I have made a few clafoutis from the cherry trees in my son’s yard in the Cascade Mtns in Washington- Rainier cherries basically grow wild there! His 100-year-old trees are prodigious. My clafoutis, baked at 6000 feet, puffed up like soufflé, huge! Then settled down afterwards. Still delicious!
I love clafoutis so much, it's always in rotation this time of year, making the most of brief local cherry season. The recipe I've been using came from a French friend ages ago, I look forward to giving your recipe a try, Jamie!
I definitely will! I have a friend in Paris who used to holiday with us and she would make us a clafoutis every summer. Now that she doesn’t come with us (she was rather a handful, so while I miss the clafoutis, I don’t miss her grumpy ways), I can use your recipe to make my own.
Must make this! But it will have to wait until the BC cherries are available, which isn't for another 3-4 weeks. What I would give for a box full of the gorgeous, perfect, sweet-tart cherries we found in Paris (was it only 2 weeks ago?) Years ago there was a tiny shop on Queen Street West in Toronto named "Clafoutis" and yes, that is all they baked. I doubt it survived covid, but as I recall their clafoutis were a bit chewy, tho' delicious, and served with an optional dollop of whipped cream. Okay, enough nattering, back to my coffee and the news. Thanks for this delightful essay and the must-try recipe! xo
Oh, Carol, much better to read my posts about food than the news.... I don't want your coffee to curdle! I'll nudge you in a few weeks when you have your cherries to remind you to make this. And whipped cream on top is a plus! Now I'm off to have another slice, sans le whipped cream. xoxox
So excited to have this recipe as I’ve wanted to make clafoutis forever! The background and the links to other historic desserts make it all the more enticing. And of course, it is cherry season!🍒
I will, Jamie! We’ve been traveling so much, I haven’t had a chance to make the cheesecake yet either, but both are at the top of my list once we’re back from our next excursion in late June.
OMG now I'm nervous but I soooo want you to try mine and let me know what you think. "Rubberized" damn that's the word I needed because that is what they are - my first attempt was like that.
I love this read Seth! First off, hats off to you for being great at baking. I love how you weave the history into the story telling and I must say, while I have never eaten Clafoutis, yours looks beyond delicious--bravo!!
You smacked this one out of the park, and will always keep in mind to serve it hot, Jamie. Your deep dive of culinary history remains unparalleled, and thanks for sharing such with the rest of us.
Cherry Pits = OXO cherry pitter is one of my kitchen unitaskers, that I think was the best one back at America's Test Kitchen (at least I think it was when I was there). It generally keeps the cherries intact, so fewer issues there. Works okay with olives too, but cherries FTW. I bet that long ago, some purists said to keep the cherry pits in so the juice wouldn't bleed into the batter. I'd rather not have to visit a dentist and will wear a blindfold if anyone is so concerned about color.
Was there anything you found in the final recipe that aided in an even rise in the end, Jamie? Finally, as I'm a die-hard sucker for a flan -- how close is the final recipe to that sort of texture?
Can't wait to make this one. Again, most clafoutis I've had over the years were chewy, spongy messes that always looked better than they tasted or texturally presented. Will give it a go. - Seth ✦
Hmmm.... okay one thing at a time. It's complicated to compare it to flan even if it is in the same family, because different pastry chefs make different flans, some creamier, some denser. This is a bit denser than a flan, or like a slightly denser flan. But there are so many cherries in it that the baked custard part is basically a support of the cherries, if you see what I mean.
The secret, in my opinion, to the even rise (the first one rose a good inch above the rim of the quiche dish, this second one less) is to make the perfect batter, really perfectly smooth. I hope I got this idea across in my recipe instructions. Then just cross your fingers and stare at it through the oven door for the 45 minutes it takes to bake hahaha I kid you not sometimes I do.
I love my cherry pitter - I don't know the brand off the cuff (I do love OXO products, though). I also have a table stand cherry pitter and plum pitter for larger quantities of fruit for when I am making jam and have 6 kilos to pit at a time.
Hey J - Makes sense about the whole flan thing. Denser IMHO is good, and that makes sense about the structural support system. I almost wonder if the smooth batter = smaller air bubbles = a smoother and a more even rise. The fact that you actually sift the flour — that’s a step that so many people skip in their baking. (Yes, such things make a difference!). I’ll be super-careful when I give it a go.
Yes, I too been known to stare at stuff while it cooks. You are absolutely NOT alone in this, Jamie. Any choux, soufflé, etc. - anything with air/steam as a leavener will have me watching the oven window like an old-school TV set. FWIW, I can never trust such things; I'll watch along helplessly and wait for the best.
I also keep forgetting that as you’re the jam queen, you’ve got the pro-grade pitters on-hand. TBH, it’s nice to have a few pieces of big-gun gear in the kitchen, even if it’s cracking open a walnut with a sledgehammer. The rest of the world can pry my Hobart 403U industry-grade meat tenderizer (that I refurbished and named “Chuck”) from my cold, dead hands. So many thanks and XO! - Seth ✦
If you have figured out how to actually crack crabs and not leave the dinner table starving, let me know. Gave it a go during my Baltimore stop on my recent Road Feast trip. Received proper training by Baltimore natives. Either I’ll be sticking to my New England lobster or will be ordering the crab cakes next time, so I don’t leave the table hungry. ;) - Seth ✦
Oh you just made another perfect historic description and ended with a perfect recipe, thank you.
Thank you so much! Once I found a topic and an angle, this one was so much fun to write! I appreciate your words and am really happy you liked it!
I have made a few clafoutis from the cherry trees in my son’s yard in the Cascade Mtns in Washington- Rainier cherries basically grow wild there! His 100-year-old trees are prodigious. My clafoutis, baked at 6000 feet, puffed up like soufflé, huge! Then settled down afterwards. Still delicious!
This was my first one!! Wild!
Any high altitude suggestions?
To be honest, I’m not versed at all in high altitude baking.
I was just thinking this would be a great use for the Rainier cherries I picked up at the West Seattle farmers market last weekend.
Perfect!!!
Yes! Delicious aren’t they?
I love clafoutis so much, it's always in rotation this time of year, making the most of brief local cherry season. The recipe I've been using came from a French friend ages ago, I look forward to giving your recipe a try, Jamie!
Let me know what you think and how it compares. Honestly. And thank you so much for subscribing! That means a lot to me!
This looks fantastic!
Thank you 🙏
Ooh la la! I make a cranberry clafoutis from “Outlaw Cook” by John Thorne.
I’d love to know how it compares!
I do love clafoutis!
Ooooh Liza, then you must try this recipe!
I definitely will! I have a friend in Paris who used to holiday with us and she would make us a clafoutis every summer. Now that she doesn’t come with us (she was rather a handful, so while I miss the clafoutis, I don’t miss her grumpy ways), I can use your recipe to make my own.
Haha yes, the clafoutis without the grumpy friend is perfect!
Must make this! But it will have to wait until the BC cherries are available, which isn't for another 3-4 weeks. What I would give for a box full of the gorgeous, perfect, sweet-tart cherries we found in Paris (was it only 2 weeks ago?) Years ago there was a tiny shop on Queen Street West in Toronto named "Clafoutis" and yes, that is all they baked. I doubt it survived covid, but as I recall their clafoutis were a bit chewy, tho' delicious, and served with an optional dollop of whipped cream. Okay, enough nattering, back to my coffee and the news. Thanks for this delightful essay and the must-try recipe! xo
Oh, Carol, much better to read my posts about food than the news.... I don't want your coffee to curdle! I'll nudge you in a few weeks when you have your cherries to remind you to make this. And whipped cream on top is a plus! Now I'm off to have another slice, sans le whipped cream. xoxox
So excited to have this recipe as I’ve wanted to make clafoutis forever! The background and the links to other historic desserts make it all the more enticing. And of course, it is cherry season!🍒
Let me know if you make it and what you think! And now I need to go eat another slice...
I will, Jamie! We’ve been traveling so much, I haven’t had a chance to make the cheesecake yet either, but both are at the top of my list once we’re back from our next excursion in late June.
Oh my gosh, Ruth, now I don't know which to tell you to make first but my husband would say the tarte au fromage blanc for sure!
Enjoy your travels, you lucky woman!
Yes, I think it’ll be fromage blanc first, then clafoutis, then maybe tôt-fait with plums, then flamusse, then…
hahahaha omg Ruth you are cracking me up! But I better get a photo of every single one!
Bien sûr, Madame!
The first clafoutis I ever made was fantastic. Each subsequent one was depressingly rubberized, so I gave up in frustration.
I've got a huge bowl of cherries sitting on my counter, so I'm giving your recipe a go tomorrow.
OMG now I'm nervous but I soooo want you to try mine and let me know what you think. "Rubberized" damn that's the word I needed because that is what they are - my first attempt was like that.
I'm usually the opposite. My first attempts at something are often brilliant, but each subsequent attempt is more disappointing than the last.
And please call me if ever you need a human thesaurus. xoxo
A human thesaurus for the cool, fun words that REALLY describe...
Did I ever tell you that my dad was married to Peg Bracken? I have her Selectric!
Yes you did and I’m still impressed! But what is a Selectric??
You're so young! ;-)
Classic IBM electric typewriter. The feel and the sounds of such are sublime.
Oh, right, thank you! Yes, Jack did tell me that!
Oh yes, got it now! You did tell me! xo
I love this read Seth! First off, hats off to you for being great at baking. I love how you weave the history into the story telling and I must say, while I have never eaten Clafoutis, yours looks beyond delicious--bravo!!
You smacked this one out of the park, and will always keep in mind to serve it hot, Jamie. Your deep dive of culinary history remains unparalleled, and thanks for sharing such with the rest of us.
Cherry Pits = OXO cherry pitter is one of my kitchen unitaskers, that I think was the best one back at America's Test Kitchen (at least I think it was when I was there). It generally keeps the cherries intact, so fewer issues there. Works okay with olives too, but cherries FTW. I bet that long ago, some purists said to keep the cherry pits in so the juice wouldn't bleed into the batter. I'd rather not have to visit a dentist and will wear a blindfold if anyone is so concerned about color.
Was there anything you found in the final recipe that aided in an even rise in the end, Jamie? Finally, as I'm a die-hard sucker for a flan -- how close is the final recipe to that sort of texture?
Can't wait to make this one. Again, most clafoutis I've had over the years were chewy, spongy messes that always looked better than they tasted or texturally presented. Will give it a go. - Seth ✦
Hmmm.... okay one thing at a time. It's complicated to compare it to flan even if it is in the same family, because different pastry chefs make different flans, some creamier, some denser. This is a bit denser than a flan, or like a slightly denser flan. But there are so many cherries in it that the baked custard part is basically a support of the cherries, if you see what I mean.
The secret, in my opinion, to the even rise (the first one rose a good inch above the rim of the quiche dish, this second one less) is to make the perfect batter, really perfectly smooth. I hope I got this idea across in my recipe instructions. Then just cross your fingers and stare at it through the oven door for the 45 minutes it takes to bake hahaha I kid you not sometimes I do.
I love my cherry pitter - I don't know the brand off the cuff (I do love OXO products, though). I also have a table stand cherry pitter and plum pitter for larger quantities of fruit for when I am making jam and have 6 kilos to pit at a time.
xoxo
Hey J - Makes sense about the whole flan thing. Denser IMHO is good, and that makes sense about the structural support system. I almost wonder if the smooth batter = smaller air bubbles = a smoother and a more even rise. The fact that you actually sift the flour — that’s a step that so many people skip in their baking. (Yes, such things make a difference!). I’ll be super-careful when I give it a go.
Yes, I too been known to stare at stuff while it cooks. You are absolutely NOT alone in this, Jamie. Any choux, soufflé, etc. - anything with air/steam as a leavener will have me watching the oven window like an old-school TV set. FWIW, I can never trust such things; I'll watch along helplessly and wait for the best.
I also keep forgetting that as you’re the jam queen, you’ve got the pro-grade pitters on-hand. TBH, it’s nice to have a few pieces of big-gun gear in the kitchen, even if it’s cracking open a walnut with a sledgehammer. The rest of the world can pry my Hobart 403U industry-grade meat tenderizer (that I refurbished and named “Chuck”) from my cold, dead hands. So many thanks and XO! - Seth ✦
hahaha we crack crabs with a hammer from the toolbox.
If you have figured out how to actually crack crabs and not leave the dinner table starving, let me know. Gave it a go during my Baltimore stop on my recent Road Feast trip. Received proper training by Baltimore natives. Either I’ll be sticking to my New England lobster or will be ordering the crab cakes next time, so I don’t leave the table hungry. ;) - Seth ✦