Baked Fruit Kebabs on Chocolate Couscous

Heart month is the perfect time to broaden your repertoire of heart-healthy dishes. And just in time is Healthy Eating for Your Heart: 100 Mouthwatering and Heart-Friendly Recipes From a Leading Chef and Dietitian. Chef Paul Gayler has teamed with Jacqui Morrell, BSc, RD, to offer both a primer on heart-healthy eating and a tempting collection of recipes, such as this:

Baked Fruit Kebabs on Chocolate Couscous

You may be surprised to see sweet couscous used as a base for these fruit kebabs, but you’ll soon discover that the chocolate works really well and makes an interesting variation.

2 oranges
2 bananas
1 ripe pear
4 pitted prunes, soaked and halved
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons rum (optional)

For the couscous
200ml skimmed milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
40g sugar
1⁄2 tablespoon cocoa powder
100g couscous
90ml rum (optional)

Serves 4

For the couscous, heat the milk, cinnamon and sugar in a small saucepan, add the cocoa, stir well and bring to the boil. Place the couscous in a bowl, pour over the chocolate milk, stir well, then cover and leave to stand for 5–8 minutes.

Separate the grains of couscous with a fork, cover and leave for a further 5 minutes. Stir once again, add the rum, if using, and leave in the fridge.

Soak four bamboo skewers in cold water, for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 230ºC/450ºF/gas mark 8.

Peel the oranges, bananas and pear. Cut each banana into 8 thick slices; cut the oranges into quarters. Halve the pear, remove the core, then cut into quarters.

Thread the fruit on to the skewers, with the prune halves at each end of the skewers. Place the fruit skewers in a shallow ovenproof dish. In a pan, boil the sugar with 4 tablespoons water for 5 minutes to make a syrup. Pour over the skewers, leaving a little aside for basting, and douse with rum, if using.

Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, basting occasionally with syrup.

Serve the chilled couscous topped with the fruit kebabs, pouring over any remaining syrup. Fruit sorbet or plain vanilla ice cream makes a lovely accompaniment.

Per serving: 304 kcals, 1g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0.05g sodium

Recipe reprinted with permission from Healthy Eating for Your Heart, by Paul Gayler with Jacqui Morell, BSc, RD

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