Guest Chef Pete Blake: Apple, Date and Fruit Bread Pudding

 

"All the arts are conduits for the expression of this deep human longing for unity, but it is only in the art of food preparation and eating that this oneness is actually physically achieved. This is part of what makes eating such a powerful experience and metaphor: food art is eaten and becomes us. It enters as object and becomes subject; what is “not-me” is transformed into “me." - Will Tuttle, The World Peace Diet.

We all have those moments when we crave the nourishment of a little comfort food, in particular the richness of a sweet and rib-sticking desert. It's also these times when it's nice to have a healthy but satisfying option that allows us to not just indulge the heart and soul but also to feed the body. So when I recently had cravings for something of this kind I came up with this pudding recipe. While it still feels indulgent and not something to eat all the time, it isn't laden with the overly processed sugars and fats that will only create havoc on our bodies and emotions. 

This can be eaten hot or cold. I prefer it cold, served with a warm tumeric spiced plant milk custard, and fruit nice-cream. And sometimes, like in the photo, with some rich chocolate avocado mousse. You can take it to whatever level you like. An alternative suggestion is to add small pieces of dried or crystallized ginger on top of the apple before pouring over the date mixture. 

Apple, Date and Fruit Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of unsweetened soy milk
• Half a cup of rice malt syrup
• 1 cup of dried pitted dates
• Several slices of your favourite loaf of fruit bread
• Half a teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 1 red apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon of cornflour, mixed with enough cold water to create a paste.

Method:

• Place the soy milk and dates into a saucepan and heat over the stove top on a moderate heat, stiring.
• Once the dates have started to break down into the soy milk and start to form a paste, take off the heat and stir through the rice syrup and vanilla. Allow to cool for a bit then stir in the cornflour mixture and combine well.
• In an oven dish add a layer of fruit bread followed by an even layer of the sliced apple. Pour over the date mixture and then layer on whatever apple is left, if any, before finishing with a layer of fruit bread.
• Gently push on the top of the fruit bread to make sure it's sitting well into the date mixture.
• Cover and bake in the oven at 150/160 C for 45 minutes, or until the apple has become soft.
• Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

#vegan #recipe #healthlyliving #dessert
@the.anima.project