by Amber Rose
To make blackberry jelly with warm apple compote and chantilly cream.
For the liquid: 175ml blueberry and blackberry syrup and 750ml filtered water. Serve with warm apple compote and chantilly cream.
To make grape jelly.
For the liquid: 235ml water and 700ml grape juice.
To make coconut jelly with fresh mango and coconut cream.
For the liquid: 950ml coconut water. You may not need all 3 tablespoons of honey – adjust to taste. Serve with slices of fresh mango and my coconut cream.
To make elderflower jelly with white peaches.
For the liquid: 175ml elderflower syrup and 750ml filtered water. You will also need 2–3 white peaches, sliced in half, stones removed and each half cut into five slices. Lay the peach slices in the bottom of each glass before pouring in the jelly to set. Sprinkle over some elderflowers when serving. This jelly is also delicious with chantilly cream or rose cream.
Marshmallows.
Fluffy gut-loving marshmallows.
SERVES 4–6
What could be more wonderful than homemade marshmallows? These are super-easy to make and great for gut health. You can mix and match the flavours depending on what you might fancy. They are not great for toasting, though, as fresh marshmallows melt too quickly and fall off the stick. Still, they are delicious and such a treat – and a healthy one at that if you’re using grass-fed gelatine (see here for more information).
4 tablespoons grass-fed gelatine powder
335ml filtered or spring water
165ml maple syrup or coconut nectar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Line a 20 x 20cm baking tin with baking paper lengthways and then, using another piece, line widthways, ensuring there is enough parchment paper overhanging the sides to cover the marshmallows.
Place the gelatine and 165ml water in a freestanding mixer and mix until lovely and soft. This will take a few minutes, which also allows time for the gelatine to bloom.
While the gelatine and water are mixing, pour the remaining water into a saucepan with your sweetener of choice, along with the salt, and bring the mixture to the boil. Gently boil for 7–9 minutes, or until the mix reaches roughly 115°C, then take off the heat.
Turn the freestanding mixer with the bloomed gelatine in it to its lowest setting and very slowly pour the sweetened syrup mixture into the bowl. Once all the syrup has been added, turn the mixer up to high and continue beating for 8–10 minutes, or until the mixture becomes voluminous, thick and fluffy. Don’t be tempted to keep beating once it has reached this stage or the mixture will go over and become impossible to spread into the tin. At this point you can add different flavours or just keep it plain – see options, right.
After you have added your flavourings (if using), turn off the mixer and transfer the marshmallow fluff to the prepared tin. Using a pallet knife or the back of a spoon, even out the top of the marshmallow fluff to create a nice even top. Set aside and leave for about 1 hour until the marshmallow is completely set.
Once set, cut into bite-sized cubes and dust with raw cacao powder, freeze-dried raspberry powder or GMO-free cornflour.
FLAVOURING SUGGESTIONS
Vanilla and chocolate.
Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla powder to the mix before you scrape it into the tin. Dust the finished marshmallows in raw cacao powder.
Double chocolate.
Add 2 teaspoons sieved raw cacao powder to the mixture and fold through until well combined before scraping into the tin to set. Dust the set and cubed marshmallows in raw cacao powder.
Raspberry.
Fold a handful of fresh or crushed freeze-dried raspberries through the mixture before scraping into the tin. Dust with unrefined icing sugar or cornflour, raw cacao powder or freeze-dried raspberry powder.
Lemon and rose.
Add 5 drops of food-grade lemon essential oil or the zest of half an unwaxed lemon and 1 teaspoon of rose water to the mix and thoroughly combine before scraping into the tin to set. Dust the finished marshmallows in GM-free cornflour or unrefined icing sugar.
Orange blossom and pistachio.
Add 1 teaspoon of orange blossom water and a small handful of roughly chopped pistachios to the fluffy mix and fold through before scraping into the tin to set. Once the marshmallows have set, cut into cubes and dust with GM-free cornflour, unrefined icing sugar or raw cacao powder.
Puddings.
Nice cream.
SERVES 2–3
Nice cream is ice cream but not in the traditional sense. It doesn’t have any dairy, it takes mere moments to make and has the consistency of a soft-scoop ice cream. It’s highly nutritious, especially when made using seasonal dark berries and raw honey. I love making this on a hot summer’s day. My son particularly enjoys it when I use just frozen berries, it’s like beautifully soft berry sorbet.
4 bananas, sliced and previously frozen
100ml almond milk
2 tablespoons raw honey or maple syrup
½–1 teaspoon vanilla powder (optional)
Simply place the frozen banana slices into a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix), add the milk and syrup and blend, using the tamper to push the bananas down as it blends.
Keep going until you have perfectly smooth soft-scoop banana ice cream.
You can make many variations of this ice cream, all are delicious and just as easy to make.
To make Ferrero Rocher-flavoured nice cream:
First, make caramelised hazelnuts by toasting whole blanched nuts in a heavy-based frying pan along with 1–2 tablespoons of maple syrup, depending on how many nuts you are toasting, and stir until the syrup has all but disappeared and turned thick, golden and toffee-like. It easily turns into burnt sugar, so watch it carefully. When the nuts are done remove them from the pan and allow to cool – the syrup should harden into toffee as they cool. Chop into pieces.
Make nice cream using hazelnut milk in place of almond milk, and maple syrup in place of honey. Add 3 tablespoons of raw cacao powder and top with the chopped caramelised hazelnuts.
To make a very berry summer nice cream:
Use half frozen banana and half frozen berries, either a mix of berries or just one sort will do – strawberries or raspberries, black or redcurrants or even blackberries and elderberries.
Vanilla and honey ice cream (with seasonal variations).
SERVES 3–4
2 teaspoons vanilla powder or 2 vanilla pods, seeds and scrapped pods
550ml double cream
50g light honey
3 egg yolks
Start by adding the vanilla powder (or pods without the seeds if using), cream and honey to a saucepan. Place it over a medium heat, stirring often. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. When the cream mixture is nearly boiling, take it off the heat and slowly pour it over the yolks, whisking as you go so as to prevent the yolks from scrambling.
When you have added all the cream mixture to the yolks, add the seeds from the pods, if using. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, place over a low–medium heat and stir until lightly thickened.
Take off the heat and pour the mixture into a bowl or jug to cool. If you leave the mixture in the pot it can curdle from the residual heat. When the custard base has cooled, pour the mixture into an ice-cream churner and churn until set.
At this stage you can eat it right away or you can pop the ice cream into a freezerproof container and freeze for later.
For a fruit swirl and extra flavour, try any of the following: Blackberry purée, raspberry purée, Strawberry purée, Roasted peach purée, Roasted plum purée, Roasted rhubarb purée, maple caramelised pear purée or any of the fruit coulis. Simply swirl the fruit purée into the ice cream before freezing.
To make a toasted nut and vanilla ice cream:
Toast a handful of nuts – almonds, pecans or hazelnuts would work well – then remove the skins and chop roughly. Mix into the ice cream before freezing.
Chia pudding.
SERVES 4–6
Chia seeds may be tiny but they are one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. I never tire of chia pudding for breakfast, especially in the warmer months. Once you have made the basic mix you can top it with anything you like. I love adding some kefir to the mix for added gut-healing, immune-boosting probiotics. This chia pudding will last for at least a week in the fridge, so you can make up a batch and then just use a little each morning in your breakfast as and when you like.
BASIC CHIA
PUDDING MIX
500ml coconut milk or almond milk, or a mix of the two (see here)
2 tablespoons raw honey
4 tablespoons chia seeds
½–1 teaspoon vanilla powder (optional)
½–1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1–2 tablespoons kefir, either milk or coconut (optional)
Pour the coconut/almond milk into a glass jar, add the raw honey and give it a good whisk. Add the chia seeds and use a fork to stir them through the milk really well. Let the mix stand for 1–2 minutes and then stir it really well again, breaking up any lumps that have formed. Repeat this process a few times over a 10-minute period. Add the spices, if using, and stir. Place the chia pudding in the fridge and let it soak overnight, or for at least a few hours. This allows the chia seeds to soak and thicken up.
Layered vanilla chia and fruit cup.
1 quantity of the basic chia mix
550-600g your favourite fresh fruit or compote
Edible flowers, optional
Spoon half the chocolate chia pudding into three glasses, spoon over half the macerated berries, then layer the rest of the chocolate chia pudding on top. Finish with the rest of the berries and lastly sprinkle over the cacao nibs. Serve.
Raw chocolate and red berry chia pudding.
MADE IN ADVANCE
1 quantity of the basic chia mix, to which add 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder before soaking and 2 tablespoons maple syrup or raw clear honey
FOR ASSEMBLING
350g strawberries and raspberries, mixed
Juice of ½ lemon
1½ teaspoons coconut sugar
1 tablespoon cacao nibs
1–2 spoonfuls coconut kefir (optional)
Put the berries, lemon juice and coconut sugar in a small bowl and mix well, lightly crushing the raspberries. Allow the mixture to stand for 10 minutes.
Spoon half the chia mix into three glasses. Sprinkle over half the fruit, layer on more chia pudding, then sprinkle over the rest of the fruit. Serve.
You can also use coconut water as the liquid base, but I like my pudding creamy and with plenty of healthy fats, which help you to feel full and maintain your energy levels.
For an extra boost of flavour and gut-loving probiotics use 375ml of coconut milk and 125ml of kefir.
Add 1–2 teaspoons of one of the sweet spice mixes for extra flavour.
Pannacotta.
SERVES 4
Pannacotta has to be one of my all-time favourite desserts. It’s perfect at any time of the year served up with whatever fruit happens to be in season. Make sure you don’t overdo the gelatine or you will end up with a hard, rubbery dessert instead of a soft sexy wobbly one. It’s a tough choice, but I think I prefer the coconut version – although both are totally amazing.
400ml full-fat coconut milk or 300ml double cream plus 100ml milk, mixed together
1¼ teaspoons grass-fed gelatine
½ vanilla pod, seeds only, or ⅓ teaspoon vanilla powder
60–80ml maple syrup
Pour half the milk into a saucepan, add the gelatine and give it a good whisk, then set aside for 5 minutes to allow to bloom.
Add the vanilla, then gently warm the mixture over a medium heat, whisking thoroughly to dissolve the gelatine. Do not let the mix boil or you will destroy the setting ability of the gelatine.
When the gelatine has dissolved and the mix is warm to hot, remove from the heat and add the rest of the milk, stirring thoroughly. Add the maple syrup to taste (start with 60ml and taste the mix, then add a little more if needed). I prefer my pannacotta not too sweet, but it depends what you are serving it with.
Pour the mixture into four little moulds or teacups and place in the fridge to set for 4 hours or overnight.
To serve, dip the moulds into very hot water for a few seconds, then turn the pannacotta upside-down onto a dessert plate, remove the mould and serve drizzled with fresh or cooked fruit. You could also serve with the blueberry and maple sauce or my honey salted caramel and fresh raspberries.
Other seasonal ideas:
Roasted rhubarb and vanilla, poached cherries with some of the syrup, roasted strawberries drizzled with a little maple syrup or dessert wine before roasting, fresh or roasted plums with some of the juice from the roasting pan, fresh or bottled feijoas (pineapple guavas) or fresh pineapple salsa (goes beautifully with the coconut pannacotta).
A word about good quality-gelatine.
The gelatine I use in my pannacotta, marshmallow and jelly recipes comes from really good-quality, grass-fed animals. This can be a lot more expensive to buy than ordinary gelatine, but its nutritional benefits far outweigh its price tag – plus it usually comes in really large tubs, so it lasts ages. Good-quality gelatine is incredibly gut healing, and contains amazing skin healing properties, making it great as an anti-ageing ingredient due to its collagen content. It is great for teeth, hair and nails, and also stretch marks and cellulite, due to the essential amino acids such as glycine, and the protein it contains. Glycine and protein are also effective at detoxing the liver, helping with weight loss and aiding digestion, making it great for helping with issues like leaky gut. Gelatine also contains easy-to-digest calcium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals, which help to build a healthy bone matrix. Gelatine also helps with arthritis as it contains chondroitin, which has long been used as a supplement for people with arthritis, joint pain and stiffness. The chondroitin found in gelatine supports joints, cartilage and tendons. Good-quality gelatine supports a healthy metabolism, due to the essential amino acids it contains. These also help regulate insulin sensitivity, which helps prevent abdominal fat storage. Grass-fed gelatine also helps our adrenals, which in turn helps us to deal with stress and cortisol levels. It also helps to balance hormone levels, repair muscles, lower inflammation within the body and lessen allergies. Wow – it seriously packs a punch in the health department! So start making all the marshmallows, pannacotta and gummies you fancy.
Baking.
The perfect all-in-one sponge.
MAKES 1 x 20CM CAKE
This is my fail-safe recipe for whipping up a light and airy sponge for birthday cakes and afternoon tea parties. It’s super-easy and spelt is a great alternative to plain white flour: it contains far less gluten and it tastes wonderful. Spelt is a heritage grain and much easier to digest than some of the more modern varieties. Once you get the hang of the basic sponge you can then decorate the cake any way you like from the suggestions on here, depending on the season. I love having basic recipes that can be adapted throughout the year – it takes the stress out of planning. This is my son’s absolute favourite cake, the one he always requests when his birthday rolls around in the middle of summer.
300g unsalted butter, well softened, but not melted
300g white spelt flour, sifted
5 large free-range eggs
2½ teaspoons baking powder
150g coconut sugar
125g honey
1½ teaspoons vanilla powder
3–4 tablespoons whole milk
To make the recipe lactose free, use ghee in place of butter and nut milk in place of whole milk.
To make it gluten free, substitute the spelt for a gluten-free flour blend and add 1 teaspoon of xanthum gum.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6. Line two 20cm round sandwich tins with butter and baking parchment or one 20cm loose-bottomed round cake tin.
Place all the ingredients into
a free-standing mixing bowl and beat for a few minutes until thoroughly combined, smooth, creamy and fluffy. If you don’t have a free-standing mixer you can use a handheld electric whisk on the low–medium setting.
If using sandwich tins, scrape the batter equally into both tins, even out the mixture using a pallet knife or the back of a spoon and put into the preheated oven on the middle shelf. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cakes are golden and spring back to the touch.
If using a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin, scrape all the batter into the tin, level the surface and put into the preheated oven on the middle shelf. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden and the centre springs back to the touch. You can also test doneness by inserting a skewer into the middle of the cake: if it comes out clean, then the cake is ready.
Take the cake(s) out of the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the tin(s) and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
If you have baked the cake in one tin, this is the moment to cut it in half, once it has cooled and you are ready to ice the cake.
SEASONAL DECORATING SUGGESTIONS
Spring: Rhubarb, pomegranate and rose.
You will need 1 x quantity of Chantilly cream, and add 1 teaspoon of rosewater to the cream when whipping.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4. Cut 4–5 slender stalks of pink forced rhubarb into 6–7cm pieces and lay them in a single layer in a roasting dish just big enough to hold them. Drizzle with 125g honey or maple syrup and a few tablespoons of water and cover. Roast for 15–20 minutes, or until soft but still holding their shape.
