More Dessert!

Agbalumo Jelly

In my last post I told you that some more ideas concerning agbalumo (white star apple/African star apple) were floating around in my head. Using the same drink as previously concocted I decided to try making it into a jelly for another light dessert. And it worked! Naturally I was quite pleased with myself, so I am happy to share my recipe with you.

Normally one would use gelatine to make a jelly, but since it wasn't available I used our homegrown tapioca. It is not the most refined product to use, unlike pearl sago which gives a different texture to the dish. Buying the local tapioca you will find it comes in small lumps as hard as rock. In order to make it easier to use I ground it in small portions in a spice grinder.

Before 

After

It is not advisable to use it as shown on the left because it will not cook evenly, despite soaking.









The ground tapioca gives a smooth result without any lumps.






And now for the recipe.

Ingredients:

500ml (1/2l) of prepared agbalumo drink at room temperature, 50g ground tapioca

Method:

Place the tapioca into a bowl and add the drink, stirring to dissolve. Cover and allow to stand for about 3 hours. Then pour it into a pot and place on high heat. Now this is a bit tedious but essential. You have to stir it gently continuously to prevent sticking or even burning. Remember that tapioca is just starch. When the lot comes to boil reduce the heat so it is just simmering but continue stirring. You will know when it is ready when the colour changes from opaque to a clear orange which will take between 15 to 20 minutes. Pour into prepared serving cups or glasses and chill for several hours. If the jelly is solid enough you might want to turn each portion onto individual serving dishes and serve with a topping of your choice. My own was a bit too soft because I didn't give it enough time to set before serving. So I left the jelly in the glasses and just decorated with vanilla cream. This amount gives two generous servings.

Agbalumo Jelly

If you enjoyed my recipes you might want to check here for more delicious concoctions!

Dessert Anyone? Blancmange With A Difference

I can't say I know anyone who does not like dessert. Either at the end of a meal or as a little treat anytime! There is such a huge variety of sweet concoctions that it is often difficult to decide what to have.

But if you make it yourself instead of buying it then simple is best. So today I want to give you an easy recipe and as far as I know a brand new one which I have just created! Remember the agbalumo drink I posted about a little while ago? Well, I decided to experiment a little, having had a "what if" idea.

I thought if I take the drink I made and turn it into a blancmange/pudding/dessert it should be quite palatable. And it truly is easy to prepare. And tasty!

Agbalumo Blancmange

No special equipment is necessary, except some small moulds to set the pudding. If none are available, moin moin cups can be used or some wine glasses. Use what you have.

And here is the recipe:

Ingredients

500 ml of prepared agbalumo drink, 40 g of cornflour

Method

Rinse your moulds with cold water and keep to one side. This is to prevent the blancmange from sticking when you want to turn it out!

Place cornflour into small bowl and add about 4-5 tbsp of the agbalumo drink, stir to dissolve. Put the remaining drink in a pot and bring to boil. Take off the heat and whisk in the cornflour slurry. Return to the fire and stir until it bubbles up. Remove from heat immediately and pour into the prepared moulds. When the puddings are just warm place them in the fridge for several hours to set.

This quantity gives 4 small portions (for people watching their weight!) or 2 normal sized ones. The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a family meal!

When ready to eat, turn the agbalumo blancmange onto individual dessert plates and serve with homemade chocolate or vanilla sauce. A dollop of whipped cream could also be placed on top!

Let me know if you want a recipe for any of the sauces mentioned above.

Ready to be enjoyed!