Recipe for Semolina Pudding with Apricot Compote

While this dessert is made without sucrose, it does have fruit sugar and Stevia, a sweetener made from plants. You can easily substitute sugar for the Stevia. Start with 3 tablespoons sugar and add more if it is not sweet enough.
This pudding recipe makes enough for 2 - 3 people.
This recipe needs to chill for at least 1 hour, in addition to prep time.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c. milk
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/4 c. semolina, farina or brown rice hot cereal, uncooked
• 1 tsp. orange zest
• 2 T. orange juice concentrate
• 2 packet of powdered Stevia sweetener, or to taste, divided
• 2 T. cream
• 8 oz. raw, ripe apricots, about 8 small
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• Ground cinnamon (optional)
• Powdered sugar (optional)

Preparation:

Bring the milk and the salt to boil in a small pan. While stirring, add the cereal in a slow stream. Reduce heat and stir for 5 minutes as cereal thickens.

Remove from heat, add orange juice, zest, 1 packet of Stevia (or 1/2 tsp. Stevia extract) and cream. Stir until combined.

Line a two cup casserole dish with plastic wrap. Pour pudding into dish, smooth top and refrigerate for an hour.

Meanwhile, wash and stone apricots. Place in a small pan with cinnamon stick, second package of Stevia and lemon juice. Cook for 5 - 10 minutes, until apricots are soft. Taste and adjust seasoning.

 Refrigerate.

Presentation: Turn pudding out of form onto serving plate. Decorate with Apricot Compote, sprinkle with cinnamon and dust with powdered sugar, if you wish. To serve, use a big spoon and serve your guests part of the pudding with some apricots in a dish.

APRICOT CAKE

This recipe for apricot cake is plain-Jane in everything but the taste. Many Germans know how to make this by heart; it's as popular as Toll-House cookies in the US. Fresh fruit makes this "Aprikosenkuchen" a steady summer coffee accompaniment, whether camping on the beach or on the balcony.

Makes 12 servings of Aprikosenkuchen.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 10 T. butter, softened
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract or 1 T. vanilla sugar
• 3 eggs
• Zest from 1/2 lemon
• 2 c. flour
• 2 tsp.  baking powder, or 1 package German Backpulver
• 1/4 c. buttermilk or sour milk
• about 14 apricots, cut in half,

Preparation:

Use an 11 inch springform pan if you have one, otherwise you could try a 9x9 or 9 x 13 inch baking pan, but the baking times will be different. Butter and flour it. Set aside.
Cream the butter with the sugar and vanilla or vanilla sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in lemon zest.
Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt. Beat into the egg mixture. Add the buttermilk and mix well.
Spread the batter into the baking pan. Place the apricots on top, cut side down.

Bake at 350°F or 180 C for 30-40 minutes.

Fruity icecreams. Naturally better for you.

This pic was posted on a persons facebook page.

So easy and just imagine how many fruits you can do this too. The mind boggles. If anyone tries it plz let me know what fruits you have used. I have done the same thing with bananas and mango cheeks.

Jam Jar Sterilisation

Method 1 :

Heat the oven to 180°C- don't be tempted to heat the oven any higher or you may risk the glass breaking. Lay a double layer of newspaper on each oven shelf but not the floor of the oven. Arrange the jars on the shelf making sure the jars are not touching each other. Close the oven door and sterilize the jars for about 20 minutes. Using thick oven mitts, remove each jar from the oven as needed onto a heatproof mat or heat pad, making sure you fill while the jam or preserve is hot as is the jar. Do NOT add cold food to hot jars, or hot food to cold jars.

Method 2 :

 Fill your dishwasher with clean cold jars and run a minimum or rinse wash to time the ending with when your jam, preserve or pickle will be ready. Use the jars one at a time from the dishwasher needed making sure you fill while the jam or preserve is hot as is the jar. Do NOT add cold food to hot jars, or hot food to cold jars.

Method 3:

 In the Microwave

Clean the jars as normal, rinse but leave the jars a little wet. Microwave for no more than one minute.

Do's and Dont's 

1. Do NOT add cold food to hot jars, or hot food to cold jars.
2. Remove jars from the oven or dishwasher only when needed or they will cool down too much.
3. Always sterilize more jars than you think you will need. Should you have more mixture than anticipated it is too late to start sterilizing once the food is ready.

Lime Cheesecake with Raspberry Jelly

As I was searching new recipies that utilise the awesome flavours of fruits I found this little beautiful recipie.  I hope you enjoy making it as much as I have. 

 Thanks to : To Food with Love

Lime Cheesecake with Raspberry Jelly

Ingredients

100g Granita or Marie biscuits, finely crushed
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp melted butter
1 block (250g) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 packet (42.5g) lime-flavoured jelly crystals (or substitute with lemon jelly)
1/4 cup boiling water
1 packet (85g) raspberry-flavoured jelly crystals
16 raspberries (or more)

Method

Line the base and sides of an 8 inch square tin with baking paper. Combine crushed biscuits with melted butter and press it onto the base of the tin. Refrigerate for 1 hour until firm.

Dissolve the 1/2 packet of lime jelly into 1/4 cup boiling water (or you could dissolve the whole pack in 1/2 cup boiling water and just use half of it). Set aside to cool slightly.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then gradually beat in the lime jelly mixture until there are no more lumps. Pour over the biscuit base and spread evenly. Place raspberries on top. Refrigerate for 1 hour until just firm.

Prepare the raspberry jelly according to packet instructions. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until it starts to thicken slightly (but not set). Pour the jelly over the cheese layer and refrigerate again for 3-4 hours until the jelly is set. Cut into squares and serve.

No Cook Jam or Freezer Jam

Freezer jam is not shelf-stable, so for long-term storage, it must go in the freezer.The only effective way to make this jam is to use store bought pectin like a JAMSETTA.

Once these jams have set, they should keep for two weeks in the refrigerator or one year in the freezer.

Sterilized containers are not required for no-cook jams, they simply need to be washed in hot soapy water and rinsed before use. Plastic freezer containers, or glass jars with tight-fitting lids that are no larger than 2 cups can be used.

Uncooked freezer jam is a little different than its cooked counterpart. It doesn't have that thick, cooked-down texture and flavor. Instead, it looks and tastes like the ripe fruit.

Pick up whatever is ripe and looks good to you:strawberries, peaches, mango, cherries, blueberries.

If you want to start out with smaller batches, go ahead and halve the amounts. If you use a different pectin than the ones I used, be sure to check the label before you start jamming—some of them require more sugar to set properly.

Raspberry Jam
 
Ingredients 

• 8 cups raspberries
• 2 tablespoons kirschwasser
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• Pectin (See below).

 
 Method

 1.  Crush 8 cups, or 2 pounds, of fresh raspberries and 2 tablespoons kirschwasser. You should have about 4 cups crushed berries. 

2. Combine 2 cups granulated sugar and a 45g of instant fruit pectin and stir into the fruit for three minutes. Transfer the jam into small jars or containers and allow it to set in the fridge for 24 hours. 

3.  Transfer to correct container and keep for the recomended time 

 

 

This arvo I made a quick and easy Cherry Pie.  Simply delicious with homemade custard, cream or ice cream.  So easy to make.  The use of arrowroot makes it more Paleo friendly. Its an easy yet awesome tasting dessert.

CHERRY PIE 

I used store bought puff pastry. 
Morello sour cherries - pitted
Arrowroot (or cornflour) 

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
• Drain the cherries and reserve the juice.  Place juice into a saucepan and add approx 2 TB of arrowroot power.  Mix so there are no lumps.  If you have a sweet tooth you can add sugar at this point to your taste, as cherries are quite sour for some.  The desert topping ( ie crean, custard or ice cream bring sweetness to the dish)
• Line your bake wear with greasefroof paper or grease the container.
• Place cherries into saucepan and heat gently.  The mixture will thicken in approx 1 - 2 min.  Continue to stir constantly.  
• The sauce will change to a darker colour and thicken quickly.
• When the mixture is the right thickness (like a thick jam) pour into prepared dish over the pastry.
• Trim away excess pastry.
• Place in oven  @180 degrees celcius for approx 30 min or until puff pastry golden and beautiful. 
• Remove from oven and allow to cool.  The centre of the pie will thicken as it cools. 
• Enjoy with your fave topping.