We are having a great mango season here. First it was the king of mangoes, Alphonso, that we savored during our vacation with my parents and in laws. Growing up we always ate Alphonso….I mean buying any other variety back then was crime!! Having moved to Gujarat, we didn't quite get the awesome Alphonso mangoes that we had access to in Pune or Mumbai. We bought some locally available Kesar variety, albeit, with some frown. It took us a while to accept the taste but boy are we in love with it or what!! They are oh so good!!! In fact the best variety for baking, I think! Their natural sweetness means less added white sugar. They are juicy yet not the mushy types which gives the perfect moistness to cakes. What more can you ask for?
We started with some homemade mango ice cream, followed by mango panna cotta, then a super moist and delicious mango raisin tea bread and now we are trying hard to keep our forks off of this mango ginger clafoutis as I am quickly trying to take pictures!!
I loved making this clafoutis, it was a breeze, with ingredients readily available in the kitchen! That I got to use my favorite cast iron skillet to bake the clafoutis in was like the icing on the cake!!
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 medium eggs
1/4 tsp ginger root powder
1/4 cup pistachios, sliced
1 large OR 2 medium ripe mangoes, cubed or sliced
Powered sugar for dusting
Method:
Preheat oven to 175 deg C. Butter an 8 inch cast iron skillet and set aside.
In a blender process, milk, 1/4 cup sugar, flour, eggs and ginger root powder until well combined.
Pour a thin layer of this batter in the cast iron skillet and bake for about 5-7 min until set. Remove from the oven.
Arrange the fruit on the batter, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sugar and nuts, pour the rest of the batter on top of the fruit and nuts and bake for an additional 45 to 50 min until set and knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Dust powdered sugar on the top and serve warm with lightly sweetened cream or ice cream.
Notes:
1. You can bake this clafoutis in any regular baking tin. Just keep in mind the size of the tin that you are using. Adjust baking time accordingly.
2. Substitute mangoes with any stone fruit or berries.
3. I feel pistachios pair very well with mangoes but almonds or even cashews would taste great.
4. The quantity of ginger root powder that I have added gives the clafoutis a very subtle ginger flavor. You can add up to 1/2 tsp ginger root powder for a stronger ginger flavor.
