Michelle Koen » dessert

Fruits of the Forrest Frozen Yoghurt

Michelle — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:30:18 +0000

Summer took it's time but it's finally here. 41ºC (106ºF for your American types) makes it officially too hot to leave the house or cook. I've been eating frozen peas straight from the packet to keep cool, then I spotted the frozen berries and it all became clear, I would exist on frozen yoghurt! Possibly the simplest recipe in the world, this is the cousin of the Maple Pecan Frozen Yoghurt recipe your find in my book, Healthy Helpings. No need for any fancy equipment (see the tips, below, for ice-cream maker-free options) I was able to throw this together while grilling my lunch on the bbq.

Fruits of the Forrest Frozen Yoghurt

Serves 4 small or 2 large

1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 (30g) egg white, use pasturized egg whites if concerned about eating raw eggs
500g low-fat yoghurt, I used Paris Creek Fat Free Swiss style Biodynaic Yoghurt
3 scoops (90g) Vanilla protein powder, I used WPC
100g frozen mixed berries

Place all the ingredients except the berries in a mixing bowl and combine until smooth. Stir in the berries and place in a ice-cream maker. Churn until frozen. Store in the freezer.

SUBSTITUTES & VARIATIONS

If you don’t have an ice-cream maker, place the mixture in a metal baking tray, cover with plastic wrap and freezer for 3 hours. After 3 hours scrape the mixture into a freezer-safe container and freeze for another 2 hours
Protein powder can be replaced with skim milk powder. However, the recipe will be lower in protein.

Nutrition:

Small: 142 Calories, 1.3g Fat, 10.2g Carbs, 1.0g Fibre, 22.1g Protein Large: 284 Calories, 2.6 Fat, 20.4g Carbs, 2.0g Fibre, 44.2g Protein

A lighter Tiramisu

Michelle — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 03:00:41 +0000

Every December 23rd I make a tiramisu for my husband Stephen's birthday. It's dead easy, but we don't make many desserts, so it only comes out once a year. Traditionally mascarpone, a super thick Italian cream cheese is used, making this dish sugar and fat personified. However, with a few simple switches the calories, fat and sugar can sliced without missing a beat. As an extra special bonus, for all you protein junkies and/or gluten free folk, I've included a recipe to make your own sponge fingers. If you don't have time, just use the store bought variety.

3 eggs, separated
¾ cup sweetener (I used ½ cup native, ¼ cup raw castor sugar)
¼ cup arrowroot powder or vanilla casein protein powder
250g light soft ricotta (I used perfect italiano light)
100g low-fat quark or cream cheese
90ml (3 shots) espresso coffee
60ml (¼ cup) marsala or brandy
3 fresh egg whites
40g 85% dark chocolate
24 italian sponge finger biscuits OR

2 whole eggs, separated
6 egg whites
2 tsp sweetener
¾ cup coconut flour
¾ cup vanilla casein protein powder OR ¾ cup almond meal

To make the sponge finger biscuits: Preheat an oven to 180ºC/350ºF Beat the egg yolks until they change colour, add the sweetener. Set aside. In a clean bowl with a clean, dry whisk, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold in the egg yolk mixture and the remaining flours/protein powders. Switch to a wooden spoon and form into a dough. Divide the dough into 24 pieces and form into fingers using your hand (clean hands or gloves for hygiene, please!). Line a flat baking tray with baking paper, and place the fingers on the tray. Bake the fingers for 15–20 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool and preferably rest for at least a few hours before using. To make the tiramisu: Beat the egg yolks with the sweetener in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add in the ricotta and quark and stir until combined. Place the arrowroot or casein in a small bowl. Add a quarter of the cheese mixture and blend until free of lumps. Return the thickened mixture to the larger bowl of cheese mix and stir until combined and evenly distributed. Set aside. Prepare the coffee and combine with the marsala in a wide bottomed dish. Dunk the sponge finger biscuits in the coffee and and pack in a layer across the bottom of a large (about 30cm) square dish. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold through the cheese mixture until evenly combined. Pour over the coffee soaked sponge fingers. Grate the chocolate over the top. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours, preferably overnight, to allow the flavours to fully spread.

Hazelnut and Choc-Hazelnut Macaroons (sugar-free/gluten-free/dairy-free)

Michelle — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:32:24 +0000

By making these biscuits I could bring the downfall of Christmas in my family. Chocolate, the downfall of Christmas? I know…. It's a risk I'm willing to take.

Introducing anything new to our family's Christmas is risky. I got weird looks with these stuffed eggs last year; but everyone loved them. This year, I mentioned to my mum I'd seen Viv's Gianduiotti, and that I wanted to try a making chocolate Haselnussmakronen. There were serious murmurs about ruining Christmas! Chocolate, ruin christmas? Bah! Plain hazelnut macaroons are steeped in family history. Originally Haselnussmakronen, traditional German macaroons from my grandmother's recipe. These have always been my favourite Christmas biscuit ever since I was young. When the Christmas baking was handed down to me, I saw how easy it would be to lower the carbohydrates in these. No one even noticed. We now have several diabetics in our Christmas party and the low-carb approach is really appreciated. To placate everyone, and satisfy my curiosity, I prepared both. If the family don't get into them, the woman I bought the hazelnuts from will happily take them off my hands. I hope that these make your Christmas extra special. xo

Gianduja and Haselnuss Macaroons for Christmas

To make 15 of each

300g (18oz) hazelnuts, plus 30 extra
150g 85% dark chocolate or cocoa farm sugar free chocolate
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch
salt
a pinches cinnamon
1 cup granular sweetener, or 200g castor sugar
4 fresh egg whites, at room temperature

Place your oven racks near the centre of the oven, allowing for a little room for the air to flow. Preheat an oven to 120ºC/250ºF. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Place the hazelnuts, reserving the 30 extra, in a food processor and grind until they are a fine powder. Set aside in a large mixing bowl. Break the chocolate into squares and place in the food processor, process until fine crumbs are formed. Place in a second mixing bowl.
Add the vanilla, salt and cinnamon to the ground nuts, and mix until combined. Place a third of the nut mixture (about 100g) in the chocolate bowl. Divide the sweetener equally amongst each bowl, half a cup in each. Stir both bowls to combine the mixtures.
In a large clean, dry mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold half the egg whites through the non-chocolate mixture until evenly blended through to form a sticky, slightly crumbly dough. Repeat with the chocolate hazelnut mixture.
Using your clean hands (for extra hygiene wear gloves), form each mixture into balls the size of walnuts and place on the prepared trays. Gently press a hazelnut into the top of each one.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the door ajar for a further 20 minutes before cooling on a wire rack or elevating the trays on bowls to allow air to flow under them.

Substitutes and Alterations:

If you don't have a food processor, purchase ready ground hazelnut meal from the supermarket and grate the chocolate with a cheese grater.
Raw castor sugar, natvia or spenda would all make suitable sweeteners in this recipe

This time last year I shared with your my family's Christmas Cinnamon Stars

Tis the season… Layered Cherry-Yoghurt Pana Cotta

Michelle — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:57:04 +0000

...to be jelly…. or a whole raft of other deserts. That's why I thought I'd come to the rescue with yet another sweet dish. Back to savoury soon, I promise. Cherries are the perfect Christmas fruit. Here, in McLaren Vale, they've just come into season, I can buy organic 'seconds' from the fruit farm up the road for nearly nothing, and they're that beautiful Christmas colour. When I imagined this desert for the first time, I knew I wanted to create the layered red and white stripes. The only downside with the layering is having to wait for each layer to set. So pop on your favourite daggy christmas movie while you cook and you'll soon have a great desert to share with the family.

Layered Cherry-Yoghurt Pana Cotta

½ lemon, juiced about ½ cup water 10g (about 2 tsp) powdered gelatine ½ cup skim milk 4 Tbsp sugar substitute- I used natvia, you could use raw castor sugar or honey 375g (1 ½ cups) low-fat plain yoghurt- I used Paris Creek Swiss style 1 tsp vanilla extract Dark Cherry flavoured diet jelly boiling and cool water 250g (about 1 cup) cherries In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice with enough water to make ½ a cup. Sprinkle the gelatine powder over the lemon-water mixture and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the cherry jelly as per the packet instructions. Place in the fridge to chill. Heat the milk until almost boiling. This can be done in 1 minute on high, in the microwave, or by stirring for several over the stove. Pour the milk over the gelatine mixture and stir until dissolved and lump free. Stir in the sugar substitute until it dissolves. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until combined. Using a funnel, or a measuring jug with a spout, pour ¼ cup of the mixture into the bottom of each glass. Place the glasses in the fridge to chill for 45 minutes– 1 hour. Place the remaining mixture in the fridge until it is cool, but not set. This is a bit of a balancing act between keeping the mixture at a healthy temperature and not wanting it to set. You may need to juggle it in and out of the fridge every 20 minutes. If either jelly becomes to set before you want it too, a short stint in the microwave on medium-low setting and a lot of stirring will help soften the mixture to pouring consistency. Pit and quarter the cherries, leaving aside a few pretty ones for garnish. After the first yoghurt layer has set, use a funnel or a jug with a spout to pour ¼–½ cup of cherry mixture into the glasses. Sprinkle the cherries into the glasses and return to them to the fridge to chill for a further 30 minutes. Finally, pour ¼ cup of the yoghurt mixture into each of the glasses. Return to the fridge to chill for at least 40 minutes before serving, garnished with the reserved cherries.

Substitutes and Alternatives:

Dairy-free: replace the yoghurt and milk with almond or rice milk
Higher Protein: Mix 4 scoops of protein powder with 1 ½ cup water. Use in place of the yoghurt.
'Fake food' free: raw castor sugar or honey may be used instead of sweetener. To make real cherry jelly- Sprinkle gelatine powder over ½ cup of cool water and rest for 10 minutes. Cook extra pitted cherries in ½ cups of water, puree and add sugar to taste and return to heat. Add to the gelatine to the cherry sauce and stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat and add a further 1 cup of cool water.

Flourless Coconut and Mango Cake

Michelle — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 08:55:03 +0000

Lately I've been dreaming of a return visit to Thailand. Silly really considering half the country is under water right now. To compensate I've been going a little crazy for all the amazing tropical fruit which is coming into season at the moment. Especially, pineapples, papayas. And finally, mangoes were under $2 each at my rather pricey fruit and vegetable shop. I could hardly contain my excitement. The plan was to have them for breakfast with some homemade yoghurt and oats. However, I got chatting to Viviane from 'Chocolate, Chilli, Mango on Facebook and was persuaded to do some baking. I don't bake very often. I'm not a sweet tooth, but Viviane's recipe for Flourless Mango Cake' caught my eye because of it's lack of processed ingredients. Her recipe called for coconut sugar and coconut oil, However, my curiosity about coconut flour has been brewing and this was all I needed to have a play.

Flourless Coconut and Mango Cake

: Makes 1 x 20cm round cake

35g (2 discs) palm sugar
250g shredded dried coconut (or coconut flour)
1 ripe banana, peeled
1 large mango, peeled and pitted
3 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup macadamia oil
1 tsp baking powder
icing
15g (½ disc) palm sugar, extra
30ml (1 shot) Cointreau, triple sec or orange juice
½ cup water
20g shredded dried coconut, extra

Pre-heat an oven to 180ºC. Line a 20cm round baking tin with baking paper.
Place the palm sugar in a food processor and crush to a powder. Set aside. Repeat with the shredded coconut until a fine flour is formed. You may need to do this in batches. Add to the palm sugar and set aside.
Place the banana and mango in the food processor and puree to a paste. Add the remaining ingredients, except the egg whites and the coconut flour mixture and process until combined.
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed. Thoroughly fold ⅓ of egg whites into the batter from the food processor. Add the remaining egg whites and lightly fold until combined.
Gently transfer the mixture to the baking tin and bake for 35–40 minutes or until golden.
Remove from the oven and rest on a rack for 10 minutes.
Mean while combine the remaining palm sugar, Cointreau and water in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid has reduced to a syrup. Use a pastry brush to brush the syrup over the cake. Sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s) Cooking time: 40 minute(s)

Diet tags: Reduced carbohydrate, Gluten free

Number of servings (yield): 12

Coconut Custard with Rhubarb Compote

Michelle — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:44:42 +0000

My memories of rhubarb are that my mum used to always ruin a perfectly good apple crumble with it. This was slightly changed by my dear friend Pippa, who on her return from Finland a few years ago, brought a most delicious rhubarb desert to our house. Still, until last night this fruit had remained a mystery to me. While browsing a 'free vegetables' list. That is, list of vegetable who are fibrous or low enough in calories and sugar to be included in a serious 'leaning out' diet I spotted rhubarb. Ever since then I've been eyeing off the rhubarb at the farmers markets and at my organics shop. It's thick stalks and strange colour taunted me 'You'll never make anything out of me'. Finally, on Friday I picked some up from Wilson's Organics. The guy who always serves me and I both commented on how we'd never cooked it before. He's quite used to me buying mystery ingredients each week and I report back whether they're a success or not. Upon leaving the shop I broke a small bit off a stalk and had a taste. 'PWFATTSST!' Don't do that. How anyone would ever think of eating this stuff after a raw taste is beyond me. However, I persevered and with a bit of scanning of my cookbooks concocted a plan. Nutrition Data has this to say about Rhubarb:

It is also a good source of Magnesium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Calcium, Potassium and Manganese.

However, further research suggests that

... while it’s true that 1 cup of diced rhubarb contains about 10% of the daily value for calcium, it is hardly bioavailable at all, owing to the presence of these pesky natural compounds called oxalates, which bind to the calcium in the vegetable and prevent us from being able to absorb it. So in fact, rhubarb is NOT actually a good non-dairy source of calcium...

Coconut Custard with Rhubarb compote

Rhubarb Compote

6 stems of rhubarb, cut into 2cm pieces
the zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon, freshly squeeze orange juice (or water)
1 teaspoon Splenda®

Coconut Custard

2 eggs, beaten
165ml of light (coconut) milk*
½ teaspoon vanilla essense
1 tablespoon Splenda®

Place all the ingredients for the compote in a small fryingpan/skillet over a medium heat and cook, stiring occasionally, for 8 minutes. To make the custard, heat the milk until almost boiling. Either 2 minutes in the microwave or on the stove, stiring until bubble form at the edges. In a large metal or glass bowl combine the eggs and Splenda®, while whisking add in the hot milk. Place the bowl over a saucepan with about 5cm of simmering water in the bottom of it. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens. If lumps form, it'll still taste good but it might not be dinner party material. Once the mixture is at the desired thickness it can be allowed to cool and reheated again gently in the same manner. The slightly scrambled version in the photo was very delicious, so if it's just your Sunday breakfast don't worry, you haven't ruined it. Divide the rhubarb amongst 2 ramekins and place the custard on top. Use a small spoon to give the mixture a 'half-turn' to make a pretty swirl. *Plain low-fat milk works fine also. I always buy TCC light coconut milk (like at the bottom but in a green can) Nutrition per serve (makes 2 serves) Calories: 180 Fat: 10.8g Carbs: 13.8g Fibre: 3.7g Sugar: 3.4g (mostly from the OJ- replace with water to reduce) Protien: 8.4g (you could boost this by adding in a scoop of vanilla whey to the custard mix)