Pear-Pistachio Clafoutis
Traditionally a French Clafoutis is made with pitted fresh cherries. In this dish, I used ripe Bartlett pears and pistachios to put a twist on this favorite custard-cake. On my foodie trips in Europe, I often prepare a clafoutis for breakfast. Cherries are traditional, but I have made them with everything from plums and peaches, to apricots and pears.
I am a huge fan of custard desserts. The clafoutis fits somewhere between a custard and a cake. Fresh out of the oven, it will have risen like a soufflé. Serving it immediately from the oven is ideal, but it is equally tasty once it has fallen. It is even great reheated the next day.
Pear-Pistachio Clafoutis
Course: DessertCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy6-8
servings30
minutes40
minutesIngredients
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cut in half and cored
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar (+ 2 Tbsp for sprinkling)
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons coarsely chopped pistachios
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
- Plating
Chantilly cream and/or vanilla ice cream
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
- Lightly brush an 11-inch round baking dish with 1 Tablespoon of the butter. Reserve the
other 2 Tablespoons of butter chilled for step 4. - Place the remaining ingredients (except for the pears, the 2 Tbsp sugar, pistachios and powdered sugar) in a blender to make a smooth custard mixture.
- Pour the custard mixture into the prepared dish and arrange the pear halves decoratively. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar. Thinly slice the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter and scatter evenly over the top of the pears and custard. Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios.
- Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for about 40 minutes. The top should be golden brown and the custard should be set (insert a knife and make sure it comes out clean).
- Cool slightly and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm with Chantilly or Ice Cream.
Notes
- In the photo, you can see that I prepared the dish in loaf pans also. The recipe will make two 4x8-inch loaf pans. Follow the same procedures above, just divide everything evenly between the 2 loaf pans.
