It’s Recipe Redux time again and the theme for May is a brunch party fit for a bride-to-be, baby shower, graduation or special occasion. I think brunch is a totally civilized time to entertain. But it is tricky to make everything look all pintersty stunning, when you’re still trying to rub the sleep out of your eyes. Enter Clafouti.
Clafouti is a classic French dish. And there is something about word-smithing the menu that makes it sound, well oh, just a little bit more spesh. When in fact Clafouti (pronounced klah-fou-tee) is super easy and basically just one big, fat, baked…..
I’m really interested in research around word-smithing meals and menus. I think we should apply it more to health promotion and nutrition. Add a few hyphens, exotic names and a flurry of French and you can turn a big fat pancake into ooohs and ahhhs.
Research by Brian Wansink of Cornell University shows that descriptive food labels increase sales and satisfaction. You can read one of his fascinating full papers here: Descriptive Food Names Bias Sensory Ratings In Restaurants. Dr. Wansink says that vivid adjectives can not only sway a customer’s choice but can also leave them more satisfied at the end of the meal than if they had eaten the same item without the descriptive labeling. This New York Times article on using menu psychology to entice diners sums it up well:
“….research by Dr. Wansink found that descriptive menu labels increased sales by as much as 27 percent. He has divided descriptions into four categories: geographic labels like “Southwestern Tex-Mex salad,” nostalgia labels like “ye old potato bread,” sensory labels like “buttery plump pasta” and brand names.”
Maple Rhubarb Clafouti
Ingredients: 6 rhubarb stalks, washed and trimmed; 4 free range eggs; 1 cup plain flour; 1 tbs maple syrup + extra for baking rhubarb; 1/2 cup reduced fat milk. Icing sugar for dusting.
Method: Slice rhubarb and place in an oven proof dish with a drizzle of Maple Syrup. Slow roast at 160 degrees Celsius for 15minutes. Whisk all remaining ingredients together in a large bowl to make a batter. Remove rhubarb from oven and arrange in a non-stick, pie flan or baking dish. Pour batter over rhubarb slowly into pie flan. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for approximately 20minutes until set and slightly browned. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately with Greek yogurt if desired.
You could easily up the health ante with wholemeal batter or a scatter of toasted almonds on top. And I could have word-smithed the menu one step further as well, like, Farmers Market Maple Rhubarb Calfouti. Or even further. Authentic Canadian Maple, Slow Roasted, Farmers Market Rhubarb Clafouti. Ok, ok, you get what I mean. I did indeed pick up my fresh rhubarb this weekend at the Apollo Bay Farmer’s Market as Mr Surfer Dude ran a lazy 45km marathon along the Great Ocean Road. Catch our postcard adventures and my Recipe Redux Tom Yum Soup in this archived post from last year.
I hope this Recipe Redux you’ve picked up some word-smithing tips too? So next time you try to convert someone to healthy eating or your nutritious recipe, think about the pitch. Can you taste the name? How can you boost satisfaction? Love to hear your ideas and can’t wait to see what the other Reduxers cooked up for brunch.
