APPLE TART
250ml (140g) Self Raising Flour
2ml Salt
125ml Castor Sugar
125g Butter
385g Can Sliced Pie Apples
1 Extra Large Egg
125ml Milk
15ml Sugar
3ml Ground Cinnamon
- Cream butter & sugar. Add egg and beat until light and fluffy. Add flour and salt. Fold into butter mixture Alternately with Milk.
- Turn into a greased 23cm pie dish. Arrange apple slices on top of mixture. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over apples.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC for ± 40 minutes.
Syrup
60ml Sugar
45ml Milk
5ml Vanilla Essence
- Heat Sugar & milk; bring to the boil until sugar has melted. Remove from heat and add essence.
- Pour over apple tart when removed from oven.
Serves: 6 to 8
Bread and Butter Pudding - Panettone
575 millilitres Full cream milk
575 millilitres double cream (heavy cream)
1 vanilla pod
4 medium eggs
170 gram caster sugar (superfine sugar)
Panettone, cut into thick slices and buttered
1 orange, zested
3 tablespoons Cognac
A little icing sugar
- To start the custard base, bring the milk and cream just to a boil in a saucepan. Cut the vanilla pod in half, scrape out the seeds and add to the pan with the zest.
- Whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale. Add the milk and cream and remove the vanilla.
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C.
- Dip each slice of panettone into the custard and pile into a buttered baking dish. Pour the remaining custard slowly over the bread, place the dish in a roasting pan and fill halfway with hot water. Sprinkle with the icing sugar and bake for about 45 minutes. When cooked, it will have a slight crust on top, but will still be slightly wobbly inside.
Serves: 8 to 10
CHEESECAKE – The Best
Base
100g Biscuits - ginger is nice
80g Melted butter
- Combine crushed biscuits and butter
- Line the base of a 20cm Springform cake tin.
Filling
1 sachet Gelatine
125ml hot water
3 Egg Whites
500g smooth cream / cottage cheese
1 x 397g Tin condensed milk
30ml lemon juice
5ml Vanilla Essence
- Dissolve gelatine in water & set aside.
- Beat egg whites until stiff & set aside.
- Blend Cheese, cream & condensed milk
- Add Gelatine, lemon juice, & vanilla Essence.
- Fold in the egg whites.
- Pour into prepared base. Refrigerate and decorate as desired.
Tips
Substitute 150ml Sugar for condensed milk.
Mix 30g Cocoa, 2.5ml coffee, 60ml boiling water. Add for a chocolate cheese cake.
Mix in a tin of strained mixed berries for a berry cheesecake.
Serves: 8
CHEESECAKE - LEMON MERINGUE
Base
250g Tennis biscuits
125g Butter
- Crush biscuits. Mix in melted butter. Press into a 20cm spring-form pan, lining base and sides.
Filling
1pkt Philadelphia cream cheese (approx. 225g)
1 tin condensed milk (approx. 397g)
2 eggs (separated)
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup castor sugar
- Beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in condensed milk, lemon rind & juice, and the egg yolks. Pour into prepared crumb base.
- Beat / whip egg whites until soft peak form. Gradually beat in half the sugar. Beat until stiff, Fold in remaining sugar. Spread evenly over the filling.
- Bake in hot oven for 10 minutes to brown meringue. Allow to cool and set in the fridge.
Note: Use slightly green lemons.
Serves: 8
CHOC ALMOND MERINGUE CAKE
8 Egg Whites
1½ (330g) Sugar
1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier / Cointreau
350g Dark Chocolate – Chopped
250g Slivered Almonds – Toasted
6–8 Glacé / Dried Figs cooked in sugar syrup – Chopped
Zest of 2 oranges
Whipped Cream
Cocoa
- Preheat oven to 165°C.
- Grease a 25cm Spring-form Cake tin with oil
- Beat the egg whites until stiff, slowly add sugar and Cointreau.
- Fold in Chocolate, Almonds, Figs and orange zest.
- Place mixture in tin & bake for 1½ - 2 hours.
- Cool. Cover with cocoa. Serve with whipped cream
Serves: 8
CHOCOLATE CHIP PECAN PIE
3 Extra large eggs, lightly beaten
250ml Sugar
30ml Unsalted butter, melted
250ml Syrup
5ml Vanilla Essence
60ml Whiskey
1 x 20cm Pie Crust
125ml Chocolate Chips
250ml Whole Pecans
- Preheat oven to 180°C
- Combine the eggs, sugar, butter, syrup, vanilla and whiskey. Mix well and then Strain
- Sprinkle chocolate chips over the bottom of the unbaked piecrust; cover with pecans. Pour filling over chips and pecans.
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted halfway between the centre and the edge comes out clean.
- Set aside for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
Serves: 8
CHOCOLATE SAUCE - for ice-cream
½ cup Sugar
½ cup Cream
¼ cup Butter
Pinch Salt
¼ cup Cocoa
⅓ cup Syrup
60g Dark Chocolate
½ tsp Vanilla Essence
- Heat ingredients over low heat stirring well until boiling.
- Remove from stove and add vanilla.
FRUIT COCONUT MERINGUE
500ml Milk
12 Tennis biscuits – crushed
100g desiccated coconut
2 Tbls Butter
2 Tbls Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 x 410g can Fruit cocktail – drained
2 eggs – separated
Apricot Jam
3 Tbls Icing sugar
- Bring milk to the boil and add the biscuits, coconut, butter & sugar. Mix together.
- Add vanilla, mixed fruit and beaten egg yolks.
- Place in a greased proof dish and spread with jam.
- Beat egg whites until stiff, add icing sugar and spread meringue mixture over the pudding.
- Bake at 180ºC for 1 hour until golden in colour.
HALVA
2¼ cups (560ml) water
½ cup + 2 Tbls (155ml) sugar
¼ tsp (1,25ml) cardamom seeds – pounded
3 Tbls (45ml) Oil
3 Tbls (45ml) unsalted butter
¾ cup (180ml) semolina
¼ cup (60ml) semolina
¼ cup (60ml) raisins
¼ cup (60ml) slivered almonds
1 Tbls (15ml) finely slivered pistachio nuts
- Place the water, sugar & cardamom in a saucepan & bring to the boil over medium heat. Turn heat to low & simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat & set aside.
- Heat the oil & butter in a large non-stick frying pan or wok over medium heat. Add the semolina & stir until the semolina turns a light golden colour (not brown).
- Add the raisins, almonds & stir for 30 seconds longer. While stirring gradually pour in the sugar mixture. Reduce heat & continue to stir & cook halva for 6-8 minutes or until thick and runs off the sides of the pan. Remove from heat.
- Spread in a shallow flan dish. Sprinkle with pistachio nuts & let cool for 10-15 minutes. Cut into squares.
ICE CREAM – The easiest
6 Egg whites
500ml cream
1 tin condensed milk
- Beat egg whites till stiff
- Mix together cream and condensed milk.
- Add other ingredients at this point (Chocolate, orange, caramel, etc.)
- Fold egg whites into mixture.
- Freeze.
MALVA PUDDING – a guaranteed winner
1 cup sugar
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon Apricot Jam
1 cup Flour
1 Tablespoon Bicarb of Soda
Pinch of Salt
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Teaspoon Vinegar
1 cup Milk
- Beat Egg & Sugar Well. Add Jam
- Melt Butter, milk & Vinegar
- Sift Flour, Bicarb & Salt.
- Add dry & wet ingredients to Egg – sugar – Jam Mixture. Mix well.
- Bake at 180°C for 45 minutes in a greased casserole dish
Topping
1 cup Cream
100g Butter
1 cup Sugar
½ cup Hot Water
- Melt in a saucepan.
- Bring to boil, add to Malva when pudding is still hot.
Serves: 6 to 8
Chocolate Mousse with Sesame Snaps
200 grams good quality dark chocolate, bashed up
140 grams butter, cut into pieces
350 millilitres heavy cream
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Scottish whiskey
455 grams caster sugar
8 tablespoons butter
200 gram sesame seeds
- In a bowl over some gently simmering water, slowly melt the chocolate and butter together then remove from the heat.
- In a separate bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks.
- In a third bowl, whisk the eggs and honey until light and fluffy then fold in the whisky, melted chocolate mixture and cream, gently, so you don't lose too much air. Pour into small chilled 4 or 6 wine glasses or serving dishes and chill for at least an hour before serving.
- Put your sugar and 8 tablespoons of water into a pan on medium heat. Use a spoon to stir together, it will become a syrup.
- Cook until light golden, then add the sesame seeds and continue to cook until dark golden. Pour out the sesame seed caramel onto an oiled non-stick tray or oiled tin foil.
- Use a palette knife to push it out to about 0.5 centimetres thick (even thinner if you can).
- Allow to cool for about 15 minutes and you will have one big sesame seed caramel biscuit. Bash it up as you like!
Serves: 4 to 6
PECAN MERINGUE
16 Salticrax biscuits – crushed
100g Chopped Pecans
3 egg whites
½ tsp Baking Powder
1 cup sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
Whipped cream & Chocolate flakey to decorate.
- Whip egg whites until stiff. Gradually add sugar.
- Fold in baking powder & vanilla.
- Fold in crushed biscuits & nuts.
- Bake in a greased pie dish (27cm) at 190ºC for 30 minutes.
- Cool completely. Decorate with cream and flakey.
Serves: 8
PEPPERMINT CRISP PUDDING
3 Peppermint Crisps
1 Pkt. Tennis biscuits
1 Box (2 pkts.) Orley Whip
1 Tin Caramelized condensed milk
- Whip Orley Whip.
- Add condensed milk, and crushed peppermint crisps.
- Add layer of biscuits and mixture.
- Leave in fridge to set.
Serves: 6 to 8
The King of Puddings
4 eggs
565 millilitres milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
115 grams fine bread crumbs
225 grams sugar (1 cup)
4 level tablespoons jam (raspberry jam is really nice)
- Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C.
- Separate 3 of the eggs. Put the yolks in a bowl with the remaining whole egg and beat together. Add the milk, vanilla essence, bread crumbs, and 85 grams of the sugar.
- Put the jam on the bottom of a pie dish and spread it evenly. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the jam.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until set.
- Whisk the remaining egg whites until stiff. You could use an electric whisk for this. Slowly add the remaining sugar until it is all mixed in. Pile this mixture on top of the pudding mixture, then bake in the oven for a further 15 to 20 minutes until the meringue is set and lightly browned.
Serves: 4 servings
Sticky Chocolate Sponge Pudding
200g sugar
200g butter
200g self-raising flour, sifted
1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs, preferably free-range
3 rounded tablespoons cocoa powder
8 tablespoons warm water
Handful flaked almonds
100g cooking chocolate, broken up
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Beat the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy.
- Sieve the flour and baking powder into the butter mixture. Add the eggs and mix it all together. Then mix the cocoa powder with 8 tablespoons of warm water, until smooth.
- Fold the chocolate paste, almonds, and chocolate pieces into the cake mixture. Pour the mixture into a greased baking tin, spreading it out evenly. Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes.
For the chocolate sauce:
100g cooking chocolate
½ Cup confectioners' sugar
100g ounces butter
4 tablespoons milk
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate sauce ingredients in a bowl over some lightly simmering water. Stir until blended well.
- When the pudding is cooked, remove from the oven and pour over the chocolate sauce while still hot.
Serves: 8
TIRAMISU
16 Sponge Fingers (or boudoir biscuits)
250ml Strong Coffee, cooled
3 Tablespoons Dark Rum
500g Mascarpone Cheese
300ml Whipping Cream
4 Tablespoons Marsala Liqueur (or Kahlua)
4 Tablespoons Icing Sugar
4 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
STEP ONE:
Place the sponge fingers in a shallow bowl large enough to fit them all in a single layer. Mix together the cooled coffee and rum, then drizzle evenly over the fingers. Fingers will need to soak for about 20 mins, so set aside while you make the cream.
STEP TWO:
Place mascarpone in a bowl. Beat in whipping cream and marsala liqueur. Sieve in icing sugar. Stir until combined. Using six small dishes or one large bowl (approx 1.5L), layer up sponge fingers and cream, repeating the layers until the dishes are full. Finish with a layer of cream, then dust with the cocoa powder.
Serves 6
Freezes up to 3 months
