#FitFruitFriday - Mother's Day Menu

Hopefully you all know that Mother's Day is this Sunday - otherwise you're going to have a pretty angry mum expecting a card - and nothing makes the day better for the woman who gave you so much to have a day off from cooking. Here at Fruit For the Office, we think there's nothing kinder and more personal than to give someone a home-cooked meal, so we've delved through our favourite recipes and found a lovely sample 3 course meal that you can easily prepare with leftovers from your office fruit delivery!

Serves 4

Starter
Fig, Parma Ham and Mozzarella Salad with a Honey and Lemon Dressing

• 4 ripe figs
• 8 slices of parma ham
• handful of basil
• 4 small balls of mozzarella
• 1 tbsp good quality liquid honey
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• pinch of salt and ground black pepper

1. Wash fresh, sweet-smelling figs in cold water then cut off the stems and halve
2. Place the 2 halves of each figs onto four separate plates then wrap a slice of the parma ham around each half
3. Tear the mozzarella and add an equal amount to each plate 
4. Tear the basil and add an equal amount to each plate
5. Mix together the honey, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl, drizzle over each plate and serve

Main
Pork Loin with Cider and Caramelised Apples

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• knob of low-fat butter
• handful chopped parsley
• 100g low-fat sour cream
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 6 apples, cored, peeled and cut into rings
• 4 sprig thyme
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 pork loins, cut into slices
• 2 onions, sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 500ml dry cider
• 400ml chicken stock

1. For the pork, heat a little oil and knob of butter in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the sugar and heat gently until dissolved. Toss the apple rings into the pan and caramelise for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside
2. Add a touch more oil and brown the pork slices on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside
3. Add the sliced onions and cook gently for 2-3 minutes until softened. Return the pork slices to the pan, along with the garlic, and season with salt and pepper
4. Pour in the cider. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced 
5. Add stock, bay leaves and sprigs of thyme. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the pork is cooked through
6. Remove the pork from the pan and continue to reduce the liquid for a few minutes. Stir in the sour cream and chopped parsley and heat gently for a further 1-2 minutes
7. Briefly heat the apple rings gently in a separate pan for 1-2 minutes to warm through
8. Serve with the apple rings and spoon the sour cream sauce over the top

Side

Sauteed Potatoes

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• knob of low-fat butter
• 3 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1kg new potatoes, quartered
• 150g lean bacon, diced
• 3 sprig thyme
• salt and pepper

1. Heat a little oil and butter in a non-stick frying pan and sauté the onions and garlic for a few minutes to soften
2. Add the potatoes to the pan, along with the bacon and thyme
3. Season with salt and pepper and heat for 8-10 minutes, until the potatoes and bacon are golden brown and crisp
4. Serve alongside the pork

Dessert

Low-Fat Apricot and Raspberry Tart

• 3 large sheets or 6 small of filo pastry
• 2 tbsp low-fat butter, melted
• 3 tbsp apricot conserve
• 6 ripe apricots, stoned and sliced
• 85g raspberries
• 2 tsp caster sugar

1. Let the filo come to room temperature for about 10 mins before use. Put a baking tray into the oven and heat oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6
2. Brush each large sheet of filo with melted butter, layer on top of each other, then fold in half so you have a smaller rectangle 6 layers thick. If using small sheets just stack on top of each other. Fold in the edges of the pastry base to make a 2cm border
3. Spread the apricot conserve inside the border. Carefully slide the pastry base on to the hot baking tray and bake for 5 mins
4. Remove from oven, arrange apricots over the tart and brush with any leftover melted butter. Bake for another 10 mins, then scatter on raspberries and sprinkle with sugar
5. Bake for a final 10 mins until the pastry is golden brown and crisp and, enjoy with custard, cream or ice-cream with no guilt!

We hope you enjoy our fit fruit themed menu for Mother's Day and be sure to spoil your mum rotten (without expanding the waistline!) 

Let us know in the comments if you were mummy's little angel/soldier after cooking up this meal!

Photo Source: | 1 |

Recipes Sources: | 1 | 2 | 3 |