Make cool desserts out of fruits
Ken Cheung asks: Could you give me a couple of recipes for fruit jellies, please?
Wynnie says: Eating fruits (and vegetables) as part of a balanced diet provides a wealth of benefits. Fruits are cholesterol-free and naturally low in fat, sodium and calories, yet packed with nutrients, providing fibre, vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, folate and potassium, and phytochemicals like lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin.
No single fruit contains all the nutrients you need, though. The key is to eat a variety of coloured fruits.
Many phytochemicals and nutrients are found just beneath the fruit skin. If you're worried about pesticides, the Environmental Working Group in the United States suggests buying the organic versions of peaches, nectarines, apples, strawberries, cherries, pears and grapes. Remember, eating fruits whole rather than juicing them provide greater health benefits.
It's easy to eat two portions of fruit a day, especially if you use them as a base for desserts.
Mixed fruit terrine (serves 6-8)
2 tbsp pure gelatin powder
500ml apple juice
100ml water
125g blueberries
10 strawberries, hulled, halved
1 small mango, peeled, sliced
2 kiwis, peeled, sliced, halved
Method
1 Pour the water into a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin powder on it and allow the mixture to soften for five minutes.
2 Heat the apple juice in a small saucepan. Pour in the softened gelatin and stir constantly over a low flame until it has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
3 Line a loaf tin with a large piece of cling film, allowing plenty of film to run over the edges. Place a ladleful of cooled gelatin mixture in the loaf tin. Put in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes, until just set.
4 Arrange a layer of strawberries on top of the jelly. Carefully pour some more gelatin mixture over the strawberries until they are just covered. Refrigerate for another 10 to 15 minutes, until just set.
5 Place a layer of kiwis on top of the strawberries and cover with more gelatin mixture. Return the loaf tin to the fridge.
6 Repeat with the mango and blueberries, chilling between each layer.
7 Cover with cling film and chill the fruit terrine for at least a couple of hours, until completely set.
8 To serve the dessert, invert it onto a serving plate, take off the loaf tin and carefully remove the cling film. Serve immediately.
Nutritional information per serving: 48 kilocalories, 205 kilojoules, 1.6g protein, 0.2g fat, 10.7g carbohydrates, 1g fibre
Strawberry milk jelly (serves 4)
100ml water
75g raspberry-flavoured gelatin
350ml semi-skimmed milk
300g strawberries, roughly chopped
Method
1 Warm the water and gelatin in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring constantly until the gelatin dissolves.
2 Blitz the milk and strawberries together until smooth. Add the gelatin.
3 Divide the strawberry milk jelly between four moulds and chill for at least two hours, until set.
4 Turn the jellies out by dipping the moulds very briefly in hot water.
Nutritional information per serving: 76 kilocalories, 317 kilojoules, 3.9g protein, 1.5g fat, 8.8g carbohydrates, 0.8g fibre
