CAULIFLOWER CHEESE

Ingredients.......1 cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets (approx 600gm), 40gm butter/ marg, 40gm of plain flour, 450ml of milk, 115gm of grated tasty cheese, ground nutmeg, cracked black pepper, 1 tbs of finely grated Parmesan cheese. Preheat your oven grill to high. Cook the cauliflower in a saucepan of boiling water for 6 minutes, the cauliflower should still be firm. Drain and place the hot cauliflower in a lightly grease ovenproof dish, keep warm. Melt the butter/ marg in the cleaned saucepan over a medium heat and stir in the flour Cook stirring continuously until the sauce creamy and smooth. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the milk until the mixture is smooth. Return the sauce to a low heat and continue to stir while the sauce comes to a simmer and thickens. Now remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese, a sprinkle of ground nutmeg and cracked black pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and top with the finely grated Parmesan and place under your griller to brown, serve immediately.

LAVENDER BISCUITS.

I love the lavender bush, the lavender flower, aroma and flavour. Some years ago, I introduced lavender sugar to the required list of requirements for the 'country' cooking class where we made these biscuits. We made our own lavender sugar ......Place 20 lavender blossoms in a medium sized jar and fill with castor sugar, stir through the blossoms. Cover with a lid and leave for 14 days, shaking the jar every couple of days. Ingredients.....125gm of butter/ marg, 175gm of plain flour, 75gm of lavender sugar, 1 tsp of dried lavender, chopped, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 50gm of dark chocolate, melted. Preheat your oven to 200deg C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Rub the butter/ marg into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the lavender sugar, dried lavender, vanilla extract and knead to a smooth dough. Roll out on a lightly floured surface and cut into rounds. Place on the prepared baking tray. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until golden. Cool on the tray for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Finally drizzle with the melted chocolate. Share and enjoy.

NECTARINE, BASIL AND PINE NUT RISOTTO

Ingredients......2 tbs of butter/marg, 4 firm nectarines, sliced, 1 tsp of basalmic vinegar, 4 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped, 400gm of aborio rice, 100ml of white wine, 100ml of orange juice, 2 tbs of soft brown sugar. Garnish....3 tbs of pine nuts, 3tbs of creme fraiche, 3 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped. Heat the butter/ marg in a saucepan. Add the nectarine slices and chopped basil leaves. Saute until the nectaines are golden and then add the basalmic vinegar. Stir well then remove the nectarine slices with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the remaining hot butter/ marg add the rice and stir well to coat. Add the white wine and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed and the alcohol has evaporated. Combine the water, apricot nector and orange juice and heat to simmering. Now add 1 cup of the juice mixture and the brown sugar and stir well, allowing the rice to simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed. Continue with this process until all the juice has been added and absorbed. Remove the risotto from the heat and serve in individual bowls, with the nectarine mixture divided over the top. Garnish with the pine nuts, a dob of creme fraiche and the chopped basil leaves.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ? Here are the asnswers to December's challenge; 1.Grill. 4. Pepita. 2. Emulsify. 5. Spit. 3 Caramel. 6. Walnut. Here is 'food for thought'. Just read a recipe. Cooking is just reading .... and tasting. Here is my February challenge for you..... 1. A combination of raw or cooked foods, usually served with a savoury dressing? 2. A solid fat such as butter, margarine, lard or suet? 3. A rich dough, made from flour, shortening and a little liquid? 4. A variety of Arabian coffee? 5. A mild curry dish usually of lamb or mutton braised in a small amount of liquid and masala paste and flavoured with cashew nuts, yoghurt and saffron? 6. A protein in wheat and some other grains that, when moiostened gives elasticity to a dough?

FRUIT CHUTNEY AND VEGETABLE FRITTATA

Frittatas can be made with a variety of vegetables and herbs. A frittata is a chunky Italian omelette, an ideal summer meal. Ingredients.....8 eggs, 250gm of fruit chutney, 1 zucchini/ courgette (sliced), 6 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, 2 mini capsicums , sliced, 3 stalks of broccolini, chopped, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 1 tsp of fennel seeds, 1 dsp of Italian herb mix, cracked black pepper to taste, handful of grated tasty cheese. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease an ovenproof (dish 20cm/ 8"). Beat the eggs lightly, adding the minced garlic, fennel seeds, Italian herb mix and the chutney. In a separate bowl mix together the chopped and sliced vegetables. Mix the contents of the two bowls together. Ladle the frittata mixture in the prepared ovenproof dish and scatter over the grated cheese. Cook in the preheated oven....until the frittata is set and golden. ( 30- 40 mins).

SUMMER SOUP

Ingredients......1/2 cucumber, 1 avocado, 1 tomatoe, 250ml of water, 2 cups of baby spinach leaves, 1 spring onion, 3 tbs of lime juice, 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper. Garnish.....2 tbs of mixed nuts, 2 tbs of sesame seeds, 4 basil leaves. Top/ tail and chop the cucumber, peel and deseed the avocado, slie the tomato in half and remove the flesh, trim and chop the spring onion. Place the cucumber, avocado, tomato, water,spinach, spring onion, lime juice and cayenne pepper in your food processor and process until smooth. Serve garnished with the peanuts, sesame seeds and basil.

KIWI FRUIT CREAM POTS

Ingredients.....4 tbs of chia seeds, 375ml of coconut milk, 1 dsp of honey, 4 kiwi fruits, peeled and roughly chopped, 1 extra kiwi fruit, peeled and chopped to serve. Measure out 2 tbs of chia seeds in a small bowl and cover cover with the coconut milk. Transfer the mix to your refrigerator and leave soak for 20 minutes. Now add the honey and stir to combine. Place the 4 kiwi fruit in your food processor and pulse to form a smooth paste. Place the other 2 tbs of chia seeds in a medium bowl and pour the kiwi paste over top. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and leave soak for 20 minutes. When you are ready to serve, divide the kiwi paste between small serving pots/ ramequins. Spoon the coconut cream on top and dress with the fresh chopped kiwi fruit.