Pear Clafoutis – Almost as Good as it Looks

It sounds odd to say that a recipe's biggest problem is that it looks too good, but that's sort of the case with this pear clafoutis. Through no fault of its own, this crust-less, custard fruit tart looks a lot sweeter, and richer than it actually is. So, please be sure to adjust yours and your guest's taste buds accordingly. Of course, you can make this sweeter, with more sugar, or richer, with some cream instead of all milk, but there's something to be said for those rare recipes that I would describe as, "just sweet enough."

Which reminds me, be sure to taste whatever fruit you're using for sweetness, since you may want to adjust the sugar level based on that. Another key, especially if you're using pears, or apples, is to make sure you slice them thin; otherwise they will not cook through by the time your custard is cooked.

As I mentioned you could cook the fruit first, but I'll leave that up to you. If you use the traditional cherries, or something like tender juicy berries, this will actually cook faster than the time is given here, so I'd start checking for doneness after about 25 to 30 minutes. Speaking of different fruits, apparently if we don't use cherries, this is referred to as a "flognarde," which I'll never get tired of saying. Hilarious names aside, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 portions:

• (The baking dish I used was 10-inch wide)
• 2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter, divided (one for pan , one for top)
• 3 generous cups thinly sliced sweet, ripe pears
• 1/2 cup lightly toasted sliced almonds
• For the batter:
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar depending on fruit’s sweetness
• 1 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• - Bake at 350 F. for about 45 minutes, or until fruit is soft, and custard is cooked.
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