the humble apple....puts on some heels and struts her stuff

Winter might not have the variety of fruit that abounds in summer, but who says that the apple has to be boring? I picked up some certified organic red delicious at $1.50/kg from Pascale at Just Organics (opposite About Life on Oxford Street, Bondi Junction). At that price I reckon they are cheaper than conventional apples. Pas says he's going to be selling at these prices for the next couple of weeks.

With these little red beauties, I made a yummy simple dessert tonight - let's call it Sautéed Chocolate Apples. Apples and Chocolate might seem like an odd coupling, but trust me, opposites (often) attract.

Ingredients:

4 apples, cut in wedges and cored (leave skin on) 4 star anise 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder (this is unprocessed real chocolate. I like the Loving Earth brand as its long fermented) 2 teaspoon cinnamon powder 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder 4 tablespoon coconut oil or butter (or a combination of the 2)

Directions:

Melt coconut oil or butter in frying pan on low heat. Add all other ingredients and sautée, covered, until apples are soft. Stir occasionally. Serve with cream, cream fraiche or home made ice-cream. Left overs? I'll be adding to kids thermos containers with cream fraiche for a cool version for their morning tea tomorrow.

2-ingredient raspberry fool

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Someone recently asked me if I get more excited about making main meals or desserts. The pragmatist in me initially retorted with "mains" because they are the staple and hence should be the focus. Deservedly so. But truth be told, when it comes to excitement, desserts win hands down. Why? Because they are decadent. And sweet. And because I've got a naughty streak. And because they are a little like magic- the end product (be it the cake, muffin, tart, ice-cream etc) doesn't resemble at all the raw ingredients that you started with (eg eggs, butter, cream, fruit etc), much unlike a casserole or other main which pretty much looks the same as the pre-cooked version.

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Anyone who has been following my blog for some time will know that my food philosophy is all about teaming simplicity with nutrient density. Getting the most  nutrient-rich bang for as little possible time. Because we all have (and want) other things to do than spend all day in the kitchen! Any recipe that requires numerous ingredients or requires me to "beat egg whites until stiff" has lost me. Raspberry fool traditionally requires the cream to be beaten until stiff. You can certainly do this (and all the more power to you!) but I honestly don't think it's necessary for the time and effort spent and doesn't add much, if anything, to the flavour.

Here's my super quick 2-ingredient spin on this classic dessert:

2 cups (approx) of fresh or frozen raspberries (or mixed berries) 1 cup cream (or cream cheese or yogurt)

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Blend (with handheld blender) 1 cup of the berries with cream until well mixed. Alternatively layer the creamed mixture with the plain berries in a glass ending with a scattering of berries on top. This serves 3-4 depending on size of cups. I made  espresso cup sized one for my 2 kids (see photo).

Over the years I've gradually reduced the need for sweeteners to the bare minimum- my body no longer craves it - so I still enjoy desserts without all the sugar. This dessert is sweet enough for me. But if you find it too tart and want a sweeter taste, add a drizzle (up to a tablespoon) of unrefined sweetener (eg maple syrup or raw honey) to the cream before blending.

I buy frozen berries from Woollies (refer to the 2 brands in the photo on above) because they are 1/2 the price of the same ones sold in organic stores. Along with wild tinned fish, frozen berries are the only other food item I buy from a supermarket. The rest is from organic stores or farmers markets. And as much as I like to support family run organic stores and farmers markets, the price differential when it comes to berries is significant enough that I justify  buying whoever is cheapest given the large quantity we go through on a daily basis. (I add frozen berries to our morning smoothie).

Stay tunes for more recipes, hot drinks and other ideas to keep warm this winter!

How to use cream-cheese

After my recent lacto-fermentation class, I had a plethora of cream cheese that we  made from whole cows milk ("quark") in my fridge. Here's what I've been doing with it:

1. Add a couple tablespoons of cream cheese into my morning scrambled egg/omelette mixture instead of milk or cream.

2. Make whipped coconut banana cream-cheese dessert as follows:

• 100g cream cheese

• 100g coconut cream - I like the Ayam brand as it doesn't contain guar gum (if not available, just double amount of cream-cheese)

• 1 banana

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

• 1/2 tsp raw cacao powder (or more if you're a choc fiend like me) 1/4 tsp vanilla bean powder

Blend the above together with hand-held blender for an easy quick sweetener-free dessert or snack. My kids took this to school today as their morning tea topped with a mountain of organic berries (see picture).

3. Make ice-cream by substituting cream cheese in place of cream (this makes for a less rich, more protein-heavy ice-cream). Here's the recipe for my recent ginger coconut ice-cream invention:

• 400g cream cheese

• 100g coconut cream

• 5 egg yolks (reserve the whites for scrambled eggs/omelettes) 30g fresh ginger

• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

Process the above in a food processor (you don't need an ice-cream maker!) until well blended then pour into small glass containers or ice-block moulds and freeze. Leave on bench for 10-15 mins to soften before serving.

4. smear cream-cheese onto raw veggies (e.g. sliced cucumber) and (if desired) top with wild salmon roe (from The Canadian Way) for a simple snack or pre-dinner appetiser.  You could also do this with home-made goats curd. Enjoy!