Recipe: Plum Clafoutis

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 is 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.  

P