Fall Deliciousness: Ina Garten's Pear Clafouti
Fall doesn’t feel quite official to me until I’ve made one of my favorite desserts of all time — from one of my favorite cookbooks of all time: Ina Garten’s recipe for Pear Clafouti from her iconic cookbook “Barefoot in Paris.”
There’s a moment when it’s baking and the scent of ripe Bartlett pears, vanilla, lemon zest and pear brandy drifts through the kitchen. Suddenly, I want to light the candles, put on some music (I swear I always hear Edith Piaf even if there’s no music on!) and invite everyone to stay a little longer.
That’s the magic of this dessert. It’s simple to make, yet it arrives at the table golden and fragrant, looking as though you spent the whole afternoon preparing it. I love serving it after a holiday dinner, bringing it to a friend’s house, or making it on a chilly evening simply because the pears looked too beautiful to pass up.
And if you've never "clafoutied" before (YES, it can be used as a verb), a clafouti is essentially a baked dessert that originated in the Limousin region of Southwest France. It features sliced fruit (traditionally cherries but pears are in season longer), arranged in a buttered dish which are then covered with a custard-like batter and baked until golden brown. The fragrant clafouti is then dusted with confectioners' sugar just before serving and can be served warm or at room temperature. Honestly, I'll take it any way I can get it, it's THAT delicious!
While the pear brandy is essential to the final flavor of the dessert, a late harvest dessert wine is the perfect pairing. Late harvest wines are delicious, masterful gems crafted from grapes that have been allowed to hang on the vine longer than grapes used to produce dry wines. This prolonged hang time on the vine allows the grape sugars to fully develop which is desirable when the goal is to leave residual sugar (aka “RS”) in the finished wine. When pressed, the sugar-laden grapes release viscous, luscious juice which produce exquisite wines with bright acidity to balance its sweetness.
There are so many wonderful examples to explore. Bordeaux’s Sauternes is famous for its honeyed complexity, accentuated by the exquisite botrytis cinerea (aka noble rot). In the Loire Valley, Quarts de Chaume reveals the gorgeous sweet side of Chenin Blanc. And a Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos from Hungary, usually a blend of Furmint and Hárslevelű, with notes of apricot, honey and citrus, would also be an enchanting match for pears.
Closer to home, Far Niente’s Dolce is a Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon blend inspired by Bordeaux’s sweet wines. I’m also fond of Barboursville Vineyards’ Passito from Virginia, made with air-dried grapes (a blend of Moscato Ottonel and Vidal) for beautifully concentrated flavor. Each offers its own way to make dessert feel like an occasion.
We have a lovely selection of dessert wines at Highlands Wine Shoppe, and it would be our pleasure to help you find one for your table. Because sometimes the most memorable part of an evening is this: the plates have been cleared, the candles are burning low, and everyone is still gathered around, sharing the last slice and one more glass.
I hope this Pear Clafouti brings a little fall magic to your kitchen.
What dessert—or dessert wine—do you look forward to all year? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. 🍐🥂
"FALL DELICIOUSNESS: INA GARTEN’S PEAR CLAFOUTI"
Author: Ina Garten | Barefoot in Paris
Pair this delicious recipe with a luscious, white dessert wine like the Barboursville Vineyards Passito from Virginia, a Sauternes from Bordeaux or an Italian Moscato d’Asti!
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs, room temperature
6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (1 lemon)
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 Tablespoons pear brandy such as Poire William
2-3 firm but ripe Bartlett pears
Confectioners' sugar
Instructions
) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10 x 1 1/2-inch round baking dish and sprinkle the bottom and sides with 1 Tablespoon of the granulated sugar.
) Beat the egs and the 1/3-cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixerfited with a paddle attachement on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, mix in the flour, cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest, Kosher salt and pear brandy. Set aside for 10 minutes.
) Meanwhile, peel, half, core and slice the pears. Arrange the slices in a single layer, slightly fanned out in the baking dish. Pour the batter over the pears and bake until the top is golden brown and the custard is firm, 35-40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.