~ Easy Pear and Almond Clafoutis ~
You’d think I slaved over this dessert, but I didn’t. And you won’t either. Clafoutis are an entertainer’s best friend. If you’re looking for an elegant dessert to finish a meal – something that’s comforting and rustic, but can hold it’s own on the finest china, following a fancy beef tenderloin dinner, than look no further than a clafoutis. Composed of the simplest of ingredients (sugar, eggs, cream) and showcasing the season’s peak fruit, clafoutis imply a heck of a lot more time and finesses than is actually required. In other words: they are an entertainer’s best friend. File this one the for holiday and party season.
Pear and Almond Clafoutis
This recipe is inspired by a recipe from Ina Garten (who, frankly, is another best friend when it comes to entertaining). Feel free to substitute other fruit, depending on the season, such as summer berries and cherries, plums and apricots. Serves 6.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon all natural almond extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon Pear brandy or Almond liqueur
3 to 4 ripe but firm Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Confectioners sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter a gratin dish or deep tart pan. Beat the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour, cream, milk, vanilla and almond extracts, salt and brandy. Stir on low speed to thoroughly combine. Arrange the pear slices, slightly overlapping, in the gratin dish. Pour the custard over the pears. Sprinkle with the sliced almonds. Bake until the top is golden and the custard is set, 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and serve with whipped cream.
If you like this, you might enjoy these TasteFood desserts:
Chocolate Orange Pots de Creme with Fleur de Sel
Pear and Cardamom Tarte Tatin
Apple Cranberry Crisp
A great combination. This clafoutis is very tempting.
Cheers,
Rosa
Gosh, I have been making a mistake and calling it “clafouti” for years – I usually make cherry but what a showcase for seasonal, beautiful pears.
I love it! Seasonal and delicious, will be making that soon!
Love!!
Huge fan of clafoutis! It’s always a hit, and you’re so right that it would be perfect during the holidays. I’ve only made it in the summer, so look forward to trying some fall fruit. Yours looks beautiful!!
What that looks and sounds great. I definitely need to keep clafoutis in mind!
ciao! luvFAB blog.
thebestdressup
Nothing better than an easy but impressive dessert, going to keep this one in mind. Especially with pear! Yum!
This sounds like a wonderful variation on a clafoutis. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
I’ve never met a clafoutis I didn’t like, and this one I LOVE! Also loving the gratin dish….jealous.
I’m a huge Ina Garten fan! I always get excellent results with her recipes without any extra or fancy preparation steps. The combination of pears and almond makes for an enticing clafoutis with a nod to the season of autumn!
What a scrumptious recipe! It looks fantastic.
Splendid!