Sweet Things

I love sweet things, but I don't often like to spend too much time to create them. The recipes here are quick and easy - three of them with apple! They are:

• Apple crumble
• Apple cinnamon slice
• Coconut rice with pears
• Apple and sultana muffins
• Poaching fruits
• Baked cheesecake with raspberries
• Pineapple granita

Apple Crumble

• 4 large green apples (peeled, cored and thinly sliced)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup rolled oats
• ¼ cup shredded coconut
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup oat bran
• ¼ cup pepitas or sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup roasted almonds or walnuts
• 2 tbs non-hydrogenated table spread or butter

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Place apples in base of an ovenproof dish or use 4 individual dishes
2. Place remaining ingredients in a food processor and combine well. Sprinkle over apples.
3. Bake for about 30 minutes.
4. Serve with low fat vanilla yoghurt or low GI icecream. (YUM!)

For a variation on the yoghurt, mix together an even amount of low fat varieties of ricotta and fromage frais (similar to sour cream), beat well.

In this photo above, I've arranged blueberries, stewed apple with cinnamon in a glass and topped it with yoghurt. Very quick, simple to do and looks quite impressive - highly recommended to try a different way of presenting food. Try different combinations of fruits. Strawberries or raspberries would look great as a layer with the apple and blueberries.

One of the other sweet things also has apple.

Apple Cinnamon Slice

• 1 cup plain wholemeal/wholewheat flour
• ½ cup rolled oats
• 1 tbs ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 eggwhites or 1 egg
• ½ cup light soy or low fat dairy milk
• ¼ cup apple juice concentrate
• ¼ cup raisins, or 1¼ cup apple (peeled and chopped)

1. Soak the raisins in the apple juice concentrate for 30 minutes.
2. Spray 20cm (approx) or 8" square pan/tin with vegetable oil spray or line with baking paper lightly sprayed with oil
3. Stir together dry ingredients. Add apples and toss to coat. Stir together all wet ingredients, then add to the dry ingredients. Fold in well.
4. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan/tin, and bake at 180C/350F for 20 minutes.
5. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into slices.

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Coconut rice with pears Serves 4

• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 cups milk
• ¼ cup of firmly packed brown sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¾ cup of coconut milk
• 2 pears
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tbs finely grated lemon rind

1. Peel, core and slice pears. Half a pear per person. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
2. Heat milk to almost boiling. Add rice, sugar, coconut milk, cinnamon and stir until rice is tender.
3. To serve – place pears slices on plates, sprinkle with lemon rind, add rice.
4. As a variation, replace pears with cubed pawpaw or papaya, served on the rice with brown rice sprinkled over the top and wedges of limes

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Apple and Sultana Muffins makes 12

• 1 large apple (Granny Smith)
• 3 tbs sultanas
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbs honey
• 1½ tbs nut oil or extra light olive oil
• ¾ cup low fat milk
• 1½ cup wholemeal self-raising flour

1. Spray muffin tray lightly with olive oil
2. Preheat oven to 200C/400F
3. Peel, core and dice apple. Put into a bowl with sultanas, cinnamon, honey, oil and milk, and mix gently to combine ingredients.
4. In another bowl, place flour. Pour apple mixture into the flour, stirring until combined.
5. Spoon mixture into muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes
6. When muffins are ready, remove from oven and turn them out
7. Serve hot or cold

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Poaching fruits such as pears, peaches, apricots, plums is another easy way to cook great desserts and sweet things. Using fruits help to increase the amount of fibre you need. You can poach fruits in a water and sugar mixture with a spice such as vanilla or cardamon, or in wine or apple juice with cinnamon and cloves. Use about 2 cups water (or a mix of apple juice and rosé wine) to 4 tbs of caster sugar to poach 6 pears halved and peeled. Or use 1kg (2lbs) of apricots and 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthways. Serve with the syprup or with yoghurt, ricotta, creme fraiche. Also wonderful at breakfast or brunch.

For more sweet things, see fruit desserts.

Baked Cheesecake with Raspberries

• 500g low fat ricotta
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 90g honey
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 egg
• 2 eggwhites
• 3 tbs cornflour
• 150g fresh or frozen raspberries
• 100g ground almonds
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven 170C
2. Blend ricotta in food processor until smooth
3. Add honey, zest, vanilla, eggs and process until smooth and creamy
4. Add cornflour and process until smooth
5. Fold in frozen raspberries, or if using fresh, add about a quarter to the mixture and keep the rest to top the cheesecake
6. Line a 20cm cake pan with baking paper, or an 8 hole muffin tin
7. Mix ground almonds and cinnamon together, then sprinkle on the base of the cake pan or the muffin tin
8. Spoon in cheese filling
9. Bake for approximately 40 minutes until top is firm to touch, or 25-30 minutes in muffin tray
10. Cool and chill
11. Top with fresh raspberries, if using, and serve

Pineapple granita

A simple granita to whip up. Freeze pieces of tinned or fresh, ripe pineapple (approximately 3 hours). Put frozen pieces into a food processor with a handful of fresh mint leaves and blend. Serve immediately!

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