We are visiting Austin at the moment, staying in an Airbnb in Cherrywood, a beautiful neighborhood in the northeast. The food scene here genuinely impresses me. Though we eat at home most of the time and eat out twice a week. The kitchen is 1½ × 1½ foot yet functional and bright. There’s a window over the sink that lets in some light but not too much, and the countertop and backsplash, I’m obsessed with them. The food photographs so well against them.
We are here for a month, so there’s point to stock the kitchen.
The other day I wanted to make cookies but discovered I had exactly ⅓ cup of flour left. So I thought: what can I make with just a little bit of flour? The only thing that jumped to mind was clafoutis — and those two ripe mangos sitting in the fridge waiting.
Clafoutis is a French custard dessert
usually made with cherries or berries. I’ve never seen or eaten mango clafoutis before. I’m sure I’m not the first to try it. Let me google to check… Nope, I am not the first. I almost added bananas too, but didn’t because they’re not tart at all. Tartness here is crucial.
The French will dismiss my recipe with disdain because I made it with oat milk and olive oil instead of regular milk and butter. But with all due respect to the French, my sinuses have the last word. The olive oil does sound weird, I know, but it actually works in a mysterious way and gives this non-French clafoutis a unique, gentle savory flavor.
The French probably also have disdain for whoever invented this effortless dessert. What — she couldn’t make twenty crêpes so she just baked the batter with fruit? It’s exactly my kind of dessert; unfussy fancy. It’s a great last-minute dessert. Feel free to use other fruit, such as apricots, peaches, or blackberries.
Because it contains so little flour, the texture is dense and eggy, almost like pudding. I love it. It’s so comforting. It reminds me of something from my childhood, though I can’t quite place what.
Dairy-Free Mango Clafoutis with Oat Milk (Easy French Dessert)
Equipment
- loaf pan
- Hand mixer or blender
- Pastry brush (for greasing the pan)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cutting board and knife (for peeling and slicing the mangos)
- Toothpick (for testing doneness)
Ingredients
- 2 ripe large mangos - peeled and sliced into strips
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅔ cup oat or nut milk
- ¼ cup olive oil to grease the baking dish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Pour the olive oil into a loaf pan and brush it with the oil. Lay the mango in the baking dish.
- Using a hand mixer or blender, mix together the eggs, vanilla, sugar, oat milk, and salt until smooth. Add the flour and mix until the batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter over the mango and bake the clafoutis until the custard is just set, about 45 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out relatively clean.
- Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold. It’s traditionally not served with any accompaniment.
- The clafoutis can be made up to one day in advance and refrigerated overnight.
