Pear Clafouti

Every now and then I hit the jackpot with a new recipe. This one took a few attempts to de-glutenise and de-dairy. The end result is a delicious, fresh tasting dessert that even your pickiest of palates will enjoy.

A traditional clafouti is a baked pancake of butter and whole milk, studded with fresh cherries and dusted with icing sugar.

Traditional Clafouti

Good luck finding cherries in April in Ottawa! Pears are more accessible. I throw in slivered almonds for added protein and crunch.  To make a dairy-free clafouti, you'll need a can of coconut milk and some coconut oil.

The coconut oil comes in a jar. It's rock solid, so you'll need to scrape or scoop it out and liquify it. A few seconds in the microwave will do the job.  In place of wheat flour, I use a combo of rice and sorghum flours plus baking powder.

This pseudo-clafouti is easy as pie to make. Actually, it's much easier than pie. Try and let me know how it works out.

Pear Almond Clafouti 

Pear Almond Clafouti dusted with cinnamon

4 firm pears, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
2 TBSP lemon juice
3/4 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup canned coconut milk
1/2 cup  coconut melted oil
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour




Grease a 10-inch round dish and set aside.
Brush the pears with lemon juice and arrange in the prepared dish.
Grind 1/2 cup of almonds. 
Using a food processor or hand blender, add coconut milk, coconut oil, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup.
In a small bowl, combine the baking powder with the flours.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  
Let the batter sit for 10 minutes.
Pour the batter over the pears.
Sprinkle remaining almonds over the batter.
Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.
Serve warm.

Note: If you prefer dairy milk and butter to coconut milk and coconut oil, use those ingredients in the same measurements. If you prefer wheat flour, replace the dry ingredients with 3/4 cup of cake flour.

Healthful Hot Cakes

It was a lazy Sunday and I had a hankering for hot cakes. With the maple trees flowing with sap, it's the perfect season for pancakes.

I made a double batch, gluten free of course. To sweeten the batter, I used one banana and three dates all mashed together. I also sprinkled a spoonful of my Energy Crunch (see previous entry) into the batter to add texture and heartiness. In place of butter or oil, this recipe uses apple sauce.

These hot cakes freeze beautifully. I often double the recipe and freeze the leftovers for breakfasts and snacks during the week. Just toss them into the microwave for 20 seconds with a damp cloth on top of the plate.  

Healthful Hot Cakes

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese or plain yogurt

2 eggs

2 Tbsp applesauce

1 ripe banana, mashed

3 dates, pitted and mashed

rind from half a lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup rice flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup water

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and blend with a hand blender. 

Let the batter sit for about 10 minutes.

Cook on a hot non-stick skillet. 

Enjoy with fruit preserves, honey or maple syrup.

This recipe yields about 12 pancakes.