Clafoutis

Clafoutis is whole cherries baked into a thick, custardy batter until the top puffs and sets like a firm flan. It's a Limousin farmhouse dessert, and traditionally made without pitting the cherries first — the pits are said to release a faint almond note into the batter as it bakes, and removing them is considered by purists to miss the point entirely.

What it actually is

A simple batter of egg, milk, sugar and a little flour — closer to a thick pancake batter or a flan mixture than a cake batter — is poured over a generous layer of whole cherries arranged in a buttered dish. It bakes until the batter puffs up around the fruit and sets into something between a custard and a light cake, the edges rising higher than the fruit-studded centre.

Leaving the pits in is a genuine point of tradition, not an oversight; menus that serve it this way should say so plainly, since guests unaware of the convention may bite down expecting none.

How it's served

• Warm, straight from the baking dish, dusted with icing sugar.
• In wedges or scooped portions, the cherries visible throughout.
• With the pits left in, traditionally, or pitted for a version some kitchens prefer for ease of eating.

Writing it on a menu

• Flag gluten, egg and dairy; the custardy batter carries all three.
• Say clearly whether the cherries are pitted or left whole, since guests need to know before they bite down.
• Note that it's best served warm, fresh from the oven rather than reheated, since the texture firms up unpleasantly once it's been chilled and reheated.
• Mention if you use a different fruit — plums, apricots — since a version made with another fruit technically carries a different name (flaugnarde) in French tradition.