Delicious Desserts For All … including those with special diet needs

Swedish Glace Sweet Summer Treats for All - including those needing special diets

Ireland has the highest allergy rating in Europe and the highest coeliac rating in the world. Cardiovascular Disease (for which high cholesterol is a major risk factor) is responsible for over a third of all deaths in Ireland every year. Combined, that makes a large portion of the population who need restricted diets.

Swedish Glace, the luxurious iced non-dairy desserts, are lactose free, gluten-free, cholesterol free, GM free, suitable for vegetarians and vegans as well as being Kosher approved. The delicious range are ideal for people with food allergies and intolerances as well as those requiring a low cholesterol diet. But they taste so great everyone in the household can enjoy them. The range is being re-launched in Ireland at The Allergy Fair taking place in the RDS from Friday 28 - Sunday 30 May, 2010.

Swedish Glace is available in 5 flavours (Smooth Vanilla, Juicy Raspberry, Rich Chocolate, Wild Blueberry plus new Neapolitan combining chocolate, vanilla and strawberry). They are available in 750ml tubs with a rrp of €3.99, except for Neapolitan which comes in a 1.3 litre tub with a rrp of €5.99. They are now even easier to find Ireland with a wider range of stockists including SuperValu, Tesco, Superquinn, Centra, Spar, Mace, Londis and Costcutter outlets as well as health food and speciality food outlets.

“A person with special dietary needs can feel a bit isolated when it comes to meal times. In summer it is particularly difficult as they watch others tuck in to special treats such as ice-cream. Swedish Glace is a product the whole family will enjoy either served on its own or for a special occasion or dinner party in one of our easy dessert recipes”, said Nick Smallwood, Swedish Glace Brand Manager.

Swedish Au Pear … Poached Pears & Hot Chocolate Sauce (serves 2)

2 ripe pears
115g caster sugar
juice of half a lemon
2 scoops Smooth Vanilla Swedish Glace

For the sauce: 100g butter/margarine
100g cocoa powder
100g golden syrup
100g brown sugar
150 milk

Fill a small, deep pan with water (enough to cover pears). Add caster sugar and simmer gently until sugar dissolves. Peel and core pears, leaving stalks intact and place in pan. Add lemon juice and bring to boil. Simmer for approx 20 mins or until tender. When cooked remove from pan.

Put sauce ingredients in a separate pan. Heat gently until melted. Simmer gently for 5 minutes to thicken. Place pears and scoops of Swedish Glace on serving dishes. Pour over sauce and serve immediately.

Silky Smoothie (serves 2 - 4)

100g fresh raspberries
Approx 6 scoops Juicy Raspberry Swedish Glace
600ml soya milk
5 mint leaves

Mix together in a blender and serve in a tall glass with crushed ice.

Apple Turnover (serves 4)

2 small dessert apples
250g ready made puff pastry
200ml Smooth Vanilla Swedish Glace
5ml ground cinnamon or cloves
a little milk to glaze (for vegan version use soya milk)
30ml Demerara sugar
To decorate: strawberries, halved & fanned

Pre-heat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.

Peel and core apples. Cut each one in half horizontally to give 4 apple rings. If necessary, remove a little more apple from centre of each so that each ring is no more than 1cm wide.

Rolls out pasty and cut into four 15cmx15cm squares. Place an apple ring on the centre of each pastry square. Push a small scoop of Smooth Vanilla Swedish Glace into the centre of each apple and pile a further scoop on top. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon or cloves.

Brush edges of pastry with milk/soya milk and bring edges together to enclose filling completely. Take care to ensure that pastry edges are pinched together to seal well. Brush with milk/soya milk and sprinkle with a little Demerara sugar. Bake in pre-heated oven for 15-20 mins until risen and golden.

Serve immediately decorated with a fanned strawberry half and an extra scoop of Smooth Vanilla Swedish Glace.

Blueberry Pancakes (serves 4)

100gm gluten-free flour
salt
200ml water (or soya milk)
1 egg (optional)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
washed blueberries or other fruit
8 scoops Swedish Glace wild blueberry
icing sugar for dusting

Mix the flour, salt, water and egg (if using it) in a food processor. When it is the right consistency it should easily coat the back of a spoon dipped into it. Allow the mixture to stand for about 15 minutes.

Using a heavy-bottomed or non-stick frying pan heat about a teaspoon of the oil, then add one ladleful of the mixture and tilt the pan quickly to evenly coat the base. When small bubbles start to appear in the mixture and edges start to turn brown (after about 1 - 2 minutes) flip the pancake over. Cook for a further minute on the second side.

The pancakes should be quite thin and you should get at least 8 out of the mixture.

If they are to be eaten at once, serve them from the pan with some blueberries and a scoop of Swedish Glace wrapped in the centre. Dust the pancake with icing sugar and scatter some additional berries on the side. Serve with a second scoop of wild blueberry Swedish Glace.

Once cooked these pancakes may be frozen if they are stacked with a piece of cling film between each pancake.

Summer Berry Horns (serves 4)

250g ready made puff pastry
a little milk to glaze (for vegan version use soya milk)
washed and hulled strawberries or other ripe berries.
Your favourite Swedish Glace variety
A little icing sugar to dust

Pre-heat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.

Roll out the pastry for form a rectangle 20cm x 33cm and cut into 1cm wide strips. Starting at the thin end, wind strips round cream horn formers*, overlapping and stretching the pastry a little as you go. You will need 4 strips of pastry for each one. Glaze pastry with milk/soya milk and place on a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking parchments. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 - 20 mins until golden. Remove formers and leave to cool completely on wire rack.

Reserve some halved berries for decoration. Chop the remainder finely.

Take a scoop of Swedish Glace and use a teaspoon to push into the bottom of one of the pastry horns. Fill the middle with chopped fruit, then add more Swedish Glace to the top. Place on a serving dish, dust with icing sugar and decorate with half a berry. Serve immediately

*Tip - make your own cream horn formers by cutting 4 pieces of thin card 15cm x 15cm square. Wrap them completely in aluminium foil. Starting at one corner, form each into a cone shape, securing them with paper clips.

[Please check ingredients of individual recipes meet your personal dietary requirements.]