Dessert divine: A pear and saffron clafoutis

Pear trees are some of my favourites; their beautiful white flowers can light up any garden and, of course, they provide a great source of fruit in the late summer and early autumn. Which is right about now. Have you got a pear tree in your garden? Are you wondering what do with all the pears? Wonder no more.

As temperatures fall and night gets longer, it's important to have plenty of sweat treats to keep you going. This pear and saffron clafoutis with blackberries (another fruit that's ready to be picked off the bush), is a winter warmer. 'Almost buttery, juicy pears are a subtle flavour in sweet and savoury dishes', advises our Melanie, so get out there and give this recipe a whirl.

Recipe: Pear and saffron clafoutis with blackberries

Ingredients

• A pinch of saffron
• 30ml almost-boiling water (truly boiling water will burn the saffron)
• 4 large ripe pears
• 50g unsalted butter
• 50g golden caster sugar
• 1tspn vanilla-bean paste

For the batter

• 50g plain flour
• 50g ground almonds
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 4 free-range eggs
• 300ml whole milk
• 100ml double cream
• 1tspn vanilla-bean paste
• A pinch of salt
• Icing sugar to dust
• Blackberries
• Lemon verbena to decorate (optional)

Method

Preheat your oven to 160˚C fan/180˚C/ 350˚F/gas mark 4 and butter a 25cm (10in)-diameter oven dish.

Add the saffron to a small bowl and pour over the almost-boiling water. Set aside to infuse.

Peel, core and slice the pears into wedges and add them to a frying pan with the butter, sugar and vanilla. Heat over a medium heat until caramelised all over, about 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.

Add all the batter ingredients, together with the saffron and the saffron-infused water, to a blender. Process until smooth.

Arrange the pear wedges in the prepared baking dish and then pour the batter over. Bake for 40–45 minutes, when it should be lightly golden.

Dust with icing sugar and serve the clafoutis warm or at room temperature with blackberries on the side. You could add a scoop of sorbet, too.

Melanie Johnson is a food writer, photographer and stylist