Elegant and Easy Olive Oil Clafoutis
Elegant and Easy Olive Oil Clafoutis
This clafoutis is a perfect dessert to impress your guests with your skills while you sit back and do almost nothing! Clafoutis, a traditional French flan-like dessert, is super simple to make and uses only one bowl. The best part of clafoutis hasn’t even been revealed yet - use any type of fruit you want! Though clafoutis is traditionally made with cherries, feel free to use stone fruits or anything else you prefer. I used strawberries and figs in mine, though that shouldn’t keep you from using your favourite fruit. This recipe makes a large clafoutis (30 cm/12 inches) but can easily be halved to make a smaller clafoutis (20 cm/8 inches).
Clafoutis Ingredients
Traditionally made with sour cherries, there is no reason not to fully customise this recipe to your liking. Use stone fruits, tropical fruits, or anything that is in season. Just make sure to use either frozen or fresh fruit; dried fruits don’t work very well in this recipe.
You can use any type of milk you want in this recipe. I quite enjoy the creaminess of oat milk. Cow’s milk is traditionally used, though nothing is keeping you from using plant-based milk. Depending on the types of fruits you are adding, you can pair the milk with the fruit for a subtle secondary flavouring.
In this case, all-purpose flour is the perfect type of flour. We don’t want to add bread flour, as that will make it chewy, and cake flour is too delicate for this application. The addition of almond powder to this clafoutis adds a slightly softer crumb while also adding a hint of natural almond flavour.
The star of the show, olive oil, is what changes the flavour of this clafoutis. Instead of vegetable oil or butter, the addition of olive oil gives this clafoutis a very distinct flavour and truly pushes the fruits to the forefront. Using extra virgin olive oil will provide you with the best taste in this recipe.
The eggs in this recipe are genuinely what brings everything together. While the eggs don’t add any flavour, they are what holds everything together. Because of the minimal ingredients, the eggs play a considerable role in creating the principal structure in this clafoutis. The proteins in the egg coagulate to hold the structure firm after the clafoutis comes out of the oven.
I quite enjoy adding vanilla and a touch of spiced rum to this recipe. Though the alcohol is optional and can very much be omitted, I find that it brings everything together and finishes off the palette quite well. The vanilla is necessary for this recipe because of the low amount of ingredients, so we want to maximise the flavours. [sc ]
Clafoutis Methodology
When I said easy, I truly meant easy. Preheat your oven to 325°F/160°C convection, or 350°F/175°C for conventional ovens. Grease a 30 cm/12 inch cast iron skillet with olive oil or butter. On a cutting board, cut the fruit into bite-sized wedges and evenly distribute them in one layer on the skillet. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until combined. In a separate bowl, combine the liquid ingredients and mix to combine. Combine the two and mix until there are no lumps. Pour the batter over the cut fruit in the skillet. Bake for approximately thirty to forty minutes, the centre should be firm and spring back to the touch, and the edges should be raised. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, the edges will slowly deflate to the same level as the centre, and the pan will cool down. Cut into slices and sprinkle with a generous helping of powdered sugar before serving. Enjoy this beautiful dessert on a lovely sunny summer afternoon.
Elegant and Easy Olive Oil Clafoutis
Knife
Cutting board
2x mixing bowl
Whisk
30 cm/12 inch cast iron skillet
455 g fruit
250 mL milk
180 g all-purpose flour
100 g almond powder
100 g granulated sugar
50 g olive oil
3 ea eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp rum
Preheat your oven to 325°F/160°C convection, or 350°F/175°C for conventional ovens. Grease the cast iron skillet with olive oil and set aside.
Using a sharp chef's knife, cut the fruit on a cutting board into bite-sized wedges. Spread the cut fruit in one layer on the bottom of the cast iron skillet.
In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the liquid ingredients and whisk to combine.
Combine the dry and liquid ingredients together and whisk to combine. Combine well to ensure there are no lumps.
Pour the batter over the fruit in the cast iron skillet. Place in oven on the middle rack for approximately 30 to 45 minutes, or until the edges are raised and the centre is firm to the touch and springsback.
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm with a generous dusting of powdered sugar.