Definition: Clafoutis

Photo from wikipedia.com

Clafoutis is a dessert from the Limousin region of France, consisting of black cherries arranged in a buttered dish and covered with fairly thick pancake batter.  It is served lukewarm, dusted with sugar. Aas a rule, the cherries are not pitted but simply washed and stalked/stemmed since the kernals add their flavor to the batter during cooking.

The Academie francais, who had defined clafoutis as a "sort of fruit flan," was faced with protests from the Limoges and changed their definition to "cake with black cherries."  Nevertheless, there are numerous variations using red cherries or other fruits.  The word comes from the provincial dialect word clafir (to fill).

Source:  Larousse Gastronomique

Here is Julia Child's recipe on epicurious.com  (her recipe calls for pitted cherries)