| | My Favourite Desserts | | | | Apple strudel with crème fraiche (serves 4) | Free from Soya, Yeast & Nuts
6 crisp eating apples
1 tbsp lemon juice
85g sultanas
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp soft light sugar
6 sheets filo pastry
Vegetable oil spray | | |
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| Preheat the oven to 190oC/Gas Mark 5. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.
Peel and core the apples and chop them into 1cm dice. Toss the pieces in a bowl with the lemon juice, sultanas, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar.
Lay out a sheet of filo, spray with vegetable oil and lay a second sheet on top. Repeat with a third sheet. Spread over half the apple mixture and roll up lengthways, tucking in the ends to enclose the filling. Repeat to make a second strudel. Slide onto a baking sheet, spray with oil and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Serve the strudel warm or cold, dredged with icing sugar and accompanied by low fat crème fraiche.
| | | | Easy baked pears (serves 4) |
4 ripe pears
100g ricotta
Honey for drizzling
4 ameretti biscuits
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 190oC. Cut each pear in half, then place them cut-side up on a large baking sheet. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the cores and make a dip in the centre of each. Dollop about one teaspoon if ricotta into each dip, then sprinkle over the cinnamon and drizzle with a little honey.
Roast the pears in the oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put the biscuits into a food bag or use a rolling pin to crush them lightly. Remove the pears from the oven, then scatter the crumbs over each pear.
Return to the oven for another 10 minutes or until the pears are soft and the biscuits are golden brown. Serve drizzled with honey.
| | Grilled mango (serves 2) | Free from Eggs, Wheat, Soya, Yeast & Nuts
1 ripe mango
½ tbsp brown sugar
Crème fraiche to serve
Cut the mango in half lengthways, removing the stone. Score crisscross lines across the flesh with a knife. Sprinkle with brown sugar and place flesh side up under a hot grill, until the sugar begins to caramelize.
Remove from the grill and serve with a blob of crème fraiche.
| | Tropical summer fruit salad | Free from Eggs, Dairy, Wheat, Soya, Yeast & Nuts
1 mango
1 avocado
1 banana
1 papaya
1 orange
1/3 pineapple
1/4 cup of raisins
2 kiwis
2 bananas
shredded fresh coconut
Cut fruit into good-sized pieces, except avocado, which is cut in small pieces. Blend banana, orange and raisins until smooth. Mix well with fruit and sprinkle with fresh shredded coconut.
| | Apricot fool with ground linseeds (serves 4) |
This recipe uses dried apricots, but opt for fresh apricots when in season; stone them, simmer them gently in 2tbsp of apple juice and use as described here.
175g (6oz) dried apricots
200ml (7 fl oz) apple juice or water
Finely grated rind of ½ lemon
450ml (3/4 pint) thick yoghurt
2tsp linseeds
Oat biscuits, to serve
Put the apricots in a saucepan with the apple juice or water and simmer slowly for 10-12 minutes, or until the apricots are soft but not overcooked. Add extra apple juice or water if necessary. Roughly mash or blend the apricots to a puree. Set aside to cool.
Add the lemon rind to the yoghurt and mix together. Grind the linseeds using a pestle and mortar until crushed and split but not a powder. If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, put them in a bowl and crush with the end of a rolling pin.
Roughly fold the apricots into the yoghurt mix. Add three-quarters of the linseeds halfway through folding in, then spoon into 4 dessert glasses and chill for 2 hours. Serve topped with the remaining linseeds and oat biscuits.
| | Blackberry and oat layer (serves 4) | Free from Eggs, Wheat, Soya, Yeast & Nuts (ensure oats are wheat free)
A quicker version of this recipe uses 2tbsp homemade muesli in place of the roasted oats. If cinnamon or nutmeg is a favourite spice, add to the cooling oats. You could replace the blackberries with any seasonal berries or thawed frozen fruit.
25g (1oz) oats
3tbsp clear honey
15g (1/2 oz) stem ginger, roughly chopped
175g (6oz) blackberries
150ml (1/4 pint) thick yoghurt
150ml (1/4 pint) low-fat crème fraiche
Grated rind of ½ lemon
Preheat the oven to 180C / Gas Mark4. Mix the oats with 2 tbsp of the honey and spread over a baking sheet. Cook in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring once or twice.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Stir the oats to break up any large lumps.
Mix the yoghurt and crème fraiche with the grated lemon rind until well combined and sweeten to taste with the remaining honey.
Layer the blackberries, then the cooled oats with the yoghurt mixture in a serving bowl or individual dessert glasses. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.
| | Fruit compote | This delicious, spiced compote doubles up as a breakfast and a dessert. Store in a kilner jar in the fridge to serve with porridge, wheatgerm, yoghurt or a combination, or enjoy with low-fat Greek yoghurt or creme fraiche.
Sprinkle with chopped nuts for added texture.
115g dried apricots
55g dried cherries
55g dried blueberries
55g dried figs
55g dried pears
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| 55g dried mango
½ cinnamon stick
2 tbsp runny honey
2 cloves
½ vanilla pod, split
Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
15g flaked almonds, toasted
15g pine nuts
Put all the ingredients except the almonds and pine nuts into a non-reactive saucepan, and just cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Top up with water if necessary.
Allow to cool, then add the remaining ingredients and stir. Remove the cinnamon stick, vanilla pod and cloves.
The fruits listed above are suggestions – you can use any other dried fruit that you have.
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