It's winter, and that means one thing: Cast Iron season. The time to eat light and do nothing but cardio and abs is long gone, and we can now indulge a little with some sweet treats (at least a little as we all work on our 2019 resolutions).
Most of the time, working with cast iron means rich, savoury dishes - hearty stew in a dutch oven or buttery cornbread in a skillet, but your cast iron can produce some delicious sweets dishes as well. The most common sweet may be the Dutch Baby - a puffy popover-meets-pancake and a Reddit and Instagram darling for its height and dramatic appearance. You can find countless videos, pictures, and articles on how to make it, but, instead of focusing on the Dutch Baby, I'm going to tackle its less known, but arguably even more delicious French Cousin - the Clafoutis.
The Clafouwhat? Let's explore a little more -
Most of the time, working with cast iron means rich, savoury dishes - hearty stew in a dutch oven or buttery cornbread in a skillet, but your cast iron can produce some delicious sweets dishes as well. The most common sweet may be the Dutch Baby - a puffy popover-meets-pancake and a Reddit and Instagram darling for its height and dramatic appearance. You can find countless videos, pictures, and articles on how to make it, but, instead of focusing on the Dutch Baby, I'm going to tackle its less known, but arguably even more delicious French Cousin - the Clafoutis.
The Clafouwhat? Let's explore a little more -
Is it even a French cafe scene if it isn't black and white and moody?
Clafoutis (Pronounced Kla-foo-tee) is a baked dessert featuring cherries suspended in a crisp on the outside, custardy and soft on the inside batter. The word clafoutis comes from the French "clafir" which means "to fill". A clafoutis can range from mildly sweet to very sweet and can serve as a sweet breakfast or brunch dish or as a dessert. Traditionally, clafoutis is made with whole cherries, supposedly because as the cherries cook, the pits add a mild almondy flavour to the batter. While that is tradition, I prefer to pit and halve my cherries so make for less work for the diners (and arguably myself because I eat too quickly to be hindered by spitting out pits…)
"That sounds delicious!" you might be thinking, "but am I stuck with using only cherries in my clafoutis?" Heck no! I would argue that a clafoutis is more a method or a platform to add your own toppings and flavours than a single dish. Some true traditionalists will argue that a clafoutis made with anything other than cherries is technically a flaugnarde (I'm not going to try and phoneticize that) - but i'm going to keep it simple and call them all clafoutis.
Alright, so are there any tips or special things to remember when making a clafoutis? Not too much - All you need to remember is to use good quality ingredients and have your ingredients all prepped before combining and baking.
There are two main parts to a clafoutis - the batter and the mix-ins. The batter itself is simple and can be made with things you probably already have in your cupboard and fridge.
"That sounds delicious!" you might be thinking, "but am I stuck with using only cherries in my clafoutis?" Heck no! I would argue that a clafoutis is more a method or a platform to add your own toppings and flavours than a single dish. Some true traditionalists will argue that a clafoutis made with anything other than cherries is technically a flaugnarde (I'm not going to try and phoneticize that) - but i'm going to keep it simple and call them all clafoutis.
Alright, so are there any tips or special things to remember when making a clafoutis? Not too much - All you need to remember is to use good quality ingredients and have your ingredients all prepped before combining and baking.
There are two main parts to a clafoutis - the batter and the mix-ins. The batter itself is simple and can be made with things you probably already have in your cupboard and fridge.
PC: Isabelle Hurbain-Palatin
Basic Clafoutis Batter:
To prepare the batter, thoroughly mix all the above ingredients except the flour until well combined. Then, add the flour and whisk until completely smooth - no lumps! When that is done, you're ready! So simple, even Ina Garten wouldn't hesitate to exclaim "How Easy Is That?"
When you're ready to bake, be sure to have your mix-ins ready and prepped - meaning fruit, nuts, and other toppings chopped, peeled, and ready to be added to the batter. Like I mentioned earlier, a traditional clafoutis is made with cherries, but the clafoutis of your dreams is whatever you make of it. My only suggestion is that you try to keep the amount of toppings to between 1 1/2 and 2 Cups in volume for the amount of batter in this recipe.
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1/3-1/2 Cup White Sugar (To your taste)
- 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 3 Large Eggs
- 2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
- 1 Tsp. Vanilla
- Pinch Nutmeg
To prepare the batter, thoroughly mix all the above ingredients except the flour until well combined. Then, add the flour and whisk until completely smooth - no lumps! When that is done, you're ready! So simple, even Ina Garten wouldn't hesitate to exclaim "How Easy Is That?"
When you're ready to bake, be sure to have your mix-ins ready and prepped - meaning fruit, nuts, and other toppings chopped, peeled, and ready to be added to the batter. Like I mentioned earlier, a traditional clafoutis is made with cherries, but the clafoutis of your dreams is whatever you make of it. My only suggestion is that you try to keep the amount of toppings to between 1 1/2 and 2 Cups in volume for the amount of batter in this recipe.
Here's some ideas:
When ready to bake, take your dish of choice - I prefer a standard 10-inch cast iron skillet but a pie dish or glass cake pan will work - and butter thoroughly. Add the batter into the pan and then add in the toppings, making sure to distribute evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35-45 minutes until the top is browned and the center of the dish is lightly puffed. When it is done, the center of the clafoutis may still jiggle slightly, but it should be set and not runny.
When serving, you can dish when hot and fresh from the oven or let it cool for 15-20 minutes in the pan and serve warm. Scoop it out either with a large serving spoon or cut into wedges and top with a dusting of powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream. If you're going full on dessert mode, a scoop of vanilla ice cream would also be delicious.
So the next time you're looking for an impressive looking (and totally Instagram worthy if you're into that) dessert or dish to make for yourself, family, or friends, give the clafoutis a try. It's easy to make, beautiful to look at, unexpected for guests (Unless maybe you live in France - in which case I envy you), and most importantly, delicious. Try it out soon -
Recipe: Classic Cherry Clafoutis
Serves 3-4 as a dessert or brunch dish
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Bon Appétit
- Caramelized Apples - In a small sauce pan, cook 2 chopped apples with 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt until the apples are tender and the juice/sugar/butter mix is just slightly thickened and coats the apples. Cool before adding to the batter
- Plums and Nectarines - Pit and roughly chop or leave in bite-sized wedges
- Blueberries and Blackberries - Add them whole! Raspberries may be a bit delicate for the relative long baking time, but try them when in season
- Quartered Fresh Figs - If you can find them in season, a delicious filling and dang fancy looking
When ready to bake, take your dish of choice - I prefer a standard 10-inch cast iron skillet but a pie dish or glass cake pan will work - and butter thoroughly. Add the batter into the pan and then add in the toppings, making sure to distribute evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35-45 minutes until the top is browned and the center of the dish is lightly puffed. When it is done, the center of the clafoutis may still jiggle slightly, but it should be set and not runny.
When serving, you can dish when hot and fresh from the oven or let it cool for 15-20 minutes in the pan and serve warm. Scoop it out either with a large serving spoon or cut into wedges and top with a dusting of powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream. If you're going full on dessert mode, a scoop of vanilla ice cream would also be delicious.
So the next time you're looking for an impressive looking (and totally Instagram worthy if you're into that) dessert or dish to make for yourself, family, or friends, give the clafoutis a try. It's easy to make, beautiful to look at, unexpected for guests (Unless maybe you live in France - in which case I envy you), and most importantly, delicious. Try it out soon -
Recipe: Classic Cherry Clafoutis
Serves 3-4 as a dessert or brunch dish
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1/3-1/2 Cup White Sugar (To your taste)
- 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 3 Large Eggs
- 2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
- 1 Tsp. Vanilla
- Pinch Nutmeg
- 2 Cups pitted and halved cherries
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine all the above ingredients except for the flour and cherries and whisk until smooth
- Add flour and whisk until completely smooth and there are no lumps or visible flour in the batter
- Butter your cast-iron pan or baking dish and add in your batter
- Evenly distribute the cherries into the pan
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes until the top is browned and the clafoutis is slightly puffed. The middle of the clafoutis may jiggle slightly but it should not be runny
- Serve hot or cool 15-20 minutes in the pan and serve warm. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar, whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Bon Appétit
