CHICKEN SCHNITZEL IN COCONUT CURRY

Ingredients......4 skinless chicken breasts, cracked black pepper to season, 100gm of butter/ marg, 2 eggs, 250gm of coconut flakes, 1 dsp of curry powder, 125 ml of vegetable oil. Trim the chicken breasts of any tendons and flatten slightly. Mix the cracked pepper with the flour , lightly dust the chicken breasts with the flour, shaking off any excess. Beat the eggs until well mixed and coat the floured chicken breastwith the egg mixture. Sprinkle the coconut flakesin a wide dish and stir through the curry powder. Coat the chicken breasts with the coconut curry mix. Heat the oil in a large frypan and saute the chicken for about 6 minutes over a medium heat, then turn the breasts and saute for another 6 minutes. Remove the schnitzels and drain on kitchen paper towelling . Arrange on serving plates and serve with almond rice and hot spicy spinach leaves.

RICH GINGER CAKE

Ingredients......125gm of glace ginger (finally sliced), 600gm of mixed fruit, 200gm of glace cherries ( sliced in half), 200ml of Apera sherry, 2 and 1/2 cups of plain flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, 1 tsp of mixed spice, 250gm of butter/ marg, 250gm of soft dark brown sugar, 6 eggs, 60 gm of granulated nuts. Place the mixed fruit in the bowl of your processor and process till chopped. Place the processed mixed fruit in a large bowl with the 200ml of Apera sherry. Mix well and cover tightly with cling wrap and leave sit overnight. Next day, preheat your oven to 150 deg C. Grease a 19cm x 22cm square pan and line with baking paper. Mix together the flour, baking powder and mixed spice. In the bowl of your electric mixer cream together the butter/ marg with the sugar until the mix is soft and fluffy. In a separate bowl mix together the eggs until well beaten. Okay, now you have 3 bowls, let's start. Add 2 tbs of the flour mix along with 1/4 cup of the beaten eggs to the butter mix and repeat until the eggs are incorporated. Now mix in the remaining flour mix. Finally gently fold in the fruit mixture along with the granulated nuts until combined. Place the mixture in the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 3 and 1/2 hours or until golden and cooked through ( test with a skewer). Leave the cake to sit in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Enclose the cake in baking paper and store in an airtight container in a cupboard ...until required. In memory of Jessie Lockhead Mersey , she taught me so much about cooking .

CHOCOLATE COFFEE MOUSSE

Ingredients......100gm of dark chocolate, 60 ml of espresso , 6 eggs separated, 100gm of castor sugar, 1/2 cup of whipped cream, a sprinkle of fine coffee granules. Place the chocolate in a bowl with the espresso and melt in the microwave in 30 sec increments. Beat the egg yolks and the sugar until thick and pale. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Now add the the chocolate mixture to the beaten yolks and stir to incorporate. Finally fold the beaten egg whites through the combined yolk and chocolate mixture. Divide the mixture between serving dishes/ glasses and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Serve with a dollop of thickened cream and a light sprinkle of coffee granules.

BAKED PUMPKIN AND BACON PIE.

Ingredients ...... 4 medium sized sweet potato ( kumara ), cooked and mashed, 1 cup of grated tasty cheese, 1 cup of coconut milk, 2 lightly beaten eggs, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 250gm of chopped bacon, cracked black pepper to taste, 1 dsp of sweet paprika, 1 tbs of dried onions, 1 tbs of dried chives , 1 cup of coarsely crumbled potato crisps. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease an ovenproof dish. Combine all the above ingredients in a large bowl and mix / beat until smooth. Now top with crumbled potato chips. Bake in the prehated oven for 30 minutes ... I served this on a bed of fresh baby spinach leaves . Delicious.

STREUSEL LOAF.

Ingredients....(for the cake mix), 1/2 cup of plain flour, 1 and 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar, 3/4 tsp of bicarb of soda, 2 tbs of melted butter/ marg, 1/2 cup of castor sugar, 1 egg lightly beaten, 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Ingredients for the filling....2 tbs of melted butter/ marg, 1/2 cup of soft brown sugar, 1/2 cup of granulated nuts, 1 dsp of ground cinnamon, 1/2 cup of plain flour, 2 tbs of breadcrumbs. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease and line a loaf pan. Combine all the cake mix ingredients in the bowl of your electric mixer. In a medium bowl combine all the filling ingredients using a wooden spoon. Pour half the cake batter into the prepared pan and then top with half the filling mixture over top. Repeat the process with the remaining cake mixture and finishing with the remaining filling mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the pan using the baking paper to transfer to a wire rack and cool completely . This streusel loaf is delicious anytime of the year, it is also a great alternative for those who do not like fruit cake , just dress it it with a piece of holly. Cheers !

FRUIT PASHKA

Ingredients.....1 x 425gm can of fruit salad, 1 x 250gm of creamed cheese, 2 tbs of castor sugar, 1/2 cup of granulated nuts, 1/4 cup of chopped dried apricots, 2 tbs of Apera ( cream sherry), lemon curd/ butter to serve. Drain the can of fruit salad well. Stir the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the granulated nuts and chooped dried apricots, stir well to combine. Blend in the Apera and fruit salad. Now spoon into 6 sections on a sheet of baking paper and finish with a sprinkle a granulated nuts. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator overnight, until required and then serve on serving dishes with a spread of lemon butter.

FRUIT AND CHEESE PLATTER FOR XMAS

Ingredients.......1 x 425 can of pear halves, 1 x 425 gm can of apricot halves, 200 gm of a blue veined cheese, 250 gm of creamed cheese, a handful of granulated nuts, a few fresh strawberries, a handful of whole pistachios. Drain the canned fruit. Upturn the cream cheese and press the granulated nuts around the outside of the cheese, then slice diagonally into triangles. Place a triangle of the cream cheese on top of each apricot half. Halve the pears lengthwise, slice the blue cheese into slices and place on top of the pear quarter. If you are using a soft blue cheese, spread into the hollows of the pears. Arrange the cheese topped fruit platter with a few fresh strawberries halved and whole nuts, decorate with fresh baby spinach leaves. Serve with savoury / plain crackers.