I Quit Sugar for Life (37 page)

I know I seem a bit obsessed with Things In Jars, but bear with me: these pies really do work well in cute individual vessels, making them easy to
tote to office morning teas and on picnics. You will need six 250-ml Mason jars for this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 160°C (gas 3) and line a baking tray with baking paper. To make the crumble base, start by throwing all the ingredients except for the water into a bowl
or a food processor. Pulse with the food processor or rub with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the water and continue to work the crumbs until small, chunky pieces of
dough start to form. Spread them out on the prepared baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before processing again into rough crumbs. Leave the
oven on.

While the crumble chunks are baking, make the lemon custard. Place the egg yolks, egg and stevia in a dry, heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (the water
should not touch the base of the bowl, and the bowl should fit snugly over the saucepan). Whisk until the stevia is dissolved and the eggs are lightly beaten, about 30 seconds. Add the lemon zest
and juice and continue to whisk for 5–8 minutes, or until the custard is thick enough that when you draw a line with the whisk the line stays. Remove the bowl from the pan and set the custard
aside to cool slightly. Once cool enough to touch, add the butter and whisk until melted through.

To make the meringue, in another dry bowl whisk together the egg whites and syrup until stiff peaks form – a good test is to turn the bowl upside down for a couple of
seconds (carefully at first!) and if the meringue stays in the bowl, it’s ready.

Place one-sixth of the crumble in the base of each jar. Top each base with about 4 tablespoons of the lemon custard and a good dollop of the meringue, to about the neck of the
jar. Place the jars on a baking tray and bake for 10–12 minutes or until the meringue tops are starting to turn golden. Serve warm or cool, or screw on the lid and tote.

The remaining 4 raw egg whites can be stored in the fridge for a few days, covered with clingfilm, or frozen. They are perfect for eggy muggins, omelettes and scrambles.

Somewhat oddly, I’m often asked for ideas for fructose-free office morning teas. These suggestions are very multi-taskable. Cart them to
picnics, afternoon teas at your best mate’s place, Mum’s house when you go to visit . . .

MAKES

To make the base, preheat the oven to 180°C (gas 4) and line a 20-cm square baking tin with baking paper. Combine the almond meal, cacao, arrowroot and baking powder in a
bowl. Whisk together the eggs, syrup and water, then pour into the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked. Set aside to cool
completely on a wire rack.

To make the mint filling, pulse the shredded coconut with the boiling water and peppermint extract in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the coconut
oil and continue to pulse until combined. Press the mixture onto the cooled base and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, or freeze for about 10 minutes, to set.

To make the ganache topping, bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, whisking well until all the chocolate is
melted. Set aside to cool and thicken slightly. When the ganache has cooled, you may need to whisk it again briefly before pouring it over the mint filling. Return to the fridge until set. Cut into
squares before serving.

LEMON MERINGUE PIES IN JARS
(
here
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Divide the mixture among smaller jars, or use small glasses.

FESTIVE POPCORN
(
here
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Serve in some fun cones or in a big bowl in the middle (where the lollies usually go!).

NUTTY CHEESE AND BACON LOLLIPOPS
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here
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A very ‘novelty’ option, serve these stabbed into a big wheel of cheese (which you can eat after with some crackers).

FENNEL TARTE TATIN
(
here
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Sweet or savoury will work well; sprinkle with edible flowers for extra pizzazz!

NOT-QUITE-APPLE-CRUMBLE MUFFINS
(
here
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Serve warm.

OH-OH OREOS
(
here
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Or pretty much anything from the chocolate chapter.

SERVES

A confession: this cake is a lot of trouble. It will take about 2 hours to make, not including the time it takes to make the Oreos, Strawberry Jam,
Praline, Meringue, Ice Magic and Gooey Caramel Sauce. But it is a good one to build with the kids. Feel free to double the meringue quantity to make into additional party treats. It’s best to
make the cake on the day so that it stays cold and creamy.

First, make the Oreo base. Line the base of a 20-cm spring-form tin with baking paper. Pulse the Oreos in a food processor and transfer to the tin. Press evenly into the base
and pop in the freezer for 10 minutes or until set.

Next, whip the cream with the stevia and vanilla powder until stiff peaks form. Keep the whipped cream in the fridge until you need it – you will be using a quarter of
the mixture at a time.

To make the chocolate layer, combine all the ingredients except the Praline in a blender or using a stick blender until smooth. Add the Praline, then fold in one-quarter of the
whipped cream thoroughly. Remove the tin from the freezer and pour the chocolate layer over the Oreo base, spreading it out evenly. Return it to the freezer for 15 minutes to set while you prepare
the coconut vanilla layer.

To make the coconut vanilla layer, mix the coconut cream with the desiccated coconut, then fold through one-quarter of the whipped cream. Remove the tin from the freezer and
pour the mixture over the chocolate layer, spreading it out evenly as before. Return the tin to the freezer for another 15 minutes.

To make the berry layer, remove the tin from the freezer and spread with the jam, then return to the freezer to set. Blend the berries, coconut cream and stevia in a blender or
using a stick blender. Fold in one-quarter of the whipped cream and the meringue pieces, if using. Remove the tin from the freezer and pour the berry mixture over the coconut vanilla layer,
spreading it out evenly. Return the cake to the freezer for about 1 hour or until set.

When you are ready to serve, remove the cake from the freezer and transfer it to a serving plate. Leave to stand for 10 minutes (about 5 minutes in hot weather). Transfer the
remaining whipped cream to a piping bag or a sandwich bag with a corner snipped off, and pipe around the top. Arrange the raspberries on the cream. Drizzle over the Ice Magic. Drizzle the gooey
caramel over the top.