PEAR AND PASSIONFRUIT JAM

Peel , core and finely slice 1 kg of beurre bosc pears .
Place the sliced pears in a large saucepan with the juice of 4 lemons and the pulp of 10 passionfruit OR 3 x170 gm tins of passionfruit pulp and 2 cups of water .
Gently simmer until the pears are tender

.
Then add 1.5 kg of castor sugar and stir through until sugar is dissolved .
Allow to boil rapidly for 20 minutes , it will thicken slightly and reduce a little .
When ready , fill the hot jam into sterilised jars and seal .

PEAR AND PARSNIP MASH

Peel and core 4 Packham peas, slice thinly .
Peel and thinly slice 4 parsnips ( avoid the coarse core ).
Place the sliced pears and parsnips in a saucepan with a dsp of minced garlic , 1/2 tsp of ground mace, 6 sage leaves and 1 bay leaf .
Season with salt and pepper add 2 cups of milk and 1 cup of water .
Slowly bring to a gentle simmer , uncovered till the pears and parsnips are soft .
Remove from the heat , drain and add 1/4 cup of cream and blend to a smooth paste .
Perfect with beef , poultry and seafood .

PICKLED SPICE PEARS

Use a large saucepan  to bring 300ml of white vinegar and 250 gm of castor sugar to the boil .
Add1 kg of small corella pears that have been peeled leaving the stem intact .
Gently simmer for 12 minutes .
Remove from the heat and carefully pack the pears into sterilised jars .
Add 1 small cinnamon quill , 3 green cardamom pods , 2 whole star anise and a few strips of preserved lemon zest or a few strips of fresh lemon zest .
Then fill the jars with the vinegar syrup and seal while hot .
Serve the pickled spice pear sliced on a cheese board with your favourite cheeses or with pickled pork , corned  silverside or game .

APPLE AND RICE MERINGUE

Firstly preheat your oven to 180 deg C
Grease an ovenproof dish .
Place 500gm of peeled and sliced green apples in a saucepan with 60 ml of water .
Cook until softened ...stirring constantly over a medium heat .
Then stir in 1/4 cup of castor sugar , continue stirring until the sugar is dissolved .
In a clean saucepan place a 1/3 cup of white rice with 120ml of water , until all the water has been absorbed .
Now add 1 and 1/2 cups of milk and simmer gently until the milk has been absorbed .
Using your electric beater cream 2 egg yolks with 2 tbs of castor sugar , add this to the rice mixture , stir through gently but thoroughly .
Pour this mixture into the ovenproof dish and spread the stewed apples over .
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes .
In a clean dry bowl whisk the 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form .
Now you need to add 2 tbs of castor sugar BUT at tsp at a time , making sure the sugar is dissolved before adding another tsp .
Beat for 5 minutes after adding each tsp . ( Patience is needed . )
Place the meringue mixture on top of the apples .
Lightly brown the meringue in the oven for 5 - 10 minutes ..

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C
Line baking trays with baking paper
In a medium bowl mix together .....
1/2 cup of lentil flour ( any plain flour is acceptable )
1/4 cup of peanut butter
1/4 cup of nutella spread
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 egg lightly beaten
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
Mix until well combined
Drop tbs of the mixture onto the tray, flatten slightly .
Bake for 15 minutes or until the mixture is no longer shiny .
Remove from oven and let cool on the tray .
Enjoy .

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 .