The homey French dessert clafoutis is essentially a baked pancake with fruit. The classic version, which we featured in a previous post, showcases fresh cherries. But clafoutis can be made with a variety of fruits, depending on the season. When fruits other than cherries are used, the dish is actually called a flaugnarde (the Occitan word for “soft”). However, the term clafoutis is still commonly used when the dish is made with any type of fruit. This variation with pears and convenient frozen raspberries is my go-to for a simple and incredibly satisfying winter dessert.
As there is no crust to fuss with, clafoutis is simple to prepare. The batter, which uses basic ingredients like eggs, flour, sugar, and milk, comes together in minutes using a food processor or blender. Just arrange the pear slices and raspberries in a pie pan, top with the batter, and bake. Three-quarters of an hour later you have dessert! And if you’re lucky, you’ll have some left over for breakfast the following day.
Pears are an excellent fresh fruit option throughout the winter, but they are often sold rock hard. I try to buy pears a few days advance and let them ripen in a paper bag at room temperature.
While clafoutis is well known and loved throughout France, many North Americans are unfamiliar with it. I suggest that you prepare this recipe and serve it to your friends and family to introduce them to the pleasures of a French clafoutis (or flaugnarde, to be precise).
Ingredients
2 tablespoons plus ⅓ cup granulated sugar, divided
2 ripe but firm Anjou pears
1 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1¼ cups milk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zestConfectioners’ sugar for dusting
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat a 9- or 9½-inch pie pan with cooking spray or brush with oil or softened butter. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar; tilt to coat.
2. Peel the pears and cut them in half vertically. Remove the cores, trim the stem ends, then slice. Arrange the pear slices in the prepared pan. Scatter the raspberries over the pears and into the hollows.
3. Place ⅓ cup sugar, the flour, eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla in a food processor, blender, or bowl, if using an immersion blender; process until smooth. Add the lemon zest and pulse several times just to blend.
4. Pour the egg batter over the pears and raspberries. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
5. Bake the clafoutis until it’s puffed, starting to brown around the edges, and firm to the touch, 45 to 50 minutes. Let it cool slightly. (The clafoutis will sink as it cools.) Dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Makes 4-6 servings.
Patsy Jamieson