Bits of Carey

There are so many beautiful fruits available to us this time of year. In the supermarkets, I get more excited walking through the fruit and veg section than the chocolate aisle, thinking to myself, “what can I do with this, ooh and that!”. Recently, I had a mango and a few litchis in the fridge staring at me everytime I opened it habitually, now this happens to me often, I get a complete mind-block and I fret all day, obsessing over an ingredient I fell in love with earlier at the grocer. To get myself out of my semi paralytic state, I usually make myself a cup of tea and a slice of toast, page through my favourite foodie mags while listening to Italian contempory on DMX. It’s my “fooditation” time.  After a while, my brain starts ticking and all is well again.

Eventually I came up with a simple chilli syrup for the fruit (that I almost viciously chopped up into a salad!) and even a coconut and lime ice-cream to serve with it.

Chilli syrup

125 ml sugar

200 ml water

15 ml lemon juice

1 large red chilli, chopped(seeds and all)

Combine water and sugar and stir over moderate heat until dissolved, add remaining ingredients and boil until slightly reduced +- 10 minutes. Allow to stand for a while at room temperature for the chilli to be infused.

It’s quite a thin syrup perfect as a “dressing” for the fruit or in a tropical fruit salad. If you would like it thicker for eg. a cheese board, then just reduce it for longer until you get the consistency you want.

Coconut and lime ice-cream

juice and zest of 4 large-ish limes

375 ml(1 1/2 cups) icing sugar

250 ml coconut cream

250 ml cold cream

Mix the icing sugar, juice and zest together and allow to stand for 15 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.

Fold all the ingredients together, pour into a tub, cover and freeze for 6 hours, stirring every 2 hours or so.

When ready to serve, allow to stand at room temperature for +- 20 minutes to soften up.

Optional: sprinkle with some toasted dessicated coconut ( I didn’t have that at home).

Not the best styling and photography, was in such a rush to eat it! haha!

So there you have it, mango and litchis with a chilli syrup and coconut and lime ice-cream. The flavours work so well together. It’s a perfect summer time dessert; Great served after a braai, at the pool side or even part of a thai inspired dinner party!

Result!

C x

In the past I loved Eton mess for the times when I had broken or ”not so lekka” meringues in the house. Now I often bake meringue, only to break it up so I can prepare this sumptuous delight. It is so light, the perfect dessert to have after a big meal. Layers of crunchy and sticky meringue bits, subtly sweet strawberry cream and slightly tart fresh strawberries. YUM! Eton mess oozes “summer pud!”

For the meringue:

4 egg whites (+- 160 g of egg whites)

200 ml castor sugar

15 ml hot water

5 ml vinegar

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees

Add all the above ingredients into a large clean(metal or glass) bowl and beat with a hand blender or kenwood mixer on high for 5 minutes. Will be thick, glossy and have soft peaks.

Dollop the meringue in the centre of a baking tray lined with baking paper and sprinkled with cornflour.

Spread it out to form a pavlova.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours and allow to cool.

Or bake small meringues for about a hour.

Perfect for pavlovas, mini meringues and of course eton mess!

For the strawberry cream:

250 g strawberries

2 heaped tablespoons of sugar

seeds of one vanilla pod or 5 ml vanilla essence

1 tub of cream

Place half the berries in a pot with the sugar and vanilla, cover and simmer gently for +- 20 minutes or until soft and mushy. Allow to cool.

Beat the cream until it forms firm soft peaks. Fold the strawberry mush into the cream and chill until ready to use.

Cut the other half of the berries in quarters and break up the meringue in bite size pieces.

Layer some meringue bits, cream and berries in a large bowl and serve immediately.

TIPS:

Freeze your left over egg whites and thaw them out overnight.

Buy meringues at a good bakery or deli(not those corn floury ones you find in most retail stores) if you don’t have time to make them yourself.

Try using half whipped cream and half greek style yoghurt sweetened with a bit of honey if you are not in the mood to cook the berries. Or use just use plain greek style yoghurt or whipped cream.

Add some chopped nuts in between the layers.

Do the exact recipe with fresh or frozen berries.

This pud is sheer comfort in a bowl, drenched with instant custard….bliss I tell you! Bliss! Ever had one of those days when you feel like something sweet, something comforting, but you don’t feel like getting out of your pajamas to go to the store? I rummaged through the cupboards and found a glorious tin of guavas! AHHHHHHH! Guava pud it is! This is the perfect pantry pudding!! You could do this with tinned apples or pears!

Here’s what you will need:

Serves 4(or 1…he he!)

1 tin( 410 g) halved guavas in syrup

50 g butter

125 ml castor sugar

2 eggs

5 ml vanilla essence

300 ml self raising flour

+- 125 ml milk

This is what you do:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees

In a food processor, cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Then add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla essence.

Add half the flour and half the milk and blend a bit before adding the remaining flour and milk. Blend until smooth.

Pour the guavas and the syrup into a 20 X 20 pyrex dish.

Spread the batter over the guavas – Don’t worry about the syrup (it looks a little strange), it will get absorbed by the sponge once baked.

Bake for +- 40 minutes.

Allow to stand for a few minutes (yes, I know it’s hard, but try!) to allow the syrup to be absorbed.

Soft sponge with guavary goodness! mmmm….

P.s To be eaten with box custard for the full effect!