PEAR AND VANILLA MUFFINS

Place 2 litres of water , 370gm of castor sugar ,1 tsp of vanilla extract  in a saucepan over a low heat and stir till the sugar is dissolved .
Add 12 small  beurre bosc pears ( peeled and cored ).To do this I peel the pears keeping the stem in place .Slice the pear slightly off centre and remove the core .
Cover and cook for 25 minutes or until tender .
Drain on absorbent paper , set aside and allow to cool.
Preheat your oven to 160 deg C.
Place 125gm of softened butter /marg in the bowl of your electric mixture with 150gm of castor sugar , beat for about 10 minutes or until pale and creamy .
Gradually add 2 lightly beaten eggs , 1 tsp of vanilla extract ,
Fold in 190 gm of self raising flour alternating with 125 ml of milk.
Now line a 12 x 1 cup capacity muffin tray with paper cases and spoon in 60 ml of batter into each case .
Join each pear together and push the enclosed pear into the cases and bake for 30 minutes or until a sewer inserted into the  cake comes away clean .
These are delicious and great served with a dollop of mascarpone cheese .

CHEESY BEEF AND MUSHROOM PIES

Home made pies with a slow cooked filling .
When cooked I topped the pie lids with sliced carrot ,  halved cherry tomatoes and grated cheese ....
Then I placed the required number of pies bac in the oven till the cheese melted .
Pan fry 300gm of sliced mushrooms in a pan with a tbs of butter /marg .
Place individual pies on warmed serving plates accompanied with mushrooms .

LEMON AND GARLIC SUPREME

Preheat your oven to 200deg C
Using a small saucepan place 1 lemon roughly cut with 1 tsp of brown sugar and bring to the boil .
Keep boiling until dark brown( about 3 minutes )
Place 1 chicken breast ( bone in ) on a lined baking tray .
Drizzle over the lemon mixture through a strainer over chicken and bake for 20 minutes or till cooked through .
While chicken is baking , mix 2 tbs of minced garlic with the juice of 1 lemon , season with sumac .
Just before serving pour lemon and garlic sauce over the breast.
Serve with a cauliflower mash and a crimson salad .  

SIMPLE GARLIC PRAWNS

You need 6 baked beetroots , peeled and thickly sliced into rounds .
Heat about 5 tbs of rice bran oil in a pan over a medium heat .
Stir through 2 tbs of minced garlic
Add 500 gm of shelled and cleaned green prawns .
Move the prawns around the pan until they change colour .
Add a handful of chopped fresh parsley and 250ml of sour cream , the grated zest of 1 small lemon .
Arrange rocket leaves on serving plates .
Drizzle beetroot rounds with 2 tbs of truffle oil then place on serving plates .
Top beetroot slices with prawns .

FRESH APRICOTS AND PEACHES IN LAVENDER HONEY

Fresh apricots and peaches in lavender honey .
Place 1/4 cup of lavender honey in a pan
Over a low heat bring to the boil .
Add 6 fresh apricots stoned and halved
2 fresh peaches stoned and halved
Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes
Place on a serving plate .
Top with yoghurt and a dressing of almond flakes

 

COTTAGE CHEESE AND FIGS WITH HONEY

Cottage cheese and figs with honey ......
Stuff 6 fresh figs that have been partially quartered with base still intact , with a dob of cottage cheese or smooth ricotta .
Then sprinkle with crushed pistachios and drizzle with honey
I used bush honey ( not too sweet )

 

CRIMSON SALAD

Remove the skin and cut 3 baked beetroots into 4cm cubes .
Cut 150gm of fetta into 2cm cubes .
Place fetta cubes over the cubed beetroot.
Arrange radicchio leaves around the beetroot and fetta .
Mix together 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil with 1 dsp of minced garlic and 1 tbs of balsamic vinegar .
Drizzle over salad and dress with pomegranate seeds .