Plum Custard Tart

Tarts are no longer out of bounds on the Slimming World plan since I discovered buckwheat. Brilliant little grains, with a nutty taste and a crunchy texture – and syn free. Bring it on!

Serves 4-6

Syn Free on Extra Easy*

* Providing you use the plums as your Healthy Extra B

½ cup buckwheat

2 eggs

4 plums

1 tub fat free plain yogurt

sweetener to taste

Spray a flan dish with Fry Light. Dry toast the buckwheat until browned and crunchy and use to line the flan dish. Quarter the plums and remove the stones. Place on top of the buckwheat. Whip up the eggs and add the yogurt and sweetener to taste. Pour over the plums in the flan dish. Bake at 175°C for ca 30 minutes until firm and set. Leave to cool and slice. 

 

Strawberry Trifle

This is by no means a simple recipe, but well worth it for the extremely low syn value.

Serves 4-6

1 syn for the entire dessert on Extra Easy

½ tub quark

½ tsp baking powder

4 eggs, separated

1 tsp vanilla essence

4 tbsp sweetener

½ pkt Sainsbury's frozen Fruit Toppers

1 sachet sugar free orange flavoured jelly crystals

2 eggs

1 tub fat free plain yogurt

2 tbsp sweetener

1 sachet gelatine

500g fresh strawberries

Mix together the egg yolks, baking powder, sweetener, vanilla essence and the quark, using an electric whisk. In a separate clean bowl, using a clean whisk, whip the egg whites until firm. Carefully fold the yokes into the whites. Line a Swiss Roll tin with baking paper and pour in the mixture. Bake at 180°C for 10-15 minutes, keeping an eye on it to ensure it doesn't burn. Remove from oven and leave to cool. Cut the cake into small pieces and line the bottom of a serving bowl.

Make up the orange jelly with 200ml boiling water according to the instructions. Add the mixed fruit, still frozen, then top up with cold water to 500ml. Stir well and pour over the cake. Leave in the fridge for two hours to set (or 10-15 minutes in the freezer).

Meanwhile, make the custard by whipping the eggs with the sweetener. Place in the top of a double saucepan over gently simmering water, and stir until the custard has thickened, being careful not to 'cook' the mixture as the egg will scramble. Allow to cool slightly, then add the yogurt. Sprinkle the gelatine on 200ml boiling water, cool slightly and add the custard. Leave to cool completely.

Once the orange jelly has set, pour the custard over the top. Leave for a further couple of hours in the fridge to set. Once it is all set, top with the hulled strawberries and serve. 

 

Ginger and Passion Fruit Creams

A very refreshing dessert, bursting with tropical flavours. 

 

Serves 2

½ Syn on Extra Easy

¼ cup buckwheat

2 tbsps sweetener

1 tsp ground ginger

5 passion fruits

1 egg

1 Müllerlight mango and passion fruit yogurt

4 tbsp spray cream

Dry toast the buckwheat in a pan until fragrant and browned. Take the pan off the heat and add the ginger with 1 tbsp sweetener. Add a little water (no more than a tbsp) and stir until the water evaporates and the sweetener and ginger is well mixed in with the buckwheat. Place in the bottom of two tall glasses.

Remove the seeds, pulp and juice form 4 of the 5 passion fruits and place in a bowl.

With an electric whisk, whip up the egg with the other tbsp of sweetener. In a double saucepan (or in a bowl over gently simmering water), stir the egg with a wooden spoon until it has thickened. This will take about ten minutes. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl and the heat is not too high, otherwise you will end up with scrambled eggs rather than custard.

Mix the passion fruit with the custard and pour into the glasses on top of the buckwheat. Chill in the fridge for two hours.

Divide the yogurt, then the spray cream between the two glasses and top with the pulp, juice and seeds from the last passion fruit.