Apparently there are as many different ways to make Ambrosia as there are cooks who make it. If you’d like, add some banana, subtract the pineapple, subtract the marshmallows, and so on. The only consistent elements I found in my survey of Ambrosia recipes were citrus, sugar, and coconut. But even those are probably up for debate.
2 small blood oranges, peeled, skinned and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1/4 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons shredded sweetened coconut
Place the oranges, pineapple, marshmallows, sugar, and coconut in a small bowl and stir to combine. Serve or store in airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 24 hours.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Prep-time: 15 minutes
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Inspired by The 6 o’clock Scramble’s Snack list. The soft marshmallows on top of creamy melted peanut butter are a winning combination. Seriously. The smell of this snack was very distracting during the “photo shoot”.
1 ripe banana, peeled and sliced
4 teaspoons nut butter (such as peanut or almond)
8 mini marshmallows
Line the bottom of two small bowls with 4 banana slices each. Top each with 1 teaspoon nut butter. Layer on another four banana slices and additional teaspoon of nut butter. Place 4 marshmallows on top.
Microwave on high for 20 – 30 seconds or until marshmallows start to melt. Top with sprinkles or chocolate sauce and serve.
Yield: 2 servings
Prep-time: 5 minutes
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There’s nothing like a bag of inexpensive red grapefruits to brighten up these sometimes dreary winter days.
If your kids are younger, or if you just don’t feel like getting fancy with the skewers, you can serve the grapefruit on the side or simply on top of the yogurt parfait style.
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Recently, my three-year-old grew tired of clementines (gasp!). She is a great lover of novelty. Here are a few ways I’ve found to rekindle the magic:
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This recipe was inspired by Cranberry Applesauce at Simply Recipes (a wonderful website).
For more information about what apple(s) to use, the U.S. Apple Association offers a lovely Apple Usage Chart. I think the most important element is that the apples are fresh, as a recent artile in Saveur was kind enough to point out.
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When the apples are fresh, a little water to get things going is all you need. I used Millinium and Jonagold that we picked a week ago.
America’s Test Kitchen likes to use a few different varieties of apple in order to round out the flavor. According to my notes, they are fans of Jonagold, Jonathan, Pink Lady, and Macoun. Their second choices are Golden Delicious, Macintosh, Empire, and Rome. For more guidence on apple varities and their uses, the U.S. Apple Association offers a lovely Apple Usage Chart.
Once you’ve made this simple applesauce, adding a dollop of butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt is more than okay. The butter makes the applesauce so rich and lovely (especially if you add a few dollops).
I’m sharing this simple recipe today because, oddly enough, it was a bit of a revelation to me. I think so many cookbook authors are busy reinterpreting a classic that a simple recipe like this doesn’t appear very often. And like I said, if you have the right apples, this is really all you need.
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A few days ago we went to the orchard and there were still raspberries waiting to be picked in the raspberry patch. They are terribly fragile and have a shelf life of about 10 minutes. But we nonetheless managed to turn them into a quick and delightful little snack.
1 cup plain greek-style yogurt
1/2 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice (to taste)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup granola (preferably something with almonds)
1 pint raspberries
Gently rinse raspberries and allow them to air dry.
In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and sugar. Divide the yogurt between three small bowls (1/3 cup each). Top yogurt with 1 – 2 tablespoons granola and then with a generous handful of raspberries. Serve.
Yield: 3 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
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The only problem I’m having with yogurt these days is that I’m not sure whether to give it to my kids for breakfast, lunch, dinner or all of the above. Apparently the live cultures found in yogurt are all the rage for fighting off the flu. But I also just read an
article that encouraged yogurt consumption close to bedtime because it is relatively high in the amino acid L-tryptophan.
More importantly, don’t you just love the kitty bowl? Sur La Table.
1 cup plain greek-style yogurt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped apple (plus more for garnish)
In a small mixing bowl stir together yogurt, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla. Add chopped apple and stir again. Serve garnished with extra chopped apples.
Yield: 2-3 servings
Prep time: 5 minutes
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These are otherwise known as Pavlovas. But I can barely say ‘pavlova’, much less my kids. Good tongue twister, bad name for a kid snack. My kids came up with name while stuffing their faces. There were no leftovers.
Crispy Clouds have a delightful mouthfeel. They remind me of eating a roasted marshmallow, but take away the heat and sugar overload.
3 large egg whites
1 tablespoon agave nectar or sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt
3/4 cup whipped cream (give or take)
1 cup fresh raspberries (give or take)
Preheat oven to 200 F.
Place the egg whites, agave, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. With the whisk attachment, whip the egg white mixture on medium high speed until peaks form. Turn off mixer and detach bowl. Transfer large spoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the scoops at least an inch apart. Make a well in the center of each scoop with the back of the spoon. They should be approximately 4-inches wide once the wells are created.
Bake on the center rack of the oven for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the clouds are stiff and willing to detach from the parchment paper.
Allow the clouds to cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet. Gently remove from parchment paper and transfer to serving plate. Garnish each cloud with approximately 1 tablespoon whipped cream and a heaping tablespoon of berries. Serve.
Makes 12 clouds
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 1 1/2 hours
Note: Raspberries can be replaced by any soft fresh fruit.
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1 apple, cored
5-6 teaspoons nut butter
Raspberries (for garnish)
Slice apple horizontaly into rings approximately 1/4 inch thick. Make a sandwich by spreading approximately 1 teaspoon of nut butter between two apple rings. Insert raspberry in center. Serve.
Makes 5 to 6 flying saucers
Prep time: 5 minutes
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