Ways with winter fruit desserts

Press, 12 August 1985, Page 8

Ways with winter fruit desserts

COOKING with Celia Timms

For those who enjoy fruit desserts there is not a large variety of fresh fruit from which to choose at times, but there are apples and pears. Pears are not often used in puddings, other than stewed or canned, but they can make an enjoyable fruit dessert providing they are given some help with additional ingredients as they tend to lose some of their delicate flavour when cooked. Here are some ways of cooking both pears and apples. Pears with Apple This is a good combination even if the apples overshadow the flavour of the pears somewhat. I prefer Golden Delicious for this dish but it is a matter of opinion and Grannies certainly puree so well. For four or more servings you need: 4 cooking apples Cinnamon; 1 tablespoon sugar 4 pears % cup sugar 1 cup Burgundy cup chopped walnuts Lemon rind 1 dessertspoon butter

Method: Peel, core and slice apples and place in pan with a pinch of cinnamon, tablespoon of sugar and only enough water to prevent them burning — the resulting puree should be thick. Cook over very low heat until soft. Put through sieve or blender to make a thick puree. Stir in butter while hot; cool. Chop walnuts. Combine wine, ¥2 cup sugar and about three slivers of lemon peel removed with a potato peeler, in small pan and boil for about 5 minutes to make a syrup. Peel pears, cut in halves and remove cores. Simmer in the wine syrup until tender. Remove pears with slotted spoon to cool. Return wine, syrup to heat and cook until reduced in quantity a little and thickened; add walnuts to syrup. When all are cold, arrange pears on a bed of apple puree and fill hollows of pears with a little of the wine syrup. Chill well. Serve remaining syrup separately with whipped cream. Pears with maple nut sauce Maple syrup is available at most supermarkets, but golden syrup with lemon

juice added can be substituted. This sweet should be served warm — not hot — with a scoop of ice cream and sprinkled with chopped walnuts, but these are optional. For six servings you need: 3 pears Vi cup maple syrup Vi cup water 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind 2 tablespoons melted butter ‘A cup chopped walnuts (optional) Ice cream (optional) Method: Peel pears, cut into halves and remove cores. Place cut side up, close together in pan. Combine water, syrup, lemon rind and butter and pour over fruit. Cover pan arid simmer very gently until

pears are tender, about 20 minutes. While still warm, but not hot, serve in individual dishes with some of the syrup spooned over and topped with ice cream and walnuts. Apples frangipane A rather special way of cooking apples; they are poached in an apricot syrup and filled with frangipane pastry cream and should be served well chilled. For four servings you need: 4 tablespoons apricot jam Vz cup water 1 dessertspoon grated orange rind 4 large tart flavoured apples 4 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons flour 3 egg-yolks; Vz cup hot milk Vz cup cream or evaporated milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons ground almonds; salt. Method: Cook apricot jam with water and orange rind to form a syrup. Peel and core apples and cut into halves, crosswise; poach in syrup just tender. Re-

move from syrup and chill, reserving remaining syrup, thinning with a little water if necessary. In pan combine sugar, flour, and egg yolks with a pinch of salt. Stir in hot milk and cream and cook in top of a double saucepan or over simmering water, stirring continually until thickened, and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, butter and ground almonds. When cold fill apple halves with the cream using a pastry bag with rose nozzle, if possible. Pour syrup over and garnish, if liked, with slivered toasted almonds. Pears with cardamom This is quite delectable and very easily made. It

is, I think, better if served just warm but others may prefer it chilled. For four persons you need: 3 pears 2 tablespoons brown sugar Vz cup orange liqueur — Cointreau 2 teaspoons ground cardamom 1 cup cream Method: Peel, halve and slice pears and place in a shallow ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the sugar, then the liqueur and the cardamom. Put into a preheated 180 C oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until pears are soft. Cool. To serve divide between four individual dishes and top with whipped cream.