BATTER FOR DEEP FRIED FISH

Ingredients.....125gm of all purpose flour, pinch of salt and cracked pepper, 1 tbs of oil, 200ml of beer / water, ( I use beer ), 2 egg whites. Some tips for you to consider...the consistency of the batter will vary by increasing or decreasing the amount of liquid to flour.... A thin batter will cook crisper and lighter, but some some of the batter will be lost in the oil during frying. A thicker batter clings better and is more robust. Place the flour in a large bowl and season with the salt and pepper. Make a well in the centre of the flour mix. Add the oil and gradually whisk in the beer/ water, working from the centre outwards. Whisk for only as long as it takes to get a smooth batter, do not overwork the mixture. Now set the batter aside and let rest for 1 hour. Why?, otherwise the batter will shrink and provide an uneven coating. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks and fold them gently into the batter, just before using. Never forget to lightly flour the fish fillets before you add them to the batter. This is perfect for any fish requiring a batter. Oh, by the way, deep fried fish is not all about white fish fillets, just giving you the tip try using salmon fillets .

CHOCOLATE BANANA CAKE

Ingredients.......3 ripe bananas, mashed, 170 gm of castor sugar, 185gm of self raising flour, 2 eggs lightly beaten, 60ml of rice bran oil/ canola oil, 60 ml of milk, 100gm of dark chocolate, chopped/ grated, 90 gm of granulated nuts, icing sugar to sift over the prepared cake. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Lightly grease and line a loaf tin 20cm x 10 cm with baking paper. Mix the mashed banana and sugar in a large bowl until just combined. Add the flour, eggs, oil and milk. Stir the mixture gently until just combined with a wooden spoon. No need for any electric beaters. Finally fold in the chopped/ grated chocolate and the granulated nuts. Pour the mixture into the prepared apn and bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and leave in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When ncool sprinkle over the top with icing sugar. You can also warm slices of the cake in the microwave and serve with thickened cream... Please give this cake a try , you will not be disappointed.

PASSIONFRUIT MOUSSE

Ingredients......1 tbs of gelatine, 1/4 cup of hot water, 375 ml of evaporated milk ( chilled ), 1/2 cup of castor sugar, 2 tbs of lemon juice, 1/2 cup of Greek yoghurt, 1/2 cup of passionfruit pulp, 1 tub of fresh ripe strawberries. Dissolve the gelatine in the hot water then set aside to cool. Now beat the carnation milk together with the sugar and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Beat in the gelatine, yoghurt and passionfruit pulp. Spoon the mousse into individual serving dishes and refrigerate until set. Hull and chop the strawberries and serve over top of the mousse to garnish and drizzle with any leftover passionfruit pulp. Simple and delicious.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ?

Here are the answers to last month's challenge. 1.Zucchini. 2.Egg. 3.Joint. 4.Marbled. 5.Plain flour. Here is my challenge for you this month. 1.What we call a dish or sauce that is highly seasoned with spicy ingredients? 2.To cut into small pieces? 3.A black tea flavoured with bergamot? 4.Freshwater and saltwater snake like fish, sold fresh or smoked? 5.To moisten meat or vegetables during cooking? 6.A restaurant term, meaning each item on the menu is priced individually?

APRICOT AND CHOCOLATE MERINGUE PUDDINGS

Ingredients.......6 apricots , halved and stoned, juice of 1/2 orange, 1 egg white, 2 tbs of castor sugar, 40 gm of chocolate melts. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Arrange the apricots , cut side down on a baking paper lined oven tray. Drizzle the orange juice over them. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Beat the egg white in the bowl of your beater until you have stiff peaks. Gradually beat in the sugar, a teaspoonful at a time. Once all the sugar has been added, continue beating until the meringue ios thick and glossy. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag , fitted with a star nozzle. Divide the chocolate melts in between the centre of each apricot. If the apricots wobble, stick them on the prepared oven tray with a little meringue . Pipe a dob of the meringue on the top of the chocolate melts. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes or until the meringue is tinged with a little golden brown and just cooked. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a serving plate. These apricot and chocolate meringue puddings are best made with fresh apricots, tinned apricots do not work, you can use plums when in season , but fresh apricots are best.

STRAWBERRY AND RASPBERRY PAVLOVAS

Ingredients.......2 egg whites, 115gm of castor sugar, 1/2 tsp of cornflour, 1/2 tsp of white wine vinegar. Topping....300ml of thickened cream, finely grated rind and juice of 1 medium lemon, 3 tbs of strawberry jam, 200gm of fresh raspberies, 200gm of fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced. Preheat your oven to 140 deg C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Beat the egg whites in a large clean bowl, until you have stiff peaks, gradually add the sugar in a tablespoon at a time. Once all the sugar has been added, continue to beat until the meringue iis thick and glossy. Mix the cornflour and vinegar together in a small bowl until smooth, then fold the mix into the meringue. Spoon the meringue onto the prepared tray in about 20 mounds, spreading the mounds into 2" circles, and lightly indent the centres using the back of a tsp. Bake in the preheated for 30 minutes or until the meringues are a very pale biscuit colour and can be easily lifted from the baking paper. Leave the meringues cool on the baking paper. Put the jam and lemon juice in a saucepan over a low heat until the jam has melted, stir in the raspberries and strawberries, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. For the topping, pour the cream into the bowl of your mixer and beat until soft peaks form, then fold in the lemon rind. When you are ready to serve the pavlova treats, spoon a dollop of the cream onto the top of each pavlova and transfer to a serving plate. Spoon the fruit mixture over the pavlovas to serve. You can make these pavlovas in advance and keep them in an airtight container for several days and just make the topping when you are ready to serve them.

MACARONI CHEESE IN THE SLOW COOKER

Bet you never knew you could make macaroni cheese in your slow cooker ? Even better it is possibly the easiest version you will ever make! Ingredients.......250gm of penne/ macaroni pasta shapes. 30 gm of butter/ marg, 300gm of grated tasty cheese, 3 tbs of flour, 1 dsp of minced garlic, 3 cups of boiling water, sweet paprika to serve ( optional ). Spray the bowl of your slow cooker with cooking spray and turn it on high to preheat. Tip the dry pasta pieces into the slow cooker bowl. Melt the butter/ marg in a small bowl in your microwave. Pour the melted butter/ marg over the pasta and stir to combine. Sprinkle in the flour and then add the grated cheese, minced garlic and stir to combine. Finally pour over the boiling water and mix gently. Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on high for 3 hours. If possible give the pasta mixture a stir ever so often. Serve as you would any macaroni cheese , to serve I sprinkle the macaroni with sweet paprika. Enjoy.