Apple & Caramel Sago Pots

Sago is a favourite 'go to' dessert for me, it's so easy to make and so easy to create new flavour combinations. A sago parfait is always fun to make and impressive to serve, and I've posted a couple on this blog before - remember my Apple & Rhubarb Sago Parfait or my very unusual Cambodian Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Sago Parfait (Borbo Skor La-Pov). Today's recipe comes with an autumnal twists - caramel and apple. I've used the sweet grated apple in the sago itself and it's sweetness means I can cut down on the amount of sugar I add (win!). Your choice of apple will determine how sweet the end result is. If you use lovely sweet Pink Ladies or Galas then you may not need to add any sugar to the sago at all, if you use less sweet apples like Granny Smiths or Delicious then adjust the sugar to taste. There is still plenty of sugar in the caramel sauce, so you don't need to worry about it not satisfying your sweet tooth. If you can buy a pre made vegan caramel sauce then you can substitute that to save time, but I've used my home made Vegan Dulce de Leche which is absolutely incredible! The crunch from the chopped toasted almonds sprinkled on top is the proverbial icing on the cake!

Apple & Caramel Sago Pots

Ingredients
1 can coconut milk
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sago (tapioca pearls)
2 medium apples, peeled and grated
2 tbsp sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 pinch salt
1 batch Vegan Dulce de Leche
1/2 cup chopped toasted or dry roasted almonds

To Make:
1. Set the dulce de leche on to cook according to this recipe.
2. Heat the coconut milk, water and sugar in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a gentle simmer and add the cinnamon stick, sago, salt and grated apples. Stir while bringing to a simmer. Simmer, covered over a low heat for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the cinnamon stick.
3. In 5 individual dessert bowls, ramekins or glasses, spoon enough sago to just cover the bottom. Then divide the dulce de leche evenly amongst the 6 individual glasses, leaving about 6 or so tablespoons to drizzle on top.
4. Cover by dividing the remaining sago evenly amongst the glasses. Drizzle the top of each with the remaining dulce de leche and sprinkle with chopped toasted or dry roasted almonds. Eat warm in winter and autumn or chill in the fridge for a spring or summer dessert.

Makes approximately 6 individual desserts (this may vary depending on the size of your serving bowls/glasses, if you have large ones then it may only make 4).

I've submitted this recipe to the Vegan Virtual Linky Potluck - click here to see the other entries.

Polish Surówka z Marchewki (Carrot and Apple Salad)

This simple Polish salad is an absolutely perfect accompaniment to the heavier and creamier dishes which I've been serving up for Polish food month(s). When you're eating Pyzy with Creamy Mushroom Sauce or delicious Golabki, you're keen to have a light, fresh and healthy salad on the side! I'll be honest, I made this salad based on a vague description of a salad on the wikipedia Polish Cuisine page, so I'm not sure how authentic it is (you can never really trust wikipedia!). Either way, it's a winner :)

Guess what I'm doing today while this post is scheduled to go up? I'll be spending a day strolling around the Art Nouveau Buildings in Riga, the capital of Latvia! I'm really excited about it.

Ingredients
4 carrots
2 green apples
4 tbsp grapeseed or sunflower oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Walnuts, to garnish

To Make
1. Coarsely grate the carrot and place in a bowl. Peel the apples and grate them too. Add to the carrot.
2. Add the oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Mix well.
3. Garnish with broken walnut pieces and serve.

Serves 8 as a side salad. Halve the recipe to serve 4.

This month I'm featuring lots of delicious food from Poland.

Check out my other Polish recipe posts:

Home Made Vegan Sour Cream

Pyzy (Polish Potato Dumplings)

Mizeria (Polish Cucumber Salad)

Golabki (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

Kluski Z Makiem (Poppyseed Pasta Dessert)

Makowiec (Poppyseed Strudel)

Chickpea, Apple and Cashew Salad with Tahini Dressing

My mum calls me the Salad Queen because I almost never make the same salad twice. I just love making salads - they are so easy and so versatile. A lot of people think that salad is boring which baffles me - maybe they just put lettuce, tomato and cucumber in their salads and then add some store bought sugary dressing? If that is how you view salads then I challenge you to try some of my salads.

There are so many different vegetables and fruits, beans and pulses, nuts and seeds and different dressings to use in salads! This hearty salad is perfect for people who think that salads aren't filling enough to be your whole meal. It's also deceptively healthy - the rich creamy dressing is made with tahini which already has a certain oil content so that means you don't need to add any oil to the dressing - winner! 

Ingredients

1 small or medium sized beetroot

Lettuce (as much as you want for 2 people)

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 tbsp pepitas

1 x 400ml tin of chickpeas OR 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (soak for 24 hours, then boil for 30 minutes)

1 medium apple (see note)

1 cup unsalted cashews

Dressing

2 tbsp unhulled tahini

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 small glove garlic, crushed

Note: The variety of apple you choose will alter the flavour profile of the dish. I chose a sweet apple (like gala or pink lady) to add some crunchy sweetness to the salad. If you use a granny smith you'll have a more sour taste to the salad. Try both and see which one you prefer? :)

To Make:
1. Peel and dice the beetroot. Place in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil until tender (about 15-20 minutes - depending on how big you cut the pieces). Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2. Spread lettuce between two bowls. Chop tomatoes and layer on top of the lettuce. Then top with the cooled beetroot.
3. Lightly toast the pepitas by dry frying in a pan for about 60 seconds, tossing them regularly until they're browned and starting to pop. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
4. To make the dressing mix together all the ingredients and stir vigorously until smooth and combined.
5. In a bowl toss the cooked chickpeas, diced apple, cashews and pepitas with the dressing to coat. Distribute amongst the bowls and enjoy!

Serves 2

Vegan Kaiserschmarrn (German Torn Pancakes)

I have been particularly enjoying the excuse to make lots of pancakes for breakfast during German month. Even though in countries such as Germany pancakes are served more as a dessert than a breakfast, I still can't help making these recipes for my breakfast. Earlier in the month I made some German Apple Pancakes which were a bit of an eye opener to me - because they made me realise I should have been experimenting with putting fruits in my pancakes, but for some reason I wasn't! Well, I've learnt my lesson now and I think you will be seeing a lot more fun and fruity pancake variations from me, I'll call it the Germany Month legacy.

These pancakes were inspired by a recipe in one of my older editions of SBS Feast magazine. If SBS was a person then I think we would be awesome friends. Why? Because we have so much in common! We both love world things -
~different cultures - history and stories,
~wonderful food - where it comes from, how it is made
~AND most importantly the love child of those two things: world + food = world food!

Sometimes I dream that SBS will give me a job travelling the world presenting a food show. Then I wake up and realise that this is the real world - but hey, I can dream. That's my dream job - what's yours?

Vegan Kaiserschmarrn

Adapted from Feast Magazine Issue 11 (July 2012)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup soy milk
1 cup soda water
7 tbsp non dairy margarine (such as nuttelex)
2 large granny smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (don't do this too far in advance though, or the apples will go brown)
Icing sugar for sprinkling

To Make
1. Combine the flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the soy milk and soda water. Stir with a whisk until batter is a smooth consistency (it doesn't matter if it's not completely smooth, as long as all the ingredients are combined).
2. Heat a large frypan over a medium heat and add 1 tbsp margarine.
3. Add about 1/4 of the batter to the pan at a time, you will need to cook them in 2 batches. Flip the pancakes after about 2-3 minutes, or when bubbles appear all around the edge of the pancake and the bottom looks golden brown.
4. Add an extra tbsp of margarine to the pan and cook the second batch. Once cooked set the pancakes aside.

5. Return the saucepan to the heat and add 2 tbsp of the margarine. Add the sliced apples and cook for about 4 minutes over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until slightly softened. 

6. Tear the pancake into pieces - if they're not too hot then you can use your hands, if they are still very hot then you can use 2 forks.

7. Increase the heat to high and add an additional 3 tbsp margarine along with the torn pancake pieces.

8. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes or until the pancake pieces are golden.

9. Transfer to a serving plate and dust with icing sugar to serve.

Serves 2-3.

NOTES

~ This recipe doesn't have any sweeteners added (except the dusting of sugar at the end) so it main sweetening element are the delicious apples. If you have a crazy sweet tooth then you can add a touch of sugar to the batter or a drizzle of maple syrup at the end - but I recommend trying them without first, because they are perfectly balanced as they are!

This month I'm featuring lots of amazing recipes from Germany!

Check out my other German recipe posts:

German Apple Pancakes

Rohkostsalat (Cabbage and Fruit Salad)

Deconstructed Black Forest Cake Parfait

Rosenkohl in Bier (Brussels Sprouts in Beer)

Zwiebelkuchen (German Onion Pie)

Frankfurter Kranz (Bundt Cake Layered with Cherry Jam & Rum Buttercream)

German Potato Salad

Rote (und grün) Grütze (German Fruit Jelly)

Rohkostsalat (German Cabbage and Fruit Salad)

This salad is a bit like a German coleslaw, to me anyway. For that reason it reminds me of summer and picnics and gatherings outside in the sun. Which is nice, because the weather hasn't exactly been delightfully spring-like lately. Last week we had a couple of really hot days, followed by a cold and misty day and then a huge hail storm. Now it's cold with the occasionally shower and I'm feeling short changed by spring! But this salad put me in a lovely spring mood, and luckily on the day that I cooked it it was rather hot!

Ingredients

1/4 green cabbage (you can also use red cabbage or a mixture of both for pretty colours)

1 large green apple

1/2 cup raisins

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp pineapple juice

Dressing

1/2 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked in cold water for at least an hour (or as long as over night) and drained

2 tbsp vegan cream cheese

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

3 tbsp mayonnaise (a vegan brand)

To Make

1. Finely shred the cabbage and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the raisins and pineapple.

2. Core the green apple and chop finely. Add to the mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and pineapple juice and mix through.

3. Put the cashews in a small food processor and process until it forms a smooth and creamy paste. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and process the dressing until completely smooth.

4. Stir the dressing through the salad. Chill before serving.

Serves 5-6 as a side salad.

This month I'm featuring lots of amazing recipes from Germany!

Check out my other German recipe posts:

German Apple Pancakes

Deconstructed Black Forest Cake Parfait

Rosenkohl in Bier (Brussels Sprouts in Beer)

Zwiebelkuchen (German Onion Pie)

Frankfurter Kranz (Bundt Cake Layered with Cherry Jam & Rum Buttercream)

German Potato Salad

Kaiserschmarrn (Torn Pancakes with Apple)

Rote (und grün) Grütze (German Fruit Jelly)

German Apple Pancakes (Pfannkuchen)

Guten Tag! I'm very, very happy to tell you that October will be German Food month on Gormandize with A-dizzle & K-bobo! Are you excited? I sure am! All of October (or should I say Oktober?) there will be vegan recipes for tasty German treats being posted as I try out my hand at some German food. Guess what? I've already made a start and have chopped up some cabbage which is fermenting now to give me some lovely (I hope!) sauerkraut. I'll definitely report back on how this goes later in the month. Thanks to reader Zane who requested Germany, if you'd like to request a country to be featured then jump here and do so.

But I'm starting us off with something nice and easy. Pfannkuchen (pancakes) are not traditionally eaten for breakfast in Germany, but are considered more of a sweet or dessert. I however, being in Australia, made these for breakfast. Not because I was snubbing a German custom, but because I really felt like eating these for breakfast this morning. I made a variation on traditional German pancakes, which are usually made without the apple and are served with apple sauce, jam or canned fruit. These apple pancakes use thinly sliced pieces of apple cooked into the pancake which was a lovely variation in texture and flavour to the pancakes. I'm sold on the idea, as it is nice to have pancakes which aren't exactly the same with every bite. I think I will start putting fruit in my pancakes more often now!

German Apple Pancakes

Adapted from Seitan is my Motor

1 cup wholemeal plain flour

1/2 cup plain white flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup soy milk

1 cup soda water (unflavoured)

2 apples, cored

1 tbsp lemon juice

4 tbsp non dairy butter or margarine

To Serve: 

Granulated Sugar

Lemon Juice

Your favourite non dairy margarine or butter

To Make
1. Combine the flours, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and mix well. Add the soy milk and mix through to form a thick and stick batter.
2. Thinly slice the apples and place in a bowl with the lemon juice.
3. Get everything ready and at hand to cook (frypan, ladle, spatula, margarine, apple slices).
4. Add the soda water to the pancake batter and mix through, it should make quite a thin and runny batter. There may be some lumps, but don't worry about those.
5. Heat 1 tbsp margarine in the frypan at a medium heat. Add about 2 ladles of batter to the pan. Place the thin slices of apple on top of the batter in the pan.

6. Cook over a medium to low heat until the edges look crispy and bubbles appear in the pancake. Carefully flip over and cook on the other side. You want to cook them for a bit longer than you would cook regular pancakes, as you want the apple to be tender, so do it on a slightly lower heat than you would normally cook pancakes. 

7. After 4-5 mins cooking the apple side, flip it back the other way and serve. I recommend serving with margarine, sugar and lemon juice.

8. Continue with the remaining batter and apples, adding 1 tbsp margarine to the pan before cooking each pancake.

Makes 4 large pancakes, serves 2.

This month I'm featuring lots of amazing recipes from Germany!

Check out my other German recipe posts:

Rohkostsalat (Cabbage and Fruit Salad)

Deconstructed Black Forest Cake Parfait

Rosenkohl in Bier (Brussels Sprouts in Beer)

Zwiebelkuchen (German Onion Pie)

Frankfurter Kranz (Bundt Cake Layered with Cherry Jam & Rum Buttercream)

German Potato Salad

Kaiserschmarrn (Torn Pancakes with Apple)

Rote (und grün) Grütze (German Fruit Jelly)

Thai Red Tea Vegan Jelly with Poached Apples

Tea is a way of life for me. Coffee doesn't even rate for me. Don't even talk to me about coffee. Tea is an essential aspect of all the parts of my day. I drink so many cups of tea a day it's just not funny. So when 84th and 3rd (one of my favourite blogs) announced that the next Sweet Adventures Blog Hop theme was 'What's Your Cup of Tea" I knew that I had to make something even though I have been a bit lax in the blogging this month. To emphasise my point here are five reasons why tea is better than coffee (but seriously, I have nothing against coffee drinkers or coffee, so please don't take offence!):

1. Variety - having several cups of tea doesn't mean you have to have the same thing each time. Tea comes in so many different varieties that you can match it to your mood. English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Chamomile, Peppermint, Green Tea, Matcha, Orange Pekoe, Rooibus. I could go on for a long time - but you know them all. 

2. Decaf tea tastes just as delicious as regular tea - since I've had a long history of insomnia I'm predominantly on decaf tea which is pretty much the same as non-decaf. But decaf coffee just isn't quite the same.

3. Coffee gives you really bad breath. Seriously. If you drink a lot of coffee and you didn't know this then you should go out and buy some mints. 

4. Tea is the first thing guests get offered when they come into your home. It's a symbol of hospitality.

5. Some people (mostly young students) who drink a lot of coffee seem to think that their caffeine addiction is the coolest thing ever. I've had so many days at work or uni in which I've heard people loudly proclaiming that they can't function without their morning cup of coffee - as if it's something to be super proud of. Having an addiction is never cool - just so you know.

When I thought of the tea desserts the immediate obvious choice is cupcakes - super easy to add tea flavours to. I've made lots of Maccha Green Tea Cupcakes and lovely Chai Tea Cupcakes, I've even made Mango Chili Chai Cupcakes. But I wanted to try something completely different and new. Of all the delicious teas that I've got in my cupboard I knew immediately that I wanted to use the gorgeous Thai Red Tea which I bought when travelling in Thailand. It is served ice cold with coconut milk and/or lemon and it is the perfect way to cool down in the humidity.

I bought mine in Thailand, but I'm sure you can get it at some Asian grocers or probably on the internet. It is worth it to find though, as the taste is just great! In this recipe I made a fresh and healthy vegan jelly with a lovely surprise of poached apples on the bottom.

Ingredients
3 apples, peeled and cored
2 1/2 cups strong Thai red tea
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold water
6 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 tsp lemon zest
A few teaspoons of coconut milk

To Make
1. Slice the apples thinly and simmer gently with the red tea and sugar for about 10 minutes, until softened but not mushy.
2. Remove the apple and keep the tea syrup. Distribute the apple pieces evenly in the bottom of six glass dessert bowls.
3. Dissolve the cornstarch in the 1/2 cup of cold water.
4. Place 2 cups of the tea syrup and the lemon zest into a saucepan over a low heat.
5. Add the cornstarch. Leave over a low heat and stir continuously for 5 minutes. Don't allow it to simmer or boil, just keep it on a low enough heat to keep it hot. It should gradually thicken and deepen in colour. After 5 minutes it should look fairly thick but be easy to pour.
6. Pour over the jelly evenly across the six bowls. Add a couple of drops of coconut milk to the top of each one and use a skewer to swirl it across the top. You'll need to do this quickly as it will start to set fast.
7. Chill in the fridge for 40-60 minutes.

Serves 6.

Tufahija (Bosnian Walnut-stuffed Poached Apples) with Whipped Coconut Cream

This is the last recipe I will be posting for Bosnia Month, because March is almost over already! I have saved an absolute favourite of mine 'til last the end of the month as well. Bosnia has been so delicious in all aspects, but I have to confess, to me, this has been a dessert month. The Bosnian desserts were just amazing. However, my partner said he personally thought that the Bosnian savoury food was stronger this month and particularly nice - so I guess it's just all awesome :)

These incredible poached apples and the Easy Bosnian Chocolate Walnut Cake are my two favourites from this month. As you may have noticed, walnuts were really quite a theme here! All three of the Bosnian desserts I made this month were packed full of walnuts (see also my Bosnian Walnut Baklava)! So it seems that walnuts may just be the national nut :)

This dessert was so delicious and easy and is super convenient for dinner parties for 2 reasons. 1) you can just use exactly the right amount of apples so that there is one for each guest and you're not piled with a whole lot of leftovers (although not so good if you're not quite sure how many people are coming to your dinner party) and 2) it is mostly done in advance - the apples can been cooked and stuffed well ahead of time and then all you need to do is plate them up and add some whipped cream (coconut of course!).

One quick thing I should note is that for this recipe you will need an apple corer. I've never owned such an implement and have never desired to so I was calling around to all my friends to see if they had one that I could borrow. I was just starting to despair and thinking that I might have to actually buy an apple corer (which I'm sure I would never use ever again), when I discovered that actually my partner's mother has one! It had never even occurred to me to ask him because a) he lives with me and b) he's not much into cooking. Lesson learned - sometimes we forget to ask the most obvious people!

I made 9 apples when I cooked this for my dinner guests, so I doubled the recipe. Unfortunately, with the quantities listed I had quite a lot of leftover syrup. This is a difficult thing to avoid, since you need to have enough liquid in the pan to poach the apples. You can play around with the quantity of syrup depending on the depth and size of your saucepan, as long as you keep the sugar to water ratio at 1:2. You may also be able to reduce the amount of syrup by using a small, deep saucepan and poaching the apples in batches.

If you do have a lot of syrup left over, I used it up making these lovely Apple and Rhubarb Sago Parfaits and a great Apple Syrup Cake (recipe to be posted at some other stage).

Ingredients

4 green apples

2 cups raw sugar

3 cups water

Juice of a lemon

1/2 cup walnuts

2 tbsp raisins

1 can of coconut cream, chilled in the fridge over night (minimum! Optimum would be a few days.)

1 tbsp confectioners sugar (soft icing mixture)

To Make

1. Add the water, sugar and lemon juice to a large saucepan and heat gently until all the sugar has dissolved.

2. While this is heating peel and core your apples. Reserve the peelings to use later. As soon as they are peeled and cored bring the syrup to a low simmer and add the apples (do this fairly quickly, as if you leave the apples sitting around peeled for too long they will go brown).

3. Cover the saucepan and let simmer gently for about 4-5 minutes. The apples should be just soft enough to poke with a fork or knife, but still maintaining their shape. Remove from the syrup with a slotted spoon and place in a container to cool (I recommend doing this with the hole facing upwards to reduce risk of them collapsing as they cool). I actually put mine straight into a muffin baking tray to cool, as the muffin indents in the tray were just the right size and helped the apples keep their shape as the cooled.

4. Continue to simmer the syrup and add in the apple peelings that you reserved earlier. Simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. The syrup should be reduced and thickened. Remove the apple peelings with a slotted spoon and set the syrup aside to cool.

5. While the syrup is simmering you can prep your filling. Roughly chop the walnuts and raisins and mix in a bowl. 

6. Once the apples are cooled stuff the holes in the centre with the walnut and raisin mixture. Do this in the container (muffin pan) that you had them cooling in, so as not to make a big mess on the final plate.
7. Just before serving make the whipped coconut cream: when you open the tin you will notice that the top is a very solid thick cream. Scoop out all of the solid thick cream on top (you can reserve the rest of it to use in another meal – like a curry). Put the cream into a bowl and mix well using a hand held electric mixer. Move the beaters up and down to get as much air into the cream as possible. Add the sugar and beat until it looks just like thick whipped cream.
8. To serve, place an apple on a small plate and drizzle with some syrup and dollop some cream on the side. If there is any leftover walnut filling sprinkle it on the top as garnish.

Serves 4.

Check out our other Bosnian recipes:

Bosnian Zeljanica (Spinach, Leek and Cheese Pie)

Razlevjak (Bosnian-style Cornbread)

Easy Bosnian Chocolate Walnut Cake

Prebranac (Bosnian Baked Beans)

Bosnian Spinach and "Cheese" Plait

Vegetarian Cufte

Bosnian Walnut Baklava 

Rhubarb and Apple Sago Parfait

When the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop Hosts announced their next theme to be "Layer upon Layer" I was a bit at a loss. There are lots of things that immediately spring to mind - layer cake, baklava, slice, trifle etc. None of these things really excited me though, plus I really wanted to make something healthy and not too heavy! I have to admit that sometimes I find these blog hops a bit difficult because I just wish I could cook something savoury instead! I eventually decided a fruit parfait would be a healthier option than any other that I could think of - however, I was still faced with the layers of cream all through it. Then it hit me like a cream pie in the face - sago!

I love sago. Love love love it! It is the perfect alternative to cream and to custard (as you can see in my Vegan Strawberry Cherry Sago Trifle!) On a recent trip to my favourite Asian supermarket I found the most amazing thing..... green sago!! Green sago (thought I should say it again for emphasis!). As far as I can see it really is just sago with some food colouring because the ingredients just say 'sago'.... so evidently it is just sago. But check it out!!!!!

So once I had decided on sago parfait I knew that I just had to use my new green sago. I decided to combine it with the rhubarb that was growing abundantly in my garden and what better partner to go with rhubarb than apple? Rhubarb and apple are quite a classic combination - however combining them with sago?? Well it was amazing! The fruity sago layers are creamy yet refreshing, and the whole parfait is an amazing mixture of textures! Stringy, pulpy rhubarb and firm sweet apple pieces combined with the amazing creamy pearls of sago and then a beautiful surprise at the bottom in the form of crunchy, syrupy walnuts!!

Ingredients


Sago Custard:
1 can coconut milk
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sago (tapioca pearls)
1/3 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 vanilla bean, sliced open

Fruit:
1 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 green apple

1/3 cup water
3 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1cm pieces
1/3 cup walnuts

To Make:
1. Heat the coconut milk, water and sugar in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a gentle simmer and add the cinnamon stick, vanilla bean and sago. Stir while bringing to a simmer. Simmer, covered over a low heat for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean and allow to cool.
2. Heat the other cup of water in another saucepan and add the sugar. Leave on a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon juice.
3. Peel the apple and set the peel aside (you'll use it later!). Cut the apple into quarters, remove the core and slice the apple into slices about 1/2 centimetre thick. Add the apple to the saucepan and simmer, covered, for 4-5 minutes. The apple slices should be just tender but not mushy! Remove the apple slices and set aside.
4. Add the apple peel to the saucepan and leave the syrup on a low heat to simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes turn off the heat and remove the apple peel. Allow to cool.
5. In another saucepan combine the 1/3 cup water and the rhubarb. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove lid and simmer gently for another 5 minutes, there should be little or no water left. Mash the rhubarb with a fork until you have a lovely mushy rhubarb pulp. Add 2 tbsp of the hot syrup that you have simmer in the other saucepan (I'm assuming you are cooking all of these elements at the same time, I did!!). Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
6. Allow the sago, apples, syrup and rhubarb to cool to room temperature before assembling (don't refrigerate - all the elements will congeal and you will find it hard to layer it!).
7. Take 4 wide short tumblers (like scotch glasses) or small glass bowls. You could also use wine glasses or Martini glasses. Place a few slices of apple on the bottom of each glass and then layer 1/4 of the walnuts into each one - breaking them up into smaller pieces as you do. Spoon 2 tbsp of the syrup (which has cooled to a lovely thick honey like consistency) over the walnuts. This will be the lovely syrupy walnuty surprise at the bottom!
8. Layer the rest of the ingredients into the glass/bowl in this order: sago, rhubarb, apple, sago and then a spoonful of rhubarb on top. Chill for at least an hour in the fridge before serving. Enjoy!

Makes 4 individual parfaits (will vary depending on the size of your tumblers/bowls).

This is part of the March Sweet Adventures Blog Hop. Check out all the other layered desserts in the hop by hitting up all those little tiny pictures you see here:

Apple and Mulberry Crumble

Mulberries are just starting to become available in shops now so it's the time to seize the season and indulge in berry-tastic dishes! The amazing crumble topping is the star of this dish, so much so that I feel a bit sorry for the delicious berries underneath. This is made in a fairly shallow baking dish so if you have a deeper one then double or triple the quantities of fruit to make it more fruity! Serve with some vanilla soy ice cream. 

Ingredients

5-6 green apples

2 cups mulberries

1/4 cup water

2 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup pepitas

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup hazelnuts

1/3 cup walnuts

1 tbsp ground flaxseed (linseed)

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp dessicated coconut

2/3 cup Nuttelex (or any other vegan margarine)

To Make

1. Preheat the oven to about 180 degrees C.

2. Peel and roughly chop the apples and put in a saucepan. Wash and remove stems from mulberries and add to the saucepan as well with the 1/4 cup water. Put on a low heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the apple is cooked.

3. Roughly chop the walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and pepitas (this is best done using a really big knife and keeping your fingers well away!). 

4. Combine the oats, nuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds, brown sugar, flaxseed and dessicated coconut in a big mixing bowl and mix well to combine. 

5. Melt the margarine (either on the stove or in the microwave). Make a well in the middle of the dry mix and pour the margarine in. Mix very well until all the ingredients are coated in the marg. 

6. Grab a baking dish and  pour the cooked fruit into the bottom of it (including any cooking juices), spread out to make an even layer. Layer the crumble mixture on top evenly, spreading it all the way out to the edges.

7. Bake for 15 minutes in the oven, or until the top goes hard and crunchy (just touch the top with you hand to check - if it feels hard like a biscuit then it's done, if not give it another 5 mins).

8. Serve immediately (preferably accompanied by vanilla soy ice cream).

Serves 6 (or 3 people for 2 nights).

NOTE: The thing about crumble leftovers is that you CAN'T microwave them because it is a crime and the top will go all soggy. So when you want to eat your leftovers just pop it back in the oven for 15 minutes or so to warm up.