SMALL NO-BAKE LOW-FAT CHOCOLATE LIME CREAM PIE, low sugar, make ahead

Small households shouldn't be deprived of creamy scrumptious desserts 

Heavenly scents of lime, deeply creamy, darkly chocolate but lower in fat 
'Really lovely base; I'd have liked more lime.' 'Gorgeous!' 

This impressive Skinnier Chocolate and Lime Cream Pie from 67's kitchen is an American-diner-style indulgence but with lower fat and sugar.

Replacing double cream with whipping cream and some cream cheese with 0-fat yoghurt means damage to health is limited but pleasure remains high.  

There is no baking involved in Chocolate Lime Cream Pie but there will be melting of chocolate and butter.  Both the base and the filling can be made the night before.

If serving away from home, paper plates and spoons are a must.

Cost: £3.00'ish
Serves: 2-3 greedy people

Ingred:
   70gms/2.4oz chocolate biscuits bashed till well crumbled or coarsely processed (67 used leftover chocolate shortbread but store-bought chocolate digestives or cheap as chips Bourbon biscuits - 35p at M&S - with icing removed are fine)
     20g/10z gm melted butter

   25g/scant 1oz whole-fat or 30% fat-reduced cream cheese, left out for a few hours or zapped for 20 secs in the microwave
   60gm/2.1 gm 0-fat Greek yoghurt (Total/Fage preferred) OR any 0-fat plain yoghurt strained 4 hours or overnight 

   25gm/1oz white baking chocolate, melted
   1/4 tsp vanilla extract
   fine zest of 2 large limes
   2-3 tbsp lime juice OR 1 tbsp lime juice plus 1/2 generous tbsp orange liquor 
    
   125 ml whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks

   Garnish: segments of lime (opt)

Method:

PRETTY AS A PICTURE CHERRY PEACH PIE: (ARCHIVE) Indulgence, contains alcohol

Peaches & Cherry in a eye-catching puff pastry envelope ...    

                                                         first posted 2019 as  Peach & Cherry Jalousie; updated 6/25

Nothing like alcohol-soaked soft fruit in puff pastry (with no-alcohol opt)
'Very good!' 'subtle but unmistakeable taste of whiskey & cinnamon'

Take this eye-catching puff pastry tart stuffed with peaches & cherries on a tray, to a picnic.  

A gorgeous treat - known as a Jalousie - the tart is a French frippery modelled after parallel window blinds.  67's twist is in the flavouring: cinnamon whiskey.  It's food for the gods.

There are 3 choices of pastry: frozen, ready-rolled or home-made rough puff .

FROZEN BUTTER PASTRY* needs planning: at least 36 hours before needed, take it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge.  A package contains two 2 X 8.5x10inch/ 22x26 cm rectangles.

READY ROLLED BUTTER FREE puff pastry sheets(M&S)** don't require defrosting and are ready to go whenever you are.  They come in a large single sheet and costs more than frozen. Unless you're making a half-sized jalousie, you'll probably need 2.  A larger jalousie will need more fruit for the filling and probably an extra 10-15 mins baking. 

MAKE YOUR OWN home-made rough puff is to die for...but maybe not in a heatwave.  Best saved for autumn/winter when the warmth of the kitchen and delicious smells wrap round like a blanket.    

 
Conscious of the cost of living crisis, this recipe focuses on frozen pastry.  But depending on the size of the crowd and the budget, two ready-rolled puff pastry sheets (see instructions above) will work well, too.  

Prep for the pie starts the night before serving.  It's best eaten as soon as possible out of the oven.

Cost: £5.00'ish (2025)
Makes: 4-6 portions

Ingreds:
   1 pkt frozen puff pastry (2 x 200gm) defrosted (Waitrose) 

   2.5 good-sized peaches/nectarines, peeled, cut in 16 wedges
   120gm/4.2gm cherries, de-stemmed, halved and pits removed

   3-4 tbsp cinnamon flavoured whiskey, divided (opt) OR whisky, brandy, orange or grape juice mixed with 1/8 tsp cinnamon 

   4-6 tbsp ground almonds, rice flour or finely milled breadcrumbs  

   1 egg

Icing (opt):
   juices drained from fruit
   1/2 cup of icing sugar    
Blend until smooth and flowing; if too thick, add a bit of milk or a little more alcohol

Method:

1. The night before: remove pastry from freezer, place in bottom of fridge: put fruit in separate bowls; stir in alcohol (or juice); cover; refrigerate 
2. On the day: preheat oven to 220c/210fan/220f
3. Beat egg with 1 tbsp water; set aside 
4. Leaving one layer of pastry in the fridge; roll out the other to a 9inch/23cm square; place on a baking sheet lined with silicone mat or greaseproof paper; brush a 1 inch/2.5cm border with the egg wash
5. Sprinkle a layer of ground almonds within the egg washed border 
6. Drain peach slices & cherry halves, reserving juice; dry them with a paper towel
7. Arrange peach slices neatly inside the border
   
   
   
8.  Scatter cherry halves over.   If you think the fruit needs it, sprinkle over 1-2 tbsp sugar 
9. Take the second piece of pastry, fold it in half lengthwise;with a sharp knife, slice the centre at an angle
   
10. Open out and spread over pastry base and fruit; seal edges with the tines of a fork (if done properly the top layer will appear as chevrons; 67's has stripes because the second layer of pastry wasn't cold enough and the chevrons stretched!)
11. Brush all over with egg wash
    
12. Bake 10mins, reduce heat to 190c/375; bake a further 15mins until golden, moving tray from front to back for even browning
13. Meanwhile whisk 2 tbsp leftover fruit juices with 1/3-1/2 cup icing sugar, adding a little more liquid if necessary - tablespoon by tablespoon - until it's smooth and flowing; set aside
14. When jalousie is cooked, rest in tray 5 mins then slide - on its mat or greaseproof paper - onto a wire rack; cool another 5 mins
15. Drizzle icing over the jalousie; serve with ice cream, whipped cream or yoghurt flavoured with vanilla and a little sugar

Comments:

'My lodger and I shared this and even though I'd burnt it badly at the edges reheating it, we both thought it was very very good.' Political agent

'The warmer you eat this, the better.' Retired writer

Tips: 

• puff pastry from supermarkets like Sainsbury's, Asda etc are cheaper than Waitrose & M&S but the Blogger has not tested them
• bargain nectarines and peaches** are maddening -  getting them all to ripen at the same time isn't easy and they go from ripe to oversoft easily.  But place them, without touching, in a brown paper bag stabbed with a few holes and they ripen quickly and evenly in 3 days
• to help loosen peach/nectarine skins, drop into a bowl of boiling water for 2-3 mins or until skins come away from the flesh a little;  remove, plunge into ice water; a very sharp paring knife will make the task easier
• 67 doesn't have a cherry pitting device but cherries are sometimes so fat and juicy, they are easily halved and the stones easily loosened with a sharp knife or end of a paper clip

*Waitrose own brand

**M&S

Please leave a Comment in the box below

This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.     

PENSIONERS' DELIGHT: MEDITERRANEAN RICE SALAD , high fibre

Don't forget to have a look at Welcome to the Blog 

for tips on current food bargains and the latest health news & advice

A rice salad stuffed with Mediterranean flavours & textures is perfect for budget lunch al fresco...

Every spoonful a winner; add plenty of chilled white wine & crispy baguette
'I LOVED IT.  It's colourful &  the salami promises a special treat. The spiced olives gave an extra tangy surprise.' Political activist

Some rice salads are boring and uninteresting.  This one, from 67goingon50, is a stormtrooper.

Stuffed with tomatoes, cucumber, olives, pickled onions & celery, as well as cold cuts and deli sun- blush tomatoes and cheese, it's almost a feast. It'll certainly satisfy the appetite, with or without a baguette or crackers on the side.

And it is surprisingly wallet-friendly, especially with supermarkets 3-fer-£8 specials on deli meats, fish and antipasti (olives, sun-blush toms, mozzarella balls).  At M&S, you can mix and match from each category, which means it's even more of a bargain; there'll be enough items left over for one more dish later in the week.    

67 has added a healthy twist by using brown rice, which adds a nutty taste and hearty texture.  Some people say the rice is just like a slightly chewier white rice. Whatever...it sure tastes good while helping the digestion and keeping the gut working well.  

67 also added home-made pickled red onions and celery to add a bit of pizzaz.

The salad is layered in a glass bowl to show off its contents.

Cost: £4'ish

Feeds: 2-3

Ingredients:

    150gm/5.3oz brown rice, cooked according to package instructions, rinsed & drained well

    minimum 50gm/1.7oz Italian or Spanish salami, kept cool

    1/2 cup cucumber in bite-size chunks

    1/3 cup coarsely chopped tomatoes, seeds removed 

    1/3 cup (pref) Greek Halkidiki olives with pepper (olives will be fine but will alter the salad's flavour)

    small handful sun-blush tomatoes, peeled (optional)

    30g/1.3oz thinly sliced raw red onion, pickled (recipe below)

    30g/1.3oz celery, thinly sliced and pickled (recipe below)

     1/3 cup small balls mozzarella or feta chunks or shavings of parmesan (67 used goats cheese which was in the fridge)

Garnish: parsley sprigs or spears of chives 

Dressing

    4 tbsp good olive oil
    1 tbsp lemon juice/white wine vinegar/cider vinegar
    good pinch salt and 1/8 tsp pepper, pref coarsely ground
    1 rounded tbsp Dijon mustard
Pour all ingredients into a jar with a tight fitting lid; shake until thick and blended. Check seasoning.

Almost-Instant No-Effort Pickled Veg

   30g/1.3oz thinly sliced red onions 

pickled red onions

   30g/1.3oz picked celery 

For each veg:

2 tablespoons vinegar (any type)

1/2 tsp sugar

1/3 tsp salt

Whisk brine ingredients for each veg in separate bowls.  Add veg, leave 10 mins, stirring & squeezing occasionally till softened but still holding its shape.  Drain before use (save  leftover brine for salad dressings).

Method:

FRESH CHERRY DESSERTS FROM THE ARCHIVE

There is nothing nicer than fresh cherries, whether eaten by hand straight from a tree or buried in gorgeous desserts.  And there are loads of lovely black cherries in the supermarkets right now, with large punnets offering best value.

Here are a few of 67goingon50 favourite cherry treats: one wildly indulgent, one a dieter's delight, one quick and easy and another, a cheats' treat.

Lower-Sugar Cherry & Coconut Macaroons
Indescribably yummy lower-sugar Cherry Coconut Macarons inspired by the London Royal Opera House: low fat, quick & easy. Short cooking time.
'Yum.  The cherries make these very moist.' Taster

No-bake Cherry Garcia Cream Pie
 super-indulgence, contains alcohol, not healthy
'Alas my concealed stash of Cherry Garcia pie was discovered by persons unknown so I never did get to taste it - but everyone said it was delicious!' Garden Party/Fete organiser  

 Cherry Almond Slices, Dieters' Delight
Cherry Bakewell without pastry or jam, lower fat/sugar 
'Absolutely gorgeous; the sweet of my dreams!' Weight-watching Taster

Cheats' Black Forest Trifle
  Simple, light but ever-so-delicious, with if you like a little help from supermarket sponge, custard and a tin of cherries (though fresh is best)  'Fantastic.  Loved the bits of fruit; the sponge was chocolately without being dense and the cream wasn't heavy.'

These recipes has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.