Food
and cooking articles and information:
 GET
FRUITY THIS WINTER
TV chef Sophie Michell gives her top recipes for
cooking
delicious dishes with South Africa’s finest fruit
Whilst we are all attempting to stick to our New Year’s
resolutions to lose those last few pounds and keep them
off this winter, it doesn’t mean we cannot indulge
in something sweet and tasty when we fancy it. We all
crave a little sweetness in our diet now and again and
fruit is an excellent way of getting part of your five
a day whilst satisfying our sweet cravings.
Many of us may be suffering from the winter blues at
the moment. But for those of us with a nagging sweet
tooth, going ‘cold turkey’ does not have to
be an option, as it’s possible to balance our taste
for sweetness without having to compromise on our healthy
lifestyle. The beautiful country of South Africa has
some fantastic fruits available this winter, to keep
you warm, full and healthy, including plums, peaches,
nectarines and grapes.
So for those of us looking to satisfy our hunger pangs,
fruit can provide a natural alternative to sugar that
satisfies our sweet cravings without being too high
in calories.
Here to help us is Sophie Michell, author,
chef and presenter of Channel 4’s Cook Yourself
Thin, with several great recipe ideas. From delicious
roasted brown sugar plums to chargrilled nectarines,
there are a variety of sweet fruit recipes that can
provide that sugar fix the healthy way.
ROASTED
BROWN SUGAR PLUMS WITH AMARETTO WHIPPED CREAM RECIPE
Often you feel like a pudding or something sweet to
finish off a meal, but it can be too easy to reach for
a shop made version, this is a weekday pudding that
can be put to together quickly and has the added benefit
from the vitamin rich plums. The Amaretto cream is an
optional luxurious extra, but it can be served with
Greek yoghurt or crème fraiche instead.
Ingredients
8 plums
1 tbsp of muscavado sugar
100g blanched almonds
75g butter
200ml double cream
Splash of Amaretto
Method
- Heat
the oven up to 200°C.
- Half
and de-stone the plums, and lay into a baking dish.
- Sprinkle
with the sugar and almonds, then dot the butter randomly
across top.
- Then
roast the plums for 40 minutes until brown and bubbling.
- While
waiting for the plums, whip the cream into soft peaks
and then mix in the liqueur.
- Serve
the hot plums with a dollop of the cream and some
shop bought ameretti biscuits on the side for the
easiest dessert around!
Serves
4
CHARGRILLED
NECTARINE, PARMA HAM AND FETA SALAD WITH LEMON AND BASIL
DRESSING RECIPE
This is a light, delicate salad that looks as good
as it tastes. Chargrilling the nectarine gives it a
more savoury touch and it's wonderful combined with
the salty feta, cured Parma ham and basil, lemon dressing.
Ingredients
2 nectarines
2 heads of endive
150g feta cheese
12 slices of Parma ham
1 large handful of washed rocket leaves
Dressing:
100ml olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Small handful of shredded basil leaves
Method
- Quarter
and de-stone the nectarines.
- Heat
up a griddle pan until very hot.
- When
the griddle is hot enough sear the nectarines, this
is to get good charred lines on them.
- Trim
the ends off the endive and break off the individual
leaves, wash, drain and set aside.
- Take
out the feta and crumble into large chunks and set
aside.
- Make
the dressing by chopping the basil and mixing with
the olive oil and lemon and season (lots of black
pepper).
- Make
the salad by carefully arranging the different components,
first the rocket and endive, then the Parma ham, nectarines
and feta.
- Finish
it off by drizzling over the dressing.
Serves
4
For
more information visit www.beautifulcountrybeautifulfruit.co.uk
Published
11 January 2010
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