Chanticleer Inn, Ashland, Oregon
from The Best Places Northwest Desserts Cookbook

This clafouti is an adaptation of a French classic, featuring one of the things the Rogue Valley is most famous for: pears. You can peel the pears or not, depending on your taste, but if they have a lovely russet colored skin it will make for a nice color contrast in the finished dish. Be sure to use ripe, juicy pears for the most flavorful results.

1/2 cup whole blanched almonds 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 3 eggs 1 cup milk or half-and-half 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract 2 to 3 ripe pears, halved, cored, each half quartered

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly butter a 12-inch oval gratin dish or other shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dish.

Grind the almonds in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of the flour, pulsing until the almonds are finely ground. Add the eggs, milk, sugar, remaining flour, vanilla, and almond extract and blend well, scraping the sides as needed to ensure that all the flour is incorporated.

Arrange the pear wedges evenly over the bottom of the baking dish and slowly pour the batter into the dish. Bake until puffy and golden,  about 45 minutes. Serve either warm (not hot), at room temperature, or chilled, scooping the clafouti onto individual plates.

Makes 6 servings