1) WHOLE FRUIT IN SYRUP FOR YOUR GREEK YOGURT
Yoghurt is actually a delicious, refreshing, light, filling and very, very healthy dessert. It awakens our taste buds in such a way that we realize that by touching such a traditional and pure flavor, we are turning our eating memories back to the time when everything was truly pure and authentic, and made with the sole purpose of benefiting us. However, for you that prefer to enjoy it with the plurality of flavours and textures that we have nowadays – and we, in “Hellenic Shelf” applaud this -, in addition to the classic – but never boring – flavours that you have or can find somewhere near you, we propose another, alternative taste that you can try, straight from the most delicious moments of the Greek tradition of fruit processing, the spoon sweet -as we call it in Greece- or otherwise, “whole fruit in syrup”.
Simply spoon fruit and its syrup onto your yogurt, crumbled cookies, cereals, nuts and especially walnuts, and enjoy like there’s no tomorrow. Yes, it’s sugary, but never forget that because its base is “cooked fruit”, the taste you get is much more intense and fuller than fresh fruit, it has many of the vitamins and nutrients we seek, and with all this we guarantee the ultimate pleasure. Try to restrain yourself from eating it all on the very first day.
2) WHOLE FRUIT IN SYRUP FOR YOUR CEREALS
It works in exactly the same wonderful way as the honey we mention in the “honey for your cereal” field, with the slight difference that in this case your treat will be named after the fruit you pour it on.
We recommend it because in terms of “sweetness” it’s probably the most innocent, since it contains no eggs, creams, fats or anything else that could incriminate a treat.
3) WHOLE FRUIT IN SYRUP AS A HEALTHY SWEET
How many times have we said “now I would like to eat something sweet”, and automatically with that desire comes guilt! The new nutritional trend says that sweets – except for fruit of course – are generally something we can avoid, because, what we have in mind are products whose ingredients the average person cannot understand, and this automatically makes them forbidden, at best, suspect.
It is not only sugar that raises issues that we need to consider, but also what we combine with it to produce a taste effect. So how about a spoonful of fruit cooked with glucose, concentrated natural lemon juice as a means of both acidification and preservation, and a delicious taste that will stay in your mouth for a long, long time? One spoonful is enough! In Greece we call it “spoon sweet” because the amount of one teaspoon is enough. Just try it.
4) WHOLE FRUIT IN SYRUP IN SWEET RECIPES
Now, at this point, after re-reading our previous reference to “whole fruit in syrup healthy dessert” or the original description we have for this amazing product, imagine pouring it on a cheesecake, a panna cotta, your ice cream, why not a slice of plain traditional homemade cake -which I adore to do-.
To make it more difficult for you, I’ll also mention “semifreddo”, just to let your mind wander to possible recipes, simple, homemade, more difficult or gourmet creations, where this liquid heaven can take off with just a spoonful, either on the side or on top.
5) WHOLE FRUIT IN SYRUP WITH CHEESE
I will refer again to an earlier note I left you, in the area of jams and particularly “with cheese”. Jams and spoon sweets have little differences and great similarities; except for the texture, which in one case is fruit puree, while in the other the fruit is whole or in pieces but in syrup, the result – if you combine it with cheese – will be the same.
Incredible flavours and combinations, balances and aftertaste that, a tray of cheese will no longer be a privilege reserved exclusively for friends, gallas or celebrations, but also an opportunity to enjoy them alone in a moment of relaxation and tasting.
6) WHOLE FRUIT IN SYRUP AS A TREAT
And now we come to the ultimate Greek tradition of treat. As I mentioned in the general description of the spoon sweet – whole fruit in syrup – hundreds of years ago in Greece, housewives invented the “cooking” of fruit to keep it “out of season” and realized that not only did it retain its flavor and most of its vitamins, but it became even more delicious and beautiful than before.
And, what do we do when a loved one returns home and we want to give them the best we can? Yes, we offer them the best! Before coffee, a small spoonful of this delicious wonder is enough to steal a smile from our guest, a compliment, to start the beautiful company.
Of course, there are so many ways to enjoy the above products, we just, as friends, give you some ideas and some solutions. You, investigate even further and for anything you are not too sure about, ask the experts.