Pineapple & passion fruit salsa

Ingredients:

• 1 small pineapple
• 2 passion fruit
• 150ml/5fl oz Greek-style yogurt
• 2 tablespoons light
• muscovado sugar 

 

 

 

 

• Cut the top and bottom of the pineapple. Using a large sharp knife, slice off the peel and remove any remaining ‘eyes’. Slice the pineapple, and use a small pastry cutter or an apple corer to remove the tough core from each slice.

• Cut the passion fruit in half, and scoop the seeds and pulp into a bowl. Stir in the pineapple slices and yogurt. Cover and chill.

• Stir in the sugar just before serving.

Snow-capped apples

Ingredients:

• 4 small cooking apples
• 75ml/3fl oz orange marmalade
• 2 egg whites
• 50g/2oz caster sugar

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F/Gas mark 4.

• Core the apples and score through the skins around the middle with a sharp knife.

• Put the apples in a wide ovenproof dish, and spoon 1 tablespoon marmalade into the centre of each. Cover and bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes until tender.

• Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff enough to hold soft  peaks. Whisk in the sugar, then fold in the remaining marmalade.

• Spoon the meringue over the apples, then return to the oven for 10–15 minutes. Serve immediately

Red fruit salad

Ingredients:

• 250g/9oz strawberries, hulled
• and halved
• 100g/4oz raspberries
• 250g/9oz cherries, pitted
• 1 tablespoon Cointreau
• 1 tablespoon soft brown sugar

• Put the strawberries, raspberries and cherries in a bowl, drizzle with Cointreau, cover and set
aside for 20 minutes

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• Put the sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a small pan. Stir over a gentle heat for 3 minutes or until
the sugar has dissolved. Cool, pour over the fruit, and serve.

Grapefruit in apricot brandy

Ingredients:

• 3 grapefruit
• 125ml/4fl oz apple juice
• 11⁄2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 2.5cm/1in piece of
• cinnamon stick
• 3 tablespoons apricot brandy
• 3 ready-to-eat dried apricots,
• chopped

• Cut off all the zest and pith from the grapefruit, working over a shallow pan to catch any juice. Push out the white core using the handle of a teaspoon, then thickly slice the grapefruit.

• Put the apple juice and sugar in the pan with the cinnamon stick. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the fruit and simmer for 6–8 minutes.

• Remove the fruit from the pan and transfer to four warmed serving plates. Add the apricot brandy to
the juice. Bring back to the boil, then spoon over the fruit and sprinkle with the chopped apricots.
Serve immediately.

Sweet-stewed dried fruit

Ingredients:

• 500g/1lb 2oz mixed dried
• fruit salad
• 450ml/3⁄pt apple juice
• 2 tablespoons clear honey
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• grated zest and juice of
• 1 lemon
• grated zest and juice of
• 1 orange

• Put the fruit salad, apple juice, honey, brandy, lemon and orange zests and juices in a small
saucepan. Bring to the boil, and simmer for about 1 minute.

• Remove the pan from the heat, and allow the mixture to cool completely. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with cling film and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
 • To serve, spoon the stewed fruit into four shallow dishes.

Blushing pears

Ingredients:

• 6 dessert pears
• 300ml/10fl oz rosé wine
• 150ml/5fl oz cranberry juice
• strip of thinly pared orange zest
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 75g/3oz caster sugar

• Thinly peel the pears with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, leaving the stalks intact.

• Pour the wine and cranberry juice into a large heavy pan. Add the orange zest, cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaf and sugar. Heat gently, stirring all the time, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the pears,
standing them upright in the pan. Pour in enough cold water to barely cover them.

• Cover and cook gently for 20–30 minutes until just tender, turning and basting with the syrup occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, gently lift the pears out of the syrup and transfer to a serving dish.

• Bring the syrup to the boil, and boil rapidly for 10–15 minutes until it has reduced by half. Strain the syrup and pour over the pears

Peach Melba

Ingredients:

• 300g/11oz fresh raspberries
• 25g/1oz icing sugar
• 375g/13oz granulated sugar
• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
• 4 peaches
• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream

• Purée the raspberries and icing sugar together in a blender or food processor. Pass through a sieve
and discard the seeds.

• Stir the sugar, vanilla pod and 600ml/1pt water in a pan over a low heat until the sugar has
completely dissolved.

• Bring the sugar syrup to the boil, and add the peaches, ensuring that they are covered with the syrup. Simmer for 5 minutes or until tender, then remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and carefully
remove the skin.

• To serve, put a scoop of ice cream on each plate, add a peach and spoon raspberry purée on top.