Clafoutis
When cherries are in season, it’s the time to bake clafoutis. This is the kind of pastry that rural French cuisine is so good at: using simple seasonal produce to conjure up something scrumptious without too much fuss in the kitchen. Are cherries not in season? Read on anyway because we also provide tips on how to make a flaugnarde further on. The preparation for a flaugnarde is the same as for a clafoutis but the cherries are replaced with other fruit.
What is Clafoutis?
Clafoutis is a classic French dessert or snack made with cherries, originally from the Limousin region. For a clafoutis, the cherries, pitted or not, are placed in a pie pan or baking dish, covered with a batter and then baked. The name comes from the Occitan word “clafir” meaning “filling,” which refers to how the batter “fills” or encloses the fruit. A clafoutis is actually like a pie made of filling alone, without a crust.
What makes it special
Clafoutis has a unique texture that is somewhere between a creme patissier and custard. The batter is quite thin and forms a soft layer around the fruit during baking. The juices released from the cherries are captured by the batter so that all the flavor is retained.
History and tradition
The dish probably dates back to the 19ᵉ century and is traditionally made with black cherries, specifically the small, sweet variety that grew in the Limousin region. A major point of debate among purists is that a true clafoutis is made with cherries with the pith still in them, as they give off a subtle almond flavor during baking that is essential to the authentic taste. In our version, we remove the pits because it is rather inconvenient to eat. The kernels left over after pitting can be simmered with water and sugar into a cherry syrup that can be used in desserts or in a lemonade. In our test kitchen we also had a nice result with a kombucha infused with cherrypits.
Our plant-based version of clafoutis and flaugnarde
The base of the original filling is a pancake-like batter made of milk, flour and egg. In our plant-based version, we work with plant-based milk, silken tofu, lupine flour and wheatflour. With these ingredients, we achieved a result that, in our opinion, rivals the original in both taste and the right delicate texture.
How to serve clafoutis and flaugnarde?
Clafoutis and flaugnarde can be served hot or cold. Served cold, the filling is firmer and also lighter on the stomach; served warm, it tastes great when it is colder outside. Cut into slices, sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar and, if you wish, serve with a spoonful of whipped plant-based cream.
Flaugnarde
No cherries available? Or fancy something else? If you replace the cherries with other fruit, it’s officially no longer called a clafoutis but a flaugnarde. Just as tasty, or sometimes even tastier. Don’t tell culinary purists, but you can even make a savory version of it, e.g. with cherry tomatoes and pesto (just leave out the sugar). Delicious sweet variations include blueberries, currants, plums, peaches or nectarines or apples. Preferably take some more acidic fruits, this makes it lighter and fresher in taste. Instead of the typical sweet cherries, you could choose the more acidic morello cherries. In general, the more acidic the fruit, the lighter and fresher the end result becomes.
Clafoutis or Flaugnarde
Equipment
- 1 round cake pan approx. 24 cm or a baking dish
- 1 sheet of baking paper
- 1 Hand blender
- 1 batter bowl
- 1 sieve
- 1 measuring jug
Ingredients
- 400 g stoned cherries or any other fruit of your choosing such as strawberries, berries, nectarines, plums, apple etc.
- 75 g flower
- 50 g lupine flour
- 2 g salt
- 75 g plant-based butter
- 200 ml plant-based milk
- 175 g silken tofu
- 100 g sugar
- 1 tl vanilla sugar
- 1 orange, zest and juice
Instructions
- preheat the oven to 175° C
- trim the baking paper to size, large enough so that the bottom and edges of the tin are covered
- to get it into the mould easily, next hold the paper under the tap, make a wad of, squeeze the water out of it and push the paper into the baking mould
- divide the cherries or fruit evenly onto the lined baking tin400 g stoned cherries
- sift flour, lupine flour and salt into a bowl and mix everything together with a whisk75 g flower, 50 g lupine flour, 2 g salt
- melt the butter75 g plant-based butter
- take a hand blender and mix in a measuring jug butter, milk, silken tofu, sugar, vanilla sugar and juice and zest of the orange into a smooth mixture, pour this into the flour mixture and stir with a whisk to form a smooth batter200 ml plant-based milk, 175 g silken tofu, 100 g sugar, 1 tl vanilla sugar, 1 orange, zest and juice
- pour the batter onto the fruit in the mould and bake the clafoutis or flaugnarde for 40 minutes at 175° C or until the filling feels firm all over
- Leave to cool and serve dusted with a little icing sugar and possibly a nice dollop of plant-based whipped cream
