A Strawberry and fennel vegan fool for a spring/summer dessert…

Christmas is just around the corner, so I thought I’d share a summer dessert for us southern hemisphere dwellers to consider adding to the menu for Christmas eve or Christmas day..Its not too heavy or too sweet, and is really quite satisfying..

Strawberries are in season in spring and summer and are filled with vitamin C, vitamin K, fibre and flavanoids, specifically anthocyanidins, which gives the berries the red vivid colour.  These antioxidants are great for reducing inflammation and protecting against heart disease and cancer(1).

Strawberries are also cooling in nature, and in terms of Chinese medicine are said to benefit the spleen and pancreas, improve appetite and aid thirst and a sore throat (2).

Aim for organically grown strawberries if possible for your budget, as they are often sprayed heavily..

Side note// a ‘fool’ is a traditional dessert with whipped cream. I’m using whipped coconut cream instead, you could also use coconut yoghurt as an alternative..

The combination of fennel seeds and strawberries is surprisingly delicious, the slight aniseed flavour goes well with the sweet and sourness of the strawberries, I got the idea from a spice book I borrowed from the library and combined it with the whipped coconut cream. So yum!

Here’s the recipe, enjoy!

Strawberry Fennel Fool

A perfect vegan dessert for Spring or Summer

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Servings 4

Equipment

• 1 Electric mixer

Ingredients

  

• 500g Fresh Strawberries, de-stemmed and sliced Organic if possible
• 2 tbsp Lemon juice
• 1 3cm Strip of lemon rind
• 1 tsp Fennel seeds, crushed
• 1 tbsp Maple syrup or honey
• 1 400ml can Coconut cream (or coconut yoghurt)
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• Rose petals for garnish Optional

Instructions

 

• Add the sliced strawberries to a medium bowl along with the lemon juice, lemon rind, fennel seeds and maple syrup, stir to combine
• Place in the fridge for 1 hr to macerate
• Place the coconut cream into a medium bowl, add vanilla extract and with electric beaters, mix on medium to high for a few minutes until thick and creamy.

  Place in the fridge also until strawberries are ready
• Remove the strawberries and whipped coconut cream from the fridge after 1 hr

  Using a fork you can mash the strawberries a little to break them up a bit more.
• Serve in 4 smaller glasses or 2 large glasses
• To serve, start with a strawberry layer, approx 1-2 tbsp of the mix, then dollop 1-2 tbsp of the coconut cream on top, repeat again, finishing with a couple of strawberries on top, garnish with a few rose petals. Repeat for all serves. You can then return them to the fridge until ready to eat.
• Note// If using coconut yoghurt there is no need to whisk it.

References;

1. Murray.M & Pizzorno.J ‘The Encyclopaedia of Healing Foods’, 2006, p316.
2. Pitchford.P, ‘Healing with Wholefoods, Asian traditions and modern nutrition’ 3rd Ed. 2002, p 623.

Disclaimer; The information provided in this blog post is for educational purposes only and does not intend to diagnose, treat or influence any medical conditions or decisions, please refer to your medical practitioner for appropriate advice.