Parisian Home Cooking

I know the very mention of clafoutis made you want run right over to your cookbook collection and drag out a French cookbook. Well, here’s one of mine, Parisian Home Cooking: Conversations, Recipes, And Tips From The Cooks And Food Merchants Of Paris by Michael Roberts. No really it is “Michael”, he’s a big old American, who is known for his “California “ cuisine but who doesn’t love Parisian cooking, at home or otherwise? These recipes were gathered from many of Roberts’ friends in Paris and from their mothers and housekeepers. He points out that there are 16 open air markets in Paris – sixteen, seize.

Frankly, you could trip in the street in Paris and find good produce to slap together into a meal. In talking with cooks, cooking teachers and restaurateurs, Roberts found that gender plays an important role in Parisian cooking (and most probably cooking everywhere.) As one teacher tells him, for women, “it is less method and more love,” whereas, men approach cooking as thought it is, “an obstacle to overcome.” And one friend goes so far as to postulate, and I paraphrase, “show me the mirepoix and I’ll tell you the sex of the cook.”

Clafoutis aux Cerises


1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/3 cup of sugar
1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoon kirsch
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
4 cups cherries, stones removed
Confectioners sugar for dusting
Crème fraiche or sour cream for serving

Preheat oven to 400 F. Butter and flour 9 –inch flan ring or round baking dish and set aside on a baking sheet.

2. In a bowl, beat the egg and egg yolk together, then beat in the sugar. Add the flour and mix until incorporated. Stir in the cream, kirsch, and melted butter. Pour the mixture into the flan ring and distribute the cherries evenly over it.

3. Place in the oven until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool, then turn the clafoutis upside down onto a wire rack or plate. Then turn right side up onto a serving plate, sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar, and serve, accompanied by crème fraise or sour cream.

Whether you approach it with a love or a mission, whip up a nice clafoutis for your foodie friends.