This is our final blog about the latest edition of our recipe book for people affected by cancer. You may have read the last two in the series, where we shared our thoughts on three starters (watercress and leek soup, smoked fish chowder and parsnip and coconut soup) and three main courses (one-pot fish with black olives and tomatoes, broccoli mornay, and spring onion, garlic, and prawn risotto). In this one, we’re letting you know how we got on making three of the delicious desserts.
Our recipe book is especially for people with cancer. Each recipe is designed to be appetising and to encourage you to eat even when you don’t feel like it. We wanted to make sure they were up to scratch so we put a few of them to the test.
In the book, we’ve added the following symbols to the recipes, so you can quickly spot the ones that may suit you. These are a guideline only and you should talk to your doctor about which foods are suitable for you.
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We’d love to hear from you too. So if you have any recipes of your own that you’d like to share, please leave a comment below or email us at cancerinformationteam@macmillan.org.uk
You can order a copy or download our book Recipes for people affected by cancer by visiting be.macmillan.org.uk
Preparation 10 minutes
Cooking 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves 4
One of our Information Development Nurses Hillary, and her little helper, tried this sweet treat.
‘I chose the easiest recipe I could find and had an eager three-year-old do most of the work for me.
We shopped for the cooking apples but had the other ingredients in the cupboard or fridge. My three-year-old opted for mixed fruit only, but we put marzipan, raisins and walnuts in the other apples and drizzled honey and butter on top.
As promised by the recipe, prep took about 10 minutes and we baked them at 160°C for 45 minutes.
This dessert is suitable for people with a dry or sore mouth or chewing problems, because it’s very soft with a moist texture. You might want to avoid using the nuts though if your mouth is sore. It would also be good for someone who’s lost weight or their appetite as it’s easy to prepare, has an appetising smell while cooking and is easy to eat. You can add calories with full-fat yoghurt, cream or ice-cream. Alternatively, if you need to lose weight, you could lower the calorie content quite easily by cutting out the butter and serving low-fat yogurt on the side.
Admittedly, the photo of what we ended up with doesn’t look very appetising, but they smelled delicious and got positive feedback from all parties!’
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Preparation 5 minutes
Cooking 5 minutes
Serves 4
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Ingredients
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Marilisa, an Editor in the team, made this easy but indulgent pudding.
‘It was very easy to find the ingredients for, and to make, this recipe. And it only took about 10 minutes to do.
I’d say it would work well for people with a dry or sore mouth, and it’s definitely one for people who need to put weight back on. I’d probably make it again – and it’s something very quick you could make for someone you’re caring for. A melted-Mars-bar extravaganza!’
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Preparation 10 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
Whipping cream (280ml/0.5 pint)
3 ripe bananas
Caster sugar (2 heaped tbsp)
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Our Editor Marilisa also tried out this dessert.
‘Again, it was really easy to find the ingredients for this recipe. I thought it would be quite acidic as the lemon juice looks disproportionate to the other bits when you make it, but actually it balances nicely with the cream and bananas.
It took about 10 minutes to make it using a freestanding mixer, but it would take considerably more time and effort to whisk the cream by hand.
I was pleasantly surprised by this recipe; it’s very yummy and tastes quite light (in spite of the cream content). Definitely another one for people who have lost weight, or have a dry or sore mouth. I’d make it again, and would probably manage it (with an electric mixer) when feeling less than 100%.
I made sure the leftovers of this one were waiting for me when I got home from work!’
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There are lots of other lovely desserts in the new edition of our recipe book, including: Greek honey cheesecake with apricot compote, summer pudding and amaretti-stuffed peaches. Download or order a copy and have a go yourself!
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