Rachel’s Organic Apple & Cinnamon Yogurt & Apple & Cinnamon Fudge Recipe!

As any longtime reader of this blog will know I’m a huge fan of Rachel’s Organic yogurts. Last Christmas we made their fabulous Christmas Ice Cream Bombe, so when I heard they had brought out a new Limited Edition yogurt I was only too keen to try it. We also created our own recipe using the new flavour, Apple & Cinnamon Fudge!

The brand new Apple & Cinnamon yogurt is unfortunately a limited edition. I say unfortunately because it’s absolutely delicious and I could happily have a pot in my fridge at all times. The fresh tang of apple mixed with the dreamy creamy yogurt and spice of cinnamon is like Christmas in a pot! I sincerely believe that everyone should try this new flavour before they lose the opportunity, it’s just that yummy!

I love the Rachel’s Organic website for the recipes they provide, so I eagerly browsed for a recipe using my favourite new flavour. When I discovered that none existed I turned to my husband and his fudge making skills and he created this scrumptious Apple & Cinnamon fudge.


Festive Apple & Cinnamon Fudge

5 Tbsp Double Cream

5 Tbsp Rachel’s Organic Apple & Cinnamon Yogurt

25g Unsalted Butter

450g Granulated Sugar

Heat the cream, sugar and butter in a pan on a low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the yogurt and heat until 120C, making sure to continue stirring while heating so the mixture does not catch on the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and beat until the mixture begins to thicken. Pour into a prepared pan and leave to cool.

Rachel’s Organic Ice Cream Bombe Recipe!

I was recently sent a box full of Rachel’s Organic yogurts. Amongst the new flavours were some old favourites, so I decided to try out one of Rachel’s new seasonal recipes to share with out all. Here’s how I got on!

I loved the sound of this recipe as soon as I read it, ice-cream, fruit and Rachel’s, what’s not to love! As we had family coming to share in our new year festivities it seemed like the perfect time to give this recipe a try. It was absolutely amazing! The sauce came out a little too thick (and rather less photogenic) but it tasted sensational and I think this wondrous little pudding will become a firm family favourite.

What You’ll Need

200g dried fruit (sultanas, sour cherries, cranberries, blueberries)

6 tbsp brandy or dark rum (optional)

2 tbsp dark brown sugar

350ml double cream

300g Rachel’s Greek Style Bio Live Natural Yogurt

100g Rachel’s Low Fat Vanilla Bio Live Yogurt

200g frozen berries (raspberries or mixed summer)

For the sauce:

200g cranberries, fresh or frozen

100g caster sugar

1 tbsp cornflour

2 tbsp water

Step 1

Soak the dried fruit in the alcohol (we used Brandy) and leave overnight. Tip. Rachel’s suggest that you can also microwave the fruit on high for 2-3 minutes if you’re short on time.

Step 2

Line a 2 litre pudding basin with clingfilm, leaving enough overhang to cover the pudding completely.

Step 3

Whip the cream and yogurts to soft peaks, add the frozen berries (we used raspberries) and stir. Add the soaked fruit and mix well.

Step 4

Carefully spoon into the pudding basin, pushing the mixture down and leveling off the surface. Cover with the leftover clingfilm. Place in the freezer overnight.

Step 5

Before serving remove the pudding from the freezer to allow it to thaw slightly. Then invert the basin onto a plate to release the pudding. Peel off the clingfilm.

Step 6

To make the sauce place the cranberries and sugar into a saucepan and gently heat until all the sugar has dissolved. Mix together the cornflour and water and gradually add to the cranberries and sugar. Allow to thicken and then remove from the heat. Pour the sauce over the bombe and allow to trickle down (I got a little over enthusiastic with the sauce as you’ll see in the picture).

For more yummy recipe ideas from Rachel’s Organic visit www.rachelsorganic.co.uk.

Amy’s Kitchen Review

I’m not a huge ready meal fan, they conjure mental images of bland looking and tasteless meals that only really offer the benefit of being quick to prepare. They are also comparatively expensive. But it’s seems this image is not always valid, I have recently come across Amy’s Kitchen. A brand that has already gained popularity in the US has now jumped the pond, to offer us natural, gluten free, vegetarian ready meals. But can a ready meal ever match a home made meal?

Amy’s Indian Vegetable Korma

I tried out two of the many varieties of ready meals available from Amy’s Kitchen. I began with the Indian Vegetable Korma.

As a Curry this meal is very good, it has a gentle heat provided by the addition of Jalapeño Peppers, but it isn’t hard or rough on the palate. But as a Korma it isn’t quite what I was expecting, not because it was unpleasant, but more because it was rather slim on Coconut flavouring. I normally expect Kormas to give creamy sauces with a heavy and delicious coconut bent. But while I thoroughly enjoyed this curry it wasn’t a pure Korma in my mind.

The rice was very good and perfectly accompanied the curry, the vegetables were also very tender despite being reheated in a microwave. If I had one criticism it would be that the meal had an excess of liquid. This didn’t appear to impact on the flavour however.

The Dal accompaniment was somewhat anaemic in appearance, the box led me to believe I would be tucking into a deep brown Dal, when the reality can only be described as grey. Thankfully colour generally has little bearing on taste and this was certainly the case here

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this meal. All the meals come frozen and I reheated them in the microwave, but they can also be popped in the oven if preferred.

Could It be improved in anyway?

To make it the kind of Korma flavour that the majority might expect it could benefit from a greater addition of coconut.

Amy’s Vegetable Lasagna

My first impressions of the Vegetable Lasagna were very good, it had a lovely colour and smell. Like the Korma it had a lot of excess liquid but this was not problematic at all.

The pasta layers had just the right al dente bite. The flavour was truly wonderful, despite being a completely vegetarian lasagne it was very hearty and filling. I didn’t find I missed the addition of meat at all. The vegetables themselves taste fresh and tender.

Overall I was very impressed with the vegetable lasagne and I plan to buy it in future. I let my husband try it and he too was very impressed. This would suit all my family perfectly.

Could it be improved in anyway?

I genuinely enjoyed this lasagna so much that I’d like to see family sized portions available. In terms of taste it’s pretty spot on so I’d make no improvements there.  This would be a wonderful meal for those busy days when you want to give your family something healthy and tasty but without the effort.

Details

For more information and to find your nearest stockist visit Amy’s Kitchen Online.

Amy’s Kitchen uses certified Organic ingredients. Dairy products are made with pasteurised rBST hormone-free milk and contain No animal enzymes or rennet.

No dishes contain meat, fish, poultry or eggs.

All Amy’s Kitchen products are non – GMO and don’t contain hydrogenated fats or oils