“All the fruit I eat has to help me survive,” underlined celebrated chef Sally Bee, who has survived five cardiac attacks owing to a heart condition she was born with. The London-based TV presenter and best-selling author of six cookbooks on healthy cooking was at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) 2022 in Expo Centre Sharjah to present a selection of her healthy recipes – such as the Orange and Peach Filo Parcels.
Fruits should be both healthy and tasty, she declared after putting the question to a public vote among the audience and set about making a fruit syrup for the pastry. For this, she took in a large pan, peeled and deseeded oranges and peaches sliced fine, and added a ‘splash of water’ and a few tablespoons of maple syrup. She let it simmer on the fire till it started releasing fructose, and then set it aside. Frozen or canned fruits can be used, so can cinnamon and fruits like apple for a varied taste.
The next step was getting the ramekins or baking trays ready by brushing them with olive oil. The pastry (filo) sheets were cut into small squares and quickly pushed into the ramekins, giving a full 30 seconds for the task since they dry out fast. Painting the sheets with oil prevents them from drying, she noted. Two greased squares go into the making of one parcel with a little cooked fruit as filling for each. The parcels are closed and placed in a pre-heated oven and baked for 20 minutes at 200°C. The end product is a nice brown, delectable dessert that can be had with vanilla ice cream.