Clafoutis originated in the 19th century in a region in south-central France called Limousin. The name comes from either the Occitan word ‘clafir’ (to fill) as it was popular to fill a dish with fruit and batter or from old French ‘claufir’ (to fix with nails) explained as the cherries have the appearance of nail heads where our English word ‘clout’ comes from.

The original recipe Clafoutis aux Cerises is made with unpitted cherries as the pits contribute to the subtle bitterness but I’m not sure anyone would appreciate munching on cherry pits especially since they contain cyanide.

I first came across Clafoutis as a teenager. My parents often hosted foreign students and Dr Fabienne invited me to France to spend the summer with her children. It was nerve-racking but exciting flying on my own at such a young age to Paris with a large ‘unaccompanied’ name tag hanging around my neck like Paddington Bear. The summer was glorious, mostly spent at her beautiful farmhouse in Compiègne and here I ate the most glorious food and learned to make clafoutis with pears picked from the garden.

Traditionally Clafoutis is a sweet dessert however, the fluffy and creamy batter also makes an excellent host for vegetables such as asparagus, green beans, artichoke, spinach and courgettes. I’m using fine asparagus, broad beans and deliciously salty and lemony Pant-Ys-Gawn goats’ cheese from Govilon in Abergavenny, Wales. This dish is ideal for a picnic or brunch in the garden.
#GlobalApron