by Jane Rodmell for All The Best Fine Foods, a ‘Certified Good Food Fighter‘
At All The Best the shelves are overflowing this weekend with treats for your Easter or Passover celebrations. You’ll find exquisite candy-coated eggs from Belgium, delicious chocolate novelties from England and Italy, chocolate bunnies of every description and essential chocolate eggs for your egg hunt. Our traditional hot cross buns are a ‘must’ for your weekend brunch and all the family will enjoy the hand decorated lemon sugar and gingerbread cookies and cup cakes dressed for the season.
Our flourless treat options include popular chewy coconut macaroons, meringue nests and miniature meringue drops, baby cupcakes, a densely decadent chocolate cake and my current favourite dessert-our delicious Orange Almond Cake. This rich, moist, flourless cake is a simple mix of eggs, sugar, ground almonds, fresh orange juice and zest with a Cointreau/orange glaze and a decoration of candied orange peel. Served with a fresh fruit compote and a generous dab of Local Dairy Crème Fraîche it makes a marvelous sweet finish to a meal.
The flavours of this fresh blackberry compote complement our Orange Almond Cake beautifully.
Fresh Blackberry Compote
1/2 cup (125 ml) sugar
2 cups (500 ml) fresh blackberries
2 strips orange zest
1 tbsp (15 ml) orange-flavoured liqueur
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar with ½ cup (125 ml) water, stirring until sugar dissolves and mixture just reaches a boil. Add blackberries and zest to the pan. Bring mixture just back to a simmer and then remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes. Lift blackberries from syrup with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl. Discard orange zest. Return the pan with syrup to the heat and simmer until liquid is reduced to a light syrup consistency, about 5 minutes. Pour syrup over blackberries and stir in orange –flavoured liqueur. Refrigerate in a covered container until ready to use.
Makes 2 cups (500 ml)
Enjoy!
All the best
Jane
