I have eaten
the plums
that were in the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
This piece by William Carlos Williams is what they call a “found poem.” It was a note he left for his wife on their refrigerator door in 1934. These stolen plums were probably meant for his own breakfast. How often does this happen in your house - you are saving something for a particular purpose and when you’ve got your back turned it’s gobbled up? With this confession, Williams appears to revel in the fact of the pinched plums and playfully offers the poem to his wife in exchange for his transgression. I am especially enchanted by the way the typography turns two simple sentences into delightful poetry and gives it a languorous rhythm and evocative imagery.
I found some gorgeous plums yesterday and had a little more than enough of them to make a plum clafoutis. We were supposed to have one or two leftover for a picture, but they have somehow disappeared. Clafoutis is a dessert that originated in the Limousin region of France. It is traditionally made with cherries leaving the pits in. The French say that it imparts an almond-like flavor that can’t be had any other way. I only make cherry clafoutis when I’ll be serving it to people who I know won’t mind watching out for the pits, otherwise, I make it with other fruits. Clafoutis (kla-foo-tee), sometimes spelled without the s, can be made with many other kinds of fruit such as apricots, raspberries or blueberries (my mother’s favorite) and is also good in winter with prunes (soaked in Armagnac!), apples or pears (these last two must be washed, peeled, and sliced before use, then arrange them in a star shaped pattern in the dish). The recipe I use is adapted from a French language textbook from the 1950s and I have found that I like it better than any of the others I have tried. I don’t sift powdered sugar on top of my clafoutis, but feel free to do so if it makes you feel fancy. If anyone pilfers the plum clafoutis sitting in my kitchen, a poem would be an acceptable form of thanks.
Plum clafoutis
- 3 eggs
- ? cup sugar
- ? cup butter, melted
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup milk
- ? tsp. vanilla
- Optional: 2 tsps. rum
- 2 cups of plums, pitted and halved
Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Beat the sugar and the eggs with a wire whisk until they turn lighter in color. Gradually add the butter, beating to incorporate. Add the flour all at once and whisk until the batter is a homogeneous mixture. Next slowly pour in the milk a little at a time. Add the vanilla, and the rum if you are using it, mixing well. The batter should be very smooth and shiny.
Place the plums in a buttered glass or earthenware baking dish, cake pan (9 or 10 inches in diameter) or skillet that can go in the oven. Pour the batter over the fruit. Bake in the pre-heated oven, approximately 30-40 minutes, until slightly browned and almost completely set in the middle. Let sit at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a plate and serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. Leftovers are excellent for breakfast.
Friday, 13. July 2007
I remember this poem! Makes me wish my refrigerator notes were more eloquent…. lovely clafoutis, too. Cooked plums have a wonderful texture.
Saturday, 14. July 2007
I’ve been wondering what to do with my abundance or plums! A bit daunting when they are already at once, today!
Looks lovely, sounds delicious
Saturday, 14. July 2007
You know what always strikes me the most about that poem? These days, we’re flooded with wordy food prose and everyone is grasping for new and different ways to describe grub, and there he is, with his “delicious,” “sweet,” and “cold” sounding a thousand times better in his simplicity.
Also: my husband steals my part of the fruit stash all the time.
Monday, 16. July 2007
Clafoutis has to be one of my favorite desserts, and one that my paternal grandmother (originally from Limousin) often made. I like it with the sprinkled sugar on top, just slightly warmer than room temp… Oh man, now I gotta go make one. Thanks for that post.
Tuesday, 17. July 2007
Poems and plums - it is a fine combination. It would be hard not to love a plum pillager as cheeky as William Stafford! Last night I made a plum torte with the supply of plums in my fridge that was quickly - yet so mysteriously - disappearing. But a clafoutis….I can already feel myself prepping for the challenge to get my hands on some more sweet and delicious plums!
Tuesday, 17. July 2007
woops - William Carlos Williams. William Carlos Williams, that is what I meant. Do you ever suspect you might transpose words, and steel yourself specifically not to do it - only to look back and see that is exactly what you did? Sigh. I need my coffee. I need an editor. I should get a caffeinated editor. And before I say anything more, I’m going to edit myself into silence until I get that first coffee of the day.
Wednesday, 18. July 2007
so funny how many variations there are on clafoutis, a dessert I never even knew existed until a month ago! Thanks Mary for another variation I can add to my clafoutis box (and thanks for the poem too, god it’s a good one!)
Friday, 20. July 2007
I really like this poem and the pictures. Thanks for the inspiration.
Saturday, 21. July 2007
I have never seen that poem. What a wonderful, special additional to your post and recipe. Looks beautiful and delicious.
Tuesday, 24. July 2007
I just made this with cherries in 3 individual ramekins (cooking for one, so I thirded the recipe). It’s so good…!
Tuesday, 24. July 2007
h?h? i have a good one too!
Friday, 27. July 2007
Lovely poem. My husband ate the hummus I was saving for my lunch the other day, and he left me no note, poetic or otherwise. Sigh.
Love, love, love clafoutis, by the way.
Thursday, 6. September 2007
thanks for the recipe! I just made it with cherry last weekend after reading about it from Deb’s blog. It was fantastic!!!! oh, I have blogged about it, and linked the post back here for recipe.
Monday, 21. January 2008
Leftovers *are* excellent for breakfast. Thank you so much!
Friday, 19. June 2009
i’m so excited to try this recipe! i know you published this a while ago, but now the amounts of different ingredients have been changed to question marks. any chance we can get an updated recipe? pretty please?
Saturday, 20. June 2009
I’d also love the recipe with measurements intact, if you have a moment. Many thanks!
Sunday, 28. June 2009
hey loved the way it looks!! cherries are in season here in dubai and id really like to try this out…though the quantities for butter and sugr arent shown??
Friday, 3. July 2009
It’s one-half cup each for the butter and sugar, and one-half tsp of the vanilla. I had copied and pasted this recipe to my email last summer.