Sweet Couscous with Almond Cream and Poached Fruits
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Serves: 4-6
INGREDIENTS
Couscous
2 cups orange juice
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons caster sugar
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
350 grams instant couscous
1⁄2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1⁄4 cup pistachio nuts
Almond cream
450 ml milk
2 tablespoons cornflour
3 tablespoons ground almonds
3 tablespoons caster
sugar pinch of salt
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄4 teaspoon almond extract
finely grated zest of 1 small orange
To serve
Any of the following poached fruits: quince, figs, prunes, stone fruit, dried apricots
fresh figs, oranges or dates
mint leaves
icing sugar for dusting
METHOD
Couscous: Combine the orange juice, cinnamon, caster sugar and the lemon zest and juice in a small saucepan and bring to the boil.
Put the couscous in a bowl, pour over the hot juice, stir and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave for 15 minutes.
Almond cream: Mix the cornflour with 3 tablespoons of the milk then combine with the other ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Strain through a coarse sieve into a clean bowl. Cover and set aside to cool.
To serve: Stir the almonds and pistachios into the couscous. Pile it onto a platter and form into a cone. Place the poached fruit and sprigs of mint around the base. Dust with icing sugar.
Serve the almond cream in a jug and pour over individual serves.
Good quality preserved poached fruits or fruits in syrup can be purchased from most food stores and good supermarkets.
latest issue:
Issue #122
Our latest of dish is an absolute bumper issue, packed with over 70 recipes! We start by chatting with the MasterChef Australia judges and Kiwi contestant Ben Mcdonald before cooking up the very best of what’s in season. Then we make freezer meals easy and delicious with double-batch cooking. Next up we share some of our faves including Pretzel-crumbed Chicken Schnitty and French Onion Soup Mac and Cheese. Then we whip up warming curries, tempting dinners for two, epic sides like our Parmesan-crusted Roasted Potatoes, and crowd pleasers like our cover-star Miso French Onion Chicken. We finish up with irresistible sweet treats and a run-down of top Aussie shiraz!