Fresh Fruit And Granola Food

FRESH FRUIT COMPOTE WITH HOME-MADE GRANOLA

Steps:

• To make the granola, preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.
• Pour the apple juice into a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Continue boiling until the liquid has reduced by 2/3, and is syrupy. It's really important to get this bit right, as the apple syrup needs to be thick enough to lightly coat the oats.
• Add the oats and almonds to the pan with the apple syrup and stir until well combined. Tip everything on to the baking tray and spread out thinly. Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes.
• Take the tray out of the oven and scatter the dried fruit over the top. Turn and mix everything with a spatula or spoon and put the tray back in the oven for another 5 minutes or until the oats are crisp and lightly golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the tray, then tip the granola into an airtight tin or jar. This mixture is best eaten within 2 weeks.
• To make the compote, preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5. Peel the apples and cut them into quarters. Remove the cores and slice the apples thinly. Put the apples with the plums and half the sugar in a shallow ovenproof dish - a lasagne dish is ideal. Cover loosely with a sheet of foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Take the dish out of the oven and add the whole berry fruits to the dish. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and toss lightly together. Cover with foil and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes or until the fruit is soft and juicy but still holding its shape - it will continue to cook once you've taken it out of the oven. Leave the compote to cool, then tip it into a bowl and cover with cling film. It will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Serve the compote in bowls, topped with a couple of spoonfuls of the granola and some low-fat yoghurt if you like.

YOGURT CREME BRULEE WITH FRESH FRUIT AND GRANOLA

Steps:

• Mix together the yogurt and vanilla in a medium bowl until combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
• Put the berries in a small saucepan, add 1/4 cup water, and simmer until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add granulated sugar to taste and stir in the lemon juice. Let cool slightly.
• Divide the fruit among four 8-ounce ramekins and top with the granola. Fill the ramekins to the top with the yogurt (discard the vanilla bean if using). Cover and put in the freezer for 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of turbinado sugar over each ramekin. Caramelize the sugar with a blowtorch by slowly sweeping the flame back and forth. Let the sugar harden, about 2 minutes, before serving.

FRUIT & NUT GRANOLA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Heat the oil, honey and maple syrup together in a pan. Mix the oats, almonds, pine nuts, puffed rice and sesame seeds in a large mixing bowl. Pour over the honey mix, stir well to coat, then tip onto a large baking tray. Bake for 15 mins until everything is golden and crisp.
• Take the tray from the oven, leave to cool, then break up any big clumps. Mix together with the dried fruit and coconut shavings. Serve with Greek yogurt and fresh raspberries. The rest of the granola can be stored in a sealed jar and enjoyed over the next 2 weeks.

FRUIT AND YOGURT IN GRANOLA BOWLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray the tart tins (or muffin pan) with cooking spray and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, pecans, spices and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the honey, coconut oil and vanilla, mixing well. Add the honey mixture to the dry ingredients mixing well and making sure everything is well combined.
• Begin adding spoonfuls of the granola into the tart tins (or muffin pan) and gently press the granola down firmly and up the sides of the pan to form a bowl. Bake the granola bowls for 25-30 minutes until they are golden brown and have become firm. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• When ready to serve, spoon the Greek yogurt into each granola bowl, top with fresh fruit and drizzle with pure maple syrup. Serve immediately.

FRUIT AND NUT GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease an 8x8 glass pan.
• Place nuts and oats on a baking sheet, and bake for about 12 minutes or until lightly toasted.
• While oats and nuts are toasting, place in a saucepan over medium heat the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
• Stir until the mixture bubbles, and keep it boiling and stirring for about 2 minutes.
• When oats and nuts come out of the oven, turn it down to 325.
• Take the pan off the heat, and when the oats are finished, pour them right into the saucepan and mix to combine honey mixture evenly.
• Stir in the chopped dried fruit.
• Press mixture into the glass pan with the back of a spoon - it will be pretty sticky.
• Bake at 325 for 20 minutes, and let cool completely before cutting.
• Wrapped in saran wrap, these will keep for at least a couple of weeks!