Rosehip ‘affogato’ with crumbled ‘amaretti’

By: David Frenkiel, Luise Vindahl Andersen
From: Green Kitchen Smoothies
Serves: 2

This is a slight deviation from a smoothie as we don’t even use a blender, but it’s a drink we used to have growing up, so we just couldn’t leave it out. Rosehips are a true Scandinavian superfood with a unique flavour. They are packed with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds and are known to reduce pain and improve movement for arthritis sufferers. Luise’s 84-year-old grandpa has been adding a tablespoon to his porridge for decades and he swears by it. In Sweden, rosehip powder is sold in supermarkets and health food stores; however, if you live in another country, you can always find it online. You can drink this cold; in fact, rosehip soup is an excellent base in smoothies. Here, however, we serve it exactly how I remember it from my childhood – hot, poured over a dollop of ice cream (or Greek yoghurt) and topped with crushed biscuits.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient

For the date ‘Amaretti’

Quantity	Ingredient
4-5	soft dates, pitted
90g	ground almonds
60ml	almond milk

For the rosehip soup

Quantity	Ingredient
40g	rosehip powder
1 tablespoon	arrowroot
500ml	water
3 tablespoons	see method for ingredients

To serve

Quantity	Ingredient
	vanilla ice cream

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place all of the ingredients for the date ‘amaretti’ in a food processor and pulse until mixed. Alternatively, put the dates in a bowl and mash them with a fork until they form a paste. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. Taste and adjust the sweetness to your liking by adding more dates if necessary. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe into about 2 cm diameter rounds, like amaretti biscuits (Italian macaroons). Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool while you prepare the rosehip soup.
Put the rosehip powder in a saucepan along with the arrowroot and water. Bring to the boil, whisking continuously to prevent lumps from forming. Reduce the heat, whisk in the maple syrup and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until a smooth syrup forms, before removing from the heat. Strain it through a fine-mesh sieve to get it completely smooth.
To assemble, spoon a scoop of vanilla ice cream into the base of two medium-sized glass jars or bowls, or in a large jar (as featured in the photo), and pour over the rosehip soup. Finish with a sprinkling of crumbled ‘amaretti’ and some extra ice cream on top for the sweettoothed. Serve straight away before it comes running down the glass jar!