Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Heat the oven to 400 degrees and butter a 9-inch pie plate. In a blender or food processor,
combine the sugar, eggs, cream, milk and vanilla extract and blend until smooth. Sift the
flour over the mixture and pulse just to mix. Set the batter aside for 10 minutes.
While the batter is resting, peel the pears and cut them in half lengthwise. Using a spoon (a
grapefruit spoon works best), remove the vein for the stem and the seed pit. Cut each half
into thin crosswise slices between Y4 and 112 inch thick, keeping the pear in its original
form. (This will take some time at first, but you'll soon get the hang of it.) As you finish
each pear, flatten it slightly, lightly pushing down against the cutting board and toward the
base of the pear. Lift it, using the flat of the knife as a spatula, and carefully place it in the
pie plate with the stem end pointing toward the center. Depending on the size of the pears,
only 5 of the 6 halves may fit. Pour the batter over the top and sprinkle with the pistachios.
Sprinkle the top with sugar.
Place the pie plate on a baking sheet to catch any spills and bake until the clafouti is puffed
and brown, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
CLAFOUTIS
The first time I saw a picture of a clafouti, I knew I had to make one. The dish was gor-
geous, something like a cross between a pancake and a custard - puffed and brown and
homey and dotted with melting cherries. I ran out and bought the cherries, whipped up the
batter and stuck the clafouti in the oven. What came out was much more a pancake than
a custard, and a pretty tough little pancake at that. Oh, well, I thought, and filed it away
under "lessons learned."
