Dessert and wine to finish the Christmas table

Here’s our fourth and final week offering festive recipes from the island’s chefs. 

This week culinary nutritionist Ashley Tucker gives us an apple pie we don’t have to feel too guilty about but that is still sweet and delicious. 

There are a few health nuts sneaked in to the crumble and the apple peel stays on. And she even has an alternative for anyone with diabetes. 

Best

We have also trawled through the best wines to pair with the different meats on your Christmas table. 

We hope you’ve been inspired by the dishes we have gathered and that you will use them and save them for years to come. Happy holidays to one and all!

Ingredients

Crumble

•  1 cup cashews (or whatever nut and seed combination you want)

•  1/2 tsp       sea salt

•  1 cup oat flour

•  1/2 cups oats

•  1/4-1/3c coconut milk or hemp milk (or something like it)

•  1/2 tsp ginger, powder (**Reserve for sprinkling crumble before placing in oven)

•  1 tsp ginger, fresh paste

•  1/4 cups butter or an alternative

•  1/4 c cane sugar or Demerara

•  2 tbsp Stevia (the’ready to use for baking’ type).

Filling

•  3 apples, small diced (I used granny smith only because organic selection was limited)

•  1/2 cups apple sauce

•  1/4 cups brown rice syrup

•  1/4 tsp nutmeg

•  1/2tsp cinnamon

•  1 tsp vanilla

•  1/2 lemon juiced

•  1/2 orange (use half of the zest from an orange only)

Method:

•  Preheat oven to 375F. 

•  Add all the ingredients for the filing in a bowl and let stand in whatever container(s) you decide to bake in. I did a few small and one bigger unit. 

•  Place cashews or big nuts in food processer to break up into pieces and chunks the size of peas or dimes.  If using a combination with seeds like pumpkin I would leave them whole for adding visual and crunch component.

•  In a bowl, add all the ingredients for the crumble *accept for the coconut milk. Work the butter into the flour, grains and make into a clumpy (doesn’t have to be perfect) mixture.

•  Drizzle the coconut milk into the crumble a little at a time. You want the crumble to be able to be held together when you clump it in your hand but don’t want it to be too sticky.

•  Pop the apples into the bowls, and top with the crumble and dried ground ginger.

•  Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown colour is achieved.

Can enjoy with a drizzle of honey and/or a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Diabetes got you?

Brown Rice Syrup- if you are watching your simple sugars, feel free to substitute the brown rice syrup with 1tbsp of Stevia- the ‘ready to use for baking’ type. It brings the sugar content per serving down to 15g of sugars. Otherwise, enjoy the malty flavours that the syrup lends to the recipe.

Find the perfect wine for your choice of meat

By Mikaela Ian Pearman

In addition to the delicious food for Christmas, the beverages are just as important.

Any good dinner can pair well with wine, whether you prefer red, white or some bubbles.

Mat McDonald of Two Rock Wine Company offered his picks for the best wines for the holidays and what to drink them with. Most of the wines are available at Two Rock and the ones that aren’t are available from  Miles Market.

Turkey

 For the turkey lovers, McDonald said: “Everyone looks at Pinot Noir and Gamay as a great match with turkey.

“You can’t go wrong here but if you are looking for something different, Chardonnay is a great option.

“We have Ata Rangi Craighall Chardonnay 2011 for the New World lovers and a beautiful Meursault Les Narvaux 2010 from Vincent Girardin if you prefer Burgundy.”

• Ata Rangi Craighall Chardonnay 2011, Martinborough, New Zealand is $36.00 and VincentGirardin Meursault Les Narvaux 2010 France is $40 at Miles.

Ham

For those who prefer ham, McDonald said Pinot Noir is our choice with ham. Two wines jump to mind.

• Ma Maison New Zealand Pinot Noir 2011 offers luscious dark fruit with great structure while Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir made near the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, is our top choice.

Ma Maison Pinot Noir 2011, Martinborough, New Zealand is $27.50 and Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2010, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa is $44.00.

Beef

And for those who prefer a nice piece of beef, McDonald said: “We love Bordeaux with beef and 2009 Reserve de la Comtesse from Pauillac is a great choice.

“Alternatively, I enjoyed a Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas 2011 which would be an absolute stunner with beef.

“The last of highly allocated wine is available at Miles.”

Reserve de la Comtesse 2009, Pauillac, France is $57.50 and Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas 2011, France is $42.25 at Miles.

And finally, if you want to sip something with a bit of fizz, McDonald said: “We have some great options. Veuve Fourny Blancs be Blanc Premier Cru Non Vintage is $38.50 a bottle.

“Pierre Peters Cuvee de Reserve Grand Cru is $52.00. Both offer extraordinary value and are family owned growers/
vintners.”

For more information on Two Rock Wine Company, visit www.tworockwines.com or call 232 2325. The store is located at 7 Harvey Road.