SOME COMMON FAULTS IN CAKE MAKING…

A. A damp heavy cake, sometimes called a sad cake.. This is because the proportion of liquid or sugar is too high in the mixture.... The oven temperature is too low. The cake not cooled properly before serving/ storing. Fruit sunk to the bottom of the cake..... Too much baking powder, so the cake rose too quickly. Too much liquid and rose slowly so the fruit sank to the bottom. The use of wet fruit instead of dried fruit. The oven temperature too low. Cake collapsed in the middle..... Because the oven was too hot. Used too mich baking powder. A cold draught caused by opening the oven door before the cake was set and leaving the oven to slam shut...

FISH CURRY

Ingredients....4 skinless salmon fillets, about 200 gm each, 1 tbs of lemon juice, 3 tbs of canola/ rice bran oil, 1 large onion, finely chopped, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 1 tbs of minced ginger, 1 tsp of ground turmeric 1 tsp of ground coriander, 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1 tsp of chilli powder, 250ml of coconut milk, 2 fresh chillies, chopped, 2 tbs of white wine vinegar, 2 tbs of fresh coriander, chopped, steamed rice/ mixed grains to serve. Slice each salmon fillet in half and lay them on a plate in a single layer and sprinkle over the lemon juice and rub in gently. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Cook the sliced onion in a large frypan with the oil until tender and golden. Now add the minced garlic and ginger and continue to cook and stir till combined, add the turmeric, ground coriander, cumin and chilli powder continue stir while cooking. Add the coconut milk, chopped chillies and vinegar. Stir well and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the salmon and cook gently for 10 minutes, stir in the fresh coriander and remove from the heat. Serve with the steamed rice/ grains. This will be on the Good friday menu at The manor.

SALT LASSI……….SWEET LASSI.

So what is a lassi? A lassi is a South Asian by origin. A yoghurt diluted with water , used as a refreshing drink either with sugar or flavoured with cumin and mint. Before you decide it is not for you, give it a try. SALT LASSI...Igredients...700ml of natural yoghurt, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of castor sugar, 250 ml of cold water, ice cubes, ground cumin to garnish, fresh mint to garnish. Beat together the yoghurt, salt and sugar in a bowl, then add the cold water and whisk until frothy. Fill 4 or 6 glasses with ice cubes and pour over the yoghurt mixture. Lightly sprinkle the top of each glass with ground cumin and garnish with mint leaves. SWEET LASSI......Ingredients....500 ml of natural yoghurt, 225 ml of ice cold water, 4 tbs of castor sugar, ice blocks/crushed ice, cinnamon sugar to garnish. Pour the yoghurt into a bowl and beat with a hand held electric mixer until frothy. Add the water and sugar and beat until the sugar has dissolved. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Fill 4 tall glasses with crushed ice / ice blocks. Pour in the lassiand sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve immediately. Enjoy.

BAKED PASSIONFRUIT CUSTARDS

Ingredients......4 passionfruit, 4 eggs, lightly beaten, 175 ml of coconut milk, 55 gm of castor sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. A roasting tray to hold 4 x 200 ml ovenproof dishes/ramequins Halve 3 of the passionfruits, scoop out the pulp and rub through a seive to remove the seeds. In another bowl, beat together the eggs, passionfruit juice, coconut milk, sugar and vanilla extract until a smooth custard forms. Pour the custard between the 4 ramequins, Place the ramequins in the roasting pan and pour in hot water to reach halfway up the dishes. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until just set. Finally scoop the pulp from the remaining passionfriut and spoon a little onto each dish to serve. The custards can be served warm or chilled.

OVEN ROASTED POTATO WEDGES WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY.

Okay, so you can purchase frozen wedges and chips. I am not saying they are bad, just if you have the time these are better! Ingredients......900 gm of 'all rounder' potatoes, 1 tbs of canola/ rice bran oil, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 2 tbs of rosemary leaves, bruised and chopped. Preheat your oven to 220 deg C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Wash the potatoes and dry thoroughly with paper towelling. Leave the skin on the potatoes, slice them in half lengthways and then cut them again lengthways into chunky wedges. Dry the wedges with baking paper, now place them into a large bowl with the oil and a sprinkle of sea salt, the minced garlic and rosemary. Toss them around a few times to get the wedges well coated. Spread the coated wedges out on the lined tray and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until golden and crisp. Serve immediately with a fine sprinkle of salt . Mmm, delicious.

POTATO, ONION AND TOMATO BAKE.

This is an oldie but a goodie, great as a dish on its own or as part of a vegetable side to any meat, chicken or fish dish. Ingredients......1 kg of potatoes, cracked black peppper, 2 tbs of canol/ rice bran oil, 225 gm of onions, peeled and thinly sliced, 3 tbs of minced garlic, 450 gm of tomatoes, thinly sliced, 1 tbs of dried tarragon, 225 gm of tasty grated cheese. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease a large ovenproof dish. Parboil the potatoes in salted boiling water for 10 minutes. Cool slightly and then slice the potatoes. Heat the oil in a pan and saute the sliced onions intil tender, stir through the minced garlic. Now start layering up the prepared dish, first with half of the sliced potatoes , then half the onion and one sliced tomato and one third of the grated cheese and the dried tarragon. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of tomatoes and cheese. Cook uncovered in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until the cheese has melted into the other ingredients and browned on top. Sprinkle with a little extra tarragon to serve.

BANANA SUPRISE.

Ingredients.......2 firm bananas, thickly sliced, juice of 2 lemons, 2 tbs of honey, 2 tbs of marg/ butter, sprinkle of ground nutmeg, sprinkle of ground cinnamon. Place the sliced bananas in a bowl and pour over the lemon juice. Place the honey and butter in a small pan over a low heat and sprinkle over the nutmeg, heat until the butter/ marg has melted. Drain the sliced bananas add to and gently stir through the honey/ butter mix, until heated through. Once warmed through transfer to serving dishes drizzling the juice over, sprinkle with the cinnamon. Serve with ice cream, cream or sour cream. Simple and delicious.