COCONUT APRICOT BARS.

Something a little different, a real show stopper on a plate and delicious. There are 3 steps to the preparation. Ingredients....Filling... 250 gm of dried apricots, 1 cup of cold black tea, 2 tbs of honey, 1/2 cup of soft brown sugar, 1 and 1/2 tbvs of butter/ marg, 1 egg, lightly beaten. Base....250 gm of softened marg/ butter,1 cup of castor sugar, 4 eggs, lightly beaten, 150 ml of milk, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 3 cups of self raing flour, 2 tbs of cocoa, 1 tbs of milk, 2 tbs of desiccated coconut. Topping......1 and 1/2 cups of rice bubbles, 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut, 30 gm of copha, 2 tbs of honey. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease and line a 30cm x 20cm lamington pan First prepare the filling by soaking the apricots in the cold tea for 1 hour, then gently simmer for about 15 minutes or until softened. Stir in the honey, sugar and marg / butter. When sugar has dissolved, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Puree until smooth, cool then stir in the egg. Now for the base...cream the marg / butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, adding the remaining base ingredients, stirring well after each addition. Transfer the batter to the prepared lamington pan and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. To prepare the topping, combine the rice bubbles, desiccated coconut, warmed copha and honey. Spread the cake with the apricot puree and cover with the combined topping ingredients. Return the tray to the oven and cook a further 15 minutes. Cool in the pan then slice into bars to serve.

HONEY GARLIC BEEF STIR FRY.

Ingredients.....1 kg beef strips, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 1 tsp of five star powder, 1 tbs of minced ginger, 1 tbs of Apera (sweet sherry), 60 ml of honey, 1 tbs of ketjap manis ( sweet soy sauce), 2 tbs of peanut oil, 1 red capsicum, thunly sliced, 1 green capsicum, thinly sliced, 1 yellow capsicum, thinly sliced. Combine beef strips, garlic, five spice, ginger, sherry, honey and soy sauce in a medium bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight. Drain the beef over a medium bowl, reserving the marinade. Heat 1 tbs of the oil in a large pan, stir fry the marinated beef in batches, until browned and just cooked, then remove from the pan. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan add the reserved marinade and capsicums, stir fry until the capsicums are tender. Finally add the beef, stir fry until heated through.

KRACHEL / SWEET MOROCCAN ROLLS.

Ingredients.....1 and 1/2 tbs of dried yeast, 60 ml of warm water, 110 gm of castor sugar, 300 gm of plain flour, 2 tbs of sesame seeds, 3 tsp of anise seeds, 60 ml of milk, 60 gm of melted butter/ marg, 1 egg, lightly beaten, 1 tbs of orange blossom water, 1 1 egg yolk, 1 dsp of sesame seeds, extra. I always increase the temperature in my kitchen area when preparing any type of dough. Oil an oven tray and line with baking paper. Combine the yeast, water and 1 dsp of sugarin a small heatproof bowl, cover and stand in a warm spot until mixture is frothy, usually about 10 minutes. Sift the flour and combine with remaining sugar and seeds in a large bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture, butter/ marg, egg and organge blossom water. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in an oiled medium bowl, cover and let stand in a warm place for about 60 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. Now preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Divide the dough into 12 pieces, roll each piece into a ball. Place the balls on the prepared tray, cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap. Stand in a warm spot for 20 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap. Brush the balls with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle lightly with the extra sesame seeds. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden and risen. Serve warm or cold with butter/ marg, perfect for morning or afternoon tea.

CHOCOLATE SPIDERS.

Ingredients.....100 gm/ 1 packet of fried noodles, 2 tbs of crunchy peanut butter, 200 gm of 70% cocoa chocolate, desiccated coconut to finish off. Brake the chocolate into pieces into a small saucepan along with the peanut butter and stir over a low heat until until melted and silky smooth. Add the noodles and stir lightly to coat them well. Spoon heaped tsp of the mixture into small patty pans. Finally lightly sprinkle with desiccated coconut, this optional. Place in the refrigerator till set. Keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

BANANAS

Bananas for eating as a fresh fruit, are best when fully ripe. Suit the colour of the banana skin to the use. If the banana you buy in the supermarket is tipped with green, the banana is partially ripe. The pulp will be firm, starchy and slightly tart. They can be used to bake or fry, cooking will bring out a different, delicious flavour and a must sliced into a curry. An all yellow banana is ready to eat and can be used as an ingredient in baking. A banana flecked with brown is fully ripe, and at its best for eating, infant feeding and a cooking ingredient. The flavour is sweet, mellow and thoroughly digestible and delicious in fruit cups, salads, milk shakes and desserts.

CHICKEN AND SWEET POTATO/ KUMARA RISOTTO.

Ingredients.....1 medium ( 400 gm) sweet potato/ kumara, peeled and cubed, 2 tbs of canola oil/ rice bran oil, 1 medium leek, sliced, 500 gm chicken thigh fillets, sliced, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 1/2 tsp of chilli powder, 1 tsp of ground turmeric, 300gm of short grain rice / risotto rice, 425 gm can of diced tomatoes, 125 ml of dry white wine, 625 ml of chicken stock, 40 gm of tasty grated cheese, 2 tbs of chopped fresh basil. Place the cubes of kumara in a pot of boiling water and cook until tender. heat the oil in a large pan with the leek, chicken, garlic and spices , cook stirring for 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, mix well. Stir in the undrained can of diced tomatoes and wine, simmer uncovered, stirring constantly for 10 minutes. Stir in the stock, simmer, covered for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time. Then remove from the heat, stand, covered dor 10 minutes. Finally stir in cheese, basil and the cooked kumara. Stir over a low heat until hot. Top the risotto with extra grated cheese to serve.

RHUBARB AND APPLE SPONGE PUDDING.

Ingredients.....425 gm of chopped rhubarb, 2 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced, 1 tsp of grasted lemon rind, 1/4 cup of water, 2 eggs, 1/3 rd of a cup of castor sugar, extra, 2 tbs of cornflour, 2 tbs of plain flour, 2 tbs of self raising flour. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease a 6 cup capacity ovenproof dish. Combine the rhubarb, apples, sugar, and water in a saucepan, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered for about 15 minutes or until tender. Pour the hot rhubarb mixture into the prepared ovenproof dish. Beat the eggs in a small bowl with your electric mixer until thick and creamy, gradually add the extra sugar, beat until dissolved between each addition. Mix the flours together and sift over the the egg mixture. Fold through gently. Spread the mixture evenly over the hot rhubarb mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 mintes or until golden and slightly risen. Remove from oven and sprinkle with icing sugar to serve.