Pear almond flaugnarde

Saturday, December 24, 2011


Today was one of those days when you'd rather stay in than go out in the cold. I had a brisk walk this morning to the market and back, and that was it for me. I preferred to warm up by working around the stove and preparing something new to share with you all. I was lucky to find some firm and ripe green and rosy pears (I have already used up the ones I purchased last weekend), and use them in my cooking.

The night before I stayed up and tried out a few flaugnarde recipes. Flaugnarde is a French dessert that can be made with all kinds of fruit (it is called clafoutis when made with cherries - one of the reasons why every year I cannot wait for the cherry season). The one that I decided to post is my absolute favorite of all. Its subdued coconut aroma goes wonderfully well with the sweetness of pears, and sliced almonds add the-often-lacking crisp to this dessert. To top it all, it is grain and gluten free, as well as very low in sugar.



Pear Almond Flaugnarde 

Ingredients

3-4 Williams pears

1/2 tbsp butter (or coconut oil; I got both but ended up using butter for this one)
1 cup (250 ml) coconut milk (or regular milk)
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup (50 g) muscovado sugar (or brown sugar) - feel free to use less as ripe pears tend to be very sweet
1/2 cup (60 g) almond flour (or regular flour)
pinch of salt
1/4 cup (28 g) peeled and sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 190C. I start by preparing the batter and leave it in the fridge while slicing and arranging the pears. To make the batter, pour milk in a medium-sized bowl, add eggs and mix together. Add vanilla and sugar and mix again. Combine flour and salt and gradually add to the mix. Whisk everything together until you get a smooth batter (just like a pancake batter). If using muscovado sugar, some lumps might remain and that's ok.

Wash and core the pears. Split them lengthwise and slice in thin pieces. Butter the pan and decoratively assemble the pears. Slowly ladle the batter over the pears. Sprinkle sliced almonds over pears and batter. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden-brown and set. Serve warm, alone or with creme fraiche. I enjoyed it with some nice and warm unsweetened chamomile tea.


This recipe is a tweaked version of Gourmande's, and I thank her for the inspiration.

Bon appetit and happy holidays everyone!