Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Pear Clafoutis – Almost as Good as it Looks

It sounds odd to say that a recipe’s biggest problem is that it looks too good, but that’s sort of the case with this pear clafoutis. Through no fault of its own, this crust-less, custard fruit tart looks a lot sweeter, and richer than it actually is. So, please be sure to adjust yours and your guest’s taste buds accordingly. Of course, you can make this sweeter, with more sugar, or richer, with some cream instead of all milk, but there’s something to be said for those rare recipes that I would describe as, “just sweet enough.”

Which reminds me, be sure to taste whatever fruit you’re using for sweetness, since you may want to adjust the sugar level based on that. Another key, especially if you’re using pears, or apples, is to make sure you slice them thin; otherwise they will not cook through by the time your custard is cooked.

As I mentioned you could cook the fruit first, but I’ll leave that up to you. If you use the traditional cherries, or something like tender juicy berries, this will actually cook faster than the time is given here, so I’d start checking for doneness after about 25 to 30 minutes. Speaking of different fruits, apparently if we don’t use cherries, this is referred to as a “flognarde,” which I’ll never get tired of saying. Hilarious names aside, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 8 portions:
(The baking dish I used was 10-inch wide)
2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter, divided (one for pan , one for top)
3 generous cups thinly sliced sweet, ripe pears
1/2 cup lightly toasted sliced almonds
For the batter:
3 large eggs
1/3 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar depending on fruit’s sweetness
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

- Bake at 350 F. for about 45 minutes, or until fruit is soft, and custard is cooked.
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10 comments:

LarkRising said...

"You are the Tom LeGarde of your Pear Flognarde"

Sophia4 said...

This may be a silly question but why not best the wet ingredients before adding to the flour? Will that help to avoid lumps? Thanks

VeraLee said...

This pear clafoutis looks delicious! I'm a Chef John superfan, and also a French teacher. The g in flognarde is silent-- the gn works like the gn in lasagna. [flonyard] It's also sometimes spelled flaugnarde, but either way, no g sound.

Unknown said...

Can i use an 8" square pan

Danbullard said...

Thanks for the recipe! I also love the dish you prepared it in. Can you tell me what brand it is our where I could buy something like it?

Unknown said...

I am up in Canada and have access to some great Niagara plums and peaches. Any advice on cooking times, or pre-cooking fruit to make this a Plum flognarde?

Big Al said...

WHOW. So good So simple !! This is a keeper

Maria Elena said...

Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe with us.

Unknown said...

I tried this with sliced apples and my fruit literally floated out of the custard and just sat on top. Taste was still good, just not sure what I did wrong.

Me, myself and I said...

Well there was only 2 small slices left of this after Canadian thanksgiving dinner yesterday. This is despite forgetting the nutmeg. And burning the crap out of the bottom of it because the oven cooked this at 100° higher than it should have. So I am a huge fan :)