I still have a lot of pears in the house from my friend Margit’s tree, sitting in a brown bag in the back of the refrigerator so that they will stay as green as possible for as long as possible: my mother only eats pears when they crunch — I’ll eat them slightly softer than that, but I do not enjoy pears that have turned yellow (It’s that mushy texture).
Yesterday I pulled out the pears and found about five yellow ones, two large and three small. I had volunteered to make a dessert last evening — my mother has a sweet tooth and is eating soft foods until her current round of dental work is over. Plus, I had done something that made her uncomfortable and needed to work my way back into her good graces.
What to make? I could roll out pie crust and make another pear tart tatin. But Johnny once said he wanted to elope with that when I served it at Ballad group, so it would be better to make that when he is around to enjoy it. Carly Sullivan had posted a recipe for clafouti that I had saved. I took a look at it again, and then adapted it for ingredients we had. Basically, I used white sugar instead of honey, milk and half and half instead of buttermilk, omitted the vanilla and added dried cranberries to the fruit layer, browned the butter and cooked the pears in it, throwing the sugar on top to caramelize, cooking it down until the mixture was fairly dry, giving the pears time to absorb butter, sugar, lemon, ginger and cranberry flavors. The cranberries made it pretty, too.
To make the clafouti I just made:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Select 2 large yellow pears (or 3 smaller ones). Core and slice them thinly, but do not peel them: the skins help hold the pear slices together.
Melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat in a skillet, allowing the butter to brown, but not burn, before adding the sliced pears.
Sprinkle about 1/4 cup sugar over the top and jerk the skillet a few times so that the sugar gets distributed among the pears.
Allow mixture to cook down until the pears have released their liquid and the liquids have reduced to a thin caramel.
Turn off heat.
Add the juice of half a lemon, a generous grating of fresh ginger (use your microplane and grate directly over the fruit), a small handful of dried cranberries.
Pour the fruit mixture into a tart pan or pie plate.
Now make the batter:
Crack 3 eggs and whisk them.
Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and whisk again.
Whisk in 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
Add 1/4 cup half and half and 3/4 cup milk*
Add vanilla extract (I poured it into the cap from the vanilla bottle and used about half a capful).
Whisk until just blended.
Pour batter over prepared fruit in pan.
Bake for thirty-five minutes. Serve warm or cold, cut in pie-like wedges.
* Our standard milk is 1%. If you have whole milk, like Celi, just use a cup of whole milk — I added the half and half to make the milk richer, but you can make it with any kind of milk you have, including soy milk, nut milk or coconut milk.
Food Notes: This made a easy, delicious dessert, creamy and custardy with crisp, buttery edges. Cooking the fruit first on the stove meant no watery flavors. This would make an excellent Thanksgiving dessert if you are not utter traditionalists like we are, having to have pumpkin pie with whipping cream, made from the recipe on the Libby’s can, slightly modified. (We also make fruit pie of some description, cherry or apple or blueberry or mixed berry, depending on what is around).
The Lauren Project: Lauren is back in Santa Fe, still cooking up your recipes. Please be patient: we will announce the prize winners by the end of this month.
Yum! This sounds so good, Sharyn, and I like that you added the dried cranberries for both the flavor and color contrast. This must have been as nice to look at as it was to eat. I hope your Mother liked it! 🙂
Thanks, John — she liked it alright: there’s one piece left.
Your watercolor of the clafoutis is stunning my friend to match the delicious recipe 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I’m with your mother – I only like pears when firm. But when prepared like this with cranberries it sounds wonderful…and must looked wonderful as well. The watercolor shows the pop of red that the desert must have popped with as well. Ahhhhh – another great recipe and painting.
Thank you, CCU. Sometimes things just come together.
I am glad you mentioned this as a possible Thanksgiving offering. About half our “group” requires all traditional foods, and the rest of us would love to experiment with new recipes. I’m not baking too much right now. I have always enjoyed baking for my dad, and since his hospitalization in May he has been on an all liquid diet. Ugh! It’s made baking kind of “lack lustre” for me, and I am less inclined to bake things without a specific “home” for them…Jay and I end up eating too much! Of course, I could develop a little self-control and then I’d be in a better position, woudln’t I? This sounds SO good…I’ll have to figure out a way! 🙂 D
Thanks, Debra. I know some people bake things and bring them to work. I make things and bring them to potlucks, but now that we have a three-person household with a sometime fourth visitor, things vanish quickly if everyone likes them. We cut the clafouti into six wedges — I think there might be one left by now.
Hi Sharyn, I’m so happy you have a good man in your life. It’s like adding spice to an already great recipe, isn’t it? How good life seems for you now. I think you followed your heart in terms of your work and it’s paid off in all aspects of your life. Our hearts are always good guides.
Love, Rob
I agree, Robin. Our hearts are good guides. I still have more work to do in the area of income-producing work — in fact, I was just writing about that: I want to raise enough money to get into the studio and finish my second album. I’ve written three new songs in the last month and want to record them ASAP. Johnny, a professional musician, thinks one, “Ingenue” has commercial potential. It will make its public debut at his niece’s wedding next week.
I’ve always been wary of clafouti, but I’m not sure why. This pear version sounds delicious, though.
I did not make clafouti until sometime last year — now it has become a family favorite.
Good tip on cooking the fruit first Sharyn. I love Clafouti, a fancy name for such a simple, comfort dessert. When I’d make it for the kids, I’d just follow up with – it’s like a pancake! You’re right, with the pears and cranberries it would be good for Thanksgiving, but like you, I’m a purist needing pumpkin pie too. But there are many days of fall weather to enjoy this!
Yes, Linda. And it is pear season. We have two pear seasons here — fall and winter pears.
Thanks for the tip on keeping the skin on! I love clafoutis- it is such a warm cozy dish. I made some with plums last year and cherries this year. Now I shall try pear!
You are welcome — it works for mushy fruit without too tough skins and adds to the overall flavor. Plum clafouti sounds good, too — I always wonder what to do with plums.
You have opened up a whole new adventure for me clafouti. Wow this is a great little dish but I really like yours with the pears and the ginger, very warming. Take care, BAM
Cool, BAM. Clafouti is delicious.
Sounds heavenly. I’ve never tried making a clafouti before. Yours sounds both exotic and comforting.
Oh, do try it, Melissa! It’s simple and good.
I want this for breakfast! Mmmm…
Thanks, Rachel. I did have a piece for breakfast one morning, with the last of the savory polenta…
I love pears, but like you prefer a slight crunch and no mushy stuff ! But my partner positively dislikes them so I don’t tend to bake with them which is a shame as you#ve just shown a great way to use some of th eolder ones up. Maybe I should just treat myself !
You could always have a friend or two to tea and serve the clafouti…
That’s a genius idea ! Somedays my brain is not engaged!
I’m tempted to make a clafouti with plums as that is what is in season here
I love pears too but like your Mom, I prefer them crunchy. Betsy made a clafoutis too for Julia Child’s 100th bday (Bits and Breadcrumbs), since you’ve made now too, I’m going to have to try it when we get back from Europe; it’s less than a week until we go! My preliminary shoe count is ten, really, really trying to pair it down but you know me! Thank goodness for the weight restriction for the bags otherwise I’d be totally out of control!
I’m wondering what you did to put you out of good graces with your Mom ;)!
Short answer: man over too many nights in a row — now there is a one-night rule (no consecutive night visits). In our defense, it was a holiday weekend and Johnny usually teaches and/or gigs on the weekends. How long a trip is that ten pair of shoe trip?
The hazards of living with Mom!
Oh my, Sharyn, now you’re calling me out…our trip will be 17 days. I am a mood dresser, so I like to take things that I think I might want to wear…if you are a concise packer, I am not the girl for you! My suitcase will weigh 40lbs when I’m done (I’ll leave 10lbs for shoe purchases!) My husband has a lot of patience!
I have a friend who went to Europe with her husband and 8 year old son for three weeks and all they took was one carry-on. That is definitely NOT me!
REPLY from Sharyn: I am, in fact, a concise packer — I am distressed if I take something and don’t wear it and distressed if I don’t have enough to wear. I can’t wear many different kinds of shoes, so even if I wanted to take them all I have a limited collection. My Mom is a shoe queen though.
I never make clafoutis; this is a wonderful ‘basic repertoire’ dish, and so adaptable!
I only discovered it recently, Susan. We really like it.