Conference turris::cooks

    
    I like a nice fruit salad as the diet I am on disallows may foods
    including sugar, so a fruit dessert is my main stand-by.  This one
    I now do with whatever fruits are available, but I really like the
    raspberry flavour to it.  Quantities here are entirely guesswork.
    
    8oz raspberries ( frozen or fresh )
    8 sweet dried apricots soaked
    2 ripe pears
    Grapes
    1-2 Apples
    Mango or pineapple or both
    Any other fruit that takes your fancy
    4-5 kiwi fruit
    Additional apple juice concentrate if more sweetness desired
    
    Sieve the raspberries through a fine sieve into bowl to collect
    all the juice possible.
    Cut the apricots into strips and add to juice
    Slice other fruit into bite size pieces reserving the kiwi fruit
    and add to the raspberry juice
    Peel and slice kiwi fruit finely adding any off cuts to rest of
    fruit.  Mix and taste for sweetness
    Add apple concentrate slightly diluted, if desired to increase volume
    of juice and sweetness, bu don't overdo it.
    Place in serving bowl
    arrange kiwi slices over the fruit, keep cool until time to serve
    
    Linda

    

    A fruit and cheese plate is always nice -- crisp pears and a mild
    firm cheese make a good combination.
    
    --bonnie

    I recently had a dinner party where I served all - low calorie,
    low fat, lo cholestrol food including the dessert and it was a big
    success. The dessert follows:
    
    POACHED PEARS IN A RASPBERRY SAUCE
    
    for each person you will need 1 pear - don't get them too ripe.
    
    Peel pears - remove seeds from bottom with mellon baller - slice
    a small piece of bottom off so that pear will stand up - don't remove
    the stem.  Please pears in a pan of water and and steam for about
    10 minutes or until pears are slightly tender - cool pears in the
    water.  When they are cold you can put in fridg.
    
    To make the sauce you simply put a package of raspberrys (frozen
    that have been thawed) in the blender add 1 pkg of sweet and low
    and blend.  I put mine through a seive to remove the seeds then
    chill.  
    
    When you are ready to serve place a spoonful of sauce in middle
    of plate put on the pear and then a small dollop of sauce on top.
    
    It makes a beautiful presentation, looks good and tastes wonderful.
    
    It might sound complicated but it really isn't.
    
    Anne

    	I got a great idea from this notesfile to make your own jello.
    I usually squeeze fresh orange juice for the base, heat part of the
    orange juice to dissolve unflavored jelatin (recipe on box) and add
    fresh fruit when it is partly jelled. It is delicious.
    
    	Baked apples, that have been coored and filled with rasins and
    cinnamon are great. If you want to dress it up a bit you could whip
    cream and add vanilla for slight sweetness.
    
    	I have made tarts from fruit only which are fantastic
    
    	Baked pancakes are very good as well. I bought a pan that was
    advertised as a german pancake pan, it's like a paella pan. Basically,
    you make a gigantic popover and add fruit.
    
    Linda
    

Banana Bread with Chocolate

    This recipe comes from the cookbook, Sweet and Sugar Free. I modified
    it to include chocolate.
    
3 large or 4 medium sized, very ripe bananas
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/4 cup water
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 ounce unsweetened or semi-sweet baking chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Use steel blade in food processor, process bananas until mashed well.
Remove bananas from food processor into a large mixing bowl.
Put eggs, oil, and water into processor and process on/off a few times
until mixed. Remove egg mixture to mixing bowl.
Fold flour and dry ingredients into banana and egg mixture until mixed well.
Melt chocolate in top of double boiler.
Grease and flour 9"x5" bread pan.
Mix 1/3 batter with melted chocolate.
Spread 1/3 batter into bread pan, spoon chocolate mixture into pan and
carefully spread chocolate, top with remaining 1/3 batter, spread batter
covering up all chocolate.
Useing a blunt knife, drag knife through all layers of the batter back and 
forth a few times spreading the chocolate mixture.
Bake about 45 to 55 minutes.
    

    If you don't count fructose as sugar...
    
    Mango Falooda:
    
    1 cup peeled sliced mango or paw-paw
    1 cup natural yoghurt
    1 cup cream
    
    Blend the fruit to make a puree.
    Whip the yoghurt and cream until beginning to thicken.
    Fold the fruit puree into the cream/yoghurt mixture.  Don't stir it too
    much - the fruit should appear as 'streaks' in the finished product.
    Spoon into individual bowls and serve with slivered almonds sprinkled
    on top.
    
    This is supposedly a tradional Indian dessert - I have made it
    successfully with fresh peaches and apricots as well.  You can use
    canned fruit, but get the kind that has no added sugar, and drain well
    before use.
    
    -Robin
    

For "adults" (whatever your mental age):

	fresh strawberries, chilled.  Place in decorative stemmed
	dessert dish or goblet.  Pour 2 - 3 tablespoons strawberry
	liqueur (or other fruit flavor or creme de menthe) over
	fruit.  Serve with 2 - 3 delicate and crisp cookies.

	fresh ripe-but-firm pears, peeled, poached in water just
	until tender to the fork.  Chill in the water bath.
	place in a pretty dessert dish/flat bowl.  Pour 2 - 3
	tablespoons green creme de menth over the pear.  Serve
	with a little more creme de menthe on the side for
	dipping as desired.

For "children" (same as above):

	Heat two cups of your favorite fruit juice/fruit juice
	cocktail just to boiling.  Stir in 1 packet of unflavored
	gelatin, stirring until thoroughly dissoved.  Add 2
	cups chilled fruit juice, either the same flavor or a
	complementary flavor (cranberry juice cocktail and guava
	juice, for instance).  Chill until the consistency of
	egg whites.  Stir in up to 2 cups chopped, drained fruit.
	Pour into a fancy mold.  Chill until firm.  Unmold by
	dipping in hot water just to the rim of the mold for
	30 seconds, shake side to side to loosen, place wet
	plate over the mold and turn over onto table.  Pull the
	mold off the jelly (official name).  Serve with fresh
	fruit garnish.

	good combo:  pineapple juice with canned mandarin orange
		      segments (drained well-they come packed
		      in juice).  

    Re .7:
    Unfortunately, most liqueurs contain sugar.
    An alternative that I have had is similar to your kids recipe, except
    you mix the gelatine with a little hot water, stir it into some dry
    champagne, and pour that over the fruit to set.  I have seen it done in
    those saucer-type champagne glasses with hollow stems, and the
    champagne bubbles become set in the jelly, like a photograph!
    
    -Robin.
    

    
    Alba Choc Candy bar 
  
    1 pkg of choc alba (dry) 
    1/4 crushed Pinapple juice (Drain the juice out) 
    
    Mix the two together well place in foil and place in the freezer until 
    frozen.  Take out and eat believe me they taste just like a choc candy
    bar. Make 2 bars. 
    
    Sandi  :)