Pineapple fluff...an easy, peasy, light dessert

First lets start with the definition of 'fluff'. Here's what I found on http://dictionary.reference.com/ , Fluff - a soft, light, downy mass; example- a fluff of summer clouds. And this is exactly how I would describe this dessert. With every mouthful, you feel like you're eating a soft, downy, sweet and pillowy cloud! With the added bonus of pineapple chunks scattered  in the mixture. Pineapple fluff was one of the first desserts I learned to make, probably around 17 years ago. And I still make it very often, because we all love it. And even though it has cream, it's not one of those desserts that will make you feel heavy and bloated. And you know what, I didn't know until this evening that this is quite a famous dessert in Sri Lanka. I always assumed only a few of us knew (shows how much I really know!). All thanks to the search God called Google! And it uses only 4 ingredients (that can be found in any kitchen) and 3 utensils (unless you're really messy). Now I guess I can be elevated to Angel status ( I am not yet up for Godliness, not sure I can handle it)! :)

I forgot to include light cream in the picture, but you can always pretend it's a healthy dessert :)

Here's the recipe for one of the easiest desserts ever, you'll be thanking me for ever.

Pineapple Fluff

see the frothy air bubbles on the surface, this is what makes this dessert so light

Ingredients
1 can - Pineapple in syrup or juice (canned pineapple)
5 tablespoon - granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon - gelatin granules ( sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tbsp of water in a small bowl and set aside to sponge)
400 ml - light cream ( I used Amul)

Directions
Drain the pineapple and pour the juice/ syrup into a medium sized saucepan. Cut the pineapple into small chunks and set aside.
Into the saucepan with the juice/ syrup, add the sugar and place on medium heat. Stir till the sugar dissolves.
When the juice/syrup starts to simmer, take off heat and immediately add the sponged gelatin and stir till completely dissolved. Set aside to cool.
When the sweetened syrup/ juice cools slightly, strain the mixture to remove any impurities and transfer it to a mixer jar and allow to cool completely. Then place the mixer jar in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes or until almost set, but with a nice wobble.
Plug the mixer jar in and blitz the mixture until nice, white and frothy ( it always reminds me of sea foam). Give it a stir and blitz again for a minute and refrigerate again for 20 minutes or until almost set.
Blitz the contents of the jar again after 20 minutes, then immediately add the cream and give a quick blitz to mix it all in.
Pour into a serving dish ( or ramekins if you want individual servings), add the chunks of pineapple and lightly stir with a spatula to spread it evenly. Cover with cling and allow to half-set on your kitchen counter for 20 minutes and then place the dish in the refrigerator until completely set. Serve chilled.

you can see the pineapple chunks at the bottom

You can substitute Lychees for the pineapple, just reduce the amount of sugar slightly. Anyway taste and go from there.
See, all done in just a few steps, didn't I tell you it was easy-peasy! Now go make some for yourself.

Oh! We went on the fisherman's Coracle in the Harangi Backwaters near our house. Here's a picture of the sunset from there.

spectacular...isn't it?

Until next time,
Happy Baking!!!

An icy cool welcome to Summer with Strawberry Sorbet

It's already March and Summer is here, bringing with it the sunny, sunny days. Bye, Bye winter with your bone chilling cold and dreary days. All through winter I am wrapped up in sweaters and thick socks all day long. Although it doesn't snow here, it's still pretty cold. But all that is gone now...my sweaters and socks are all bundled up in some corner until the next time I need them in June when the rains start and my summer clothes are all out from the corner I had thrown them in. And the best part our Strawberry patch is full of fruit. YUM!

One of our larger strawberry patches

strawberry hidden among the leaves

strawberry in the patch

These strawberries are not like the packed ones that are sold commercially. I guess these are the wild variety. As you can see in the picture below they vary in size and are a bright orangish red color, rather than the dark red colored ones you get in the packs. And the taste is also very different, these strawberries have a very nice balance of sweet and tart flavors, whereas the ones you buy are sometimes sickly sweet.

The strawberries I picked this morning

These strawberries can be used the same way as the ones you buy. But you might want to do a taste test to adjust the amount of sugar. I prefer it to be slightly tart so I leave them as they are. Last year, we had a good strawberry crop. Mum and I made 2 bottles of strawberry sauce. Each day we got a large bowlful, and we had to make the sauce daily. Finally when we didn't have any spare bottles left, so I made milkshakes twice a day (I think I can blame strawberries for  adding to my weight) and we still had some left over. So the left over ones, we let it become squishy and soft ( just leave them for about a day or two to get to this stage) and we just put the pulp on our faces and hands (easy homemade fruit facial without any chemicals :))

This time, we've made another bottle of strawberry sauce. And while I hunt around for more fancy glass jars, I decided to do something else out of all those strawberries. And before the summer days get too hot and we start wilting in the sweltering heat, I decided to celebrate summer with a very nice strawberry sorbet. Sorbet is the perfect dessert for summer, it provides the icy cool we all search for in the heat of summer. And because it has no cream or eggs, it makes for a very light, refreshing dessert. So here's to the advent of summer with a bowl of strawberry sorbet.

My half finished bowl of glistening red strawberry sorbet

Strawberry Sorbet Recipe

Adapted from the recipe by Stephanie Jowarski

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/3 cup (80 ml) water

1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar

2 1/2 cups (454 grams) fresh or frozen unsweetened strawberries

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon

Directions

Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan, over low heat, and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved (about 3-5 minutes). Boil the mixture for one minute then remove from heat. Pour the sugar syrup into a heatproof container, and place in the refrigerator until completely chilled (about an hour or so). 

cooled sugar syrup

Meanwhile, thaw the frozen strawberries and then place the thawed strawberries in a food processor and process until the strawberries are pureed. 

pureed strawberries in the food processor

Transfer to a large bowl, add the lemon juice and zest, and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled. (If using fresh strawberries, puree the berries in the food processor, transfer to a large bowl, add the lemon juice and zest, and place in the refrigerator until chilled.)

Pureed strawberries with lemon zest and juice

Once the simple syrup and pureed strawberries are completely chilled, combine the simple syrup with the pureed strawberries. Transfer the mixture to the chilled container of your ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once made, transfer the sorbet to a chilled container and store in the freezer.

Frozen sorbet

The jewel red strawberry sorbet

Note: If you do not have an ice cream machine, then pour the mixture into a 8 inch (20 cm) or 9 inch (23 cm) stainless steel pan (sorbets will freeze faster in stainless steel), cover with plastic wrap, and place in the freezer. When the sorbet is completely frozen (3 to 4 hours), remove from freezer and let stand at room temperature until partially thawed. Transfer the partially thawed sorbet to the food processor, and process to break up the large ice crystals that have formed on the sorbet. (This step is what gives the sorbet its wonderful fluffy texture.) Place the sorbet back into the pan and refreeze for at least three hours, and up to several days.

Have a wonderful joy filled summer :)

Until next time, Happy Baking!