BUDGET CREAMY FRESH FRUIT PUDDINGS: make-ahead; frugal, healthy, easy, opt for multiple layers

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Simple fresh fruit desserts with creamy toppings and knockout glaze ups the 'Wow!' factor' despite a budget...

 Easy dessert that looks like a million pounds but costs pennies!

We're all doing everything we can to save pennies when planning menus.  But don't think you can't afford a nice dessert on a tight budget. 

Creamy Fresh Fruit Puddings are gloriously velvety with an unexpected smoky glaze.  You only need a few ingredients: fresh soft fruit (or tinned in juice, not syrup), thick yoghurt, a bit of fruit juice, a little fresh (or dried) ginger and black (or brown) sugar. 

Served in small portions, the puddings are incredibly rich and filling.   That means the recipe goes a long way.   And it's very versatile. 

Fresh pineapple - often priced at under or around a pound in supermarkets - has its own recipe: Creamy Pineapple Pudding.  

Other recommended fruit include economy fresh orange segments (membranes removed) or ripen-at-home peaches/nectarines.   Expect to pay more for strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cherries unless they're in season and being sold in well-priced generously filled wooden pallets rather than single plastic punnets.  

O-fat Greek yoghurt doesn't normally break the bank but if you're really skint, a  cheap-as-chips large tub of plain unsweetened yoghurt, strained overnight in a sieve lined with a clean j-cloth (See how at the bottom of the page Salad Dressings), will achieve the right consistency and sweet tang that makes the dessert so popular.  

Cost: minimum £1.50 minimum, depending on the fruit

Feeds: 3-4

Equipment: small disposable 175ml plastic wine glasses (from Nisbets online,-they can be washed and re-used 2/3 times) or similar sized small pretty glasses

Ingredients:

generous 1.5 mugs fresh fruit in medium bite-sized pieces

zest & juice of 1 orange

1 generous teaspoon peeled, finely grated ginger OR 1/3 tsp powdered ginger

1 scant tablespoon muscavado/black or dark brown sugar

500gm thick unsweetened plain yoghurt

1 tablespoon muscovado/black or dark brown sugar per pudding

Method:

1. The night before serving, coarsely chop fruit; mix with ginger, sugar and orange juice
2. Place a layer of fruit & juice in bottom of small clear or fancy glasses 
3. Cover with yoghurt; garnish with a few shredded bits of chosen fruit. 
4. Evenly cover with a tablespoon muscavado or dark brown sugar; it will melt overnight forming a really, really delicious glaze

Comments:

'This is a great low-fat, low-sugar pudding.  The glaze is amazing!  I also tried a multi-layered pudding and it was fantastic.'  Retired writer

Tips:

• 

  Autumn Apple Pudding

  if serving adults, replace some or all of the orange juice with brandy or fruit liquo
• For a double or triple layer pudding: make smaller layers of fruit, yoghurt and sugar; cover with a layer of cake or bashed cookie crumbs and repeat 2 or 3 times. Top with whipped cream.  The berries, if sweet, can be unadorned; otherwise sweeten with a little maple syrup 
• if there are no problems with cholesterol, try a 50-50 mix of yoghurt and double cream thickly whipped with a bit of sugar and vanilla 

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This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.