Joanna Biggar's Blog

     At Madame Gautier’s table, les demoiselles were likely to encounter rich gateaux, cremes caramels, mousses, and in other venues they discovered delicious ice creams, pastries and glazed fruits. Once, when J.J. turned her hand at making a pumpkin pie, using the artistry acquired from her French grandmother,  she received the ultimate compliment, back-handed praise from Madame herself. “I can see the French hand at the bottom of this,” she said, waving her fork at the pie, “so I congratulate the pastry chef.”

But even without a French grandmother, with the help of Julia Child, American women across the country could now turn out the French classics in the classic French way. Take the fruit flan…

                                                                                      CLAFOUTIS  (Cherry Flan) 

   The clafouti,  which is traditional in the Limousin during the cherry season is peasant cooking for family meals, and about as simple a dessert to make as you can imagine:  a pancake batter poured over the fruit in a fireproof dish, then baked in the oven. It looks like a tart, and is usually eaten warm. (If you have no electric blender, work the eggs into the flour with a wooden spoon, gradually beat in the liquids, then strain the batter through the sieve.)

        For 6 to 8 people

                                                                               Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

   3 cups pitted black cherries                  Use fresh, black, sweet cherries in season.  Otherwise, used drained, canned

                                                                                         pitted Bing cherries, or frozen sweet cherries, thawed and drained.

1 1/4 cups milk                                                      Place the ingredients at left in your blender jar in order in which they are

1/3 cup granulated sugar                                listed. Cover and blend at top speed for 1 minute.

1 Tb vanilla extract                                        

1/8 tsp salt

2/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour

An electric blender

A 7-to8-cup lightly but-                             Pour a 1/4-inch layer of batter in the baking dish or pie plate. Set over moder-

tered, fireproof baking                                ate heat for a minute or two until a film of butter has set in the bottom of the

dish or pyrex pie plate                                dish.  Remove from heat. Spread the cherries over the batter and sprinkle

An asbestos mat, if necessary                on the sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter and smooth the surface with the back

                                                                                       of a spoon.

Powdered sugar in a shaker                       Place in middle position of preheated oven and bake for about an hour. The

                                                                                clafouti  is done when it has puffed and browned, and a needle of knife plunged

                                                                                 into its center comes out clean. Sprinkle top with powdered sugar just before

                                                                                 bringing it to the table. (The clafouti  need not be served hot, but should still be warm.

                                                                                  It will sink slightly as it cools.)

 Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I,  pps. 655-6.