PEAR GALETTE with a rooibos glaze

 

South African supermarkets have the tendency to sell big bags of pears, which in the beginning are all super unripe and within a couple of days every last one of them is so ripe and juicy that it must be eaten NOW.

That’s what happened this morning. A bag full of ripe pears – half of them I blended into a smoothie and half of them are here, in their full delicious glory.

This recipe is a complete dream, if I may say so without tooting my own horn too much. I ate a piece, texted my boyfriend a picture captioning “Omg I made something reaaaallllyyyyy tasty” (exact words btw) and continued to eat two more slices without having a single regret. (Still none :)))))) )

I’m pretty sure that this dough recipe will work with any fruit, but these pears were just perfect. Place a couple of tablespoons of coconut whip or ice cream of top and you are in heaven!

Ingredients

150g unbleached all-purpose flour

25g whole wheat flour

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

115 ml coconut oil, cold

approximately 30 ml water

150 ml rooibos tea

3 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla seeds

3 tbsp maple syrup, for brushing

2 pears, cut in half length-wise, seeds removed and thinly sliced

Icing sugar, for dusting

Coconut whipped cream, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 200C.

Place the flours, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the coconut oil and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Start dripping in cold water while the machine is running until the dough comes together. Take it out, form a ball, flatten it into a disc, wrap in cling wrap and place in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Now make the rooibos glaze by bringing the tea, sugar and vanilla to a boil and reducing it until the consistency of syrup.

Roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper. Arrange the pears on top, fanning them out and leaving a bit of room from the sides. Bring the sides of the dough over the pears, smudging together any bits that tear. Brush the pears with the rooibos glaze and the dough with the maple syrup. Place in the oven at 200C for 15-20 minutes until slightly golden. Serve warm with coconut whipped cream. Enjoy!

CINNAMON, MAPLE & BLUEBERRY ROLLS

 

This recipe is for all the people who say they find it hard to think up tasty vegan desserts. These sweet cinnamon, maple and blueberry rolls are ideal for a quick, easy breakfast, or just for a small bite on–the–go. And because they’re 100% vegan, they don’t leave you feeling as heavy as their dairy-based counterparts. And nothing really beats the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls when these babies are cooking in the oven. MMMMMmmmm.

Ingredients

150ml almond milk, lukewarm

1 tsp white/light brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp powdered vanilla

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

5 g instant dry yeast (2 tsp)

15 ml coconut oil, + more for brushing

175 g unbleached all-purpose wheat flour, more for dusting

3 heaped tbsps of brown sugar

3 tbsp of maple syrup

2 tsp ground cinnamon

70 g blueberries

150 ml icing sugar

1-3 tbsp almond milk

Method

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the almond milk, sugar, salt, vanilla powder, ground cardamom, coconut oil and yeast. Mix with a wooden spoon. Add the flour bit by bit until the dough comes together, then turn out on a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and springs back. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with cling wrap and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

In another bowl, mix together the brown sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon.

Turn the dough out on a floured surface and roll into a rectangle, approximately 30 cm on each size. Brush the dough with coconut oil, then spread the sugar-maple-cinnamon mixture all over. Dot the dough with blueberries, roll up tightly and the cut into equal-sized rolls, about 5 cm thick. Place the rolls in an oiled baking dish and bake at 180C for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then coat with a mixture of almond milk and icing sugar. Serve warm. Enjoy!