Thai Roast Pumpkin Soup

1 large butternut pumpkin
2 tins coconut cream
6 kaffir lime leaves
1 stem Vietnamese mint
2 stems lemongrass
1 teasp prawn paste
1 tabsp sambal oelek
500ml chicken stock
juice of 2 limes

Peel and seed pumpkin and cut into small cubes. Roast in a hot oven until lightly browned; blend in food processor. Add remaining ingredients except chicken stock and heat gently. Add chicken stock and stir until a smooth rich consistency is reached. Remove lime leaves, lemongrass and mint.
If desired, grilled chicken tenderloin strips, sautéed green prawns or scallops can be added.

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Creamy Pork Casserole

1 kg lean diced pork
2 lean smoked bacon rashers, trimmed and cut into strips
1 green apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 medium can mushrooms in butter sauce
1 large onion, chopped
1 tabsp butter
1 tabsp olive oil
300ml cream
semi-dry sherry or white wine
good pinch nutmeg
½ teasp crushed juniper berries
1 ½ teasp caraway seeds
2 tabsp chopped fresh dill
chicken or vegetable stock
1 egg
plain flour
salt and pepper

Heat butter and oil in a large heavy saucepan; sauté onion and bacon, then brown the pork. Add mushrooms, apple and seasonings, then stock and wine (don’t use too much liquid – it should not cover the ingredients in the pan). Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Mix cream, egg and 1 tabsp flour to a smooth paste. Add gradually to casserole, stirring constantly until sauce thickens.
Serve with egg pasta tossed in butter, crushed garlic and shaved parmesan; glazed carrots and steamed French beans or broccoli.

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Chunky Chewy Choc-Chip Cookies

(Makes 20 large cookies. Use an ice-cream scoop equivalent to 2 level tabsp for measuring the dough).

185 gm butter
200 gm (3/4 cup firmly packed) brown sugar
110 gm (1/4 cup) caster sugar
225 gm (2 cups) SR flour
75 gm (1/3 cup) plain flour
150 gm coarsely chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 teasp vanilla essence
200 gm dark chocolate, chopped

Melt butter and cool. Meanwhile, combine sugars, sifted flours, chocolate and macadamias in a large bowl. Add combined butter, egg, egg yolk and essence; mix to a soft dough.
Place level scoops of dough about 6 cm apart on lightly greased oven trays. Bake ina moderate oven (180 deg C) about 18 mins or until lightly browned. Cool on trays.

[This recipe can be varied as much as you like eg. substitute white or milk chocolate: use unsalted roasted peanuts, cashews, almonds, pistachios, chopped walnuts or pecans: use any combination of dried or glace fruits, nuts and/or chocolate: use plain or peanut M&Ms: add ground spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom: add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder for double-choc cookies].

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Beefsteak Pudding

Pastry:
1 cup plain flour
1 cup SR flour
1 cup grated and rubbed beef suet
¼ - ½ cup cold water
½ teasp salt
[OR use Tandaco prepared suet pastry mix]

Filling:
750 gm stewing steak
2 onions, chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
strong beef stock
bouquet garni
salt, pepper and Worchestershire sauce to taste

Make a rich stew with the filling ingredients. Reduce the liquid and thicken if necessary. Cool.
Sift flour and salt, rub in the suet and add enough cold water to mix to a soft dough. Line a greased pudding basin with 2/3 of the dough. Fill, reserving excess gravy, and cover the pudding with the remaining dough. Fasten lid on the basin, or make a paper cover and tie down.
Place several egg rings or a steaming trivet in bottom of a saucepan large enough to hold the basin. Rest the basin on these, and fill saucepan with hot water halfway up the side of the basin. Bring to boil, lower heat and cover the pan. Cook at a high simmer for 1 ½ hours, remove, allow to rest for 10 mins then turn the pudding onto a plate.
Serve with pickled red cabbage, mashed potatoes and reserved gravy.

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Italian Coffee Icecream

600 ml single cream
6 egg yolks
¾ cup caster sugar
2 tablsp coarsely ground coffee

Scald coffee grounds in 2 cups cream. Remove from heat and strain into the top of a double boiler over gently boiling water.
Beat inn egg yolks and sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, until custard thickens sufficiently to coat the back of a spoon, but do not allow to boil. Remove from heat, leave until cool then pour into a freezer tray. Cover with foil and freeze until the mixture has frozen in ½ to 1 inch around the sides of the pan. Tip into a bowl and beat briskly until the mixture is smooth. Return mixture to freezer dish, cover and freeze until half frozen.
Whip the remaining cream to soft peak stage (do not beat until stiff or the icecream will have a greasy, buttery texture). Tip the half-frozen icecream into a bowl and beat briskly until smooth and well aerated. Fold in the softly whipped cream, return to freezer dish and freeze until firm.
When serving, allow to soften for 30 mins in the refrigerator. Serve sprinkled with pecan praline.
Pecan Praline: Make a toffee by dissolving 1 ½ cups white sugar and ¼ teasp cream of tartar in ½ cup water and 1 teasp white vinegar over a low heat. Slowly bring to the boil and boil for 5 to 8 mins, until crack stage is reached. (Brush down the sides of the pan regularly with cold water to prevent crystallization). When toffee is golden brown and at crack stage, remove from heat and let stand until bubbling subsides. Pour into a greased heatproof plate onto which ½ cup crushed pecans have been sprinkled. Allow to cool and set hard, then crush the praline with a rolling pin.

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Lisette's Dessert

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Zabaglione

6 egg yolks
6 teasp caster sugar
4 half-eggshells marsala
2 half-eggshells brandy

Beat egg yolks and sugar together until white and frothy. Stir in marsala and brandy, and place in top of double boiler over simmering water. Whip constantly until mixture is frothy and thick: do not allow to boil. Pour into 4 warmed glasses and serve with sponge fingers or amaretti biscuits.

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Wiltshire Lardy Cake

Warm or cold, this recipe is sweet, filling and delicious. Lardy cake originates from Wiltshire, and in the West Country local bakers still make it to their own recipes, cramming in as much lard, sugar and fruit as they or their customers choose. Makes 12 slices.

Yeast - 15 gm fresh or 1 tsp dried
a pinch of sugar
Water - 300 ml, warmed
Strong white flour - 450 gm
Salt - 1 tsp
Lard - 75 gm, diced
Butter - 75 gm, diced
Mixed sultanas and currants - 175 gm
Chopped mixed peel - 50 gm
Sugar - 50 gm

COOKING: 1. Preheat oven to 220C / 425F / Gas 7. Grease a 20 x 25 cm (8 x 10 inch) roasting tin.
2. Blend the fresh yeast with the warm water. If using dried yeast, sprinkle it into the warm water with the pinch of sugar and leave for 15 minutes until frothy.
3. Put the flour and salt in a bowl and rub in 15 gm of the lard. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast liquid. Beat together to make a dough that leaves the sides of the bowl clean, adding more water if necessary.
4. Turn on to a lightly floured surface and knead well for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Place in a clean bowl. Cover with a clean tea-towel and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.
5. Turn the dough on to a floured surface and roll out to a rectangle about 0.5 cm thick. Dot one-third of the remaining lard and butter over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle over one-third of the fruit, peel and sugar. Fold the dough in three, folding the bottom third up and the top third down. Give a quarter turn, then repeat the process twice more.
6. Roll the dough out to fit the prepared tin. Put in the tin, cover and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes, until puffy. Score the top with a criss-cross pattern with a knife, then bake for about 30 minutes, or until well risen and golden brown. Turn out and serve immediately or leave to cool on a wire rack. Serve plain or with butter.

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Chocolate Crackles

4 cups Kellogg's Rice Bubbles
1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup desiccated coconut
250g copha*

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Melt copha gently, and cool slightly. Pour into dry ingredients and mix well. Spoon mixture into paper patty cases. Chill until set. Makes about 24.

Variations:For an added festive touch for kid's parties, sprinkle the crackles with hundreds and thousands, silver cachous or cake sprinkles. Decorate with Smarties, or try placing a "Snake" lolly in the centre of each. Try adding tiny marshmallows to the mixture. For adults, you can add rum-soaked raisins, glace cherries, chopped glace ginger, nuts or mixed candied peel (soaked in orange liqueur if you like!)

The mixture can be moulded before chilling to make festive shapes for decorating eg. Christmas trees or Easter eggs. This is a good easy recipe for kids to make themselves.

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White Christmas

250g Copha
3 cups Kellogg's Rice Bubbles
1 cup desiccated coconut
3/4 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 cup powdered milk
1 cup packaged, dried mixed fruit
glacé cherries for topping

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Melt copha slowly over low heat. Cool slightly, pour onto dry ingredients. Mix well.

Line a 12 hole patty pan with paper patty cases. Working quickly, spoon mixture into paper patty cases. (Alternatively, press mixture into a lamington tin, and cut into fingers when set). Top with glacé cherries. Freeze until set (about 15 minutes), then store in the refrigerator.

For added interest, try soaking the fruit in rum or liqueur, or adding chopped glacé ginger, white or dark chocolate chips, or chopped almonds or cashews.

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Christmas Boiled Fruit Cake

375 gm sultanas
375 gm raisins
250 gm currants
125 gm candied mixed peel
125 gm glace cherries, halved
125 gm chopped dried or glace figs
60 gm chopped glace or candied ginger
100 gm chopped walnut or pecan kernels, or whole almond kernels
250 gm butter, chopped
200 gm brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
250 ml brandy or rum
175 ml water
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons treacle
4 - 5 eggs, beaten (depending on size)
260 gm plain (all-purpose) flour
60 gm self-raising flour
2 teaspoons mixed spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch ground cloves -- optional

(If you want, you can soak the fruit in some of the brandy or rum for a few hours beforehand, but it isn't really necessary)

Line the base and sides of a deep 22 - 23 cm square cake pan (or two smaller round or square pans, depends what you've got!) with a layer of foil and two or three layers of baking paper, bringing paper 5cm above the top of the pan.

In a large saucepan, combine all the fruit and nuts, butter, brown sugar, treacle, 125 ml brandy or rum, water and baking soda. Over a low heat, stir until the butter is melted and sugar dissolved. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer (covered) for 10 minutes. REmove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 170 deg C.

Stir spices and lemon rind into the mixture. Add beaten eggs and stir in well, then the sifted flours. Mix well. (At this point, the mixture should be fairly wet, with enough flour to make it quite sticky ie. so it sticks to the spoon, and feels gummy between your fingers. Adjust the liquid or add a bit more flour if necessary).

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan/s. (If you don't intend to frost the cake, you might like to decorate the top with blanched almonds. Also, I usually lie a sheet of foil loosely over the pan, not touching the surface of the cake mixture, to prevent the top getting too browned and drying out before the cake is cooked through).

Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the cake is cooked when tested (less time if you're doing two smaller cakes). Keep an eye on it, and adjust the oven temperature if necessary.

While the cake is still hot, pierce it in a few places with a skewer, and drizzle it well with brandy or rum. Cover the hot cake tightly with foil and let it cool in the pan. I don't usually frost this cake, but you can do the marzipan/fondant thing if you want. I don't think it needs it, personally!

You can eat it straight away, but it does improve with keeping for at least a couple of weeks. The cake should keep at least three months, kept covered tightly in foil in an airtight container in a cool place. If you want to be really decadent, you can give it an extra sprinkle of brandy or rum every couple of weeks while it's maturing.

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Sticky Pork Spareribs

1.25kg pork spareribs

Marinade:

1/2 cup redcurrant jelly
2 tabsp orange or lime marmalade
1 tabsp sweet chilli sauce
1 1/2 teasp hot English mustard
1/4 tsp chinese five spice
juice of 1/2 lemon
dash soy sauce
dash red wine vinegar

Place the spareribs in a single layer an ovenproof dish. Warm the reducrrant jelly and marmalade in a saucepan over low heat until they melt. Add all the other ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Remove from heat, allow to cool, and pour over the spareribs. Allow the ribs to marinate for 1 hour or more. Heat oven to 200C, and cook the ribs (uncovered) for approx. 1 hour or until well done. (If the marinade starts to scorch, add a small quantity of orange juice).

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