to 15 minutes.
4 large eggs
Stir in garlic and remaining
2 1/2 tablespoons all-
1/4 teaspoon salt and cook un-
purpose fl our
til fragrant, about 2 minutes.
1/4 cup chopped fresh
Scrape the egg mixture into
basil leaves
the skillet and top it with the
3/4 teaspoon fi ne sea
remaining 1/4 cup cheddar
salt, divided, plus
and Parmesan. (For a more
more as needed
elegant presentation, scrape
1/2 teaspoon freshly
the vegetables into a gratin
ground black pepper
or casserole dish and add the
1 cup coarsely grated
egg mixture and cheese to
sharp white cheddar
that.)
cheese, divided
Bake until the eggs are set,
2 ounces sliced ham, chopped 35 to 40 minutes. Cool slightly,
in a bowl. Drizzle the olive oil
and vinegar over the grapes.
Sprinkle with the salt and the
Continued from Page 2B
chopped mint; toss to coat and
I left a few grapes on the
set aside.
vines just for the photos; I
Rinse then pat the chicken
suggest you take them all off
dry,
including the cavity,
the vine when you make the
with
several sheets of paper
recipe.
FOR THE CHICKEN:
towels.
Place the chicken on a
As for trussing the chicken For best results, allow the
4 1/2-to-5-pound chicken
work
surface
with the cavity
1/2 of a lemon
— which involves tying the
chicken to rest on the counter
facing
you.
Carefully
slide two
wings and legs close to the
30 minutes prior to starting the 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
fi
ngers
between
the
skin
and
body — skip it if you like, but recipe. A too-cold chicken go-
breast
meat
to
create
pockets
Place your oven-safe skillet
it helps keep the breasts from ing into a hot oven will render
to fi ll with the compound
on
the middle rack of your
overcooking by limiting the
uneven cooking throughout.
butter, taking care not to tear
oven; preheat oven to 450
amount of air circulating into If trussing the chicken, you’ll
the skin. Massage a quarter of
degrees.
the breast cavity.
need kitchen twine. There are
Make the compound butter the butter directly onto each
Afraid to truss? Here’s an
plenty of videos on YouTube
by placing all the ingredients in breast under the skin. Slice the
amusing video on trussing
with trussing how-tos if you
lemon in half and place both
a small bowl and stirring well
from Chef Brian Polcyn, a
are unsure how to truss a
halves into the chicken’s cavity
butchery expert:
chicken. Or you can simply tie to incorporate; set aside.
along with the two sprigs of
Rinse the grapes, shaking
For guidance on how long
the legs together.
rosemary. Truss the chicken
off excess water, then place
to roast chickens, I rely on
Makes 6-8 servings
CHICKEN
moment the chicken makes
contact with the hot pan —
it’s a beautiful sound!
ROSEMARY
ROASTED CHICKEN
WITH RED GRAPES
Julia Child’s expertise to
determine roasting time:
In a 450-degree oven, start
with 45 minutes and add
7 minutes for each pound.
You’ll need a 10- to 12-inch
heavy skillet (preferably cast
iron, although my cast iron
is only 8 inches, so I used my
commercial grade Calphalon
skillet).
Another pro tip: Preheat
your skillet. Doing so not only
shortens the cooking time,
but it gives the thighs a little
more heat, so they start cook-
ing immediately. Just wait
until you hear that sizzle the
FOR THE COMPOUND
BUTTER:
3 tablespoons butter,
room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly
grated black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons fi nely
chopped fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
Zest from one medium lemon
FOR THE GRAPES:
1 1/2 pounds red
seedless grapes
2 tablespoons extra
virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh
mint, fi nely chopped
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cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup basil leaves, torn
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place tomatoes into a gratin
— “Dinner in French: My
Recipes By Way of France” by dish with the olive oil and
Melissa Clark (Clarkson Potter; season them. Turn them over
March 2020) so the surfaces are all coated
in oil.
Roast for 20 to 30 minutes
or until the tomatoes are soft
and slightly shrunken. Take out
of the oven and leave to sit on
a work surface.
Reduce the oven tempera-
The tomatoes, olives and goat ture to 375 degrees.
cheese all come together in
Place the eggs, egg yolks,
harmony when baked with the fl our, milk and cream into a
eggy custard. Don’t forget to
food processor, season well
top with fresh basil at the end. and give it a whiz. Stir in the
Parmesan and garlic.
1 pound mixed cherry
Scatter the olives over the
and plum tomatoes,
tomatoes and crumble on goat
halved or quartered,
cheese.
depending on size
Pour the batter over the
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-
tomatoes, olives and cheese.
virgin olive oil
Bake for 30 minutes until the
Sea salt fl akes and freshly
custard is puffed, golden and
ground pepper
just set in the middle.
4 large eggs, plus 2
Leave it for 5 minutes to
large egg yolks
settle. It will sink a little. Scatter
1/3 cup all-purpose fl our
over the basil and serve.
Scant 1 cup whole milk
Serves 6.
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup fi nely grated
— Adapted from “From the
Parmesan cheese
Oven to the Table: Simple
1 garlic clove, fi nely grated
Dishes That Look After
2 tablespoons chopped,
Themselves” by Diana Henry
pitted black olives
(Mitchell Beazley; October
7 ounces soft goat
2019)
TOMATO, GOAT
CHEESE & OLIVE
CLAFOUTIS WITH
BASIL
or tie the legs together with
kitchen twine. Massage the
remaining butter all over the
chicken.
Carefully pull the hot pan
out of the oven and onto the
stove. Lay the chicken in the
center (chicken will sizzle) and
surround the chicken with the
grapes, making sure to scrape
out the olive oil and mint from
the bowl with a rubber spat-
ula. Return skillet to the oven
and roast for 70-80 minutes,
until the temperature in the
thickest part of the leg reaches
162 degrees. Remove the
chicken from the oven. It will
continue to cook and will hit
the 165-degree safe zone while
resting. Let it rest for at least
15 minutes before carving.
New Name.
Same Great Team.
Same Exceptional
Service.
Travis T. Hampton, D.P.M.
Foot and Ankle Surgeon
Serve the chicken with the
grapes and some of the pan
juices on the side. Brown rice,
green beans, broccoli or a
green salad make excellent
sides.
Debone the completely
cooled leftover chicken before
storing it in the refrigerator.
Save the carcass to make a
killer homemade bone broth.
Recipe is copyrighted by Anita
L. Arambula from Confessions
of a Foodie. Reprinted by
permission.
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