Naoli’s parents, friends of friends, invited us for dinner at their home in Crest while we were visiting the Drôme River Valley. 

     It was early autumn. In those weeks the leaves seemed to turn a little more green, then yellow, then red, each time we drove over the mountain pass. That night when a flash of snow swirled in, we felt especially cozy being with a family in their warm and charming home. After an evening of games and conversation, their youngest daughter Naoli, then eight years old, prepared for us a pear clafoutis– an elegantly simple dessert of moist flan-like batter and soft layered fruit. “It’s very rustic,” her father said with a wry smile. This was exactly what I had hoped to find on our travels: A dish that captures the country’s culinary style, while being both unfussy and versatile. A dish that captures the intimate bonheur of our evening together.

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     I imagine making it at home with summer stone fruits or autumn persimmons. I plan to experiment with the batter…reducing the sugar, throwing in some lemon zest, trying flour or dairy alternatives and varying the spices.