Sweet Wine & Vanilla Peach Melba
Ingredients:
o 2 cups sweet dessert wine (Muscat, late- harvest Riesling or ice wine)
o 1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped off, seeds and pod reserved, or 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
o 4 extra-large ripe peaches, halved and pitted
o 1/2 cup sugar
o 2 pt raspberry sorbet or gelato
o Garnish: fresh golden and/or red raspberries
Method:
1. You’ll need a baking dish. Mix wine, vanilla-bean seeds and pod (or extract, if using) in the baking dish until seeds are dispersed; add peaches, cut sides down. Marinate at room temperature 1 to 2 hours, occasionally spooning marinade over peaches to keep them moist.
2. Transfer peaches cut sides up to a platter; refrigerate.
3. Pour marinade into small saucepan; stir in sugar. Bring to a boil and boil until reduced by half or until thick and syrupy, about 7 minutes. Discard pod. Let cool to room temperature.
4. To serve: Put a peach half cut side up into each of 8 small dessert bowls, put a small scoop of sorbet into each cavity and drizzle with syrup.
Mixed-Berry Crostata
Ingredients:
- 300 ml (plus 1 tbs) all-purpose flour
- 60 ml (plus 2 tbs) sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 120 g (stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 240 g raspberries
- 240 g fresh blackberries
- 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbs sugar
Method:
- Make the dough: Combine 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Form a well in center of the dry ingredients and place the butter and 1 egg in the well. Using your hands, mix the ingredients into a soft, pliable dough. Form it into a 4-inch disk and place it on lightly floured parchment paper. Lightly dust the dough with flour and roll it into a 10-inch circle. Place dough with parchment on a baking sheet, cover the dough with plastic wrap, and chill for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Make the crostata: In a small bowl, mix remaining flour and sugar and set aside. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and evenly spread the flour and sugar mixture on the dough, leaving a 1-inch-wide border around the edge. Place berries on top of the mixture and sprinkle with lemon juice. Fold the 1-inch border over top of the berries to form a 9-inch crostata.
- Bake the crostata: Lightly brush the top of the crostata dough with remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Bake on the middle rack of the oven — about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and slide crostata with the parchment paper onto a wire rack. Cool for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Note: Crostata a free-form rustic tart is a quick fill-in for two-crust pie and can be made in under an hour. Perfect pastry is easy with Mixed-Berry Crostata and crostata isn’t limited to berries: take advantage of all of the seasonal fruits, like thin-sliced rhubarb or stone varieties. Equal amounts of peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines, or apricots can be substituted for some or all of the berries in this recipe, and you can create a different dessert each time. Vary repeat performances by adding a hint of flavor (grated orange zest, candied ginger, or cinnamon) to the crust. In the filling, toasted chopped nuts tossed along with the berries add a satisfying crunch.
Vegetable Terrine with Minted Beetroot
Ingredients:
4 beetroots, cooked and peeled
1 red onion, chopped
A handful of chopped mint leaves
Lemon juice
Lemon zest
1 cup natural yogurt
5 gelatin leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon honey
1 ½ fl oz each white wine vinegar, white balsamic vinegar and water
Method:
Line a terrine dish with baking paper. Cut the beetroot into thin rounds and layer some at the bottom of the terrine. Follow with a layer of onion then chopped mint. Repeat and finish with beetroot.
Combine the vinegars, honey, water, salt and pepper and heat together until the honey dissolves.
Soften the gelatin leaves in a covered bowl of cold water. When soft, squeeze the water from the gelatin and add it to the vinegar sauce.
Stir until dissolved and adjust the seasoning. pour the gelatin mixture over the terrine until it is covered.
Press down and refrigerate for at least 6 hours until set.
Mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest and some more chopped mint and serve the terrine drizzled with this sauce.
Serve garnished with mint leaves and fresh pepper and arrange some green salad on the side.
(Serves 6)
Read MoreBaked Rice Pudding
Ingredients:
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs beaten
1/2 cup raisins
ground cinnamon
2 cups cooked rice
Method:
In a large bowl combine the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt and make sure you mix them well together. Take the cooked rice and raisins and mix them into the mixture.
Using cooking spray just lightly spray a baking dish and spoon the rice mixture evenly into it. Set the oven temperature to 180 degrees Celsius and place the pudding into it. Bake for 30 minutes, then stir, sprinkle the cinnamon on top and continue baking it for another 30 minutes.
The Baked Rice Pudding is ready when you insert a knife in the centre and it comes out clean.
Read MoreLemon Semolina Cake
Photography by Ben Dearnley
Ingredients:
(serves 10)
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup semolina
- 1 cup self-raising flour, sifted OR plain flour with 1 tsp baking powder
Lemon syrup:
- ¼ cup icing sugar
- ½ cup lemon juice, strained
- ½ cup water
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 6cm-deep, 20cm round (base) spring form cake pan.
- Using an electric mixer, beat butter, lemon rind and sugar on high speed until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating between each addition. Stir in semolina and flour.
- Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, make lemon syrup: mix sugar, lemon juice and ½ cup cold water stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Pour the syrup over baked cake. Stand for 15 minutes. Turn out on to a plate. Serve with lemon or fruity yoghurt.
Notes: Semolina is the heart of the durum wheat kernel, separated during processing. Most good-quality pasta, gnocchi and couscous is made from semolina. It’s also popular for puddings, cakes, porridge, pancakes and desserts. This is Dairy Free recipe!
Read MoreKachumber (Indian Salad)
Ingredients:
2 to 3 large tomatoes, diced
1 large cucumber, peeled and finely diced
1/4th cup red onion, finely diced
1 Green chili, finely chopped
20 sprigs of coriander leaves minced
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4th teaspoon salt
3 to 5 tablespoons lemon juice
Method:
1. Toss the tomatoes, cucumber and onion together.
2. Add the green chili, coriander leaves, sugar, salt, and lemon juice and mix well.
3. Serve chilled.
Note: Serves as a great accompaniment with curries and Indian meats.
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