Recipe: Pluot Clafouti

I don’t know if y’all know this yet, but in addition to my two-week visit to India this October, I am also spending a full week in Paris (!!!) before! That was a lot of exclamation points, so you can see how incredibly stoked I am to be in the land of patisseries and croissants and baguettes without regrets (which I will naturally be hashtagging as I overload Instagram with my carby adventures).

As this will be my first time in the city of romance, I NEED SUGGESTIONS. I’m currently reading this book on what patisseries I should be inhaling desserts at, but I would love a handy list from food lovers like yourselves on where to eat, visit, etc. Also, what are your thoughts on renting a Vélib for the week there?

Part of my slow transformation into a French person – besides failing miserably on Duolingo – is reacquainting myself with the desserts, like this clafouti I baked over the weekend.

You may have had clafouti at a restaurant, as it does get around during the summer. A baked custard, it’s thicker than flan and served warm or at room temperature with a dusting of powdered sugar or some freshly whipped cream. The emphasis is also on the first syllable, so you pronounce it CLAH-footi, kind of like DAT-booty, if you want an easy way to remember (lezbereal, now you’ll never forget after you say DAT-booty out loud 10 times).

Traditionally, it’s made with cherries, so I’ll be on the hunt for one during my Paris stint – although I doubt the Parisians will take kindly to my mnemonic device. This recipe is a tad different than most as I whip the egg whites and fold them in, making for a lighter dessert that makes you temporarily forget about all the cream that’s been added. Maybe that’s why French women don’t get fat? So many questions!

A slice of Paris.

Pluot Clafouti

[ingredients]

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, toss the pluots with a couple tablespoons of sugar and let sit for 30 minutes to let the juices out.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously grease 16- ramekins, depending on their size, or two 9″ pans.
3. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, bring the cream, remaining sugar, and salt to a boil. While it is heating up, place the egg yolks in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
4. As soon as the cream is heated through, remove from heat and whisk a SMALL amount into the yolks, stirring constantly. SLOWLY pour the yolks back into the pot and whisk vigorously, making sure everything is well combined and the yolks aren’t cooked separately. Whisk in almond meal and flour.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip whites at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Fold into the cream mixture.
6. Pour into the prepared ramekins or pans, tapping lightly on the sides. Drain the pluots and arrange on top. The batter will rise as it bakes and envelope the fruit.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes if ramekins and 35-40 minutes if pans until the sides are brown and the middle is barely jiggling.
8. Cool on a wire rack at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve with powdered sugar or freshly whipped cream.
9. To store, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Chilled, they will keep up to a week. Reheat before serving.