Anywho, I've been soooo busy, y'all! Been shooting a TV pilot, getting kids in school, rehearsing a play. In short, I've been burning the candle at three different ends! All good stuff, however, but I've missed blogging!
Well, this morning the planets have all aligned and I actually have a minute to touch base. How've YOU been? Missed me? Come on, lie.
Anyway, the great thing about this play I'm doing is that it motivated me to research and try a new recipe! Great, huh? You KNEW I'd find a way to work some stove time into the mix, yes?
The play is a wonderful, funny, violent play called "GOD OF CARNAGE," which I'm doing with my husband, Spud McConnell (my favorite actor) and two other wonderful thespians: Lara Grice and Gary Rucker. We've been having a swell time rehearsing and the crew at Southern Rep Theatre in New Orleans is amazing! Our director, Ricky Graham, is a comic genius. The play, by Yasmin Riza, swept the Tony Awards when it debuted on Broadway in 2009. Now I know why! It's a great show.
The thing about this play is that CLAFOUTI (one of France's national treasures) figures prominently into the storyline. What is clafouti? Yeah, that's what WE said. So, we went on a quest to find locally-available items that might 'stand in' for clafouti: cheesecake, apple pie, pudding in a crust. Nothing seemed right. But, then again, we weren't 100% sure what clafouti even looked like.
Finally, I said, "That's it!" I dragged out my cookbooks and did my homework. And here is the result of my quest. Enjoy!
GINGER/PEAR CLAFOUTI
2 ripe pears (not mushy), peeled and sliced thinly
2 tsp fresh minced ginger
1 cup gingerbread cookies, crumbled
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp pear brandy
3/4 all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups whole milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Heat oven to 375 and spray a 9 x 12 glass casserole or equivalent round pie plate. Arrange the pears on the bottom of the pan - they look nice fanned out, but they taste good no matter what! Sprinkle the pears with the 2 tbsp sugar, the ginger and the pear brandy. Let that sit a minute to release some juices while you work on the batter. Now, whisk the flour, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar until all the dry ingredients are blended. You may even add a little nutmeg or cinnamon at this point, if you like. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla and mix till the lumps are gone. Pour slowly (so as not to mess up your pretty pear 'fans') over the pears to distribute evenly. Sprinkle the top with the ginger cookie crumbles. Now, bake for 40-45 minutes until the whole thing 'poufs' up like a souffle and loses its 'jiggle.' Leave it to the French to come up with a 'poufy' and 'jiggly' dessert. Let it get slightly golden but don't overcook it or it will be chewy. Nothing worse that chewy caflouti (well, it almost rhymes). As it cools, the pouf will settle down.
Voila! (Couldn't resist!) Serve this, preferably, warm either dusted with confectioner's sugar or topped with a 'bouffant' of spiced whipped cream. C'est magnifique!
Bonjour! Bon apetit!
Thankyou Mo! I've never seen or heard of this dish.
ReplyDeleteIt looks so pretty and sounds just wonderful for the cool months ahead. I can't wait to make this! I think it will be a hit on the holiday table too.
Good luck with the tv pilot and play.