Dessert Spring Rolls

I love creating in my food lab. However, I am not a food Nazi and I do not look down on convenience foods - within reason of course.

Spring roll wrappers. I do not know how to make them from scratch. I have a few recipes in my binder of recipes to try but honestly, the time quotient - Not too hyped about that. I make spring rolls when I am entertaining. I hardly wake up and say - self, let me make spring rolls just because. With that in mind, anything that can save me time on days when I am usually over ambitious with my menus when I have people over is fab. In addition, ready made spring roll wrappers are such great value.

I get my stock from a supermarket chain with branches in VI, Agungi area and Maryland. Each pack has 26 spring roll wrappers. By the time I get rid of 2 or 3 that are crumbly, I still have 23 wrappers. Each pack costs N270. So if I have 4 people to cater for: assuming each person has 3 spring rolls each, I still have 14 sheets left. You really cant beat that. They packs usually come frozen solid. All you need to do is leave them out for 20-30 minutes and you are good to go. They come out nice and thin and crunchy - way better than the spring rolls that small chops vendors make here. What more can I ask for?

So these spring rolls. I thought of making dessert spring rolls because I love desserts with texture contrasts. I had spring roll wrappers left over from an experiment gone wrong and I had some apple pie filling left over from my other life in Cupcake Couture.

I ended up making 2 types of dessert spring rolls:

For the apple pie dessert spring rolls, you will need: (use the ingredients in quantities that your palate loves)

• Spring roll wrappers - use as many as you need
• Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and diced
• Cinnamon powder
• Nutmeg - freshly grated or powdered
• Ground cloves
• Brown sugar

How to:

1. Combine the apples, cinnamon powder, nutmeg, cloves and brown sugar in a bowl and stir well ensuring that the apples are evenly coated
2. On a dry flat tray or board, place a spring roll wrapper. Add filling in center. Do not fill end to end. Remember you are going to tuck and roll
3. Take each end of the wrapper and fold inwards. You should have some parts covering the filling. Then roll carefully till you get to the end of the wrapper. Wet the tip of your finger with water and seal to close.
4. Place seal side down until you are ready to fry
5. In a pan, pour some vegetable or canola oil. I prefer to shallow fry my spring rolls. The key to crispy rolls that are not oily - the right temperature of oil. Heat the oil until it is very hot. Just short of smoking
6. Place each roll seal side down in a single layer in pan and fry till golden brown. Turn over carefully and brown both sides evenly.
7. Drain on kitchen towels and serve while warm with a dusting of confectionary sugar over the rolls

For the banana and chocolate dessert spring rolls, you will need (use the ingredients in quantities that your palate loves)

• Spring roll wrappers
• Ripe bananas - sliced
• Chocolate squares - Use any dark, milk or white. I like Dairy Milk or Lindt bars. Just break off the squares at marked points

How to:

1. On a dry flat tray or board, place a spring roll wrapper. Add banana slices and chocolate squares at the center of wrapper. Do not fill end to to end
2. Follow steps 3 - 7 above

My guests had this look of surprise on their faces when the spring rolls appeared at the table after entrees. A huge, huge hit. I will definitely be making these over and over again with different sweet fillings

Enjoy!!!!!

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