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Posted by

Victoria Lagodinsky

February 22, 2016

Belinda Hamblin is one of our readers, she loves cooking and inventing her own desserts. Here she tells about her latest delicious creation: Strawberry Biscuit Bomb. Belinda left her fabulous career as managing theatre, visual arts, music and creative projects to start a family. She became a cooking consultant and a self builder. She is a mother of three, and at the moment she is pondering whether to return to her artistic roots or to open her own cafe… or maybe both!

This is what she says about herself: I’m Belinda, who once had a fabulous career managing theatre, visual arts, music & creative projects… Then we decided to start a family & build houses & I became a Cooking Consultant & a Self Builder…  Now, I’m a mother of three, who is unsure about whether to return to my artistic roots or to open my own cafe… Or to… Oh gosh… Decisions, decisions…

So, I recently turned 40 and the hubby surprised me with a trip to Rome, without our three munchkins; yes, he organised three full day and nights of childcare and I was determined to make the most of it.
We literally ate and drank our way to every ancient monument and ruin the fabulous city had to offer… We had the time of our lives, but on the plane home, realisation hit… I’m now 40 and I’ve probably just eaten and drank quadruple my recommended daily allowance of salt, sugar, carbs, alcohol, saturated fats, etc, etc… I’m not in my 20s, where I’d burn said calories at the Camden Palace… I’m in my 40s and those said calories are going to set up house & home on my thighs, tummy & butt… Possibly forevermore.

I’m a real food obsessive; naughty, nice, but I also love healthy food. However, I do have to engage my brain more when consciously knocking up a healthy plate. I’ll happily gnaw my way through a Grilled Chicken Breast, Quinea & Salad… Nevertheless, once I’ve got through the healthy main, I soon start to fantasise about something sweet/naughty…

Love a slice of melon. Actually love all fruit, nuts and yogurts but they just don’t do it for me after a meal. I need ‘a dessert’. I need something that I can spoon into my chops. Something that I can chew, something that looks yummy. Not necessarily cooked, that’s the hubby’s obsession.

And so, I’ve started inventing my own desserts. I’m replacing all the naughties for healthier alternatives; for example, I’ve been swapping cream, creme freche and sour cream with quark. It’s naturally fat free & fabulous for cooking, baking & mixing. I’ve just knocked up a Strawberry Biscuit Bomb and  not only is it delicious and healthy, it looks a little naughty, which is always nice!

Now, I made a single portion so feel free to double, triple, quadruple the ingredients as required. There’s five of us in our house and I’ve got myself into a crazy routine of knocking out five different meals and five different desserts most evenings. This will stop. I just kind of get obsessed with experimenting and as a result have fashioned a family with the most demanding and differing palates. I know, I’ve only got myself to blame!

So, here goes…

Ingredients:
Faux biscuit layer – 30g oats, 20g pecans, 10g warmed honey, 20g organic coconut oil
Faux cream layer – 60g quark, a little zest & freshly squeezed juice of 1/4 an orange
Strawberry layer – 4 large crushed strawberries, a sprinkling of icing sugar

Method:

Recipe steps

  • Line a glass bowl or ramekin with cling film & freeze for at least 20 minutes.
  • Chop pecans & mix with oats, honey & coconut oil, set aside.
  • Mix quark, zest & juice in another bowl, set aside.

Strawberry Biscuit Bomb step 2

  • Mix crushed/chopped strawberries & icing sugar in another bowl, set aside.

Strawberry Biscuit Bomb step 3

  • Remove glass bowl/ramekin from freezer. To layer the bomb, pour the strawberry mix into the bottom of the ramekin/glass bowl.
  • Then layer the faux biscuit layer over the top & smooth with a spatula.
  • Lastly, spoon the faux cream layer over the top & return to the freezer for another 20 minutes.

To serve, invert the glass bowl or ramekin over a plate & gently remove the cling film. And, Ta-da, your bombe is ready to serve; looks impressive, tastes fab & it’s extremely low in fat. Now, where’s those after dinner mints.