So Is It A Clafoutis or Flognarde?

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you are lucky, being right and three bucks will buy you a cup of coffee in some places. Should you, however, roll snake eyes, coffee, if it's available, will be considerably more expensive and your contributions to verity will go unrecognized. Eight years ago, I set out to correct an oversight on the part of bloggers and food writers. It was a problem with nomenclature and I thought my carefully researched snippet would set things right. I am here to tell you that did not happen, and despite the rightness of my argument I am now ready to surrender. Back then, I discovered that a battered covered French dessert, commonly called a clafoutis, should be called a flognarde when it is made with anything other than cherries. Exercising due diligence and even greater tact, I set about correcting the century old problem, fully expecting that issues with nomenclature would be resolved before the year was out. Eight years later flognardes are still called clafoutis, so I definitely rolled snake eyes on this one.

Getting back to the dessert in question, the clafoutis originated in Limousin region of France. It is a baked dessert prepared by lining a casserole dish with fruit and covering it with a pancake-like batter. When finished, it tastes like a cross between a pudding and a cake. It is an easy dish to make and it is even easier to eat, especially when it is made with fruit that is fully ripe and flavorful. A classic clafoutis is made with cherries, but the one I am sharing with you tonight is made with blueberries. It is a favorite of the Silver Fox and, at his request, I made it for his birthday celebration this evening. When it is served while still slightly warm and topped with a dollop of crème fraîche, you will understand why it is called one of the glories of the French peasant table. Here is how it is made.

Blueberry Flognarde...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 large egg yolk
1 large whole egg
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk, scalded and kept warm
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups blueberries, picked over, rinsed and dried
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:
1) Adjust a rack to middle-third of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously butter or spray a 9-inch flan or cake pan. Set aside.
2) Combine sugar and egg yolks in a large bowl; beat at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until eggs are thick and lemon colored. Add whole egg and mix to combine. Add butter, a tablespoon at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour, salt, then milk and, finally, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract.
3) Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle berries over top of batter; press down lightly. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the batter sets and top is brown. Cool slightly. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve warm. Yield: 8 servings.