Heart-healthy stewed fruit

13th April 2010

If you think eating for a healthy heart means missing out on the good things in life, think again. This delicious stewed fruit recipe is just what the doctor ordered: full of fibre and cholesterol-lowering pectin, rich in resveratrol, and packed with powerful antioxidants. Whether you serve it for breakfast or dessert, it will make your heart (and your tastebuds) very happy indeed.

Pears and apples contain fibre, much of which is in the form of pectin, a water-soluble fibre that lowers LDL-cholesterol levels (‘bad’ cholesterol) without interfering with levels of the beneficial HDL-cholesterol.

In this recipe they’re combined with red wine and port (good sources of resveratrol, which may help reduce the formation of plaque in the arteries), and mixed berries (abundant in antioxidants called anthocyanosides, which support cardiovascular health).

Ingredients

  • 2 apples
  • 2 pears (preferably a firm variety like buerre bosc)
  • 4 dark plums
  • 2 cups frozen mixed berries
  • 2 dessertspoons of sugar
  • ½ vanilla bean, cut in half lengthways
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 300 mL red wine
  • 200 mL port


Instructions


    

  1. Wash and core the apples and pears but don’t peel them, as most of the pectin is just beneath the skin.  Cut the apples into slices ½-1 cm thick, and the pears into quarters.
    2. 

  2. Wash and halve the plums, removing the seeds.
    3. 

  3. Put the apples, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, wine and port into a large saucepan and bring to the boil.
    4. 

  4. Turn the heat down and simmer for 5 minutes (or until the apples start to soften), stirring gently.
    5. 

  5. Add the pears, and continue stirring for another 5 minutes on low heat. Remember to be gentle so the fruit doesn’t lose its shape too quickly.
    6. 

  6. Add the plums and mixed berries, and continue stirring gently for another 5 minutes, still on a low heat.
    7. 

  7. Turn off the heat, and put the lid on the pot. Allow the fruit to marinate in the syrup overnight or for at least six hours. Stir gently now and then while it’s marinating.
    8. 

  8. Reheat (again at a low heat) before serving.
    9. 



Serve with natural or bircher muesli and natural yoghurt for breakfast, or with low-fat ice cream or fresh ricotta for an after-dinner treat.


Serves six.


Note: The alcohol in the wine and port evaporates during the cooking process; however, if you’d prefer to make this recipe without any alcohol at all, substitute an equal quantity of dark grape juice for the wine and port. (Replace some of the grape juice with cranberry or orange juice for extra zing if desired).

		
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