What’s not to love – fruit is colourful, juicy, great-tasting and good for you! Sweet or sour, as the star attraction or support act in savoury dishes or desserts, here are some of my favourite fruit recipes.
Fruit Leather Walnut Rolls Fruit leather, pestil in Turkish, is popular all over the Middle East and Eastern Europe. It’s fruit juice or pulp that’s been dried into chewy strips, originally to preserve excess summer fruit for winter. It’s pastel in Armenian, pastilos in Greek and is also known as bastik in some parts of […]
Date & Almond Ladies Fingers The inspiration for these delicious date & almond ladies fingers comes from my friend Janni Kyritsis, who uses the same technique to make simple savoury snacks filled with anchovy, feta or olives. I don’t have a very sweet tooth and I love the contrast of the salted butter and subtle […]
Orange, Almond & Date Salad Once you discover how easy it is to segment an orange (see video below), you’ll be making this simple dessert regularly. Use vivid Persian pistachio slivers instead of almonds if you like (no need to toast them) or add some pitted olives, chopped parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper for […]
Pomegranate Sorbet I love this Italian pomegranate sorbet – and the Italian name for pomegranates, melograno meaning ‘many seeds’. It’s so appropriate for this jewel-like fruit. This simple pomegranate sorbetto, with its balanced sweet/sour flavour from the pomegranate juice, lemon and pomegranate molasses, is inspired by my friend Giovanni Pilu. Giovanni taught me that using […]
Lemon & Ginger Rice This deliciously fresh lemon and ginger pilau is a great accompaniment to any Indian dish, especially seafood or poultry. You can make lemon and ginger rice very easily in a rice cooker but might need to make a little extra as most rice cookers won’t cook less than 300g (2 rice […]
Mango Lassi Sometimes made with buttermilk instead of, or as well as, yoghurt, lassi is a refreshing drink that can be served for breakfast or as a snack at any time. It can be flavoured with pureed fruit such as mango or made in more of a savoury style seasoned with spices like saffron or […]
Caramelised Baked Strawberries This easy dessert of baked strawberries is inspired by one my friend Janni Kyritsis taught me when we wrote Wild Weed Pie together. Throughout much of the year, strawberries are more about colour than taste. Baking them, especially with a touch of sugar, brings out their natural flavour. Baked strawberries make a […]
Saffron Poached Pears I love the simplicity of these saffron poached pears that chef Janni Kyritsis taught me to make many years ago. At MG Garage he served them alongside a delicate cardamom-scented blancmange made with yoghurt – I like them with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or dollop of Chantilly cream, or […]
Glutinous Red Rice with Lychees I love glutinous rice desserts and have always wanted to experiment with them so, inspired by a dish that chef Mark Jensen served me several years ago, I came up with this easy glutinous red rice dessert served with lychees. It’s quick too, as long as you get organised and […]
Pink Grapefruit & Passionfruit Ice Cream This pink grapefruit and passionfruit ice cream is a variation on a sherbet recipe I make with all sorts of different fruits. I like the tang of grapefruit with the sweetness of passionfruit – a combination I came up with to try an unusual syrup. Fassionola is a sugar […]
