Croissants with Almond, Pear and Fig Spread
My inspiration for this simple recipe came from my favourite flavour of Boursin cheese, which is date and walnut. But as many ICers cannot eat walnuts I tried it to recreate it instead with almonds and the results are wonderful.
If there is a variety of apple that your bladder can tolerate (some people have luck with Fuji, and I can eat “Pink Lady” with out getting a flare) use that instead of the pear. You could also increase the dates a bit and leave out the pear or apple entirely. When buying dried dates (and nuts for that matter) always try to find ones that do not contain any sulphates, as these are known bladder irritants (check at your local health food shop for preservative free dried fruit). To make it easier to chop the dates, coat your knife in a fine layer or Pam spray or oil first.
If you want to have this spread on hand all the time, it can be made and frozen with out the apple or pear and defrosted before using. Once defrosted add in the fresh fruit. Cream cheese freezes quite well and will keep for at least four months in the freezer if it’s properly stored in a freezer safe container. You can multiple this recipe as many times as you’d like.
Croissants with Almond, Pear and Fig Spread
4 croissants (ensure that they are IC friendly)
½ cup almonds, finely chopped
¼ cup dried dates, chopped
250 grams (1/2 lb) cream cheese, softened (full or low fat is fine)
1 large, ripe pear or bladder safe apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped (or shredded)
Combine all ingredients except for the croissants in a food processor or mixing bowl and stir or blitz to combine well.
Warm or toast your croissants, once heated (or toasted) split in half lengthwise and spread one quarter of the cream cheese mixture onto each croissant. Serve warm.
Any leftover cream cheese will keep for a few days, if well covered, in the fridge.
Serves 2 - 4 people