September 17, 2021

Cardamom and vanilla baked fruit

What are some of your favourite healthy and satisfying foods? Sometimes it feels like those words never sit happily together, so it is amazing when you find a healthy combo that you really enjoy eating.

I love baked fruit; it’s great for a healthy breakfast or dessert, it makes me feel good knowing that I’m upping my 5 a day and it’s the best way to breathe new life into hard, out of season fruit, recreating that summer feeling whenever you fancy.

This is less of a recipe than it is an assembly job, a set of principles to get the best out of fruit that you might have at home that needs using up. This one uses peaches and nectarines and I baked them with cardamom, vanilla and oranges to bring out all of their gorgeous flavours. Blueberries, nuts, yoghurt and mint make this a gorgeous breakfast and you can always add some granola if you want to make it more substantial.

Cardamom and vanilla baked fruit

Ingredients

5 peaches

5 nectarines

Zest and juice of 2 oranges

Handful of blueberries

1 tsp vanilla

5 cardamom pods (crushed)

Honey (to taste) – you can also add different sweeteners if you want to make this vegan

Greek yoghurt

Mint leaves (decoration)

Makes enough for 3-4 servings depending on appetite

Method for cardamom and vanilla baked fruit

Preheat the oven to 190°C, GM5.

Halve the fruit and safely remove stones.

Cut side up, add the fruit to a roasting tin. Add the orange zest, juice, vanilla and crushed cardamom to the fruit and mix to combine. Drizzle over honey to taste.

Bake in the middle shelf of the oven for about 30 minutes, turning the pan halfway through to help the fruit cook evenly. The fruit is done when it is soft to the touch and the orange juice and honey have reduced to form a thick glaze.

Portion off the fruit and spoon over the blueberries, nuts, mint and yoghurt.