Violet Jelly

In early spring when sweet violets abound & you can possibly bear to pick so many at once, it is a wonderful time to make a fragrant jelly.

Pick yourself a good cup or two of fresh violets (no leaves).

Give them a little rinse & shake off the water.

Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the flowers & leave them to steep for an hour or so, even overnight if you like.

Squeeze the juice of a lemon in to the bowl & marvel as the colour changes.

In a small saucepan stir a dsp of powdered gelatine & 1/2 cup of the violet liquid together.

Sit for 5-10 mins

Then heat gently, stirring until the gelatine has dissolved.

Remove from the heat & stir in a tbsp or two of honey (or raw sugar if you prefer)

Strain the remaining violet liquid in to the pot & stir gently.

Add a a little rose water if you like.

Pour in to pretty dishes & leave in the fridge to set. 

 I couldn't help but try out these other two violet varieties: the most fragrant of all little double mauves & prettiest pink.

 The double mauve

  turned a similar colour after the boiling water was added

 ...so pretty when I added the lemon juice.

 Gorgeous when strained!

And softer when the gelatine has been added.

The pinks..

turned a soft orange shade.

Fascinating!

If you prefer to use gelatine leaves just use the standard quantities to set your jelly.

Alter the sweetening to your own taste & most of all have fun with your beautiful violets. 

Catherine

Baked Custard

I have always loved the velvety smooth texture of baked custard.

So easy to make & thoroughly delicious.

I use raw milk & free range eggs but whatever you have, will do.

1/2 cup of cream (or all just milk if you prefer)

Make up to a litre with whole milk

3 large eggs 

1-2 dsp raw sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

Gently heat the milk & cream until the mix almost comes to the boil.

Watch carefully so it doesn't boil over!

Pour on to the beaten eggs, sugar & vanilla, whisking as you go.

Strain through a sieve & pour in to one large dish (greased with butter) or many small ones.

Or even better still bake in jars- then pop on the lid to store in the fridge.

Finally, grate some nutmeg over the top & set in a dish of hot water.

Bake for around 30- 40 mins at 125 degrees C

Or until custards are set & a knife comes out cleanly if poked in the centre.

Lovely hot, warm or cold.

Great for picnics, small children or grown ups who love whole nourishing food & custard.

Katie

Zingy Lemon Coconut Balls

Very simple, lemony, nutritious & totally delicious.

Adapted slightly from Petite Kitchen..Simple Wholefood Recipes

1 cup of ground almonds

1 1/2 cups fine coconut

1/2 cup softened butter (softened)

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla essence

Finely grated zest of a large lemon

Juice of the same lemon

Pulse the almond & coconut in food processor until extra fine,

 then add all other ingredients & pulse/process until it all comes together as a dough.

Chill until it all firms up nicely.

Roll in to balls & then in to coconut.

Best kept chilled.

Coconut oil is a good substitute for butter if you prefer.

A tangy variation on this recipe is the addition of dried apricots & cranberries.

I soaked 1 cup of tangy "real" dried apricots in the juice of an orange for several hours before adding to the above mixture, leaving out the lemon juice & adding a handful of dried cranberries.

Catherine

Banana Chocolate Fudge Icecream

This is the strangest of recipes but actually very good.
It is nutrient dense, healthy & extremely quick to make.

3 ripe bananas
1/4 c good cocoa
1/3 c runny honey
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp smooth peanut or almond butter (preferably organic)

Pop the whole lot in together in the food processor or blender.
Blend until very smooth & glossy.

Pour in to small pots, cover & freeze for several hours or overnight.
The mixture doesn't need any further stirring or churning & stays smooth & satiny once frozen.
It's great on it's own or could be served with other things.
You can find the plain banana version just here.

Catherine

Lemon Crunch Pie

I needed something fabulous & very lemony to take with me on Saturday night, Lemon Crunch Pie immediately sprang to mind. I came across this recipe back in my teen babysitting days & it's still a goodie & can be made all year round.

It takes very little time to put together & is best made the day before...even better!

I like to use digestive biscuits in the base but any plain sweet biscuit will do.

1 packet crushed digestives

 (I popped mine in to a plastic bag & used the rolling pin trick)

Add 100 grams of melted butter & press in to a greased pie dish.

Rinse out your bowl & quickly dry it, now in to that pour

300ml of runny cream & then beat it until thick

pour in a tin of sweetened condensed milk

and a good half a cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice & maybe a little more

plus the zest of a large, spray free lemon

gently mix all the ingredients together & pour in to the pie crust

Chill.

That's it...truly!!

One small tip..the lemons need to be the true lemon variety like Lisbon, Villa Franca etc

If you use Meyer's the dessert will taste wonderful but not set as well.

I also added lemon zest to the biscuit mix for extra lemony-ness.

Being autumn I made a fruit salad to go with the pie that proved to be an excellent combination:

 Feijoas, figs, blueberries, omega plums & a couple of wrinkly passionfruit, then
drizzle with lovely runny honey, a dash of rosewater & a good slug of kombucha...if you have it.

pears & banana also go well with this combination

Catherine

Passionfruit Coconut Tart

So easy & so delicious..this gorgeous tart is also very clever.

All you have to do is mix all the ingredients together in one bowl, as it cooks it will separate itself into three layers.

Makes a lovely dessert or tea party treat.

Combine in a large bowl:

 1 cup of desiccated coconut

3/4 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup flour

In another bowl mix:

125g butter...melt

4 free range eggs

1 1/3 cups of milk (could be coconut milk)

1/2 cup passionfruit pulp..6 or 7

juice of a lemon

Pour one into the other & mix thoroughly, then pour into a greased 24cm pie dish.

Bake in a moderate oven for about 45 mins or until golden brown & set.

Serve warm if for a dessert or chill if to be cut for a tea party.

Dust with icing sugar if you like.

For this recipe you can use whatever flour, sugar or milk that you prefer.

Catherine

Raw Cashew Nut "Cheesecake"

This "cheesecake" is so delicious & a real food not just a treat!

Some of the ingredients may seem a little odd to you & perhaps a bit expensive, but so are the ingredients that make up so many desserts; besides good health is worth every penny.

First thing to do is to soak 2 cups of raw cashew nuts in clean cold water.

In another bowl put 3/4 cup of washed dates & squeeze over them the juice of a large lemon.. (Check each date as you go, giving it a little squeeze or tearing it open to make sure that there are no stones in any of them).

Leave both the cashews & dates to sit overnight or a good 3 hours.

So you could say, soak the dates & cashews in the morning & put it all together in the afternoon.

The base is very simple & adaptable & so much better than the standard biscuit base.

Into the food processor place:

3/4 cup of softened dates as above,

1 cup of coconut,

1/2 cup of sunflower seeds

 (I used Wright Sprouts dried sunflower sprouts but plain are fine)

1/2 cup of walnuts or almonds or macadamias etc

1/4 cup of ground linseed

Pulse all the ingredients together..

 until they come together in to a ball like this.
 Feel free to adjust the mix to suit your taste, allergy situation or store cupboard.

 This amount goes a long way & makes lovely little balls too, great for lunch boxes & snacks.

 They can be rolled in coconut if you like.
I was a little heavy handed with the date measurements with this version..I think I added a cup but a bit less would have been fine.
Press the mix into one large dish or lots of small ones as pictured.

Now the topping:

Strain the cashews & give them a rinse with cold water.

To the cashews add

 1 cup of organic coconut oil

1/4 cup lemon or lime juice

1/2 cup of honey (runny is best)

1 good dsp of natural vanilla essence

a pinch of good salt

Now add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of hot water

Pulse altogether, then process for about 2 minutes until it all looks pretty smooth.

 Taste to check the flavourings..they will develop a little more over time.
Pour over the waiting bases & freeze for 1-2 hours until firm. They will also set in the fridge given a bit more time.
These will freeze really well for a month or so.

 The above mix makes a really good amount. That's handy 'cos you're bound to need it all.
Once you've tasted it you'll soon know why!

I buy my organic coconut oil in large 4 litre tubs ( from Chantal in Napier) which makes a big difference to the overall price & they last us for ages.  

I found the basis for this recipe here & another version here.

Catherine