Vegan Clafoutis with Apricots

Whenever summer rolls around, and farmers markets flood with a technicolour of fresh produce, I stuff myself silly on stone fruit.

There is something quite magical about biting into a fresh summer peach. I am, somewhat controversially, partial to the white-fleshed variety. I pile them high in a great bowl on my kitchen counter. An avalanche of fruit… tender, succulent, yielding fruit.

And while peaches, cherries, plums and nectarines are old friends, the apricot and I are relatively newly acquainted.

I was surprised that, when biting into my first ever apricot (amber, and dazzling), it really tasted nothing like the dried variety. A fresh apricot is delicate, it’s mild-mannered and creamy. The dried sort is intense, leathery and meaty.

So when I decided to take on the challenge of a vegan clafoutis, I ditched the traditional cherry and opted for halves of golden apricots. To honour my new friend.

A clafoutis is, I believe, one of the few hot puddings still appropriate even when temperatures soar. A flan-like batter is poured over fruit and baked until it is silky, but with a definite wobble.

I prefer to use my cast iron skillet (as I do for most things), as it gives a delightful crunch to the edges of the vegan clafoutis. If you do not own one (although you should), a ceramic pie dish or heavy cake pan will do the trick.

**side note – If you are the proud owner of a cast iron skillet, here is my new favourite savoury thing to cook up in it**

The almond essence here has a purpose. In the traditional cherry-studded clafoutis, the pits are left in the fruit. A health hazard perhaps, but the pits actually flavour the batter with notes of almond. While my vegan clafoutis has no cherries, a splash of almond essence behaves in a similar way.

You may be tempted to forgo the dusting of icing sugar on the top – but it is not just for presentation. Apricots have a tendency to be transformed by heat from something gentle and sweet into something rich, melting and mouth-puckering. The custard itself is only mildly sweetened, so it really does need a generous sprinkle of sugar to top it all off.

I love the way that flavours interconnect in this pudding – apricot, almond, lemon zest and brandy. You can, of course, swap out the apricots for whatever summer fruit you simply have too much of. A glut of blueberries, slices of pear… brimming handfuls of cherries (unpitted, of course).

Make this vegan clafoutis to follow a light summer meal eaten with friends. It is almost mandatory that you serve it in slices with a generous scoop of ice cream (almond if you’re daring) or glug of custard. It makes for a glorious little feast.

Vegan Clafoutis with Apricots

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Vegan clafoutis is the perfect height-of-the-summer pudding - succulent, melting apricots suspended in a silky, almond-laced custard. Perfect topped with a (generous!) scoop of ice cream

Author: Sasha Gill

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 block silken tofu (430g / 8oz)
• 1 tsp almond extract
• ¼ cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp bird's custard powder*
• 2 tbsp aquafaba
• 1 tbsp brandy (optional)
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• ½ cup cane sugar
• ½ cup all-purpose flour (or rice flour for GF)
• 8 apricots, halved and deseeded

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Grease a cast iron skillet (or an 8 or 9 inch ceramic pie dish or heavy cake pan) well and set this aside
2. In a food processor or blender, add silken tofu and almond extract, coconut milk, custard powder, aquafaba, brandy and lemon zest - and blend until smooth.
3. Add the flour, and blend until just incorporated. Try to avoid over-blending the flour, as this makes the final custard less delicate.
4. Pour the batter into prepared baking dish, then arrange the apricot halves on top, pushing them down into the batter. Bake in a preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes, until the custard is set, crisp around the edges but with a delightfully wobbly centre.
5. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes, before dusting with icing sugar (or, for the rebellious - demerara for some crunch). Serve with a scoop of ice cream, whipped cream or custard on top.

Notes

* If you do not have bird custard powder, or any other sort of egg-free custard powder, simply use 1 tbsp of cornstarch or tapioca flour and a pinch of turmeric for colour.

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