CHEESE SCONES

Ingredients....2 cups of self raising flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp of mustard powder, 30 gm of cold butter/ marg cut into pieces, 1/2 a cup of grated cheddar cheese, 1/4 of a cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese, (found in the pasta section of your supermaqrket), 1 cup of milk, 1/4 of a cup of grated cheddar cheese, extra for topping. Preheat your oven to 220 deg C. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Sift the flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt and mustard powder into a bowl and add the butter / marg. Rub the butter / marg in with you fingertips. Stir in the Parmesan and cheddar, make sure they do not clump together and make a well in the centre. Add almost all the milk and mix with a flat bladed knife of the milk in a cutting action until the dough comes together in clumps, using the remaining milk if necessary. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured bench, using floured hands, gently pat into a smooth ball, do not knead, otherwise you will end up with tough scones. Pat the dough into a 2 cm thickness, use a floured 5 cm cutter and cut into 5cm rounds. Gather the scone trimmings together and shape again into a 2 cm thickness and cut out more rounds. Place the scones together close together on the prepared tray. Sprinkle over the extra grated cheddar cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Best served warm or at room temperature. These are so good.

COUSCOUS AND POMEGRANATE SALAD.

Ingredients....2 cups of couscous, 2 cups of boiling water, 1 pomegranate, halved and seeds removed, 1 continental cucumber, finely chopped, 1 cup of roughly chopped fresh mint leaves, 1 cup of roughly chopped fresh flat leafed parsley, 1/3 rd of a cup of canola / rice bran oil, 1/4 of a cup of granulated nuts, 2 tbs of sesame seeds. Place the couscous in a large heat proof bowl. Add the boiling water. Cover and set aside until all the water has been absorbed. Use a fork to fluff and separate the grains. Set aside to cool. When the couscous has cooled, transfer to a large serving bowl. Use a handle of a wooden spoon to hit the pomegranate all over before cutting in half, this will help to dislodge the seeds. Release the seeds over the couscous to catch any juices. Add the cucumber, mint, parsley, oil, nuts and sesame seeds. Season with cracked black pepper and gently toss to combine. Serve at room temperature. Delicious, enjoy.

RASPBERRY SLICE.

Ingredients...Base..90 gm of butter / marg, at room temp, 1/2 cup of castor sugar, pinch of salt, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 egg, lightly beaten, 2/3 rds of a cup of plain flour, 1/3 rd of a cup of self raising flour, 1/2 of a cup of raspberry jam. Ingredients...Topping...2 eggs, lightly beaten, 1/3 rd of a cup of castor sugar, 2 cups of desiccated coconut. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease a slice pan ( 28 cm x 18 cm ) and line with baking paper,leaving a little hanging over the two long sides. Use your electric mixer to cream the butter / marg, sugar, salt and vanilla extract until white and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Mix in the combined flours and press the mixture evenly into the lined pan, use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, check with a skewer inserted comes out clean. Spread the jam over the base. Beat the topping ingredients together to combine and spread over the jam. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Cool, then cut into squares. Great with a cuppa.

BEST EVER BROWN SUGAR HAM.

Ingredients...1 and 1/2 cups of soft brown sugar, 1 tbs of dijon mustard, 1/3 rd of a cup of medium dry sherry, 8 kg COOKED leg of ham, whole cloves to decorate. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Oven shelf placed in lowest position . You will need a wire rack placed in a roasting pan to bake the glazed ham. Combine 1 cup of sugar, mustard, sherry and 1/2 a cup of cols water in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Cook, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, reduce to a simmer and simmer until thickened slightly. Remove from heat and set aside. Meanwhile using a small, sharp knife, cut through / score the ham rind, about 8 cm from the shank, be careful not to score the fat too deeply, or therwise the fat will melt and spread during cooking. Rub your thumb underneath the rind to separate it from the fat. Peel back and remove the rind. Score the fat in a diamond pattern and decorate with the whole cloves. Wrap the shank in foil to prevent it from burning. Place the ham on the wire rack in the roasting pan. Brush a 1/4 of the glaze over the ham. Sprinkle 1/2 of the remaining sugar over the ham to form a crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Drizzle with more glaze, do not brush it on or it will lift the sugar from the ham. Continue to bake for 30 minutes, drizzling with a little more glaze and sprinkle with the remaining sugar, again do not use a brush. Finally drizzle with remaining glaze and continue to bake until the ham is caramelised. remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Slice to serve.

EASILY PREPARED RASPBERRY HONEY DESSERT CAKE.

This cake can be assembled up to 3 hours ahead. Store covered, in your refrigerator until ready to serve. Ingredients...2 cups of thickened cream, 1 tbs of icing sugar mixture, 2 x 125 gm punnets of fresh raspberries, 2 x packets of unfilled sponge cakes, 1/3 rd of a cup of honey, warmed, 2 tbs of granulated nuts, optional. Use an electric mixer to beat together the cream and icing sugar to medium peaks form. Add 2/3 rds of the raspberries. Continue to beat until the raspberies are chopped and the mixture is combined. Using a large serrated knife, cut each sponge in half horizontally. Place 1 sponge half on a serving plate and brush liberally with the warmed honey. Top with a 1/4 of the cream. Repeat the layering with the remaining sponge halves, honey and cream mixture. Top with remaining raspberries and sprinkle over the granulated nuts if you like. Slice into wedges to serve. I will be getting my grandsons Max and Jack to prepare this dessert cake for Christmas lunch, but we will substitute the raspberries with crushed flake bars and we will not be adding the nuts.

HONEY ROASTED SWEET POTATOES WITH SPICED SEEDS,

Ingredients.....2 sweet potatoes, sliced into 2 cm rounds, 60 ml of rice bran / canola oil, 3 tbs of honey, 1 dsp of cumin seeds, 3/4 of a cup of mixed seeds ( I used a mix of sunflower, pumpkin, linseed and sesame), sour cream to serve. Preheat your oven tp 220 deg C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the sweet potaoto in a single layer on the prepared tray. Drizzle with oil and season with cracked pepper. Place in the preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes or until crisp and golden. Now remove from the oven and drizzle with honey, and return to the oven and roast for a further 25 minutes or until caramelised. Set aside to cool, then transfer to a serving plate. Place a lightly sprayed ( with cooking oil )pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and stir until fragrant. Add the mixed seeds and cook, stirring until golden, set aside to cool slightly. Scatter the seed mixture over the sweet potato. Serve the sweet potato warm with sour cream alongside.

SPICED NUT CAKE

Ingredients.....225 gm plain flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, 225 gm of castor sugar, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 120 ml of lemon juice, 2 tbs of butter / marg, melted, 1 egg, lightly beaten, 4 tbs of water, 100gm of cranberries, 100gm of granulated nuts, 1 tbs of icing sugar. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease and line a loaf pan ( 9" x 5 " / 22 cm x 12.5 cm ), with baking paper. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Stir in the lemon juice, butter, water and egg. Beat together until all the flour is incorporated. Finally stir in the cranberries and nuts. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve warm or cold, spread with butter or cream cheese. Enjoy.