Pear and Red Tart Cherry Clafoutis
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I love clafoutis (klah-foo-TEE), it’s kind of a cross between my favorite pie, a custard pie, and cake. Ultimately, though, this dessert is about the fruit. It can be cherry and pear, as we’ve done for this Pear and Red Tart Cherry Clafoutis, but you can also use peaches, nectarines, blueberries or persimmons. It’s incredibly versatile.
I grew up with my mom doing her version of a cobbler, which is fruit with a cake batter on top. So, clafoutis feels like going back to my roots. It’s a bit retro with a modern twist.
The Ingredients
The recipe calls for a vanilla bean. To prepare it, cut it in half lengthwise with a 4″ Paring Knife and then use the tip to scrape the tiny vanilla seeds out.
If you don’t have a vanilla bean, use two teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.
For the pears, Cutco’s 6″ Vegetable Knife works beautifully. Peel the pear, cut it in half lengthwise, cut out the core and then slice.
The other fruity elements of the clafoutis include pitted cherries, orange zest and Cointreau®, an orange liqueur (or pear brandy).
The Flavor
What’s delightfully surprising about this dessert is not just the beautiful fruit and custard texture, but it uses my favorite spice, P.S. Flavor!™ Mai Chai. The clafoutis already has all the flavors of fall, but when you add the chai, it just speaks to you. Cinnamon alone would be wonderful, but the Mai Chai, with all of its other warm spices, brings it up a notch.
For serving the clafoutis, Cutco’s Spatula Spreader is ideal. The sharp blade easily cuts through the custard texture and the wide, flexible blade can slide under each piece to remove it without losing a crumb.
Pear and Red Tart Cherry Clafoutis is light and not overly sweet making it the perfect finish to dinner. And, bonus, it’s a dessert you can make for any season.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon, plus 1/4 cup Sugar in the Raw®
- 1 1/2 cups fresh, pitted cherries or 1/2 cup dried red tart cherries
- 1 cup 2% or whole milk
- 1 vanilla bean, split (or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
- 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon P.S. Flavor!™ Mai Chai seasoning or cinnamon, divided
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon orange zest (from 1/2 orange)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (recommended: Diamond Crystal®)
- 2 tablespoons Cointreau® or pear brandy
- 2 to 3 firm but ripe Bartlett pears
- Powdered sugar, to taste
- 8 ounces whipped cream or Crème fraiche scented with P.S. Flavor!™ Mai Chai seasoning or cinnamon
- Orange slice and fresh mint sprig, for garnish
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Butter a 10 x 3 x 1 1/2-inch round baking dish with butter and sprinkle the bottom and sides with 1 tablespoon of the Sugar in the Raw.
- If using dried red tart cherries, place cherries in a medium bowl, and cover with boiling water by 1 inch. Let stand until plump, about 10 minutes. Drain.
- Heat milk to just simmering. Split vanilla bean and scrape into milk and then add vanilla bean. Let infuse 20 minutes; remove bean. If using vanilla extract, simply add with liquid ingredients.
- Beat the eggs and 1/4 cup Sugar in the Raw in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, mix in the flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon Mai Chai seasoning, vanilla-infused milk (or vanilla extract), buttermilk, orange zest, salt and Cointreau or pear brandy. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile peel, quarter, core and slice the pears lengthwise into 1/8-inch slices. Arrange the slices in a single layer, slightly fanned out, in the baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining Mai Chai seasoning and pour the batter over the pears. Scatter the plump cherries over batter.
- Bake until the top is golden brown and the custard is firm, 30-35 minutes. Let stand about 15 minutes and cut into wedges to serve at room temperature, sprinkled with powdered sugar and topped with whipped cream or crème fraiche. Garnish with orange slice and a fresh mint sprig.
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