Fall Deliciousness: Ina Garten's Pear Clafouti
“And all at once, Summer collapsed into Fall.” ~ Oscar Wilde”
As much as I love Fall, it doesn't feel like it's official until I've made one of my favorite desserts of ALL time, Ina Garten's mouth wateringly delicious Pear Clafouti. It is incredibly easy to make and the heavenly aroma of ripe Bartlett pears, sugar, vanilla, pear brandy and lemon zest baking away in the oven makes it truly feel like the cozy Fall/Winter season is upon us!
During the holiday season, this is also the perfect dish to make if you’re tasked with bringing a dessert to a dinner party or entertaining at home. It also pairs beautifully with a gorgeous late harvest dessert wines which are so fun to indulge in this time of year.
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 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!
And while this recipe has pear brandy baked into it, I love to serve it with a late harvest dessert wine. Late harvest wines are truly underappreciated gems which are made from grapes that have been allowed to hang on the vine longer than those used to produce dry wines. This prolonged hang time on the vine allows the grape sugars to further develop which is desirable when the goal is to leave some residual sugar (aka “rs”) in the finished wine.
While the most well-known late harvest wines is probably Sauternes of Bordeaux fame, these wines are made in different wine regions all around the world from a variety of different grapes. The grapes used to make the wine will largely reflect the signature grape(s) of the region. For instance Quarts de Chaume from the Loire Valley is made from Chenin Blanc while a German Beerenauslese is made from Riesling.
The US also produces a beautiful array of late harvest wines including Far Niente’s “Dolce,” a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon modeled after Bordeaux’s Sauternes and from nearby Virginia a favorite is the Barboursville Vineyards Passito, a blend of Moscato Ottonel and Vidal grapes that were air dried in order to concentrate their flavor and sugars. The result of crafting wines from these sugar-laden grapes is a viscous, luscious wine which still retains a bright acidity and lightness to balance its sweetness.
We have a lovely variety of late harvest wines at Highlands Wine Shoppe so please swing by and let us help you select the perfect choice!
I really hope you enjoy this recipe for Pear Clafouti and do YOU have a favorite Fall dessert OR dessert wine you look forward to all year?
If so, I'd love to know so please let me know in the Comments section below.
"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.