I had a major conflict in my relationship last week: Brent had never seen Julie/Julia! How did that happen? How, over the 4-year course of our relationship, had he never seen my favorite movie?
Add to that, he’d never seen a full episode of The French Chef! There was no way I could stay with a man who did not fully understand the influence of Julia Child on both myself and the entire American food industry. Foodies would not exist without Julia! This blog certainly would not exist.
I would, naturally, have to make a French-inspired meal…in costume. Unfortunately, the French are famous for their buttery, chocolate-dipped, jam-filled pastries. Delicious, but not always in my diet.
So, I started googling classic French fruits. Obviously, being wine country, grapes came right up. Surprisingly, pears were number two. In fact, pear and grape tarts are a very common French dessert.
I did not really want the carbs, sugar, and effort of a tart. But, the idea of cooked pears and grapes was intriguing. I had seen roasted grapes and sausage before, so I figured it worked. Some quick research revealed that grapes and pears both get sweet and tender when roasted.
The natural sugars pull to the outside of both fruits, making them taste sweetened when I did not add any sugar! They become caramelized and soft. The pears remind me of baked apples, and the grapes taste like little pods of hot grape juice.
Maple seemed like a natural pairing with both pears and grapes: more so than lemon, chocolate, or vanilla, as were my other options. Plus, using maple syrup could cut down on white sugar.
A creamy, maple yogurt on top of hot fruit, with some candied nuts for garnish, suddenly became my healthier French dessert that even Julia would be proud of.
INGREDIENTS (4 small servings):
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 cups chopped Bosc pears (get the chunks to the same size as the grapes)
- 2 cups red globe grapes
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp maple extract
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 dash allspice
TO PREPARE:
Firstly, make the candied nuts. This can be done days in advance. Brown the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Get it nice and dark. Then, add the pecans and 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Stir occasionally until the nuts smell toasted and the syrup has largely thickened, 15 minutes. The nuts should be slightly sticky but not one big clump. Spread them out on a plate and let dry.
Make the cream: combine yogurt, the remaining two tablespoons maple syrup, the extract, the brown sugar, and the allspice. Taste for sweetness; I like mine pretty sweet, so go easy if you want it more tart. Let chill in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a baking sheet and spread out the grapes and pears. Spray the top with cooking spray or drizzle with canola oil/butter. Bake for 25 minutes, until the fruits are softened.
Layer fruit in four serving cups, top with nuts, cream, and more nuts.
Bon’ Apetit!
whenkathycooks 