Pear Cranberry Clafoutis

GAPS-legal, grain- and gluten-free

Christmas breakfast is just around the corner and I wanted to share with you my delicious holiday brunch dish. It is simple to make and tastes wonderful.  You can eat it warm, but it is also good chilled, which is what makes it such an excellent choice for your holiday morning. You can make ahead or that morning and either way LOVE it.  For a special treat, you can add some whipped cream, whipped coconut cream or drizzle with whole milk plain or vanilla yogurt.

Ingredients:

4 large eggs

1/8 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 

pinch of ground nutmeg 

¼ teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt

4 medium pears, cored and thinly sliced with the skins on**

1/2 cup cranberries fresh or frozen

*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. 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.

**You may substitute any fruit you like here. In the summer, use peaches and fresh berries. Thinly sliced or diced apples can be delicious in fall. 

Method:

In a small saucepan, melt one stick of butter.  Turn off heat and add honey. Give it a little stir but don't worry too much about getting it mixed well. Allow to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, sour cream, 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.

Add butter/honey mixture and almond flour.  Whisk or blend 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).

This dish is traditionally made in a cast iron skillet. If you have one, melt a couple tablespoons of butter in your skillet, arrange the pear slices in the skillet and sprinkle with cranberries. Its important to add the fruit to a heated cast iron skillet to get the delicious crumb on the outside of the clafoutis. If you don't own a cast iron skillet, this dish can be made in a buttered an 8x8 glass dish or a deep dish pie tin preheated in the oven for 5-10 mintues. Arrange the sliced pears on the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle the cranberries on top.

Pour the liquid mixture over the top of the fruit. If cooking in cast iron, remember the pan will be hot and you will hear the liquid sizzle a bit. (Note: the fruit will float up while it is cooking.)

Bake at 325° for 45-55 minutes, until clafoutis is set in the center and the top is nicely browned.

Allow to cool and then transfer to the fridge. Let chill for several hours and then serve.

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 take more time in the 9x13 dish).  If you or your familiy members are pressed for time in the mornings you can scoop the clafoutis into individual glass dishes and store in the refrigerator. On subsequent mornings, just pull out one of the small glass containers and eat cold with some vanilla yogurt.
• If you are making this the day you intend to serve it, cook bacon on the bottom rack at the same time the clafoutis bakes.