'Dessert is like a feel-good song and the best ones make you dance," says Brooklyn-born chef Edward Lee. And winter provides plenty of great fruits for celebrating the comfort of sweet endings.
Mandarins are sweeter than other citrus varieties and are so easy to peel and delicious to eat as a snack that not many of them finish up in desserts. However, here are some ideas:
- Heat segments in a little orange or mandarin juice, thicken with cornflour or arrowroot and serve in pancakes or over ice cream.
- Make an orange jelly using coconut cream and add mandarin segments.
- Chop mandarins and add to an orange cake or muffins.
Tamarillos can be expensive but they can be 'stretched' by combining with other fruits such as apple or banana in crumbles, or frozen blueberries in cheesecakes.
As with mandarins, tamarillos explode with flavour and are a great source of vitamin C.
Plus tams are high in potassium and low in sodium - a desirable balance for a healthy diet - and a good source of vitamin E and beta carotene.
Bananas are such a popular everyday snack that they're often forgotten as a dishy dessert. But Banoffee Pie, Bananas Jubilee, Banana Cream Pie and Banana Cake are yummy, inexpensive and very appealing. Botanically bananas are berries and considered one of the world's healthiest.
A very good source of vitamin B6, they also contain substantial amounts of manganese, potassium, vitamin C and copper.
And don't underestimate the apple - its phytonutrients can help regulate blood sugar.
DECONSTRUCTED CRUMBLE WITH DOUGHNUT YOGHURT
Cinnamon 'n raspberry jam doughnut yoghurt is the perfect match for this crumble dessert. Any left-over crumble can be stored in the refrigerator for weeks.
INGREDIENTS
Gluten-free crumble: 1 cup gluten-free flour
100g chilled butter, diced
1/2 cup each: shredded coconut, brown sugar
100g sliced almonds
Fruit: 4 apples, peeled & sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
Yoghurt: 11/2 cups The Collective Limited Edition Doughnut Yoghurt
METHOD
To make the crumble, preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease a roasting pan.
Place the flour and butter in a food processor and mix until well crumbled.
Tip into a bowl and add the coconut, brown sugar and almonds. Mix well.
Spread the mixture in the roasting pan. Bake for about 20minutes, until golden, stirring often. Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Makes about 4 cups.
Cook the apples, raspberries and sugar in a saucepan over low heat until softened and cooked. Cool.
To serve, place some apple and raspberry combo in 4 tall glasses. Top with half the yoghurt and about a 1/4-cup of the crumble mixture. Garnish with more yoghurt. - Serves 4.
TAMARILLO STREUSEL SCROLL PUDDING
Prepare ahead if necessary and reheat - covered - in the microwave.
INGREDIENTS
11/2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
75g butter, chopped
1/2 cup cream
4 large tamarillos
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Syrup: 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200C. Lightly grease a round 20cm baking dish.
Place the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor and whizz to combine. Add the butter and whizz until well mixed. Pour in the cream and mix until a ball forms. Cover and chill while preparing the tamarillos. Peel the tamarillos and coarsely chop. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Roll out the dough to a 23cm x 30cm rectangle. Spread the tamarillos over the top. Sprinkle with the brown sugar mixture. Roll up from the long side. Cut into slices about 4cm long. Place, cut-side down, in the baking dish.
Boil the sugar and water, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Pour down the side of the baking dish. Bake for about 20 minutes.
Serve hot with whipped cream or yoghurt. - Serves 6.
GINGERED BANANAS WITH VANILLA CUSTARD YOGHURT
Present on long plates, partially split if you wish. Vanilla custard yoghurt is available from supermarkets and selected delis.
INGREDIENTS
6 firm bananas, peeled
1 Tbsp grated root ginger
2 tsp each: grated orange & lemon rind
1/2 cup each: orange & lemon juice
2 Tbsp palm or brown sugar
11/2 cups thick vanilla custard yoghurt
3 Tbsp chopped crystallised ginger
METHOD
Place the bananas in a single layer in a large, non-stick frying pan. Add the root ginger, citrus rinds and juice and the sugar.
Poach the bananas for 4-5 minutes each side, until softened. Cool slightly. Serve topped with the juices, custard and crystallised ginger. - Serves 6.