Spiced Baked Fruit with Hazelnut Praline Ice Cream and Amaretti Biscuits

Spiced Baked Fruit

This is a lovely way of cooking fruit, especially those punnets of under-ripe plums that look tempting, but are so often disappointing in taste. Mixing a couple of fruits that complement each other is a good idea- plums with apple and cinnamon work well. Try varying the fruit, spices as well as the sweetener - you could use maple syrup or soft brown sugar. The fruit is also delicious for breakfast with yoghurt.

Dietary: Vegan, Gluten free | Serves 4

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 600g plums
• 150g blackberries
• 4 tbsp agave syrup
• 1 big cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla pod, split open
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 orange, juiced
• 6 cloves
• 3 star anise

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180CFan.
2. Cut the plums in half and remove the stones. Arrange them in a roasting tin, cut side up.
3. Scatter the blackberries over and drizzle with the agave syrup and orange juice.
4. Add the cinnamon stick, vanilla pod, rosemary, cloves and star anise.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Ideally the fruit should be tender and slightly soft but not mushy.Store for up to 5 days in the fridge, but serve at room temperature or slightly warm.

Hazelnut Praline Ice Cream

If you don’t have an ice cream machine you can pour the ice cream into a plastic container and place in the freezer, beating at 30 minute intervals to break up the ice crystals till frozen fully to desired consistency, this can take up to 4 hours to set firm. You could replace the hazelnuts with almonds or pistachios. You could also add chopped chocolate to the mix before churning for a chocolate chip version.

Dietary: Vegan, Gluten free | Serves 4

Prep time: 20 minutes | Churn time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 100g caster sugar
• 100g skinned hazelnuts
• 1 x 400g tin coconut milk
• 4 tbsp agave syrup
• 3 tbsp almond or hazelnut liqueur

Method

1. Melt the sugar in a saucepan until no crystals are visible, and the caramel is a deep reddish colour.
2. Remove from the heat, and add the nuts, stirring quickly to coat.
3. Tip out onto a greased piece of parchment on a heatproof surface (such as a wooden board) and allow to cool completely.
4. Break up the praline, place in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin a few times. Pour the broken praline into a blender and process until fine and crumbly.
5. Add the coconut milk, agave syrup and liqueur, blend the mixture till nearly smooth.
6. Churn for 30 minutes or until frozen in an icecream machine.

Amaretti Biscuits

Amaretti biscuits are traditionally made with whipped egg white, but they work just as well with whipped aquafaba.

Dietary: Vegan | Makes 20 small amaretti

Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 18 minutes

Ingredients

• 50g aquafaba (chickpea water)
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• Pinch salt
• 1 tsp ground spice (ginger, cinnamon or cardamom)
• 50g caster sugar
• 100g ground hazelnuts
• 50g ground pistachios
• 25g ground almonds
• 55g self-raising flour
• 30g icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190C/170CFan.
2. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.
3. Whisk the aquafaba with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt until firm, gradually whisk a spoon at a time of caster sugar into the aquafaba, whisk for a few minutes until the mixture is shiny and stiff.
4. Whisk in the ground spice, then fold in the ground nuts and flour.
5. Drop a teaspoon of mix into a bowl of icing sugar and roll gently into a small smooth ball, well coated in icing sugar.
6. Make 20 small balls and arrange on the baking parchment lined tray.
7. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes depending on if you like them soft or crisp.
8. Cool to set.

Delicious food photography by Rob Wicks of Eat Pictures.

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