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The Quest
Both Nils Bertrand and I share this memory of having tasted or made a clafoutis once in our lives that was divine. We have driven our spouses crazy in our efforts to
recreate the clafoutis of our memories. His was in some little restaurant somewhere in France. Mine was from a cookbook that I sold in the shop until it went out of print. I have cooked out of this book off and on since 1975! I had forgotten that this was The Recipe because Jeannette Seaver had titled it a Plum Custard Cake. The author is a French violinist who married an American journalist, became a citizen and currently runs a publishing company that i
s not intimidated by censorship, be it by government or current social mores. While that is impressive, I treasure this nifty cookbook Jeanette Seaver wrote while raising her family, frugally using the techniques and recipes she had learned in France. Lots of neat notes about using leftovers, learning how to work with what you can purchase in an American supermarket and little treasures like this plum clafoutis will be your everyday friend. This recipe nails it.
Changes Over Time
We had originally featured it as part of our post on celebrating Quatorze Juillet (check out our other two popular recipes from this post). My only change is that I liberally sprinkle almond flour or powder after I have buttered the dish. If you melt the butter, it will give you a creamier and denser batter. In either case, I strain the batter through a sieve. I have made this with figs, Santa Rosa plums, prune plums, and cherries. And yes, the addition of rum or kirsch in the batter is a great touch, and my children loved it.
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- 1 1/2 lbs (680g) plums
- 2 oz (57gr) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup (236ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (64gr) white all purpose (flour
- 2/3 cup (150gr) sugar - I prefer caster sugar
- 2 tsp (10ml) vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 400F (205C)
- Wash, halve (or quarter if large) ,and pit plums
- In a mixer or blender, combine the eggs, flour, butter, milk, sugar and vanilla extract so that you have a smooth batter.
- Butter a casserole or gratin dish (or pie pan) that holds about 1 - 1/12 quarts capacity.
- Place the halved and pitted plums in the dish and pour the batter over them.
- Bake for about 45 minutes until the batter has become firm on the surface, but the batter will have a custard like consistency.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkkle with sugar and serve warm.
- Notes
- She suggests adding 1/4 cup Kirsch or rum to the batter and I concur.
- I have also topped this with my standby whipped cream
- It is delicious cold too.
- I sprinkle almond flour on the bottom of the dish after I have buttered it.
- I also add a pinch of fine sea salt to the batter.
- Sometimes, if the batter looks a little clumpy, i strain it and with the back of wood spoon or a Rubbermaid spoonula, I i push through the clumpy bits.
After owning one of the best cooking stores in the US for 47 years, Nancy Pollard writes a blog about food in all its aspects – recipes, film, books, travel, superior sources and food related issues.
