Apple and Rhubarb 'Superfood' Crumble

This is an attempt to make the most nutrient rich, delicious, low calorie dessert possible. It is so full of goodness it probably could even be eaten for breakfast!

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 red apples
bunch of rhubarb
2 tbs coarsely ground raw almonds
1 tbs protein powder
3 tbs Agave Syrup or Honey
1 tbs chia seeds
3 tbs raw oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
vanilla essence
1/ cup water

Method
1. Finely chop apples (leave skin on) and rhubarb (food processor is best if you have one). Put in a saucepan with water and 1 tbs agave syrup and cook on medium heat until fruit is stewed.
2. In a small bowl combine remaining ingredients (including 2 tbs agave syrup). Mix with finger until mixture resembles granola. This is the crumble topping
3. Poor stewed fruit into a small casserole dish. Top with crumble. Bake in a 200 degree oven for about 10mins or until crumble has lightly browned and is crunchy.
4. Serve with a dollop of natural or greek yoghurt.

Pumpkin Pie

The latest issue of the SBS feast magazine (currently my favourite cooking magazine) had the most beautiful picture of a pumpkin pie in it. This inspired me to create my own version - a much healthier one though!


Serves 4
Calories per serve: 196


Ingredients
2 cups raw pumpkin cut into pieces with skin still on (Queensland Blue or Kent if you can)
2 whole eggs
2 tbs agave syrup (or honey)
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbs almond meal (or even better the left over meal from making almond milk)
6 pitted dates
2 tbs rolled oats
1 tbs almond milk (or regular milk)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg


1. Steam pumpkin for about 20mins or until soft. Once cooked soup out flesh and put in a sieve over a bowel for about 15 mins to reduce some of the moisture. 
2. To make in a mortar and pestle or a food processor mix together the almond meal, dates and rolled oats. Once they all a mush scoop into the base of a cake or pie tin (or individual muffin cups if you like). press down with your fingers so is firm. Put in the freezer to set. 
3. Put pumpkin mash in a bowl. Add spices, agave syrup, almond milk, eggs and spices, cornflourBeat on low until it is smooth. Put in a sauce pan and bring to the boil mixing constantly. Once it is has thickened up a bit, remove. 
4. Scoop into pie tin. Sprinkle top with brown sugar. 
5. Bake in a 200 degree C oven for 15 mins. Then reduce oven to 180 degrees, and bake for another 50 mins. 
6. Let cool a bit then serve warm or chilled. yum.

Yoghurt, Almond milk and Raspberry Ice-cream (includes raw almond milk recipe)

At the moment my focus in very much on low calorie and healthy food. I'm experimenting a bit though with raw food although I by no means follow the whole 'raw lifestyle'. Anyway after making some almond milk i thought i'd try and make some ice-cream with it. This can easily be made dairy free too just by cutting out the yoghurt. I just added yoghurt in it to make it a little more creamier.

Recipe for Raw Almond Milk

Makes 4-8 cups of almond milk

1 cup almonds

water

vanilla essence

agave syrup

Method:

1. Soak almonds in water in fridge for 8-12 hours

3. Strain almonds. Put in blender with 4 cups of water (if your blender isn't big you may need to do this in two batches). Add a drop of vanilla essence and about 1 tsp of agave syrup (or honey).

4. Pour through a sieve into a bowl. Keep almond meal for another use.

5. Store milk covered in fridge. It will last about 5 days.

This almond milk is 86 calories per cup. If you would like a lower calorie version then put half of the milk back in the blender with 2 cups of water and blend. Do this again with the rest of the milk.

Then the almond milk is only 43 calories.

The ice-cream recipe below is made with the slightly richer (86 calorie) version of the almond milk. There is no reason though you couldn't do with it the weaker stuff, although expect a less creamy ice-cream.

Ice-cream Recipe

Makes 1 serve which is 139 calories.

1 cup almond milk

10 frozen raspberries

1 tbs agave syrup

1 egg white

1 tbs low fat (unsweetened if possible) greek yoghurt

ice

1/2 cup salt

two metal bowls, one smaller than the other

Method

1. In the large bowl put a lot of ice. Then add 1/2 cup of salt and mix together. Put the second smaller bowl inside the larger bowl. Make sure the ice level is such that it does not overflow but there is enough that the ice goes up the sides (on the outside) of the smaller bowl.

2. In smaller bowl put frozen raspberries (crush them up a bit), almond milk, agave syrup, yoghurt and egg white. Use a spoon or beaters on low and mix until mixture becomes thick. Make sure you scrape down the edges as you do this as they the first the freeze. 

3. If you'd like it a bit harder then put the bowl of ice cream in the freezer for a while.

Ode to an Oak Tree: Mont Blanc with a twist!

Mont blanc is a traditional French dessert which is based on creamed chestnuts. Both chestnuts and acorns come from oak trees. Thus in tribute to this wonderful tree, and because I still had some acorn meal left over, this version of mont blanc combines these two ingredients.

Serves 3

Preparation time: 1 hr + overnight chilling time.

Ingredients

Base:

1/3 cup acorn meal

3 scotch finger biscuits

2 tbs brown sugar

1 stick butter

2 roasted chestnuts

Cream:

About 12 roasted chestnuts (see previous recipe for roasting instructions)

1 tbs butter

vanilla essence

2 egg yolks

1 cup milk

2 cloves

whipped cream

Instructions:

1. Crush all the dry ingredients for the base in a bowl with a pestle. Soften butter and mix through with fingers until mixture resembles course bread crumbs. Push into 3 well greased cups in a muffin baking tray. Chill in fridge for at least 1 hour.

2. Put chestnut meat with milk, sugar and cloves into a saucepan. Simmer for about 20 mins. Watch to ensure milk doesn't burn or boil over. Stir regularly.

3. Push mixture through a fine sieve. This is a good opportunity to fish-out any husks from the chestnuts remaining. Throw away cloves.

4. Mix into puree the egg yolks and melted butter. Pour into the 3 muffin cups with the bases. Refrigerate overnight.

5. Serve topped with whipped cream.

Sweet Acorn & Pumpkin Muffins

This recipe uses acorn flour that needs to be made following the process outlined in the previous post. You could also make this without acorn flour...but need I say it, that's cheating. The flavours in this muffin are inspired by an amazing pumpkin pie I had when I happened to be in Hawaii during thanksgiving.

Preparation time (not including acorn flour processing): 45 mins

Cost: ~ $3 for 12+ muffins

Ingredients

1 cup acorn flour

1 cup plain white flour (if you want them gluten free, use 2 cups acorn flour instead)

1 1/2 cup mashed pumpkin (boil, mash then cool before using)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup currants

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp all spice

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs lightly beaten

2 tsp vanilla essence

100ml vegetable oil (macadamia would be perfect, but anything's ok)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.

2. Grease muffin pan

3. Put all ingredients into a bowl. Mix until blended. Spoon into muffin pan.

4. Cook for 20 mins or until a skewer inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Note: Replace currants with chocolate chips for a different twist.

Quince, Ginger and Peach Yoghurt

Most people have probably heard of quinces before and maybe even eaten the odd cake with it at a cafe. So it isn't entirely exotic. But then, i've never cooked it myself, so I thought I might give it a go.This recipe also involves making yoghurt from scratch. Obviously you could just buy some and add the quince but then that would be cheating!

Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 10hrs (a lot of this time can be overnight while the yoghurt sets)
Total Cost: Approximately $4 for 1.5L of fruity yoghurt.
Ingredients
Plain Yoghurt:

1L milk
30g milk powder
4 tbs store bought plain yoghurt (silly i know, but necessary, after the first batch you can use your own)

Fruit Mix:

1 quince (peeled and diced)
3 peaches (diced, leave on the skin for texture)
1 tbs fresh grated ginger
1/2 tbs butter
1 tbs brown sugar
honey to taste

Instructions:
Yoghurt:

1. Heat milk and milk powder in a saucepan to 90 degrees C. Now cool quickly by pouring into a clean bowl floating in an icy bath.

2. When temperature of the milk reaches 43 degrees stir in yoghurt.

3. Pour into a preheated thermos. Let sit for at least 6 hours (or overnight) until yoghurt has set. Refrigerate (it will set even more when it cools).

Fruit Mix:

1. Heat butter in a saucepan. Add quince and ginger. Cook until quince is soft. Add sugar and peach. Cook for another 2 minutes.

2. Refrigerate fruit mix until cool.

Mix fruit with yoghurt and add honey to taste. Serve.

Other ideas: Puree the fruit mix in a food processor and serve with pork instead of apple sauce.

Poached Peaches

My own take on an old classic. This was made from peaches collected from a tree beside a bike-path in Belconnon.

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 20 mins

Ingredients
4 peaches
2 cups water
1/2 cup port
1/2 cup sugar
vanilla essence
4 cloves
2 cardamon pods
1 aniseed star
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tbs honey
50g 90% coca chocolate

Instructions
1. Bring water to boil in a saucepan with all the spices. Reduce to a simmer. Add sugar and vanilla stir till dissolved. Add port and honey.

2. Add peaches. Cook for 5-10mins, every now and then turning peaches so that all sides are poached.

3. Remove peaches and put in a bowl of iced water to cool. Increase heat of saucepan and reduce liquid to a syrup.

4. When peaches are cool, peel them and place in small bowls. Melt chocolate by placing it in a small bowl which is floating in a larger bowl filled with hot water.

5. Pour over syrup and serve with icecream and drizzle with melted chocolate.

Note: Would also work with nectarines or pears. To make it even more luxurious add some blackberries just before removing the syrup from the stove.

Nectarine and Blackberry Custard Flan

A blackberry recipe made with wild berries collected from O'Connor Ridge in Canberra. Just be careful you collect berries that haven't been sprayed.

INGREDIENTS
5 nectarines (can be quite old as they are cooked)
handful of blackberries
4 tablespoons custard powder
1 tablespoon caster sugar
a dash of port
125g cream cheese
300ml of milk
100ml orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoon gelatine
stick of butter
1 teaspoon butter
3 tablespoons water
10 hazelnuts
6+ scotchfingers biscuits

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a bowl crush biscuits and hazelnuts with a pestle.

2. Spray with oil a small dish or pan. Melt 1 stick of butter in microwave. Pour onto biscuit mix then press into bottom of try or pan to make flan base. Put in fridge.

3. Put custard powder into a mug. Fill to 1/2 full with milk. Mix until all the powder is dissolved. Bring remaining milk to boil in saucepan. When boiling take off heat and stir in custardy milk. Mix until it thickens, if it doesn't seem to return to head and stir constantly. Transfer custard to bowl, cover with gladwrap (touching custard so as not to form a skin) and put in fridge to cool.

4. Chop nectarines into pieces. Cook in saucepan with water, port and 1 teaspoon. Cook until liquid is almost completely reduced. Transfer nectarines to bowl and put in fridge to cool.

5. Put juice into a glass. Sprinkle gelatine ontop. Place glass in saucepan of boiling water. Stir juice until gelatine dissolves. Remove, put into another cool glass and place in fridge to cool.

6. When custard is relatively cool take out of fridge. Break cream cheese over it and stir it until it is a homogenous paste.

7. Spread custard over biscuit base.

8. Place fruit (nectarines and blackberries) ontop.

9. Pour glaze (the juice, gelatine mix) over the top.

10. Set in fridge for at least 1 hr.Enjoy! -- This recipe can easily be made with other types of fruit as well. Just use what you've got.