If you’ve ever had a toddler, you know what a struggle it can be to get them to eat what you prepare. Even if your cute little baby used to polish off everything in sight with great gusto, sometime after the 18 to 24-month mark, a little devil seems to take residence in your innocent little infant’s body. This is when foods that used to please no longer do, or the little guy or gal insists on a unique menu at every meal. These are testing times for busy parents and many do understandably resort to shortcuts and give the tots what they’ll down easily — which in many cases means sugar.
So I am happy to share with you today this one dessert that is a real crowd-pleaser. It is very simple to prepare, has only fruit sugar (not like the little one would be any the wiser for it) and is delicious for the whole family. Plus the fact of cooking the fruit in fat and adding gelatin means that it is even more nutritious and particularly easy to digest (even for very little tummies).
Why gelatin? Well it is excellent for bone and joint health, good digestion (it is soothing for the gut), skin and hair. Besides jiggly dessert is fun. I am particularly fond of the Great Lakes brand but have had to bring some over from the US since I still haven’t found a European reseller. If anybody knows something I don’t, please do let me know in the comments!
You can also swap out apples for the pears, and omit the raisins or even the gelatin if you don’t have any on hand (in which case this will be more easily eaten with a spoon). As usual, my philosophy is that recipes are mere guides rather than being set in stone.
I must confess here that every time I make a batch of this, half of it almost disappears before my little guy ever sets eyes on it — you have been warned!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, coconut ghee or butter
- 5-6 medium organic pears, cored and diced (although not peeled)
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin (I use this kind)
Instructions
- Soak the raisins in boiling water.
- Heat the fat in a heavy-bottomed pan, add the pears, cinnamon, vanilla and pinch of salt, stirring regularly until the pears start becoming softer.
- Continue cooking until the fruit starts falling apart with pressure from the back of a wooden spoon.
- In the meantime, "bloom" the gelatin by stirring it into a cup of cold filtered water.
- Remove from the heat, and mash the pears with the spoon. (This will produce a chunky pear butter; you can also use a hand mixer if you prefer a smoother texture.)
- Drain the raisins and add them to the pears.
- Add the gelatin while the mixture is still warm, mix thoroughly.
- When cool, pour into glass ramekins and chill in the fridge for a few hours before digging in. Once they are really solid, you can then cut them up into sticks or eat with a spoon.
This post is part of Fat Tuesday.
Quelle idée originale! Y a t-il moyen de tartiner le beurre de poire sur du ‘pain’? Merci ??
En fait avec la gélatine, ce n’est pas “tartinable” et sans la gélatine, c’est comme une compôte donc encore une fois pas top pour tartiner! Moi j’aime bien leur en donner en dessert.