Dessert is so much fun! Everyone likes it. Our taste buds love the sensory stimulation of a savoury meal followed by something sweet. Dessert is also usually associated with sweet childhood memories of grandma, fun and family time. I think that’s why we like it so much.
When it comes to eating well, there are many recipes, blogs and opinions on how to make healthy ‘treats’ so we can indulge in the sweet stuff more often. Most of those recipes aren’t much healthier. Sugar is sugar, whether is comes from honey, rice malt, coconut or cane. Sure, they differ slightly in their glycemic index (the effect they have on your blood sugar), their amount of processing and in the presence of other nutrients (e.g.: antioxidants) but not enough to recommend one over the other. They all need to be eaten in moderation.
Moderation, that’s a frustrating word. What does it really mean? I think it means finding the balance that’s right for you. This means eating well the majority of the time so your body is healthy, functioning at its best and you’re managing a healthy weight, but at the same time you’re engaging in our culture and society and enjoying the things you love. This will look different for everyone and that’s ok.
When it comes to dessert, my recommendation would be to not have it every night, so you don’t get into the habit of always wanting something sweet after meal times and also keeping your portion on the small side. If you can, include fruit, to add some nutrition, but in the end we don’t eat dessert because it’s ‘good’ for us. We eat it because it tastes yum!
Here’s a perfectly portion controlled dessert idea that I’m sure you’re going to love. I’ve combined all my favourite things: pastry, chocolate, Philadelphia and fresh berries to make a deliciously rich dessert that won’t burst your belt buckle! The recipe makes 12 so make sure you share them!
Sweet Berry Tarts
Ingredients
- 12 tarts, sweet pastry pre-made
- 60 g chocolate, dark (12 squares)
- 100 g cheese, cream philodelphia
- 50 g cream, double thick
- 2 tbsp sugar, caster
- 1 punnet strawberries
- 1 punnet blueberries
Instructions
- Cook the tarts in the oven for 10 minutes or until just golden.
- Remove the tarts from the oven and immediately place one square of dark chocolate into each of the tarts and allow to melt and spread over the bottom. Place in the freezer until the chocolate is set.
- Meanwhile beat the philadelphia, cream and sugar with a whisk until well combined.
- Fill the tarts with the cream mixture and top with berries, serve immediately.
