frozen Archives - Sugar et al

Raspberry, Watermelon and White Nectarine Popsicles

16|01|2015

Around Christmas, last year (Oh! that sounds so long ago though we’re talking less than a month really) we met a wonderful family. We had met only once before that during the twin’s orientation day at their new school. On that day we had excited parent-like conversations, shared anxieties and had the children pose for pictures together. Numbers were exchanged, totally oblivious to the fact that this was just the foundation to a robust, warm friendship. A bond that involved two generations of people. We met again and again and again and before the calender changed to 2015 we were like one big happy family. Random picnics and impromptu day trips weren’t such a bad idea suddenly. (If you are a parent to young kids, you know what I mean!) Home-made food found new homes and there were more reasons to bake cakes.

Amidst a kitchen full of delicious food, laughter and three children wildly racing around the house at midnight, we ushered in the New Year. ‘Let’s start a restaurant. Will there be takers?’ We giggled like school kids as the most amazing fireworks broke into the Sydney sky. A night resonating with the New Year that brought fresh hope, untold promises and an assurance that there were greater times ahead. A friendship sealed by fate and frozen in time.

So what else is frozen? 4 sweet summery treats in my freezer. There is no room for anything else and I am beaming at the thought of it. I can tell you I have made the most of our summer. Our produce is at it’s peak at the moment and though we have a little more than a month left, the stone fruits will start to dwindle. So before that happens, I am trying my best to incorporate them in my recipes. Well actually, I have been brainstorming recipes around them. You may already know this, Summer is my favorite time of the year. And I think I can paint a picture with the colors that are on display in the fruit markets right now.

These popsicles are like a pretty pink fruit smoothie on a stick. Lots of fruity goodness and quite simple to make. Feel free to replace with fruits of your choice. The raspberries I have used are frozen so you can make them even though they may not be in season where you are.

Raspberry, Watermelon and White Nectarine Popsicles
Makes 6 large Pops

1 cup frozen Raspberries
3 cup watermelon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 nectarines stoned, and roughly chopped
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup castor sugar (or 3 tbsp honey/maple syrup)
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Place all the ingredients together in a blender or food processor and process till smooth. Strain into a jug, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract maximum liquid.
Pour into molds. Freeze for two hours before inserting a stick in the centre of each popsicle. Freeze overnight.

Banana Blueberry Almond Popsicles

24|07|2014

A little box followed me back home on a recent trip to the grocer’s. I always took pride in being an ardent almond fan but here I was, intently studying the back of a carton of almond milk. Almonds in different forms adorn the shelves in my cupboard yet I had never tried out almond milk. Perhaps I thought it was a bit too ‘healthy’ for me and my blog. I did not buy it so I assumed that it was placed by mistake in my shopping bag by the people at the store.

The long list of checked boxes at the back…Gluten Free, Cholestrol Free, Lactose Free, Suitable for Vegetarians, No Cane sugar and so on caught my eye. I went back to return the carton and here’s what I did. I bought one for myself. Since the blog is not just about me but also my dear readers, I thought it was worth a try, And it had almonds in it, so it was certainly a safe bet.

You don’t mess around with a healthy ingredient and add sugar and butter to it. Or do you? Actually, we will keep that for later. Right now, sticking to the healthy philosophy, I preferred to add fruits and honey and turn it into a frozen milkshake. A popsicle, in other words. These days, things look better on a stick than in a glass. Especially to my four year olds.

So all you do is put everything together in your processor and blend. Blueberries are beautiful, they add a touch of purple to anything they are added to. Feel free to increase or decrease the quantities in the ingredients. If you are not concerned about sugar, substitute sugar for honey. Then freeze and enjoy your super healthy popsicles.

Banana Blueberry Almond Popsicles

2 cups Almond Milk
1 large banana
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 tbsp. honey

Place the ingredients in the bowl of your food processor and process until smooth. Pour into popsicle moulds and freeze for an hour. Insert sticks and freeze until firm (about 3 hours).

Mango, Mint and Lime Granita

27|02|2014

Mangoes were considered the ‘queen of fruits’ where I grew up. They still are. Everything about them screams summer. The vibrant sunny appearance or the sweet succulent refreshing interior. We owned a large orchard and summer time meant eating tonnes of fruit. The green unripe ones would be used for cooking and the ripe ones would make their way into every corner of the house. Boxes and baskets of fruit to be given away to friends and neighbours. The air subtly scented with smell of sweet mangoes. Meal times made special with platefuls of peeled, cut mangoes to finish off. The varieties endless and names so many that it was hard for one to remember.

Alas! A glut of mangoes today, is something that exists only in my memory or possibly in my dreams. In the part of the world where I live now mangoes can be expensive. And make a fleeting appearance. So, it’s case of ‘enjoy while it lasts!’ However, thanks to technology there are options. Like canned mangoes and mango juice. No substitute to the fresh ones in my opinion but okay when you crave for a taste of the glorious fruit.

If mangoes stand for summer, so does ice. While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my share of ice creams and popsicles this summer, my freezer has been packed with trays of Granita. Using both fresh fruit and store bought juice. They are so fun to make with a bit of this and that. The best part is shaving the ice. You can do it over and over again. Melt, freeze, shave. It’s a great way of adding life into store bought juices. And one can enjoy them even when fruits are not in season.

The flavours of this Granita are sensational. You have to taste to know. Mint and lime add a burst of freshness in your mouth which balances the sweetness of the mangoes.

There are no hard and fast rules while making a Granita. One adds flavours of choice, sweetness as per taste. It can be served with fresh fruit, a fruit sauce or even yoghurt or cream. Store bought juices vary in sweetness, so the sugar may need adjustment.

Mango, Mint and Lime Granita
Serves 6-8

500 ml store bought mango juice
1/4 cup sugar (or as per taste)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
Juice of 2 limes

Place the juice and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir till sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Cool slightly and add the mint leaves and lime juice. Pour into a shallow baking tray and cool to room temperature. Don’t discard the mint leaves. They get shredded and distributed during the process of shaving the Granita.

Carefully, transfer the tray into your freezer. Scrape at hourly intervals to form crystals until frozen (4-6 hours)

Raspberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate Ganache Frosting

20|06|2013

If someone ever asked me what I miss most about summer, my answer would be the daylight and BERRIES! With the evenings getting colder and darkness setting in by mid afternoon, I am almost ready to retreat into a hibernating mode. While Summer is nowhere near and little that I can do about daylight, there is technology and there are Berries. If not fresh, then frozen!

As much as I love the colourful little jewels of deliciousness, I have always shied away from freezing them or buying frozen pre-packs. There is definitely a freshness that seasonal berries would contribute but I realised there is a lot that can be done with frozen ones. Looking at the prices of fresh raspberries at this time of the year, I finally convinced myself to get a frozen pack. And since then, I have been reading up on how to freeze berries during season.

Buying fruits in bulk during season and preserving them is not only a great way of saving money but allows you to enjoy your favourite fruits all year-long. Honestly, with whatever I have read, it is a simple process with no fancy equipment.

Pretty pleased with the way my cupcakes turned out I made 2 more desserts and I thought they looked spectacular and tasted just as good. I can’t wait to post them all. The cupcakes by themselves were great but I wanted to turn it into a raspberry celebration so I made a white chocolate ganache frosting and drizzled some home-made raspberry sauce. So, there you go..my raspberry celebration cupcakes!

Sorbets, mousse, smoothies, jams, sauces, fillings for cookies and cupcakes there is so much that can be done with frozen berries. There is a lot of information available on the net on freezing fruits too. The forthcoming summer, I am looking forward to freezing and stocking up my berries and using them in every possible way. How about you?

I also wanted to give you a little heads up on some progress I have made with the software part on my blog. I have finally manged to import my Tastespotting, Foodgawker badges. Also, subscriptions are available through Feedburner now. For existing subscribers, I have already moved it manually. Let me know if you are facing any issues. My Recipe Index page is updated too. I cannot tell you how relieved I am at the moment. Now, all I need is to bite into my little red cupcakes.

And Celebrate…

Raspberry Celebration Cupcakes with White Chocolate Ganache Frosting
The recipe can be totally adapted to use fresh raspberries

Raspberry Cupcakes (cupcakes adapted from Coles recipes)
Serves 10

100 g Butter, at room temperature, chopped
1/2 cup Caster Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
2 Eggs
1 cup Self-raising Flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 tsp baking powder)
1/3 cup Milk
1 cup Frozen Raspberries, thawed

Preheat oven to 170°C or 150°C fan forced and line 10 medium muffin tins with paper cases. Using electric beaters, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Fold in half the flour, then all the milk, then remaining flour, until just combined. Fold through raspberries. Spoon into prepared cases. Bake for 20 mins, or until the cakes are springy to a light touch. Leave in tin for 5 mins, then lift out onto a wire rack to cool.

To serve, pipe swirls with white chocolate frosting (recipe below) or spoon frosting over cupcakes. drizzle with raspberry sauce (recipe below)

White Chocolate Ganache Frosting

200 g white chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup thickened cream
100 g butter, chopped

Place white chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high, stirring every minute, until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Add butter and stir until it melts and the mixture is smooth. Refrigerate for 1 1/2-2 hours or until the mixture is thick and spreadable. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Raspberry Sauce
Makes about 3/4 cup

250 g frozen Raspberries
2 tbsp Castor sugar
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Place frozen Raspberries and sugar into a large non-stick frying pan. Stir to combine. Heat over medium heat until bubbling. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or it takes a thick syrupy consistency. Using a metal spoon, crush Raspberries until pureed.

Remove from heat and set aside to cool. (If you do not like the seeds, strain the mixture once pureed)