This question comes in from reader Nick: You said cherry pits taste like almonds. Why is that? Oh, I was hoping somebody would ask that, though I’m pretty sure I would have found a way to talk about this subject anyway. The reason cherry pits taste like almonds is that they’re part of the same […]
READ ON…have been removed from these cherries and this is the result. This is the worst of my five attempts at clafoutis this week, but a helpful case study in what happens when you pit your cherries. The juice leaks out and stains the custard, plus the cherries deflate and the skins end up looking all […]
READ ONSo what’s the deal with using whole cherries in clafoutis? There are three main arguments for leaving the pits in. The first has to do with taste. Specifically that cherry pits give off a vaguely almond-y flavor as they bake, infusing the cherry flesh (and to a lesser extent the batter) with complex flavors and […]
READ ONHere’s en excellent question from reader Pete: I like your idea about clafoutis in cast iron, but I get nervous about using my cast iron pan because I don’t know if it’s properly seasoned. Can you tell me a little about seasoning and how to do it right? Pete, I would love to. Seasoning is […]
READ ONThis is a slightly doctored version of Julia Child’s recipe. I know, I’m fiddling with a classic, but almond and cherries go together just too well (hence a little Amaretto in the mix). I’m also “country-ing” up the thing by adding some brown sugar. Note that in another divergence from the original, I suggest that […]
READ ONNo, not really. However it’s said that the term “limousine” was inspired by the shepherds of the area. This doesn’t make terribly much sense to me. What I know is that the original limousine automobiles were designed like coaches, with the occupants in an enclosed chamber at the back and the driver in an open-air […]
READ ONA traditional clafoutis is made in a deep, flared ceramic dish about eight inches across and four inches deep. I don’t have anything like that handy, though I do have plenty of cast iron, which is pretty much perfect for a job like this. I’ll use either a 9″ skillet or a small Dutch oven, […]
READ ONClafoutis may be French, but refined it ain’t. It’s a rough country dish from the Limousin region, which is in the south-central part of France, near the mountainous Massif Central. No one knows just how long the people of Limousin have been making clafoutis, though it’s fair to say that the dish became famous all […]
READ ONKla-FOO-tiss. Oh alright, that’s not how you say it. Can’t a guy have a little fun? Most anglophones pronounce the word kla-FOO-tee, though if you really want to get your frog on, you can say kla-foo-TEE. However I warn you that your friends will think you’re auditioning for an announcer gig on National Pubic Radio. […]
READ ONThe ever-vigilant Jim Chevalier has provided me with this link to an online version of From Captivity to Fame or The Life of George Washington Carver. It’s great reading, and includes Carver’s 105 Different Ways to Prepare the Peanut for the Table as an appendix. Sadly, a recipe for the mock asparagus isn’t in there.
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