Food: Easy Oatly mango ‘kulfi’

When the Oatly branded product of their Orange Mango oat drink came out, loads were sceptical, is it ‘milky’? Is it ‘juicy’? And some where perplexed altogether (I like the product as it is!). You can find it in the UK at IKEA stores and it’s available from supermarkets here in Sweden.

 

Oatly Orange Mango Oat Drink. Photo: Oatly

 

Here is a quick way you can use it creatively. To make a light but sweet kulfi-style Indian dessert.

(Makes 4)

To make you’ll need:

• 200ml Oatly Orange Mango oat drink
• 8tbs Oatly fraîche/ other non-dairy sour cream
• 3tbs coconut chips (optional)
• 3tbs golden syrup/ corn syrup
• Pinch of salt

Simply mix the Fraîche and the syrup together in a bowl and slowly add in the Orange Mango, continuously stirring. Next, add in the coconut chips for added texture and the salt and stir through, then simply pour it into molds. I used silicone cupcake moulds, but feel free to use what you have and place in the freezer for at least 3 hours to set. When ready to serve take them out of the freezer a couple of minutes before you’d like to plate up and de-mould. Serve with fresh fruit, chopped nuts and a sauce. I served them with an easy raspberry and cardamom coulis.

To make:

• 200g fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1tbs icing sugar/ powdered sugar
• 1tsp ground cardamom
• Pinch of salt

To make it couldn’t be any easier. Place all the ingredients into a small saucepan or frying pan and heat on low until the raspberries start exuding their juice. Take off the heat and blend it down with a food processor. Strain out the seeds and pour in a jug. Leave to cool for serving.

To save time, I’d make the coulis whilst the ‘kulfi’s are in the freezer. The result should be a light vegan-alternative to a very rich Indian dessert. Purists will say it isn’t the same as a real kulfi that takes hours, but for a quick, convenient dessert that’s dairy-free it’s not bad at all!

Enjoy!

Food: Peaches with apricot, cardamom & lemon fraîche

Here’s a quick recipe for a dessert perfect for cooling down in the Summer sun.  The flavours also give a taste of the exotic, so even if you’re stuck at home, you can feel like you’re on holiday

Serves 2

You’ll need:

• 4 peaches ( I used doughnut peaches as they are in season)
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 shot of lemon vodka (optional)
• 2tbs sesame seeds, toasted

Apricot fraîche:

• 1/2 tub of vegan crème fraîche/ yogurt ( I used Oatly fraîche)
• 2tbs icing sugar, sifted
• 2 apricots, chopped finely
• 1tbs ground cardamom
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• Squeeze of lemon juice

 

Start by making the fraîche. Add all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix throughly. You can either then place it in the fridge to firm or do as I did and use the freezer. It will start to create a slightly frozen texture, like a semi-freddo.

Whilst it’s in the fridge/freezer you can prep the peaches. Cut them in half and de-stone. This is usually a messy job, so I tried to keep it intact by poking the stone through the other side. once this is done, heat up a pan on a medium heat. Place the peach halves in the pan, flesh down. cook until they begin to colour. Flip and cook for a few minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice over them and sprinkle them with the lemon zest. Take them out of the pan and place them into the serving bowls. This in an optional step, but I like pouring a shot of lemon vodka on them too! Take the fraîche out and dollop it on top. Finish with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. I’d recommend you pair it with a Tokaji wine.

Enjoy!

 

 

Drink: Death by Mocha Shake

Here’s an amazing decadent milkshake recipe using one of my fridge essentials, Oatly Chocolate milk. With the flavours of espresso, chocolate and Oreo cookie- this is one grown up shake for the inner kid in all of us!

Serves 2-3
To make you’ll need:

• 200ml Oatly chocolate oat drink
• 2 scoops of espresso/coffee ice cream – I used my homemade espresso gelato, recipe here
• 1 shot Tia Maria
• 3/4 packet of Oreo cookies.

For the decoration:

• Some vegan whipped cream- I used Whiptop Whipped Cream
• 2 Oreo cookies

The recipe couldn’t be simple enough!

Start by pouring the chocolate milk into a blender, along with the scoops of espresso ice cream. Then, add the Oreo cookies, crushing them in your hands as you place them in. Pour the shot of Tia Maria in and blend until smooth and creamy.

Get two sundae or soda glasses and fill them with the shake mix. To finish, top with the whipped cream, a couple of straws and a couple of Oreo cookies.

And Enjoy!

 

 

Food: Apple, Plum & ginger crumble

Here’s a recipe for a hearty and warming crumble with a speculoos/speculaas topping.

Makes 6 portions.

To make, you’ll need:

For the filling:

• 8 medium apples,
• 1 jar of sour plums,
• Half the liquid from the plum jar,
• 1 star anise,
• Thumb size piece of ginger (grated),
• 125ml of apple cider,
• 20g of crystallised ginger,
• 1 knob vegan butter,
• 80g of brown sugar
• Zest and juice of half a lemon,
• 1 tbs of golden syrup (agave/ corn syrup will work as well),

For the topping:

• 120g of plain flour,
• 60g of brown sugar,
• 60g of vegan butter,
• 60g speculoos biscuits,

 

To make the filling:

Peel, core and slice the apples then set aside. Begin by melting the butter in a pan, add the sugar and allow them to caramelise. Add the apples and stir them around until they’re coated. Then add the plums along with the juice, the apple cider, the star anise and allow to simmer on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes with the lid off.

When the mixture has reduced add the grated fresh ginger, the crystallised ginger, the zest and juice of half a lemon and the golden syrup. Stir until combined and the golden syrup has loosened and melted. Spoon into a medium sized baking tin until you’re ready with the topping.

To make the topping:

Measure out and combine the flour, sugar and butter in a bowl and breadcrumb by rubbing between your fingers. Smash the biscuits in a pestle and mortar (or in a plastic bag and bashed with a rolling pin) until they’re a mixture of crumb and rubble sized pieces. Combine the two and sprinkle over the mixture.

Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for forty minutes until the topping is rich and golden. Once out of the oven, leave it cool slightly and serve with some soy custard 😉

Enjoy!

 

Food: BPO pudding & salted caramel sauce

Here’s something I knocked up this evening, as I had a surplus of over-ripe bananas to use. Like most of my recipes, it’s a no fuss, all reward kind of deal 😉

To make you’ll need:

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1tsb peanut butter, smooth
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 heaped tbs of golden syrup (corn syrup/agave would also work)
• 170g rolled oats
• 60g muscavado sugar
• 200ml non-dairy milk-  I used oat milk
• Handful of sultanas
• Handful of pumpkin seeds
• 100g plain flour, sifted
• Pinch of salt

To make the sauce:

• 125ml water
• 80g soft brown sugar
• 125ml non-dairy milk (I used oat milk)
• 1tsp cornflour
• Pinch of salt

Start by putting the milk on a medium heat on the hob. Add the salt, sugar and golden syrup. Stir until it dissolves. Next, add in the oats and cook out for 4-5 minutes until the mixture starts bubbling and thickening like a big golden porridge.

In a separate bowl, add the peanut butter to the bananas and mash. The oat mixture should have cooked out by this point. Take it off the heat and leave it to cool, slightly.

Pour the oats into the bananas and combine both mixtures. Once it’s done, stir in the flour and cinnamon bit by bit until it comes together into a thick, sticky mixture.

Grease and line a square baking tin and fill with the oaty mixture. Put it into a pre-heated oven at 140°C for 1 hour.

While it’s cooking, you can make the salted caramel sauce.

To make, simply put the sugar and water onto the hob at a high heat. Add in 1tsp of cornflower to the milk and stir. This needs to be done, before putting it into the caramel. When the sugar has dissolved and is starting to caramelise add in the milk and stir. Turn down to a medium heat and leave it until it thickens. This can take 5-6 minutes. Once thickened, stir, take off the heat and add in the salt. Place into a jug/bowl and set aside. It will thicken even more as it cools.

Once the hour is up, take out the bake and test if it’s done with a toothpick. As it’s a pudding not a cake, it’s ok if the bake is slightly squidgy. Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes. It’s best served warm.

I served mine smothered in the sauce with a dollop of cremè fraîche on the side. I used Oatly imat fraiche – which seems to be only sold in Scandinavia atm (lucky I brought some back from my travels!) but soy natural yoghurt will also work.

 

Enjoy!

 

Food: Vegan espresso gelato

This is one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made. It uses a handful of ingredients and minimal effort, but produces a rich & creamy dairy-free ice cream.

You’ll need:

• 1 tin of coconut milk
• A splash of soy milk/almond milk
• 3 tbs of freshly brewed strong espresso
• A Splash of Amaretto
• 150g icing sugar, sifted
• A sprinkle of salt

 

I had nearly a full tin of coconut milk (left over from the Spicy sweet potato and chickpea recipe here) that needed using up. I started to think what to make with it – and vegan gelato popped into my head.

Only full fat coconut milk will work here, so put the can of reduced fat milk away!

The actual recipe is easy, begin by spooning it into a mixing bowl, and with an electric whisk, mix until it comes together into a thick batter. Next, add a splash of soy milk/ almond milk – or any non dairy milk to loosen it up a bit. Mix again. Add the espresso and amaretto and mix again. See I told you this was easy 😉

Sift in the icing sugar and you guessed it, mix. Add a sprinkle of salt. Mix on the top speed to add a tonne of volume to it. When it’s nearly doubled in mass scrape of the excess from the whisk and pour into a lidded container. Now place in the freezer. It’s essentially done.

There’s only one thing left to do, it’s not hard though – every hour, just take the container out and stir it thoroughly with a spoon. Do this about 5/6 times and then leave it a few more hours to set properly (I left mine overnight). This will make sure the gelato is smooth and creamy when it hits your tongue.

The next day I made a salted chocolate sauce to serve with it.

To make this all you need is:

• 50g good quality dark chocolate (minimum 70% cacao solids)
• 1 tsp flavourless oil (I used sunflower)
• 1tbs agave
• A pinch of good quality Sea Salt (I used Maldon)

 

To make: chop and melt the dark chocolate in a pan on a low heat on the stove. Add the agave and oil and stir until it comes together into a glossy, dark mixture. Take off the heat and pour over the gelato. The temperature difference should start to set the chocolate mixture. Sprinkle the salt on the dark topping & devour!

Food: Banoffee Trifle

Here’s a recipe for a fusion of two classic British puddings (and a good way to use up leftovers!)

 

You’ll need:

• 140g banana bread, ripped up
• 20ml Amaretto
• 2 ripe bananas, chopped

For the custard:

• 230ml double cream
• seeds of a vanilla pod
• 3 egg yolks
• 50g  icing sugar
• 15g dulce de leche

To Decorate:

• 200ml  double cream, whipped
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 20g icing sugar, sifted
• 20g flaked almonds, toasted
• A square of dark chocolate, grated
• 1tbs Dulce de Leche
• Splash of milk

 

During the week I made a banana bread, using this trusty recipe from the BBC. With all the will in the world (and plenty of Chai to wash it down!) Tom and I were never going to finish it all – we had a lot leftover. Not wanting to throw it away before it went stale, I wanted to rescue it. It had me thinking about how I could make it into a trifle/banoffee pie fusion – two of my favourite desserts. This is one’s a decadent dessert that certainly isn’t for anyone on a diet. It could easily feed up to 6. Here’s how to make it:

To start, tear up the leftover banana loaf and place into a suitable bowl. It needs to be high enough to take the amount of filling. I’d recommend a clear glass bowl, so you’ll be able to see all the layers.

After tearing up the banana bread, drizzle some Amaretto over it, so it soaks in.

Now, it’s time to make the custard.

First scrape a vanilla pod into the cream and begin to heat until gently bubbling at the edges. You can even put a whole pod in to infuse if you want.

Meanwhile, add the eggs yolks and the sugar and whisk until they’re combined. Here’s the tricky part, carefully begin adding the the cream into the egg yolks making sure you keep whisking as you go – then do it vice versa back into the cream pan. Keep whisking on the heat until it coats the back of a spoon easily. Once made, pour the custard into a jug and leave to cool.

Chop up 2 ripe bananas and place them in a layer on top of the cake.

To the custard, (when cool) whisk in 15g of Dulce de Leche into it until its a light brown colour.

Now with a spatula, spread this tan mixture on top of the bananas. Cover the mixture with a layer of clingflim (to alleviate a skin forming) and leave to set in the fridge for 40 minutes to 1 hour.

While it’s in the fridge add icing sugar and vanilla into a bowl. Add the double cream and whisk until stiff peaks before setting aside.

Toast the almonds in a pan on medium heat until golden brown. Don’t take your eyes away from them, as they can catch quickly.

Once the bananas and custard mixture is set to a firm wobble, take out the fridge and remove the cling. Now it’s time to assemble!

Spread on a thick pillowy layer of cream on the sand coloured mixture. Grate the chocolate on top and sprinkle the golden almonds on top.

For an extra bit of naughtiness, take a tablespoon of Dulce de Leche and a splash of milk into a separate bowl. Mix with a spoon until smooth and pouring consistency and drizzle on top of the dessert. It is now ready to devour.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Food: Vegan Italian Apricot crumble

Needing to use up a few spare apricots I had in the fridge, I noticed the surplus of rosemary I also had. I ‘put two and two together’ and came up with this recipe. Easy, flavoursome, vegan and delish!

You’ll need:

• Handful of ripe apricots ( I used  4) halved and stoned
• 100ml water
• A small glass of white wine
• 100g granulated sugar
• juice & zest of 1 lemon
• 1 shot of ABSOLUT CITRON
• 3 shots of Amaretto
• Handful of  fresh rosemary, chopped
• Handful of fresh mint leaves, ripped
• 20g corn flour, slaked in some lemon juice

Start by making the syrup. In a pan, add the water and sugar and stir until dissolved. Next, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, wine, vodka, amaretto and the rosemary. Cook until it reduces to a sticky syrup. It should make the kitchen smell amazing by this point. Slake the corn flour then add and stir until thickened. Now add the mint leaves and maybe a bit more rosemary. Take off the heat and add in the apricots. Put the lid on and just leave it do its thing. I made the syrup this morning, so it’s had a good few hours macerating and stewing, permeating the apricots. To loosen it slightly, and for a bit of extra naughtiness, I did add a splash more of the vodka.

When you’re ready to cook it, transfer the apricots into some pots with some of the syrup. I used some terracotta tapas dishes, to emphasise that warm, Mediterranean rustic feeling. Preheat the oven to 180°C (or just leave the oven on after making dinner, as I did.)

Now, for the amaretti style topping. To make, simply put:

50g wheat breadcrumbs into a bowl. Add in 20g of brown sugar, 20g of ground almonds, 1 shot of amaretto, some lemon zest and  1 drop  of almond extract in with the breadcrumbs. Melt a knob of vegan butter ( I used Vitalite) in either the microwave or on the hob, add and mix into the crumb mixture. Sprinkle on top of the macerated apricots and bake for 20 minutes (or so). Leave to cool slightly and serve with Vegan ice cream or Vegan cream.

Enjoy!