Desserts
Ingredients:
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/4 tsp pink food coloring gel (you can use pink or red food coloring)
1 tbs strawberry flavoured topping
For chocolate ganache:
2/3 cup thickened cream
150g Plaistowe dark cooking chocolate, chopped (you can also use dark chocolate melts)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. To make the ganache, place dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring cream just to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Pour the cream over chocolate. Stir until smooth. Place in the fridge until thick and spreadable.
3. Use an electric mixer to beat egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla until stiff peaks forms. Add sugar, strawberry topping and food coloring. Beat until sugar dissolves. Mixture should be stiff and glossy.
4. Use a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe 24 (5cm-6cm) rosettes, about 3cm apart on the prepared trays. Turn oven temperature to 120 degrees Celsius. Bake meringue for 1 hour or until firm and dry to touch. Turn off oven and leave the meringues to cool with the oven door ajar for 1 hour.
5. Spread 1-2 teaspoons of ganache over the back sides of half of the meringues. Sandwich the remaining meringue rosettes on top.
Ingredients:
1 large ripe mango, peeled, roughly chopped
250ml Vaalia low-fat apricot, mango and peach yoghurt (you can use any type of yoghurt)
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
6 wooden iceblock sticks
Method:
1. Process mango flesh, yoghurt and milk in a food processor until smooth. Spoon mixture into 6 popsicle moulds and carefully insert a wooden iceblock stick halfway. Freeze for 4 hours or until frozen solid. Soak in warm water to remove.
Ingredients:
12 edible flowers (optional)
200ml raspberry yoghurt (you can use any type of yoghurt)
6 straws, cut in half
Method:
1. Place edible flowers in the silicone mould (you can use an ice cube tray). Fill the silicone mould with raspberry yoghurt and place straw in each mould. Place in the freezer for 4 hours or until set.
Instead of reaching for the lolly jar, head to the freezer for an icy sweet treat.
Ingredients:
1 x 425g can blueberry in syrup, 1/3 cup syrup reserve
1 tbls gelatine powder (for blueberry)
300 ml thickened cream
1/2 tspn vanilla essence
1 tbls fruit sugar or caster sugar
1 tbls gelatine powder (for the cream mixture)
Method:
1. Lightly grease 8x150ml cup capacity moulds. Place blueberries and the reserved syrup in a food processor and puree until smooth. Place 1/3 cup hot water into a small bowl. Sprinkle over gelatine. Whisk with a fork until dissolved. Cool slightly then process with blueberry puree. Strain through a fine sieve into a jug. Divide evenly between moulds. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until set.
2. Place the thickened cream and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until heated through (do not boil). Remove from heat. Cool until just warm. Dissolve gelatine in water (as directed above). Stir through cream mixture. Whisk until combined. Strain through a fine sieve into a jug. Pour mixture over blueberry jelly. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until set.
3. Dip moulds into hot water for a few seconds and turn panna cotta onto serving plates. Garnish with your favourite fruit.
Ingredients:
1 cup thickened cream (for the vanilla layer)
1 cup buttermilk (for the vanilla layer)
1/2 tspn vanilla bean paste (for the vanilla layer)
2 tspn gelatine powder (for the vanilla layer)
1/4 cup caster sugar (for the vanilla layer)
1/3 cup micro herbs (optional)
1/3 cup raspberries, for garnish
2 Tbls coffee liqueur (for the jelly)
2 Tbls caster sugar (for the jelly)
250 ml water (for the jelly)
3 tspn instant coffee (for the jelly)
2 tspn gelatine powder (for the jelly)
1/3 cup boiling water (for the jelly)
Method:
1. Place cream, buttermilk, vanilla paste and sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring for 5-8 minutes or until almost simmering and the sugar is dissolved (do not boil). Remove from heat, sprinkle the gelatine powder and whisk until combined and the gelatine is dissolved. Strain the mixture into a jug. Set aside for 10-15 minutes to cool. Pour mixture into glasses. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or until set.
2. To make the espresso jelly, combine liqueur, water and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring for 5 minutes until sugar dissolves (do not boil). Combine coffee and boiling water and stir into the liqueur mixture. Reserve 1/2 cup of the coffee syrup and set aside. Sprinkle the gelatine powder over the coffee syrup in the saucepan and stir on very low heat until gelatine is dissolved. Strain the mixture and set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes. Pour jelly into a square dish and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or until set.
3. Turn jelly onto a cutting board and cut into 1cm (1/2 inch) cubes. Divide espresso jelly into the prepared glasses. Pour 2 tbs. of the reserved coffee syrup and garnish with raspberries and micro herbs.
