Pear Clafouti with Star Anise

Name: Pear Clafouti with Star Anise
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: confectioners’ sugar; 1 teaspoon pear eau du vie or brandy (optional); 1 teaspoon pear eau du vie or brandy (optional); ¾ cup milk; ¾ cup cream, crème fraiche, or plain yogurt; ¾ cup cream, crème fraiche, or plain yogurt; ¾ cup cream, crème fraiche, or plain yogurt; 4 ripe pears, about 6 ounces each, peeled; 1 teaspoon butter; Pinch salt; 3 star anise, ground in a coffee grinder; 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, one half reserved for another use; 3 eggs; ½ cup granulated sugar; 6 tablespoons flour, plus a little for dusting the pan

Preparation info

Makes
4 to 6
servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Jean-Georges

By Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman

Published 1998

About

If those who attack French chefs for using Asian ingredients in traditional French foods tasted this dish, they’d faint.

The addition of star anise converts this home-style French dessert—essentially sweet pancake batter and fruit—into something exotic.

Ingredients

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, one half reserved for another use
3 eggs
½ cup

Europe
France
Dessert
Mediterranean
Vegetarian

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Scrape the tiny seeds from one half of the vanilla bean.
Beat the eggs with the vanilla seeds until frothy. Add the granulated sugar and beat with a whisk or hand or electric mixer until foamy and fairly thick.
Add