Apple or Pear Clafoutis (GAPS-legal, grain- and gluten-free)

Pin It

This clafoutis recipe is a staple breakfast item in our house.  It is similar to a fruit custard, and is delicious with both pears and apples (I've used Granny Smith or Fuji apples).  It is also great when served with a side of bacon or sausage. Leftovers are great cold or warmed up.

Pear or Apple Clafoutis:

• 4 large eggs
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ cup sour cream, creme fraiche, or full-fat coconut milk
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter or unrefined coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup crispy almond* flour OR 3Tb coconut flour (almond flour tastes better, but coconut flour is good, too)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 3 large pears and/or apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (it's okay to leave the peel on the pears so long as it's not too thick)

1. Butter an 8X8 glass dish, generously
2. In a small saucepan, melt one stick of butter.  Then add honey and stir.
3. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, sour cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.  I like to use my immersion blender to mix it all up together, but you could certainly use a whisk or mixer instead.
4. Add melted butter and honey to wet ingredients and whisk or blend.
5. With the immersion blender running, add almond flour (or coconut flour) and whir until well-combined (or use mixer or whisk until smooth). Using the immersion blender is great because it further grinds the almond flour (which doesn't get particularly fine when I grind it in the food processor).
6. Arrange the sliced fruit on the bottom of the pan, then pour the mixture over the top. (Note: the fruit will float up while it is cooking.)
7. Bake at 325° for 45-55 minutes, until clafoutis is set in the center and the top is golden.
8. Cool and serve.

*Crispy almonds are nuts that have been soaked in water with a little salt for 12-24 hours and then dried in the dehydrator until crispy (which usually takes about 24 hours at 155 degrees F in my Nesco dehydrator). Soaking the nuts neutralizes phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. Phytic acid blocks absorption of minerals such as calcium and magnesium; enzyme inhibitors make nuts hard to digest. I make a large batch of crispy nuts, grind them into flour in the food processor (don't grind too long or you will make almond butter instead of flour), and store the flour in the freezer. This way, the flour is always ready when I need it.

*Time-saving tips:

• For a delicious and easy breakfast throughout the week, double this recipe and cook in either two 8X8 dishes or one 9X13 dish (it will of course take longer to cook in the bigger dish).  Once cooled slightly, scoop into individual glass dishes and store in the refrigerator.  On subsequent mornings, just pull out one of the small glass containers and eat cold (or re-heat in the toaster oven at 250 degrees for about 15-20 minutes). 
• Since the oven will already be heated, you may as well throw in a pack of bacon, some egg muffins, baked bacon and eggs, or even a spaghetti squash for later in the week.  I abhor an empty oven, so I'm always adding more items once it is on.  Bacon bakes very well, especially if you put it on the bottom rack, and it also reheats well for later in the week.

This recipe is part of Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade, Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet,  and Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist!