Red, White, and Blue Fruit Terrine

Here's a light, summery dessert that will dress up any picnic table and not blow your diet. I used a white grape/peach 100% juice blend and added agar to create a healthy, updated "Jell-O" mold. The red, white, and blue layers are also 100% fruit--and 100% adaptable. Use your favorite combination of fruits, though some, such as kiwi, pineapple, fresh figs, papaya, mango, and peaches, contain enzymes which break down the gelling ability of agar (although cooking the fruit seems to solve this problem).

Red, White, and Blue Fruit Terrine

2 cups white grape-peach juice (or juice of choice)
1 1/2 tsp. agar powder
2 tbsp. agave nectar (optional--use only if your fruit is not very sweet))
10 ounces strawberries
2 bananas
1 1/2 cups blueberries

Put one cup of the juice in a saucepan, and sprinkle the agar over it and allow it to soften for a few minutes. Then, heat on medium-high, stirring, until the agar is completely dissolved and the juice begins to boil. Stir in the remaining juice and the agave (optional) and remove from heat.

Allow the agar mixture to cool slightly while you prepare the fruit. Be sure to stir the juice every minute or so.

Remove the stems from the strawberries and slice them lengthwise. Place them on the bottom of a loaf pan, prettiest sides down. Slice the bananas and place them on top of the strawberries. Put the blueberries in an even layer on top of the bananas.

Gently pour the juice mixture evenly over the berries. It will start to jell immediately, so work from side to side to make sure it's distributed evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled and jelled. Invert over a platter to serve (you may need to lower the pan into a large bowl of hot water to loosen the edges and run a knife along the inside of the mold.)

Strawberries and blueberries are among the most antioxidant-rich foods; blueberries especially have been proven to do everything from improving night vision to fighting cancer to lowering cholesterol! Each week, Cate at Sweetnicks hosts a round-up of antioxidant-rich recipes from blogs around the world, and this is my contribution for the week. Check out the other entries when she posts the round-up later today.

Inspiration for this delicious dessert came from Berry and Banana Terrine at Simply Recipes.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free Eat to Live