A little bit of Christmas goes a long way Peanut Brittle
Each fortnight Spotswood College and New Plymouth Boys’ High School showcase the talents and tasty treats of their students who take food subjects, with a focus on lifelong skills that can be used every day to enhance the benefits of a healthy diet and li
Another year has flown by and Christmas is just around the corner, so we would like to dedicate this Kai with Soul to Christmas desserts, and not the traditional ones like brandy snaps, pavlova and trifle. They just turn up around Christmas by themselves.
Today we have the year 9 boys making an Italian tiramisu, peanut brittle from America and banoffee pie from the United Kingdom.
The excitement levels were high when we let them know what they were making, so imagine what they would be like after they have eaten these sugar-rich desserts.
Which brings us today’s theme of sensible celebrating with food over the fes- tive period.
All of us let our guard down over the holidays with a ‘‘she’ll be right’’ attitude and overindulge with food and drink, only to then turn around and make a resolution in the new year to right the wrongs.
There are many things that can be done to help minimise the size of the resolution that we will all be making in the new year.
Start by looking at the size of the portion you are eating. Around Christmas time there are normally a lot of different selections of foods. A little of each can quickly fill your plate to make it look like Mt Taranaki, so be selective with what you choose to eat.
Try to get a range of nutrients on your plate. Often there are many carbohydrate and sugar-rich foods that take over. Try to have some protein (meats, fish), a range of colourful vegetables and a couple of small carbohydrate sides.
Keep your portions moderate. You can probably go back for seconds. Use a smaller plate for your main meal.
Eat slowly and savour the food. Someone has spent time and love cooking it, so make sure you appreciate it.
If you feel full, stop eating. Exercise. While it may be good to take a break from your regular exercise routine, you can find other fun ways to get your 30 mins a day.
Here we are looking at portion sizes, as our dishes are high in sugar.
We are making individual banoffee pies, and the brittle, sponge roulade and tiramisu will be served in small portions.
The Heart Foundation recommends using your hand as an easy way to check the size of your food portions.
When serving up for someone else, use the size of their hand. You can use this guide for planning children’s meals as well; just remember they have much smaller hands (and appetites!) than adults.
If you’re looking to reduce portion sizes it’s a good idea to initially focus on processed food, which is normally high in salt, sugar, and saturated fat.
Then move on to the meat, cheese and carbohydrate components of a meal.
If you’re afraid your plate will look a little empty, why not fill it with more vegetables?
These can be low cost if bought in season, or buy packets of frozen vegetables.
Whichever way you choose to eat your vegetables they should be eaten in larger quantities than other foods. It can be very easy to over serve, and therefore overeat, especially when you are hungry. Use these guides to help you create servings of the following food types:
❚ A closed fist is a good guide for a portion of starchy carbohydrate foods like taro, potato, rice, banana and bread. Tip – if you want more than one carbohydrate in your meal, reduce the size of each one, so the total is the size of one fist.
❚ The palm of your hand is a good guide for a portion of red meat or chicken and fish. Tip – The thickness of the meat should be about the same thickness as the palm of your hand.
❚ Your two hands cupped together is a good guide for the portion of non-starchy vegetables like carrots, broccoli, beetroot, cauliflower or eggplant. There is often a feeling of taking off all restrictions when it comes to holiday eating, and while we are not trying to be the fun police, maybe it’s time to change the enjoyment of Christmas food from large quantities, to enjoying foods you don’t normally have.
Enjoy and be mindful of the festive food and drink that is on offer over the holidays.
Hari Kirihimete!
Tiramisu
❚ 1 tsp vanilla essence
❚ 3 egg yolks
❚ 1/4 cup caster sugar
❚ 250g mascarpone cheese
❚ 300ml cream, lightly whipped to thicken
❚ 1 cup strong, freshly brewed coffee
❚ 6 Tbsp coffee liqueur (Kahlua or Tia Maria… this was NOT used in ours and is optional)
❚ 1 packet (16 large) sponge fingers or savoiardi biscuits (found at your local supermarket)
❚ 2 Tbsp cocoa
Over a large pan of simmering water place a medium bowl.
In it, whisk vanilla, egg yolks and caster sugar until thick, pale and creamy.
Remove from heat and cool.
Beat the mascarpone and fold into the whipped cream then fold into the egg mixture.
Mix the coffee with the coffee liqueur. Dunk the sponge fingers quickly in the coffee mixture, making sure they are completely immersed.
Don’t leave them in for more than a second or two as they can turn soggy.
Layer the sponge fingers in a serving dish and top with half the mascarpone cream.
Repeat with another layer of sponge and top with the remaining cream. Sift cocoa evenly over the top. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours before serving.
❚ 375g unsalted peanuts
❚ 4 cups caster sugar
❚ 2 cups water
❚ 150g butter, chilled and cubed
Line 2 slice trays (28 x 18 cm) with baking paper. Spread half of the peanuts in each tray and set aside.
Place the caster sugar and water in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and whisk together until the sugar is dissolved.
Bring to the boil and continue to boil for 25 minutes until the sugar mixture is a light golden brown.
Use a wet pastry brush to brush down the sides of the pan and then remove from heat and quickly whisk in butter.
Pour half of the mixture into each tray and rotate so all of the peanuts are covered.
Leave to set. Break into shards and serve.
Mini Banoffee Pie
While whipped cream is the original topping, we had egg whites left over from the Tiramisu so we got the boys to whip them up with a little sugar and pipe that on top of the pie then lightly grill them for something a little bit different. Either way, it is a delicious dessert.
This will make 1 large pie or 12 small ones.
❚ Base: 1 packet malt biscuits
❚ 100g butter (melted)
❚ Caramel:
❚ 1 can caramel condensed milk
❚ Filling:
❚ 2 bananas (sliced)
❚ 300ml cream (whipped) or Meringue
❚ Topping: Grated chocolate bar or cocoa powder
For the base: Crush the malt biscuits, melt butter and mix together.
Line a 12 hole muffin tray with muffin paper and press the biscuit mixture into the tin, make a hollow in the middle for the caramel to sit and place in the freezer to set.
Once set spoon in 1T of the tinned caramel into the hollow and place in the fridge.
Arrange the banana slices over the caramel and top with whipped cream or meringue (If using the meringue lightly grill (or use a blowtorch) till they turn a golden brown).
Sprinkle the chocolate or cocoa over the whipped cream and serve.
Sponge Roulade
Try filling this with whipped cream or lemon curd. By adding 2T of cocoa powder to the sponge mix you will have a chocolate sponge. Lightly toast some coconut and sprinkle this onto the baking paper that you are using to roll the sponge up in.
❚ 3 medium eggs
❚ 75 g caster sugar
❚ 75 g plain flour
❚ 1 teaspoon caster sugar for dusting
❚ Sprinkle of icing sugar for the final touches
❚ 1/4 cup jam
Preheat the oven to 2000C. Grease and line the swiss roll tin or a flat baking tray with baking paper.
Using an electric hand mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until thick and creamy and leaves a trail.
Sieve the flour and fold into the mixture carefully with 1 tbsp hot water, trying not to knock out too much air.
Place into the prepared tin and tilt the tin to level the mixture, making sure it goes right into the corners.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until springy to the touch. Dust a large piece of baking paper with caster sugar and turn the sponge out onto it.
Trim off the hard edges and make a dent along the width, 1cm in. From this end, roll it up with the paper in the middle.
Cool on a wire rack. Once cooled unroll and spread the jam all over the sponge until it is spread evenly and reroll.
Slice into small rounds and serve.