We’ve had such terrible summer weather this year. Memorial Day weekend, rain. July Fourth weekend, more rain. When I have plans to go to my beach house, which is usually on the weekends, I check the weather, and all I see is rain. It is so disheartening to me–and I am sure all of you as well. The rain usually brings on cooler weather, and at the beach it is always ten degrees colder than that.  Yuck! 

I hope by the time you read this, better weather is near and sunny days are upon us.

When you wake up and see the gray sky, it makes you feel gloomy. Everything seems so dark and sad. Outside is wet and soggy, and it just doesn’t make you feel like doing anything. Who wants to walk around in the rain, getting wet? There is shopping to do, I suppose, but how much can you shop? There are games you can play at home, you can go to the movies, go to a museum (if they are open), or go for ice cream (which I seem to be doing much more than I would like). If it is just misty out, you could go for a walk on the beach, but even that is a little bit sad.

I do enjoy days when I can just be at home, watching a movie, a good series on TV, and doing my needlepoint. I started needlepointing when I was a teenager, though I stopped for a while when I had my children (no need to guess why here), and recently picked it up again. I find it very therapeutic. My husband doesn’t understand my obsession with it, but always encourages me on my way and enjoys the finished product. So far, I have completed two large ones with nautical themes that I will frame and put up at my beach house. I have already started my third one, and with all the rain I see in the forecast, I am sure this one will be completed very quickly as well.

Going out to eat is also something we enjoy, whether it is raining or not. The restaurants near my home are excellent, and since my husband and I are foodies, we like to try as many of them as we can. Of course, there is always cooking and writing for my blog, but hey, I need vacation from that too. I miss the sunny days spent on the beach or at my pool. Looking back at my pictures from last year makes me miss those days even more. 

I hope we get some better weather soon so that we can finally have another day at the ocean! We have about 3 months of summer left and I want to enjoy them to the max! I hope you all are experiencing some better days in your state. There is a huge storm in my area right now, and while my plants are very happy, I am not. 

So, if you can’t be at the beach, maybe making this delicious dessert will cheer you up. Clafoutis are a French dessert, made with fruit. The fruit is baked in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter. The clafouti is dusted with powdered sugar and served lukewarm, sometimes with whipped cream on top. It is perfect for using up any summer fruit you have leftover, but pears are a great place to start.  The eggs and sugar are blended into a fluffy batter. Then you add the vanilla, lemon zest, and brandy for even more deliciousness. The pears are the star of this dessert, giving it a delectable flavor that makes this dish enticing and beautiful.

The recipe is courtesy of Ina Garten and makes 8 servings of a beautiful dessert that can brighten even the dullest day.

Ingredients for Pear Clafouti:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1⁄2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons pear brandy, such as Poire William
2 to 3 firm but ripe Bartlett pears
Confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Butter a 10 x 3 x 1-1⁄2 inch round baking dish and sprinkle the bottom and sides with 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar.

Beat the eggs and the 1/3 cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

On low speed, mix in the flour, cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest, salt, and pear brandy.

Set aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel, quarter, core, and slice the pears.

Arrange the slices in a single layer, slightly fanned out, in the baking dish.

Pour the batter over the pears and bake until the top is golden brown and the custard is firm, 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar.

It’s that simple!