SC - SC-Clafoutis?

[Phil & Susan Troy]

Deborah J Hammons wrote:

> Yesterday I went to a bistro/cafe type eatery in Ft. Collins, Colorado.
> They served a warm dessert dish that they had on the menu as "medieval"
> and the recipe over 500 years old.  The cook said it "should" be of
> french origin.  Any ideas?  This particular one was sliced peaches on the
> bottom, with a pancake like covering.
>
> Aldyth

IIRC, the  classic clafoutis is made with medium tart cherries, like
montmorencies, more or less like an upside-down cake, but served with the
batter element on top, dusted with powdered sugar.

Yes, it is French, apparently, but I have no evidence at hand to indicate it is
especially old. Maybe 17th century at the earliest, but that's just a guess. It
is clearly related to the various baked batter puddings that show up in
England, also in the 17th century. Cooking a pancakey batter in any way other
than frying either as fritters or as pancakes or crisps doesn't seem to be an
especially medieval thang.

There is an entry on clafoutis in the Larousse Gastronomique, and, since it
appears to be a French food, we can have a reasonable expectation that the
information in the entry is at least half-way accurate, which generally is not
the case where non-French foods are concerned.

Adamantius
______________________________________
Phil & Susan Troy
troy at asan.com


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