Nosh: Warm Whole Lemon and Almond Pudding with Fresh Raspberries

Warm Whole Lemon and Almond Pudding with Fresh Raspberries

Yes, more strange desserts.

My desserts usually involve chocolate...and while a small amount of dark chocolate is not unhealthy, chocolate desserts are commonly rich. The look on my guests' face when I put a chocolate slice or an oozing chocolate melty cake in front of them is always one of "oooo, I shouldn't" and "maybe just a few bites". Makes a girl feel kind of guilty.

But I am concerned about your health and I swear I'm trying to disentangle myself from my fix on cakey, chocolately (sigh) desserts. One reason is all of you lovely gluten-free people out there. My brother's wife, Sandi, is not only allergic to gluten but soy and lactose as well. So began my quest....

I found this dessert by Gary Rhodes that does not include any of those things. It contains mostly almonds, which are high in monounsaturated fats, the same type of health-promoting fats found in olive oil, and are associated with reduced risk of heart disease. The other main ingredient - whole, organic lemons - are boiled until soft and then blitzed into a smooth paste. Lemons contain unique compounds that have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties, not to mention being a great source of Vitamin C.

The idea of using the whole lemon is interesting. I often wondered how he came up with it. He may be a bit funky but his recipes have always worked for me. So I decided to trust him on this one. It is important to note that you have to let the lemons cool and remove every single pip, even those teensy ones, because if you don't, your dessert will be bitter.

There is yet another healthy aspect to this dessert. The cakes are individually portioned and we all know that small portions are a good thing. Cute and impressive, and good.

There are a few optional garnishes .... a vanilla syrup and a raspberry coulis. They are both used in small amounts, drizzles on the plate. Does that still count as healthy? The garnishes that aren't optional in my opinion are some low-fat whipped cream and a vanilla stick. Come on, live a little.

ps: for those of you unfamiliar with the british use of "pudding", it means dessert.

Warm Whole Lemon and Almond Pudding with Fresh Raspberries
Makes 6 individual servings

For the cakes
3 lemons
4 whole eggs
175 g (6 oz) ground almonds
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
175 g (6 oz) sugar

For the lemon syrup (optional)
100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz) lemon juice
100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz) stock syrup (see extended entry)
finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 vanilla pod, split
50 g (2 oz) caster sugar

For the raspberry coulis (optional)
225 g (8 oz) fresh rasberries (tinned can also be used)
3-4 Tbsp stock syrup or 2-3 tsp powdered sugar

To cook the lemons, cover with cold water, bring to the simmer and cook for a minimum of one hour. Remove from the water, saving 100 ml (3 1/2 fl. z) of the liquor, and cut into quarters, allowing to drain well. Remove the pips and blitzw ith the saved liquor to a smooth, thick puree in a food processor or liquidizer. Push through a sieve and leave to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas4. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in an electric mixer to a thick sabayon (similar to lightly whipped cream). This may well take 6-8 minutes to achieve. While this is whisking, add the baking powder to the ground almonds, rubbing the mix between your thumb and forefinger to a smooth texture.

Add the lemon puree to the sabayon, followed by the almonds. Whisk slowly for 1 minutes. This will help take some air out of the mix, preventing it from souffleing in the oven.

Spoon into six 8 x 5 cm (3 1/2 x 1 3/4 inches) buttered or oiled metal rings on a parchment-lined baking tray, filling each three-quarters full. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool before removing the moulds. The cakes can now be kept in an airtight container for several days until needed. To re-heat, place individual cakes in a microwave for 20-30 seconds until warmed through.

For the lemon syrup, bring all the ingredients to the boil and cook on a rapid simmer to a thick consistency. Remove the vanilla pod and use the syrup as it is, or strain through a sieve to remove the zest. Serve at room temperature.

To make the raspberry coulis, liquidize the fruits with the syrup or sugar, then push through a sieve; the sauce in now ready to use.

To make "vanilla sticks" to use as a garnish (optional), rinse the split pod removed from the syrup. Press flat with a ruler before cutting with a sharp knife into extra fine strips. These can now be rolled in caster sugar and left to dry.

To finish the dessert, it is best to glaze the puddings on their flat base; this will also provide the perfect platform on which to sit the low-fat cream. You can sprinkle icing sugar through a tea strainer and glaze it with a glass gun or under a pre-heated grill.

Place each cake in the center of the plate and garnish with raspberries, raspberry coulis, and vanilla syrup. Garnish with the low-fat whipped cream and vanilla stick.

Thanks to Joanna over at Joanna's Food for hosting this event!

Stock Syrup
150 ml (5 fl oz) water
100 g (4 oz) sugar

Bring the two ingredients to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved and thickened the liquor. Cook and keep refrigerated until needed.