Pear Clafoutis – Clafoutis aux Poires

What makes this dessert so different than your traditional clafoutis?

This year I am taking a different approach and started early with a spin on our classic French Clafoutis. I figure a large pan of deliciously soft pears marinated in brandy with a delightful custard around will last longer than a day.

Playing with flavors is one of the exciting components of cooking and baking.

Not only am I using pears instead of the traditional cherries with this recipe, but I am marinating the pears in brandy.

Brandy, to me, is fall in a bottle. I love the richness in flavor. The depth of color and how warm and wonderful it tastes added to my cooking.

I have been making it for so long, by “au pif ” as we say in France.

Your proverbial: by random or guesswork. A little bit more of this, a little bit less of that, but the result has been fantastic every time.

If you are unfamiliar with clafoutis, you are in for a treat.

Let’s start by what is a clafoutis?

A clafoutis is a classic French country dessert from the Limousin region near the center of France. This silky batter is poured over fresh fruits made using eggs, sugar, milk, and flour.

The batter bakes around the fruits creating a pudding-like texture, custard. Served lukewarm with a dusting of sugar.

The clafoutis recipe is too easy not to try it. A few staple ingredients easily found in your pantry, fruits, and you are ready to go.

The clafoutis will puff up when baking and offer you a golden top, yet, the inside will stay soft and creamy.

I am always tempted to serve it immediately after baking while it is still warm.

Traditionally, clafoutis is dusted with powdered sugar on top and served on a large oval dish.

A great sweet treat for a weekend dinner with family and friends.

Why pears?

Why limit this wonderful dessert to cherries and summer? I love pears, and they are the poster child of autumn. Our store shelves are abundant and need a place at the table.

Pick your favorite pear. Please ensure they are ripe but not too ripe to make your dessert watery. They have to hold during the baking process. Bartlett are the one we use the most.

Slice them evenly to all bake perfectly.

Why Brandy?

Besides its rich flavor, brandy is a spirit distilled from wine and other fermented juices. It can be produced using grapes and fruits, such as apples.

The combination of brandy, fruits, and egg custard is perfect. Not overwhelming, but subtle.

Why marinate the pears?

Letting the brandy infuse the pears gives a deeper flavor to this already gourmand dessert.

At the same time, the pears and the brandy are infused. As you will see with the recipe, you will add the brandy to the egg custard, making it rich in flavor.

Regarding your question about alcohol content, most of the alcohol is burned off during the baking process but still leaves a minute trace behind. I would not recommend it to the little ones.

Vanilla Sugar and how to make it

Having vanilla sugar on hand is always wonderful. It has so many uses. From coffee to dessert, a small jar is something we should all have in our pantries. Below is a quick video on how to.

You only need sugar and a vanilla bean pod that you will split. Remove the tiny black seeds and put everything together in a jar.

Shake and set aside. It stores well, and you will be amazed at how often you use it.

Variations and Substitutions

The traditional cherry clafoutis or clafoutis aux cerises is made with black cherries. If you are using cherries and want to do it the French way, leave them whole, but do let your family and guests know. You lose much of the cherry’s richness by removing the pits early.

Add apples to your pears. Both fruits marinate beautifully with the brandy. I have made it both ways, and it was a success each time.

Brandy can be substituted with Whiskey. Same rich flavor.

Vanilla sugar can be substituted with liquid vanilla. Just a couple of drops will do.

Just remember that clafoutis is a simple, rustic dessert that doesn’t require much fuss.