BLUEBERRY CREME BRULEE

This is a very simple and elegant dessert . preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease 6 ramequins and divide 60 gm of fresh blueberries between them . Whisk together 115gm of castor sugar with 5 egg yolks and 1 tsp of vanilla extract . You will need to bring 600 ml of thickened cream to the boil and then pour over the egg yolk mixture and whisk . Pour the cream mixture evenly between the 6 ramequins and place these in a roasting pan half filled with water Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until just set .Do not let llow to boil . Remove from the oven and allow to cool . Then chill . Sprinkle demerara sugar over the top and place brulee under a very hot griller , until sugar is melted . Serve .

OATMEAL COOKIES

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease an line 2 oven trays . Cream 175 gm cooking margarine with 275 gm of demerara sugar . In a separate bowl ightly beat 1 egg with 4 tbs of water and 1 tsp of vanilla extract . Add the egg gg mixture the margarine and sugar mix .Beat until the mixture is smooth . In another bowl mix together 375 gm of rolled oats , 140 gm of plain flour , 1 tspof salt and 1/2 tsp of bi carbonate of soda . Now gradually stir the oat mixture into the butter mix until thoroughly combined . Spoon out 15 tbs of rounded mixture on each baking tray , making sure they are spaced . Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown Remove the cookies from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack to cool completely . These are really good ..

BAKED RICE PUDDING

Preheat your oven to 150 deg C Grease a 2 litre ovenproof dish and sprinkle with 55gm of castor sugar . Scatter 115 gm of medium grain rice into the dish . Heat 850 ml of milk until simmering . Pour the milk over the rice and add 1 tsp of vanilla extract .stir well to dissolve the sugar . Finely slice 40 gm of chilled fairy cooking margarine into thin strips and scatter over the surface of the pudding . Scatter the surface with a liberal helping of ground nutmeg or cinnamon . Place the dish on a baking tray in the centre of your oven for 90 minutes or until the surface is golden . You can stir the pudding after the first 30 minutes to disperse the rice . When the pudding is cooked serve hot with honey and cream or jam and ice cream ..the options are up to you .

CHOCOLATE BREAD

This is in fact a moist chocolate flavoured pound cake . Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease a 6 cup bundt pan or 4 cup loaf pan with cooking margarine and a sprinkle of flour . In a medium bowlwhisk together 21 gms of unsweetened cocoa ( Dutch processed )and 3 tbs of boiling water . Allow to cool to room temperature and lightly whisk in 1 and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and 3 lightly beaten eggs In a large bowl place 125 gms of plain flour , 175 gm of castor sugar , 3.7 gm of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt , mix to blend . Add 1/2 the chocolate mix and 184 gm of softened butter , mix on a low speed until the dry ingredients are moist , increase the mixer speed for 1 minute to aerate . Gradually add the remaining chocolate batter in 2 batches . Pour into the prepared pan . Bake in the preheated oven ( 50- 60 minutes loaf pan , 40-50 minutes in a bundt pan ) Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes , then cool completely on a wire rack . The result is a dense velvety cake . A simple dusting of icing sugar is all that is left to finish off the cake .

FISH CHIPS

These are so easy and tasty . You need white fish fillets 250 gm . Slice each fillet into 6 x 2cm strips . Prepare a marinade with 1 finely sliced spring onion , 1 tbs of minced ginger ,1/2tsp salt , 2 tbs of Chinese cooking wine ,1/2 tsp of ground white pepper and 1 dsp of sesame oil . Stir to mix and pour over the fish strips . Cover and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes . Place 200 gm of cornflour into a bowl . Dredge the fish strips through the cornflour . Preheat your deep fryer with fresh cooking oil and deep fry the fish slices until golden brown . Drain and sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve .

TENDER STIR FRIED CHICKEN

You will need a skinless chicken breast or breasts weighing in total 750 gm . First bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the breasts for aboput 8 minutes . Then carefully remove the chicken breasts and leave to cool slightly , then cut the meat into 1 cm strips . Heat a wok or a large heavy base pan with 60 ml of cooking oil ( rice bran oil ) and stir fry the chicken strips adding 2 sliced spring onions and 2 thinly sliced fresh red chillies for about 3 minutes . now add 2 tbs of Chinese cooking wine , 1 tsp of salt , 1 tsp of cracked black pepper , 1 dsp of rice wine vinegar, 25 ml of water . Stir and bring to the boil , then lower the heat and continue to simmer for 3 minutes . Finally stir through 1 tbs of minced ginger and a paste made with 1 tbs of cornflour mixed with 2 tbs of water allowing the dish to thicken . Serve , spooning into warmed bowls . N.B.Boiling the chicken quickly at the start before stir frying helps make the chicken tender , do not leave it to boil for long or you will risk losing the flavour and oughen the chicken .

STIR FRIED EGG YOLKS

This is a delicious take on scrambled eggs Combine 6 egg yolks with 2 eggs lightly beating them together , then add 120 gm of castor sugar, 3 tbs of water ans 2 tbs of cornflour mixed with 3 tbs of water . Mix well . Now heat 3 tbs of cooking oil ( rice bran oil ) into a pan or wok on a low heat. Gradually pour in the egg batter , stir fry over a low heat ... while stirring sprinkle over 3 tbs of rice bran oil until the egg batter no longer sticks to the pan /wok . Serve as you would scrambled eggs The secret to this dish is to cook it over a low heat .

THREE CUP CHICKEN

This dish is called San Pei Ji ( three cup chicken ), is well known dish in Jiangxi. This dish was first prepared for Wen Tianxiang (1236-1283)of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127- 1279), a prominent writer and military general famous for his loyalty and heroism . You will need a chicken breast fillet 600gm , cut into 3cm pieces . Bring a pot of water to the boil and place the chicken pieces in the water briefly . Remove and rinse the chicken under cold water . Place the chicken in a heavy based saucepan that has a lid. Add 90 ml of cooking oil ( rice bran oil )90ml of Chinese cooking wine , 90 ml of tamari ( light soy sauce ) Slice 2 spring onions into 3cm lengths ,1 tbs of minced ginger and 500ml of water . Cover and bring to a simmer over a low heat , simmer for 45 minutes . Serve with fresh sprigs of coriander ( cilantro )

PASSIONFRUIT CURD

You will need 170 gm of passionfruit pulp or the pulp of 7 passionfruit . Place the passionfruit pulp into the saucepan with 220 gm of castor sugar 3 lightly beaten eggs and 2 lightly egg yolks , 150 gm of 'FAIRY' margarine with 2 tbs of lemon juice . Stir this mixture over a moderate heat until the mixture thickens.DO NOT LET IT BOIL . Remove from the heat and allow to cool . When cold put into sterilised , airtight jars and keep in the refrigerator .

WELSH TARTS / CHEESE CAKES

Preheat your oven to 200deg C. You will need a 12 hole muffin pan 2-3 sheets of puff pastry sheets ( thawed ) Sray the muffin holes with cooking spray . Cut cirles from the pastry large enough to line the base and a little way up the muffin holes . Put a tsp of jam ( your choice , I used apricot jam )on the bottom of the pastry base . In the bowl of your mixer mix together 115 gm of cooking margarine with 115 gm of castor sugar until creamy . Then add 2 lightly beaten eggs a bit at a time alternating with 140 gm of plain flour mixed 1 tsp of baking powder .....until well combined . Place 1 and 1/2 tbs of this mixture on the jam and top with a cross made from the left over pastry . Bake for 20 minutes in your preheated oven . Dust with a small amount of icing sugar to serve .

LAMB’S FRY AND BACON

The last time I prepared lamb's fry and bacon was when I owned the Cowwarr Cricket Club Hotel . It was called a mixed grill and served with sausages , bacon , lambs fry , grilled tomatoes, eggs and gravy . That was 32 years ago . You will need 100gm of lamb,s fry sliced in 1/2 inch slices .( 1.25 cm ) Dip the slices in a small bowl of milk . Then season a 1/4 cup of flour with a litte salt and coat the lamb's fry . Fry 6 slices of streaky bacon in a pan over a moderate heat . remove the bacon from the pan and cook the lamb's fry in the fat left from the bacon , 3 minutes each side . Finally make the gravy by adding a little flour to the pan with 2 tbs of water to the juices from the lamb' fry . I was told as a child to eat up all my lamb's fry as it was good for my blood !!!

STEAK AND KIDNEY PIE

I haven't made a steak and kidney pie for years . No need to heat your oven at this point . Dice 600 gm of chuck steak , trim and dice 1 lamb kidney . Sprinkle with 2 tbs of flour . Melt 1 tbs of rice bran oil with 1 tbs of marg/ butter or ghee in a pan over a medium heat . Peel and chop 2 medium onions Cook the onion in the pan until it softens . Add the steak and diced kidney Cook till browned all over . Add 250 ml of red wine to the pan and simmer till reduced by 1/2 . Now add 330 ml of beef stock , stir through 2 tbs of chopped parsley , 2 tbs of minced garlic , 1x 400gm can of whole champignons and 1 tbs of tomato paste . Make a paste with 1 tbs of arrowroot flour with a little water , stir through the mixture. Season with salt and cracked pepper . Simmer gently , uncovered for 1 and 1/2 hours and let the liquid reduce and sauce thicken . Then remove from the heat and allow to cool completely . Preheat your oven to 200deg C. Lightly spray a pie dish with cooking oil and line the dish with a sheet of shortcrust pastry over the base and sides , round off the corners of the pastry sheet . Fill with the steak and kidney mixture Sprinkle with any remaining chopped parsley . Finish off with another sheet of pastry over the top and pinch the edges of the 2 sheets together . Lightly beat an egg and brush over the pastry lid . Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes and the pastry is golden . Or alternatively use your pie maker following manufacturers directions .

PEAR AND WALNUT STRUDEL

Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Peel , core and chop 2 ripe pears . Melt 1 tbs of butter /marg in a fry pan and fry 55 gm of breadcrumbs over a low heat until golden . Transfer to a bowl add the pears , 55gm of chopped walnuts , 25 gm of muscovado sugar and the grated rind of 1 orange . Melt 1 tbs of butter /marg . Thaw 100 gm of filo pastry , reserve 1 sheet of the filo pastry eping it well wrapped in a damp cloth . Brush the remainig sheets with the melted butter Spoon some of the nut filling onto 1 sheet of the filo pastry , leaving 1"border round the edge Build up the strudel by layering the buttered filo sheets on top , spreading each one with spoonfuls of the filling mix . In a bowl mix together 6 tbs of honey with 2 tbs of orange juice and drizzle over the top of the layered and nut mix . Fold over the short ends of the pastry and roll up from the long side . Carefully lift on to a lined baking tray and brush with any remaining butter . Finally crumple the reserved filo sheet over the strudel . Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes or until golden and crisp . Dust with a sprinkle of icing sugar and serve warm with Greek yoghurt .

LEFTOVER VEGETABLE LASAGNE

I brushed an ovenproof dish with cooking spray Preheated my oven to 160 deg C I lined the base of the dish with lasagne sheets. Spread the lasagne sheet with a layer of mashed potato and a sprinkle of finely grated parmesan cheese Top with another lasagne sheet Spread this layer with sliced pumpkin and a sprinkle of nutmeg . Add another lasagne sheet and top with leftover steamed vegetables .....capsicum , brocoli , carrot and cauliflower . Add the final lasagne sheet over the top and pour over a cheese , cream ,flour and milk sauce over top. Sprinkle with sumac and sliced cherry tomatoes . Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until golden and bubbly .

VEGETABLE AND MUSTARD CHICKEN FRITTATA

Preheat oven to 160 deg C Thinly slice 2 potatoes and a piece of butternut pumpkin and 1 onion . Season with salt and sumac Toss through a handful of baby salad leaf mix. Sprinkle 1 tbs of grated parmesan cheese.Set aside. I oven baked 6 chicken drumsticks , removed the skins and pulled away the cooked meat and allow to cool. Mix together 3/4 cup of mayonnaise with 1 tbs of wholegrain mustard . Stir through the pulled chicken meat . Beat together 6 eggs mixed together with 1 dsp of minced garlic and 200 ml of sour cream . Combine all ingredients together... the egg , the vegetables and coated chicken . Place in an oil sprayed ovenproof dish Sprinkle with finely grated parmesan cheese and cherry tomatoes bake in your preheated oven for 50 minutes until set and golden .