Pear-Creme Fraiche Pancakes

I've been having this obsession with pancakes. I just, well, love them. They're like a quick and easy dessert in my mind. I've made all kinds: the best, chai-spiced, matcha flavored, blueberry ricotta, mango coconut, even bacon greased hoecakes! They were all spectacular, but these, oh man, these... were so freaking delicious.

These were inspired by the pear pancakes from The Kitchen, which I've personally never tried but my best friend rants to me about them all the time. But truly, they were inspired by the gorgeous pears I bought from the Farmer's Market. They were the most delicious pears I've had in a while: supple, buttery and so deliciously sweet. They cost a pretty penny but they were definitely worth it.


You might as well call these pancakes dessert since I served them alongside my favorite sauce ever: a vanilla-bean creme anglaise. Think: the best vanilla bean ice cream, melted and smothered on top of your pancakes. Yeah, it's awesome - your tastebuds and tummy will thank you.

Pear-Crème fraîche Pancakes

Yields: 12 - 16 pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup flour

3 tbsn. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 cup crème fraîche

3/4 cup + 1 tbsn. milk

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla 

unsalted butter, for cooking

1 large ripe, but firm pear, sliced very thinly

vanilla bean crème anglaise, for serving

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. Whisk together the crème fraîche, milk, eggs and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined. Melt some butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the batter into the pan (about 1/4 cup per pancake). Arrange a slice of pear on top of the batter. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes over medium heat until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another 1 - 2 minutes, until browned. Continue this process with the rest of the batter. Serve with the crème anglaise. 

Peach & Creme Fraiche Pie

Humminah humminah humminah.

Not a joke people.

This is serious stuff. If you could see me right now, you'd recognize the serious expression on my face. This pie is un-fricken-believeable. Absolutely amazing if not outright ridiculous! The hardest part about this pie is the crust, other than that, everything else is a snap. Tender, sweet peaches topped with crisp streusel, all mounded on top of a buttery crust... what more could you want?!?! 

Pie crust making is serious science people. It takes care and an immense amount of love. Take the time to make it right and make it delicious! I followed Deb's directions here.

See that mish mash of colors in the dough? The more uneven the butter is spread throughout the dough, the better. Butter pockets allow for a more flaky and yummy crust:

That's the streusel. Oh my goodness how good it was on this pie, no words can do it justice!

Fresh, ripe yellow peaches:

The pie filling:

Getting ready to par-bake the crust, not the most beautiful of crusts but didn't matter to me:

Stuffing in the filling and spreading the creme fraiche:

YES YES YES! Give me more streusel: 

All ready to be popped into the oven:

All mine!!!

Peach and Creme Fraiche Pie

Yields: 1 8 -9 inch pie

Original recipe from Smitten Kitchen, which can be found here.

Printable Recipe

1/2 recipe of Pie Dough, chilled for at least 1 hour, or store bought (if you wish)

For the streusel:

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

3 - 6 tbsn. flour

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the filling:

1 1/2 lbs. ripe, yellow peaches (pitted and quartered), 4 - 5 medium peaches

2 - 4 tbsn. sugar (depending on sweetness preference)

pinch of salt

5 tbsn. creme fraiche

To prepare the pie dough, roll the dough out about 1/8 of an inch thick to fit a regular pie dish ( 9 - 10 inches in diameter). Trim the edges and fold under or crimp as desired. Use a fork to poke holes all throughout the bottom. Transfer to a freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 F before you remove the crust.

To make the streusel, mix the powdered sugar, baking powder, salt and 3 tbsn. flour. Add the cold butter and use a fork to work it into the flour until it resembles course crumbs, add additional flour as needed, set aside.

To par-bake the crust, tightly press foil against the crust and fill with beans or pie weights in order to keep the crust from bubbling up. Bake for 10 minutes and then remove the foil and weights carefully. Return into the oven for another 5 minutes or until lightly brown. Transfer to rack to cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 375 F. 

To make the filling, sprinkle the peaches with sugar and salt. Let sit for 10 minutes. Spread 2 tbsn. of creme fraiche onto the cooked pie crust, then add the peaches and top with the remaining 3 tbsn. creme fraiche, and then the streusel. Bake until bubbly and golden brown about 40 - 50 minutes. If the edges brown up to fast, cover with foil and continue cooking. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.