BEST RECIPES

Puddings Apple bake

for 8 8 8 tblspn cooking apples water demarere sugar cinnamon

Fill cored apples with sugar mixed with cinnamon, and surround with water in ovenproof dish. Bake in centre of oven at Mark 6 (200C 400F) for about 45 to 60 mins. OR Fill apple with sultanas and chopped dried apricots OR Fill with mincemeat

Apple charlotte
for 8 225 g 50 g 1 butter sugar small stale or dry white loaf ginger Lightly fry thinly-sliced apples with sugar and finely sliced fresh ginger in a little butter. Butter inside of baking tin and coat with a little sugar. Cut crusts off bread, dip in melted butter and flatten to sides of tin. Add apple mixture a good squeeze of lemon and lemon zest. Cover with butter-soaked bread, with a weighted plate on top, and bake at Mark 6 (200C 400F) for 20 mins. Reduce to Mark 5 (190C 375F) for 40 mins. Turn onto serving dish to serve. [ put a dollop of clotted cream in a dent made in top of pudding and serve with custard ] 2 kg 2 1 apples (8 to 10 Granny Smith or Cox) eggs lemon

Apple crumble
for 8 220 g 200 g 6 (100 g plain flour butter apples rolled oats) 300 g 2 pinch (1 tspn sugar salt cinnamon)

Mix butter and flour until it feels like breadcrumbs. (You can add a breakfast cereal to it after mixing rolled oats are good.) Add sugar. Spread mixture over cored and coarsely-sliced apples. Bake in middle of a Mark 5 (180C 350F) oven for 40 mins till it turns brown on top.

Apple pie
for 8 325 g 120 g 120 g 1 flour butter/shortening sugar egg 1 1 kg 1 glass bramleys cider sultanas lemon's peel

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1 tspn

orange's peel salt

3 tblspn

lemon juice

Mix flour and salt and rub in butter or shortening. Add water and egg and knead till smooth. Roll out between two layers of floured clingfilm. Chill. Boil sliced apples with rest of ingredients till just tender. Line buttered dish with pastry, fill with apple and grated orange peel, sultanas, grated lemon peel, lemon juice to inch below top, add cider, cover with pastry lid and wet edges to pinch into place. Brush with cream. Cook 35 mins in Mark 5 (190C 375F) oven. [ serve covered with a mixture of single and double cream whisked, added to lightly-beaten egg white, a little caster sugar and a few drops of liqueur ]

Apple turnover
for 8 150 g 1 150 g puff pastry egg apples 4 cloves cinnamon sugar

Roll out pastry to about 2mm and cut ovals. Put a little finely-chopped or pureed apple in the middle with clove, a little cinnamon and if needed a bit of sugar. Moisten edges, fold over and seal. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake in Mark 7 (220C 425F) for 15 to 20 mins.

Apple and walnut cake

for 8 55 g 200 g 1 tspn 250 g 1 tspn sultanas lemon sugar vanilla extract plain flour baking powder 470 g 130 g 2 2 tspn 1 tspn 70 g Granny Smiths or Bramleys butter eggs cinnamon sodium bicarbonate walnuts/hazelnuts

Line bottom of 20cm cake tin with sliced apple. Cream butter and sugar to fluffy, gradually add egg and vanilla and beat. Fold in the rest of the apple grated, and sultanas which have been soaked in brandy and pour over the sliced apple. Bake 40 mins in Mark 4 (180C 350F) oven for 40 to 60 mins, and if the cake is turning brown too quickly reduce to Mark 2 (150C 300F) for the last 15 mins.

Apfel strudel
for 8 150 g 150g 3 tspn 1 tspn 500 g butter sugar cinnamon nutmeg filo pastry 75 g 50 g 30 g 1 kg 25 g sultanas walnuts almonds Granny Smiths breadcrumbs

Mix sultanas, chopped walnuts, almonds, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and melted butter. Grate or finely slice apple, and add to mixture. On a damp tea cloth lay on eight layers of pastry two layers at a time brushing with melted butter in between. Then a long mound of the apple mixture and use cloth to help roll it into log and tuck in ends. Put join-side down on buttered on oiled baking tray, brush with melted butter and bake in Mark 6 (200C 400F) oven for 30 or 40 mins. Dust with icing sugar.

Apricot and almond tart 1

for 8

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400g 150 g 190 g 2 tblspn 75 g

dried apricots sugar flour dark rum blanched almonds

150 g 2 1 pinch 100 g 3 tblspn

butter eggs salt ground almonds apricot jam

Cover apricots with boiling water and lave for four hours. Mix 85 g of the butter and 85 g of the sugar and egg and salt and 160 g of the flour and fold in very gently and roll into a log. Refrigerate half an hour. Roll into circle large enough to fit tart ring and push well in with a little sticking over the top. Cream the rest of the butter and sugar and add a beaten egg and rum. Fold in ground almonds and gently stir in flour. Spread over the pastry and cover with dried apricots. Scatter with almonds. Bake in Mark 6 (200C 400F) oven for 25 mins, then a further 20 mins at Mark 4 (180C 350F). Mix jam with a tablespoon of water and spread over the surface as a glaze.

Apricot and almond tart 2

for 8 200 g 90 g 1 tblspn 700 g 1 squeeze ground blanched almonds sugar plain flour ripe apricots lemon juice 110 g 1 1 tblspn 4 tblspn 25 cm butter egg kirsch (or brandy, amaretto etc) apricot jam flan tin lined with shortcrust pastry

Beat together almonds, butter and sugar, mix in egg, flour and kirsch and spread over base of pastry. Cover with halved apricots cut side down. Put on hot baking sheet in Mark 6 (200C 400F) oven for 12 to 15 mins, when pastry should be starting to brown, then turn down oven to Mark 4 (180C 350F) for another 25 to 30 mins until filling has set and slightly browned. Heat jam with the lemon juice until runny (sieve out lumps) and brush glaze over cooling tart. { The recipe will also work with plums }

Atholl brose
75 g 3 tblspn oatmeal honey 150 ml 300 ml whisky cream

Mix oatmeal with water to stiff paste. Press through sieve to extract all the liquid. Add honey and whisky and stir with a silver spoon. Add to fairly stiff whipped cream. OR Beat cream to just stiff, add pint honey a little at a time, stir in whisky and oatmeal and beat. Leave in fridge overnight. [ toast oat flakes and sprinkle on top ]

Banana bread
for 8 75g 1 2 tspn 1 50 g butter egg baking powder orange walnuts 110 g 225 g 4 1 sugar plain flour bananas lemon

Whisk sugar, butter, egg, flour. Add grated rinds of the orange and lemon, mashed bananas and chopped walnuts and whisk again. Put 9x19 cm greased loaf tin lined with greased greaseproof paper and bake in centre of Mark 4 (180C 350F) oven for 50 to 55 mins, until loaf has risen is golden and springy. Leave 10 mins to cool then put on wire tray to finish cooling.

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Barbados cream
300 ml 75 g double cream brown sugar 300 g Greek yoghurt

Beat cream and yoghurt together till fairly but not too stiff. Sprinkle with thick layer of sugar, cover with clingfilm and leave somewhere cool for at least 12 hours but better for 24 hrs.

Beigli
for 8 200 g 2 40g filling 1 kg 400 g 40 g 1 tspn nuts (almonds) morello cherry jam butter cinnamon 80 g sugar raisins poppy seed butter yolks yeast sugar ( glass 400 g 2 tblspn flour cream milk rum)

Add a little sugared milk to yeast and allow to ferment. Knead in other ingredients and split in half. Allow to rest for 4 hours. Roll out to 2 or 3mm thick. Spread a mix of the filling on each and roll it all up. Brush with egg white and bake in Mark 6 oven for 1 hour.

Blueberry tart
for 8 375 g 200 g 750 g 1 tblspn flour caster sugar blueberries {other berries can also be used} creme de cassis 250 g 5 200 ml butter egg double cream

Rub together 325 g of the flour with about 225 g of the butter till it looks like breadcrumbs. Add sugar, two of the eggs and a couple of tablespoons of water and mix well. Knead a couple of minutes to smooth and store in cool fridge for 40 mins. Roll out pastry to fit tart tin which has been well buttered and sprinkled with flour. Line tin and return to fridge for 20 mins. Put berries on cool pastry and add a smooth mixture of the rest of the eggs, sugar, cream, flour and cassis. Lightly sprinkle with sugar and bake in Mark 6 (200C) oven for 35 mins.

Bread and butter pudding

for 8 500 g 60 g 4 tblspn (4 tblspn stale bread currants/raisins/sultanas candied peel grated lemon rind apricot jam) 500 ml 4 1 glass 60 g single cream eggs dark rum cranberries

Line buttered pie dish with slices of buttered bread. Sprinkle with fruit and any bread left over. Beat eggs and add milk with a little sugar and rum and pour on. Let it stand for 30 mins to 1 hour. Stand dish in tin of water in and bake Mark 4 (350F) oven for 40 mins. Turn oven to Mark 5 (180C 350F) to brown the top. (Warm jam to runny, brush it over the top and bake for another 5 to 10 mins.)

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Brownie
for 8 175g 175g 3 110g butter chocolate eggs macadamia nuts 250g 250g 2 tblspn sugar plain flour self-raising flour

Gently melt together the butter and chocolate. Beat eggs and sugar together, fold into chocolate and add flour and chopped nuts. Pour into greased tin lined with paper. Bake 18 to 20 mins (to be underdone and moist 10 mins more if you want them crumbly) at 180C 350F. [Serve with a dollop of creamy mascarpone]

Caramel
for 8 150 g 375 g 375 ml 10 g salted pistachios sugar milk salt 150 g 375 ml 300 g 450 ml salted peanuts liquid glucose butter whipping cream

Roast the nuts oven for 5 to 10 mins. Heat a mixture of sugar, glucose, milk, butter and salt to about 120C 250F and whisk continuously until it turns golden. Add cream (it may cause the mixture to bubble and spit) and nuts which have been roasted 5 to 10 mins in Mark 3 (170C 325F) oven. Take off heat and stir till truly well mixed. Leave overnight to harden. It will keep for a month in a fridge. [ serve with chocolate sorbet or as a sweet with tea ]

Carrot cake
for 8 300 g 500 g 5 1 tspn butter wholemeal flour eggs cinnamon 300 g 3 tblspn 1 tspn 500 g sugar baking powder vanilla essence carrots

Beat together butter and sugar. Stir eggs into a mixture of flour and baking powder and add vanilla essence and cinnamon. Then add finely-grated carrots. Bake in greased cake tin at 170C for 50 to 60 mins.

Cheesecake
for 8 750 g 300 g 3 6 tblspns curd cheese digestive biscuits eggs sugar 1 2 lemon handful currants butter

Butter cake dish and line with crushed biscuits. Mix yolks with cheese, sugar and lemon juice and zest, and currants. Whisk whites and fold into cheese. Fill dish and bake in Mark 5 (190C 375F) for 10 minutes, then Mark 3 (165C 325F) for 50 mins. Serve cold. (An alternative version has Philadelphia cheese and Nice biscuits and no currants. Otherwise as above.)

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Lemon cheesecake
for 8 500 g 50 g 125 g 3 200 100 g cream cheese butter raisins egg flour fat sugar Line 20 cm flan tin with shortcrust pastry. Mix ingredients till creamy. Bake in Mark 6 (400F) oven for 30 mins to pale brown. 2 baking powder yolk 100 g 3 tspn 2 drops caster sugar grated lemon rind vanilla essence

Chess pie
150 g 4 tspn 300 g 3 4 tspns granulated sugar flour chopped nuts (walnut, pecan etc) eggs butter 100 g tspn 200 g 120 ml brown sugar salt raisins milk shortcrust pastry

Mix sugar, crushed nuts, soaked raisins, flour and salt. Beat eggs, add milk, melted butter and mix into the dry ingredients. Pour into pastry lining baking dish and cook in Mark 1 (275F 140C) oven for 2 hours.

Chestnut and chocolate cake

for 8 180 g 120 g 1 tblspn 80 g chocolate butter brandy or whisky sugar 435 g 1 tspn 6 unsweetened chestnut puree vanilla extract eggs

Mix chestnut with butter, add vanilla, booze, yolks and melted chocolate. Whisk egg white to foam, and go on beating while adding sugar till it forms glossy peaks. Fold into the chestnut mix. Put into buttered 22cm tin with base lined in greaseproof paper. Bake in Mark 4 (180C 350F) for 50 to 55 mins. (Dust with icing sugar)

Chestnut gingerlate cake

for 8 75 g 75 g 100 g 150 g prunes raisins butter chestnuts 3 tblspn 150 g 150 g brandy dark chocolate gingernut biscuits

Soak raising and chopped prunes in the brandy for at least 2 hrs, then add melted butter and chocolate (best done in a double boiler) and add roughlycrushed biscuits and roasted and roughly-chopped chestnuts. Pour into a 20 cm diameter cake tin lined with cling-film and press down to even it. When cool refrigerate.

Chocolate bread

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for 8 140 g 8 140 g sugar eggs walnuts 30 g 25 ml 15 ml dark chocolate (or cocoa) ground coffee beans brandy

Mix sugar, chocolate/cocoa, coffee, broken nuts and lightly-beaten yolks. Add brandy and fold in beaten egg whites. Bake in Mark 4 (180C 350F) oven for 45 mins.

Chocolate and pecan tart

for 8 150 g 2 250 g 1 tspn sugar eggs pecan nuts cocoa powder 85g 1 tblspn 100 g butter cornflour chocolate pastry case

Beat sugar and butter to light and fluffy and slowly add and beat in eggs. Fold in cornflour three-quarters of the halved nuts, the chocolate broken into small pieces and cocoa dissolved in a teaspoon of water. Pour into baked 30 cm pastry case and decorate with remaining pecans and bake in Mark 5 (190C 375F) oven 40 to 45 mins or until filling has set.

Chocolate pudding
for 8 175 g 75 g 3 150 ml plain chocolate white chocolate eggs double cream 175 g 175 g 175 g 1 tblspn butter muscovado sugar self-raising flour brandy

Melt 75 g of each chocolate in two double boilers. Beat butter and sugar to fluffy then add eggs a little at a time, beating well. Fold in the flour and add half the mixture into each of the chocolates. Put alternate layers into a buttered pudding dish, cover with greaseproof paper and foil and steam for 2 to 2 hrs. Melt 100 g of the plain chocolate, add cream and brandy and serve with the pudding.

Chocolate pudding 2
for 8 400 g 150 g 2 tspn chocolate sugar vanilla extract 130 g 5 65 g butter eggs plain flour

Cream together the butter and sugar, then beat in eggs and vanilla and mix in flour. Add melted chocolate and pour mixture into buttered ramekins dusted with a little flour and cook on baking sheet in Mark 6 (200C 400F) oven on a baking sheet for 8 to 10 mins. [ serve hot with a dollop of cream ]

Pot aux chocolat

for 8 350 ml 250 g 4 double cream chocolate yolks 1 pod 150 ml 2 tblspn vanilla milk sugar

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Warm cream with vanilla pod (split lengthways) and leave to infuse for 30 mins. Melt chocolate in the milk. Beat together yolks and sugar, add the chocolate milk and vanilla cream, blend, sieve and pour into ramekins. Put in ramekins into a tray of water and bake at Mark 1 (140C 275F) for 45 to 60 mins when it should puff up and be spongy with a crust. Cool in fridge for at least 6 hrs before serving.

Pressed chocolate cake

for 8 270 g 6 150 g chocolate eggs sugar 200 g 3 tblspn butter cocoa

Whisk yolks into melted chocolate, cocoa and sugar. Beat egg whites till they form peaks and fold them into the mixture a bit at a time. Bake in buttered shallow cake tin in Mark 4 (180C 350F) oven about 30 mins till it has risen like a souffle. Put a plate into cake tin and weight it with a can for 30 mins, then turn out.

Chocolate orange mousse

for 8 350 g 3 2 tblspn 50 g chocolate yolks Grand Marnier sugar 200 ml 1 8 whipping cream orange egg whites

Add warmed cream to semi-melted chocolate and carry on melting (to prevent it going grainy). Stir in egg yolks, the zest from the oranges and the liqueur. Beat the whites with the sugar till forming peaks and fold into the mixture a bit at a time. Serve chilled.

Chocolate souffl
for 8 700 ml 8 480 g milk eggs chocolate 240 g 60 g 100 g sugar plain flour cocoa

The egg whites should not be too fresh or too cold and mixing should not be in plastic bowls. Whisk yolks with 60 g sugar until thick and then stir in the flour. Slowly add the milk which has been heated with 100 g sugar and cook on low heat for 1 min. Add mixture of chopped chocolate and cocoa. Whisk egg whites to stiff, add 80 g sugar and whisk to stiff and fold into mixture. Put into individual baking dishes (ramekins about 10 cm across), level off the top with a knife and run finger round edge. Bake for 10 mins in in Mark 6 (200C 400F) oven. [ dust with icing sugar ]

Clafoutis
for 8 2 pods 90 g 6 600 g vanilla flour eggs cherries 800 ml 130 g 40 g milk sugar butter

Fold flour and sugar into whisked eggs and beat in milk which has been gently warmed with the split vanilla pods. Pour batter into a buttered baking dish, scatter cherries on top, and to with the remaining butter. Bake at Mark 6 (200C 400F) for about 25 mins until puffed up and golden. [ serve with ice cream, clotted cream, or creme fraiche ]

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Connaughts carrot cake

for 8 200 g 1 tspn 1 150 ml 110 g 50 g plain wholemeal flour sodium bicarbonate large orange oil sultanas walnuts 1 tspn 225 g 250 g 2 50 g 1 tblspn mixed spice carrots soft brown sugar eggs desiccated coconut lemon juice

Beat 175 g of the sugar with the oil and the zest of the orange. Beat in the eggs one at a time to fluffy and mix in the flour and sodium bicarb, then fold in the grated carrot, sultanas, coconut and chopped walnuts. Spoon into greased tin lined with baking parchment and bake on baking sheet at Mark 2 (140C) for 1 hr. Warm the juice of half the orange with the rest of the sugar and lemon juice. When cake is done, run knife around to loosen then poke holes in it and pour the orange syrup into the holes and round the edges. Leave till all the liquid absorbed and then turn out.

Cranachan
for 8 100 g 100 g 230 g 500 g 4 butter sugar yoghurt blackberries tart aples (eg Granny Smith) creme de mure (or creme de cassis) Cook oats in half the butter for a minute then add half the the caster sugar and caramelise oats. Fold the yoghurt, honey, whisky, brown sugar and oats into lightly-beaten cream. Stir in blackberries crushing a few. Fry sliced apple in the rest of the butter till they brown and soft, then add rest of white sugar and cook till caramelised. Layer apples and cream and sprinkle on a little creme de mure on top. 150 g 300 ml 4 tblspn 4 tblspn 4 tblspn rolled oats whipping cream honey whisky soft light-brown sugar

Creme caramel
for 8 2l 1 kg 8 milk sugar yolks 4 pods 18 vanilla eggs

Bring milk and pods to the boil. Whisk 700 g of sugar with eggs and yolks, and then add milk a little at a time. Heat 300 g of the sugar till it begins to turn gold and pour into ramekins. When it has set fill the moulds with most of the custard. Put in a bath of water in a Mark (125C 250F) oven for 45 mins. Remove and let it rest. Turn onto plate and top with a spoonful of reserved custard. [ serve surrounded by kirsch-soaked raisins and mint ]

Rich fruit cake

for 8 340 g 225 g 225 g 50 g 225 g tspn currants raisins sultanas candied peel (or 2 tblspn marmalade) plain flour nutmeg 50 g 3 tblspn 1 1 tspn tspn glace cherries brandy (or dark rum or whisky) orange lemon salt mixed spice

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225 g 4 2 tspn

butter eggs treacle

225 g 50 g 1 tspn

soft brown sugar almonds cinnamon

Mix dried fruit, finely chopped peel, halved glace cherries and brandy and steep overnight. Cream together butter and sugar to light and fluffy. Beat the eggs and add them a tablespoon at a time beating thoroughly after each addition. If it looks ready to curdle add a little flour. Fold (do not beat) in mixture of flour, salt and spices and stir in soaked fruit and peel, nuts, treacle and the grated rinds of lemon and orange. Pour into 20 cm round greased cake-tin lined with buttered greaseproof paper and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Put a few blanched almonds on the surface for decoration. Tie a band of brown paper around the outside of the tin and cover the cake with a double layer of greaseproof paper with a hole in the middle. Bake at Mark 1 (140C 275F) on a lower shelf for 4 to 4 hours and do not open oven door for the first 4 hours. It is done if a skewer comes out clean. When cake is cold double-wrap in greaseproof paper and store in airtight tin. During storage, say once a fortnight, remove paper, make a few holes in the top with something like a skewer and pour on a few teaspoons of brandy to soak into the cake.

Christmas pudding
for 8 200 g 1 tspn 220 g 300 g 220 g (100 g (120 g 100 mg 1 100 ml 300 g 1 (150 ml dates sodium bicarbonate raisins currants sultanas glace cherries) prunes) mixed peel green apple brandy (or dark rum) soft brown sugar orange barley win 100 g 300 g 100 g 2 tspn 200 g (200 g tspn tspn 1 tspn 1 pinch 4 1 150 ml ground almonds crumbs plain flour mixed spice butter shredded suet) cinnamon nutmeg ground ginger salt eggs lemon stout)

Mix chopped pitted dates with the bicarb (and suet if used) and a little boiling water, and let it stand 15 mins. Mix dried fruits, grated apple, brandy, orange and lemon juice and cooled date mixture. Refrigerate overnight. Beat butter and sugar together till smooth. Add eggs one at a time beating continuously (plus barley wine and stout is used), to a consistency that will fall from a spoon if tapped against the bowl. Then add fruit mixture, almonds, crumbs, flour, spices and salt, and mix well. Cover with a cloth and leave about 12 hrs but preferably overnight. Put into buttered pudding basin and cover with buttered baking paper and then with pudding cloth (pleated in the centre to allow for expansion). Tie down a loop string over the top to make a handle. Put in large pot fill half way up the side of the basin with boiling water. Boil covered for 6 to 8 hours, topping up water from time to time. Will keep for up to 3 months in a cool dry place. To reheat steam 2 to 3 hrs.

Coffee and nut cake

for 8 10 tblspn 6 pods 380 g 200 g 760 g instant coffee vanilla sugar plain flour butter 480 g 480 g 10 2 tspn walnuts hazelnuts eggs baking powder

The instant coffee is recommended to provide strong coffee flavour with no more than 60 ml liquid if real coffee flavour is required it must have at least that much flavour with that little liquid.

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Dissolve coffee in 60 ml of hot water. Roast hazelnuts in Mark 3 (170C 325F) oven to brown then rub off skin and powder. Beat together the butter and sugar till pale and light. Add hazelnuts, chopped walnuts, and finely-chopped vanilla pods. Beat in eggs one at a time and fold in flour and baking powder. Stir in coffee. Pour into buttered cake tin lined with parchment and bake for 75 mins.

Csusztatott palacsinta
4 60 g 125 g filling: crushed walnut, sugar, chocolate, lemon, apricot jam etc Beat egg yolks, sugar, butter, fold in the milk, then the flour. Whip to smooth, stiffish batter. Beat egg whites stiff and fold in. Fry thickish pancakes on one side only, and slide onto dish. Between layers sprinkle walnut and so on in layers. Put top pancake cooked side up. Can be cooked in advance in which case wrap in foil and place in warm oven for 10 to 15 mins before serving. eggs butter sugar 300 ml 3 tblspn milk flour

Cukros pite
for 8 270 g 4 180 g flour egg butter 330 g 210 g 200 g sugar almonds apricot jam

Knead flour, butter, 90 g of sugar and one of the eggs, roll out and half-bake. Cover with a layer of the jam. Mix ground almonds, rest of sugar, three eggs and cover the jam. Bake in a low oven.

Curd cheese dumplings

8 oz 1 curd cheese egg 2 oz semolina

Cook in boiling water for 20 mins. Pour on sour cream.

Yorkshire curd tart

for 8 250 g 130 g 1 plain flour sugar lemon nutmeg Rub softened 125 g of the butter into the flour. Stir in sugar, add 3 tblspn of water and make into a firm dough. Knead, roll out and cover bottom and sides of flan tin. Cover with greaseproof paper, weight down with rice or baking beans and bake 15 mins at Mark 6 (200C 400F), remove paper and beans and bake another 5 mins. Beat together 100 g of the sugar and 100 g of butter, stir in cheese and zest and juice of lemon and the eggs. Add raisins and pour onto the pastry. Bake at Mark 4 (180C 350F) for 30 to 35 mins to pale golden. Leave to cool for 10 mins. Grate nutmeg over it and then dust with a little icing sugar. 225 g 600 g 65 g butter medium-fat soft cheese raisins

Damson cobbler

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Mix flour and butter. Beat eggs in buttermilk and add. Sprinkle damsons with sugar, cover with dollops of pastry mixture, the split almonds and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in medium oven for 35 mins.

Dundee cake
150 g 3 1 tspn 175 g 50 g 2 tblspn 1 (1 pinch butter eggs baking powder currants glace cherries ground almonds lemon salt 175 g 50 g 1 50 g 75 ml 150 g 225 g caster sugar plain flour milk sultanas mixed candied peel orange blanched almonds whisky)

Beat butter and sugar to fluffy. Whisk eggs and slowly beat them into the sugar mixture. Fold in flour and baking powder. If it seems too dry add a little milk. Fold in sultanas, currants, halved cherries, finely-chopped peel, ground almonds and rinds of the orange and lemon. Spoon mixture into a greased 20 cm cake-tin lined with grease[proof paper and smooth it flat with the back of a spoon. arrange the whole almonds on the surface and bake in the centre of the oven at Mark 3 (170C 325F) for 2 to 2 hours or until centre if firm but springy. Cool in tin for 30 mins then cool on wire rack. Between a week and a month later it reaches its best.

Fruit leather
pears strawberries blackberries sugar Use ripe fruit - one per leather straining pips from berries, and removing peel and stone/pips from peaches and pears. Whizz up in blender and spread in sun on greaseproof paper till it dries. Roll up paper and store (in fridge) till ready to cut chunks off for snacks. plums raspberries peaches

Fruit and nut cake

for 8 250 g 150 g 100 g 125 g 125 g 175 g 75 g 4 tblspn brazil nuts pecans raisins dates prunes glace cherries candied citrus peel brandy 75 g tspn 1 tspn 150 g 3 1 tspn 1 plain flour baking powder mixed spice sugar eggs vanilla extract lemon's peel

Beat eggs and add flour, baking powder, mixed spice, sugar, fruit, nuts, grated peel and vanilla, and stir well. Grease 2 pint tin and line with greased paper. Pour in mixture and tamp down. Put lightly greased paper on top. Bake in the centre of Mark 5 oven for 2 hours. It should feel springy when done. Cool, turn out, stab surface with skewer and pour on brandy. Same with base. Wrap in foil for 3 weeks before eating.

Black fruit cake

250 g 150 g currants prunes 2 500 ml oranges Guinness

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125 g 200 g 175 g 2 200 g tspn

raisins glace cherries treacle eggs wholemeal flour baking powder

200 g 1 tspn 1 tspn 1 tspn 1 tspn

butter cinnamon mace clove nutmeg

Simmer stout 15 mins to reduce to 150 ml, and dissolve sugar in it. Heat butter till it starts turning golden and add dried fruit, oranges zest, cherries and sweetened stout. Beat in treacle and add beaten eggs. Beat in mixture of flour and baking powder. Pour into 20 cm tin lined with baking parchment and cover loosely with foil. Bake in Mark 3 (170C 325F) for 1 hr; remove foil and bake at Mark 1 (140C 275F) for 45 mins or until skewer comes out clean.

Ginger root cake

for 8 4 200 g 300 g 350 g 2 tspn 1 eggs black treacle swede, turnip or parsnip wholemeal flour sodium bicarbonate lemon 200 g 200 ml 8 bits 4 tspn 2 tspn 300 g dark sugar oil (sunflower) preserved ginger baking powder ground ginger icing sugar

Beat two of the eggs plus yolks of the other two with and sugar until thick and foamy, then add treacle and oil and beat smooth. Stir in coarsely grated vegetable and coarsely-chopped preserved ginger. Add flour, baking powder, soda and ground ginger. Whisk egg whites to peaks and fold in. Bake in buttered and floured cake tin in Mark 4 (180C 350F) oven for 40 to 45 mins. Skewer should come out clean. Beat 4 tblspn fresh lemon juice plus the zest of the lemon into the icing sugar and spoon over the top.

Ginger and sultana cake

for 8 110 g 110 g 2 285 g butter molasses or treacle eggs plain flour sherry or rum Beat butter and sugar together, add eggs, treacle, flour and ginger. Soak sultanas in sherry or rum for 20 mins and add. Warm milk and bicarb and stir into the mixture. Bake in greased and floured tin at Mark 3 (160C 325F) about 1 hrs. 2 tspn 55 g 2 tblspn tspn ginger sultanas milk sodium bicarbonate

Guglhupf
100 g 100 g 1 2 1 pinch 50 g 1 tblspn butter sugar egg yolks salt hazelnuts rum 500 g 2 sachets 50 g 125 ml 100 g 100 g flour dried yeast flaked almonds milk sultanas mixed peel

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Beat butter and sugar to fluffy and add egg and yolks. Slowly add mixture of flour and yeast with the milk. Knead in sultanas, chopped hazelnuts, salt, rum and mix thoroughly. Put in guglhupf tin (fluted with central hole) and leave to rise for about 30 mins. Bake in fan oven at 170C for 60 to 70 mins.

Herry's pudding
rum sponge biscuits peaches raspberries Soak biscuits in rum and line dish with them. Add layers of peaches, raspberries, sprinkled sugar, whipped cream, and top with toasted almonds. sugar cream almonds

Hedgehog
1 packet 6 tblspn 2 tblspn 2 Marie biscuits sugar raisins eggs 2 tblspn 225 g 100 g ( cocoa butter walnuts vanilla essence)

Warm butter and sugar but keep below boil and add cocoa. Off-heat slowly add beaten eggs. When it starts to thicken add a mixture of broken-up biscuits with roughly chopped walnuts and raisins. Press down into a loaf tine lines with greaseproof paper and put in fridge for 4 to 5 hours.

Hinds head quaking pudding

for 8 8 120 g 800 ml yolks sugar whipping cream nutmeg Whisk eggs and sugar together, and add boiled mixture of cream and milk, and pinches of cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour into greased moulds and cook in bain-marie till the inside of the puddings reaches 90C which is probably about an hour in an oven at 100C 210F. Allow to cool for 10 mins and serve. 2 200 ml eggs milk cinnamon

Honey and walnut cake

100 g 2 75 g 125 g 100 ml soft brown sugar eggs rye flour butter strong coffee 150 g 150 g 2 tspn 150 g honey strong white bread flour baking powder walnuts

Whisk sugar, honey and eggs for 5 mins till pale, foamy and thick. Add coffee, then mixture of flour and baking powder. Add melted butter and chopped walnuts and put in 1 kg loaf tin lined with parchment (rising above rim). Bake in Mark 4 (180C 350F) for 45 to 50 mins until skewer comes out clean.

Lemon and vodka granita

for 8 16 800 ml 200 ml lemons vodka water 16 250 g ice cubes sugar

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Heat sugar and water gently till dissolved then boil briefly. Grate the zest off 12 lemons and squeeze all to produce nearly a litre of juice. Mix with the zest and allow to stand 30 mins. Mix vodka with cold syrup, lemon and crushed ice, and freeze in a tray to solid.

Strawberry granita
for 8 2 kg 4 strawberry lemon's juice` cream 100 g 1 glass 1 glass sugar white wine liqueur

Cream strawberry with sugar, lemon and booze. Half-fill glasses with it, pour on strawberry juice and top with whipped cream.

Apple ice cream with butterscotch sauce

for 8 3 2 300 g 70 g 160 g bramley apples (about 880 g) cinnamon sticks sugar butter golden syrup 550 ml 4 4 tblspn 70 g double cream yolks Calvados muscovado sugar pinch of salt

Simmer peeled and diced apples in a less than a litre of water covered until reduced to a pulp. Then puree. Bring 380 ml and cinnamon to the boil, remove from heat and leave to infuse for 30 mins. Whisk yolks and sugar to pale and fluffy then add the cinnamon cream and heat slowly stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until it thickens enough for the spoon to leave a trail, but do not let it boil. Strain into the apple, add the calvados and chill for an hour. Then put into a shallow container and freeze. Every hour stir it to get rid of the ice crystals until it becomes a smooth cream. Stir a mixture of the butter, sugar and syrup over low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then boil for a minute until it bubbles and looks creamy. Add the cream, pinch of salt and boil gently for 10 mins until it thickens. When serving pour the mixture over the ice cream.

Cardamom ice cream

for 8 12 500 g green cardamom pods custard 150 ml double cream

Extracts cardamom seeds and crush to powder. Add to cream and warm till almost boiling. Blend with custard (obtainable as fresh custard cartons from supermarkets) and freeze for 45 mins. Take out and whisk and return for 2 hours.

Chocolate ice cream

for 8 150 g 5 40 g dark chocolate yolks cocoa 700 ml 140 g whipping cream sugar

Beat together yolks and sugar to a pale mixture and beat into cream which has been brought almost to boil. Add melted chocolate and then cocoa and heat gently perhaps in double-boiler until it thickens (a line drawn through keeps its shape). Put into a bath of cold water. Put in a container in the coldest part of freezer. After 90 mins take it out and beat to slush, replace in freezer and then do that twice more.

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Coffee ice cream

for 8 750 ml 140 g whipping cream sugar 5 2 tblspn yolks ground coffee

Beat together yolks and sugar to a pale mixture and beat into cream which has been brought almost to boil. Add coffee and heat gently perhaps in double-boiler until it thickens (a line drawn through keeps its shape). Put into a bath of cold water. Put in a container in the coldest part of freezer. After 90 mins take it out and beat to slush, replace in freezer and then do that twice more.

Lime ice
for 8 10 900 ml limes creme fraiche 350 g icing sugar

Combine the juice of the limes with the zest from two of them and the icing sugar, add a little under a litre of water and beat to dissolve the sugar. Then beat it into the creme fraiche and put in freezer. (Lemons or passion-fruit juice can be used in place of limes) [ good served with peaches halved, spread with muscovado sugar and grilled ]

Lime ice cream 2

for 8 650 ml 210 g 3 whipping cream sugar limes zest 110 ml 6 lime juice (4 limes) yolks

Boil lime juice and reduce by half. Stir in sugar and bring to boil. Whisk yolks with the zest and slowly add almost boiling syrup. Beat until thick then fold in cream. Put into a bath of cold water. Put in a container in the coldest part of freezer. After 90 mins take it out and beat to slush, replace in freezer and then do that twice more.

Campari and passionfruit sorbet

for 8 30 400 g passionfruit sugar 2 glasses Campari

Mix sugar into about 600 ml water and simmer 5 mins. Mix the Campari with the scooped out flesh of the fruit and add to the syrup and put into freezer. Stir every 30 mins.

Papaya and lime sorbet

for 8 4 6 tblspn papayas icing sugar 6 limes

Scoop out seed and peel and chop flesh. Liquidise with the juice of the limes to a puree. Add water to make a shade over a litre and add the sugar and freeze.

Ischler fnk

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biscuits 250 g 125 g filling apricot jam glaze 40 g 100 g 30 g caster sugar dark chocolate butter 1 1 tblspn espresso coffee cocoa plain flour caster sugar 250 g 125 g butter ground almonds

Rub together the biscuit ingredients and refrigerate for 30 mins. Knead with a little additional flour till is dough is workable but not sticky. Roll out to cm and cut into 6cm diameter circles. Bake on lightly-greased tray for 10 mins in Mark 6 oven to firm. Allow to cool before lifting from tray. Sandwich with a little apricot jam in between. Put glaze ingredients in ban marie and stir to smooth and glossy. Coat biscuits.

Junket
for 8 1.2 l 4 tblspn (4 milk rum or brandy bay leaves, or vanilla, cream, nutmeg) 2 tspn 2 tblspn sugar rennet

Warm milk to blood-heat (possible with bay or vanilla, or lumps of sugar rubbed with lemon rind). Mix sugar, milk, rum and rennet in that order. Stir well and leave to set for about an hour. [ cover with cream, clotted cream, or whipped cream; serve with ratafia biscuits; or powder with sugar and nutmeg or cinnamon; and you can flavour it with a little coffee ]

Gateau Lawrence
for 8 240 g 150 g 5 dark chocolate sugar eggs 225 g 250 g butter ground almonds

Cream together butter and sugar, and add almonds, egg yolks and chocolate (gently melted in a double boiler). Beat till blended. Fold mixture into stiffly-beaten egg whites. Pour into cake tin which has been lined with baking parchment and bake in Mark 2 (150C) oven for 35 mins. The middle should still be squashy under the crust. [cover with an icing made of 150 g dark chocolate and 75 g butter which have been melted together and poured on top; or with about 8 tblspns warmed apricot jam ]

Lemon cup
for 8 225 g 2 tspn 300 ml pinch sugar lemon peel milk salt 60 g 3 tblspn 3 2 tblspn flour lemon juice eggs oil

Mix sugar, flour, oil, salt, lemon peel and juice. Stir scalded milk into beaten yolks and add to the mixture. Fold in stiff-beaten egg whites. Pout into ramekins stood in hot water and bake at Mark 3 (165C 325F) for 40 mins. [ top with walnut halves or whipped cream ]

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Lemon pound cake

for 8 3 1 tspn 170 g 1 tblspn tspn (2 tblspn large eggs vanilla extract sugar lemon zest salt poppy seed) 195 g 170 g 2 tblspn tspn 3 tblspn butter plain flour poppy seed baking powder milk

Whisk together the room-temperature eggs and milk and add vanilla extract. Mix half of it with the flour, sugar, poppy seeds (if used), lemon zest, baking powder, salt and the butter (which has been brought to room temperature) and beat for a minute. Add the other half of the egg mixture and beat for 40 secs. Put the batter into a 22 cm loaf tin which has been greased and dusted with flour, and bake at Mark 4 (180C) for about 65 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. [If you like, the cake can then be dressed with 6 tblspns sugar dissolved in 60 ml lemon juice, making holes in the top with a skewer, and even iced with a whisked mixture of 3 tblspn warmed double cream, 220 g icing sugar plus the juice and zest of a lemon. ]

Lemon pudding cake

for 8 3 2 tspn 175 g pinch eggs lemon peel sugar salt 250 ml 70 ml 150 g milk lemon juice flour

Beat yolks slightly and beat in milk, lemon peel and juice. Fold in other ingredients and the egg whites beaten to stiffness. Bake in dish surrounded by hot water at Mark 4 (180C 350F) for 40 for 45 mins.

Lemon pudding delicious

50 g 3 50 g tspn butter lemons self-raising flour salt 225 g 4 225 ml sugar large eggs full-cream milk

Whisk butter with sugar to fluffy. Whisk in the rind and juice of the lemons, and then the yolks. Stir in flour and gradually stir in milk. Whisk till smooth. Whisk egg white and salt until it can creates peaks and fold into the mixture. Pour into souffle dish, put in a dish of water and bake at Mark 4 (180C 350F) for 40 mins.

Lemon sponge pudding

4 210 g 250 ml eggs sugar milk 2 2 tblspn lemons flour

Mix rind and juice of lemons, beaten yolks, slowly add mixture of sugar and flour. Beat and slowly add milk. Fold in beaten egg whitesd and pour into shallow over-proof dish (say 12 x 2). Set in cold water bath and bake 45 mins at Mark 3 (165C 325F).

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Gennys lemon pudding

for 8 4 2 20 ml eggs lemons milk 250 g 40 g sugar flour

Add grated lemon rind to beaten yolks then slowly add a mixture of milk and fold in beaten egg whites. Pour into shallow dish, set that in cold water and bake 45 mins at Mark 3 (165C 325F).

Lemon tart
for 8 pastry 175 g 120 g filling 130 ml 200 g 4 lemon juice (c 3 lemons) sugar eggs 6 200 g 6 lemons zest butter yolks flour butter 50 g 3 icing sugar yolks

Whisk flour, icing sugar and butter in food processor to fine breadcrumb consistency. Add two yolks (sometimes a tablespoon of water help the mixing) and pulse processor 10 seconds. Mix by hand, wrap in clingfilm a put in fridge for an hour. Roll it out to size of tart ring plus 2 cm, press into 22 cm tart case, leave half an hour then blind-bake in Mark 5 (190C 375F) oven to golden about 15 to 20 mins. Remove weighting and paper, bake another 5 mins, and then immediately brush with beaten third yolk. Mix lemon juice, zest, sugar and butter (you can use 150 ml double cream as an alternative) in a bain marie (without bowl bottom touching simmering water) until butter melts and melds. Add whisked eggs and extra yolks, stirring continuously until it thickens and then pour into pastry shell. Put under hot grill until black spots appear on top (there should be no signs of liquid movement) but before pastry starts to burn.

Glazed lemon tart

for 8 pastry for 25 cm flan 100 g 60 g filling 2 1 tblsn 75 g 5 eggs plain flour butter lemon 75 g 300 g 1 pod ground almonds sugar vanilla flour suet (10g butter, 40g lard) 6 tblspn salt very cold water

Mix flour salt and suet and add enough cold water to make light, elastic dough. Knead smooth. If it splits on being flattened add a touch more water. Put wrapped in fridge for 30 mins (or buy 160 g of shortcrust pastry). Line pastry tin with the pastry and prick with a fork lightly several places with fork. Blind-bake for 5 mins in middle of Mark 6 (200C 400F) oven for 5 mins. Thinly slice three of the lemons, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for some hours. Drain, cover with fresh water and simmer 1 hr and allow to cool. Beat together butter and a quarter of the sugar till soft and light, add lightly-beaten eggs, the rind of two lemons, flour and almonds and spread over pastry. Bake 25 to 30 mins in Mark 5 (190C 375F) and allow to cool. Remove lemons from the water to which add vanilla and the rest of the sugar and heat till sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon slices and simmer 5 mins. Remove lemon and arrange around the tart while continuing to boil syrup until it starts setting, then pour over the lemons. Chill.

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Lemon mascarpone tart

for 8 450 g 700 g 1 tspn 6 600 g butter plain flour salt lemons mascarpone 18 12 250 g 350 g eggs yolks icing sugar caster sugar

In food processor pulse-chop flour, salt and butter to the texture of coarse crumbs. Add 200 g of the icing sugar and yolks of six eggs and keep pulsing to soft ball. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for an hour. Grate pastry into flan tine and press to cover sides and base. Line with paper and blind-bake 20 mins. Beat 12 eggs and 12 yolks with the caster sugar, stir in the mascarpone then add the juice and grated zest of the lemons. Pour into the pastry shell and bake in Mark 2 (150C 300F) oven for an hour. Cool and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Little baba
for 8 100 ml 150 g 600 g 50 g ( milk strong white flour sugar butter dark rum currants and sultanas) tspn 1 tspn 1 1 yeast egg yolk lemon peel salt

Mix warmed milk, yeast and two teaspoons of the flour and leave for 15 mins till it foams. Beat the mixture (perhaps in a blender) with the rest of the milk, flour, egg and yolk, about a teaspoon and a half of the sugar, and salt for 2 mins. Add the butter and beat another 2 mins. Leave covered and warm for 45 mins until it doubles in height. Half-fill buttered muffin moulds with batter. When batter has risen to the top of the mould bake at Mark 6 (200C 400F) for 25 mins and cover with heated mixture of the rest of the sugar, the lemon peel and 500 ml water which has been simmered 5 mins. [ serve when barely cold with a glug of rum and soft whipped cream ]

Linzer
for 8 500 g 500 g 500 g 500 g flour walnuts butter sugar 225 g 6 2 pinch 200 g chocolate cloves cinnamon morello cherry jam

Mix the ingredients except the jam. Line baking tin with buttered greaseproof paper. Sprinkle with flour, spread half the dough across the tin and cover with jam. From the rest of the dough roll thin long sausages and with them form a grid across the jam. Bake in Mark 3 (165C 325F) oven for 1 hour. Test by pricking with a fork - if dough sticks it is not ready.

Madeira cake
for 8 170 g 170 g 4 butter sugar eggs 225 g 1 tspn 1 plain flour baking powder lemon

Cream butter and sugar to light and fluffy, beat in eggs and add flour and baking powder. Stir in the zest of the lemon. Bake in floured tin at Mark 4 (180C 350F) for 1 hr. Put strips of lemon peel on top and bake another 15 to 30 mins. When ready a skewer should come out clean.

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Mango fool
for 8 3 large, ripe mangoes muscovado sugar rum Liquidise fruit with juice and zest of limes, adding sugar and rum gradually to taste, till it becomes a smooth paste. Fold it into whipped cream. Serve in wine glasses. Chill for 2 hours before serving. 1 350 ml limes double cream/custard

Meringues
for 35 meringues 2 1 tspn egg white lemon juice 150 g sugar

Beat egg whites with lemon juice till stiff. Beat in sugar a little at a time until mixture stiff and smooth. Dollop little mounds onto baking parchment on baking tray. Bake in fan oven at 80C for 100 to 150 mins.

Mississipi mud pie

for 8 175 g 185 g 5 ginger and/or digestive biscuits dark chocolate eggs 320 g 10 tblspn (60 g butter treacle or golden syrup walnut or pecans)

Mix crushed biscuits with 85 g of the butter melted and press into a cake tin, including allowing it to come up the sides. Chill in fridge. Melt the rest of the butter, chocolate and syrup gently, fold in beaten eggs, and add nuts. Pour into base and bake at Mark 4 (180C 350F) for 1 hrs until still slightly wobbly in the middle.

Pancakes
for 16 pancakes 250 g 2 2 plain flour egg yolk 600 ml 2 pinch 1 tblspn milk salt butter

Make to the consistency of thin cream. Adding soda water in place of some of the milk can make it fluffier.

Crepe carpentier
for 8 3 2 tblspn eggs flour 1 tblspn milk salt

Beat eggs and whisk in flour, milk, salt and tablespoonful of water. Fry. Eat quickly before it goes leathery.

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Crepe dentelle
125 g 1 50g 25 g flour egg sugar butter 1 tblspn 2 tspn oil brandy or rum salt

Make smooth batter, dilute with a little tepid water and cook in lightly greased pan.

Crpe Roxelane
for 2 batter 4 oz 1 pinch 1 tblspn melba sauce 14 oz 3 tblspn filling 1 9 floz 6 2 floz 1 pinch vanilla pod milk eggs Grand Marnier salt 2 tblspn 1 oz 1 tspn 1 sugar flour icing sugar lemon frozen raspberries sugar 2 tblspn 1 Grand Marnier lemon flour salt sugar 4 floz 4 floz water milk

Mix batter ingredients and let the mixture stand. Make pancakes. Split vanilla pod, put in milk and heat gently to boiling. Whisk 3 egg yolks and sugar, incorporate flour and slowly pour on boiling milk. Bring to boil and cook genrly for 5 mins, stirring constantly. Pour into a large bowl, dusting surface with icing sugar to prevent skin forming. When cool add zest of two lemons and two more yolks. Beats the whites of 6 eggs with a pinch of salt to stiff and gently add to mixture. Place a large dollop on each pancake. Fold pancakes in half and push gently to full with the gunge. Put on buttered tray and bake for 7 mins in Mark 5 (375F 190C) oven. Dust with icing sugar and surround with Melba sauce. To make Melba sauce, mix ingredients to boil and sieve.

Crepe Suzette
For pancake, see pancake recipe, for sauce see SAUCES

Turos palacsinta
500 g 3 1 tub curd cheese lemon sour cream 2 2 tblspn 100 g eggs sugar sultanas

Fill pancakes with the mixture, including the juice and zest of the lemon, pour on a little sour cream and rewarm briefly in the oven.

Panforte allInglese
for 8 120 g 60 g dried figs candied citrus peel 60 g 60 g dried apricots crystallised ginger

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120 g 40 g 1 tspn 80 g

walnuts plain flour cinnamon chocolate

2 tspn 4 tspn 200 g

eggs baking powder cocoa sugar

Beat eggs to pale and billowy. Add the other ingredients with the fruit, peel, ginger, walnuts, and chocolate chopped. Spoon into buttered 23 cm cake tin. Bake about 50 mins at Mark 2 (150C 300F).

Pear upside-down cake

for 8 4 200 g 2 300 g 300 g pears butter eggs plain white flour yoghurt 400 ml 300 g 4 tblspn 4 tspn red wine muscovado sugar honey baking powder

Press a layer of thick foil into the tin (probably about 30 cm) and rub it with butter. Halve pears, core and slice so they stay joined at stalk and fan them out over the foil and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Boil wine till reduced to a thin syrup and pour over pears. Beat together butter, sugar, egg and honey to fluffy, and add flour, baking powder and yoghurt and beat to smooth. Spoon over pears and bake at Mark 4 (180C 350F) 45 to 60 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool slightly turn over onto dish and remove foil while still warm.

Poire belle Helene

for 8 2 4 8 250 g 6 tblspn 6 strips vanilla pod yolks pears sugar strong coffee orange peel 700 ml 350 ml 1 250 g (3 tblspn single cream double cream lemon bitter chocolate kirsch)

Bring one vanilla pod to boil slowly in a mixture of pint single and pint double cream. Add beaten yolks, Store over double boiler until it coats the spoon. Add sugar, cool, remove pod and add double cream. Freeze. Put halved pears cut-side down into about a third of a pint of water, with 6 tblspns sugar and the other vanilla pod. Simmer 10 mins, turn and simmer another 10 mins. Melt chocolate in coffee. Add the rest of the sugar and cream. Add kirsch when reheated for serving. Put slices of ice cream into dishes, cover with pears, sprinkle with crystallised violets, and pour on very hot sauce.

Poires farcies des santons

for 8 6 175 g 50 g 300 ml 1 pinch large William pears preserved fruit sultanas kirsch vanilla 600 ml 125 g 600 ml 350 g double cream fresh raspberries vanilla ice cream sugar

Cook a syrup of 250 g of the sugar plus vanilla and 500 ml of water. Add halved pears and cook for 15 mins. Put some preserved fruit and kirsch in each half-pear, put pears together, wrap in foil and put in fridge. Spread ice cream over bottom of a dish, put pears on top, sprinkle with kirsch, coat with whisked mixture of sugar, cream and raspberries. [ goes well with very dry champagne ]

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Pear tart
for 8 2 kg 1 tspn 250 g 5 350 g 6 tart pears (or Conference) salt Stinking Bishop cheese eggs shortcrust pastry butter eggs 100 g 350 g sugar plain flour 2 tblspn 25 g 300 ml butter muscovado sugar almonds single cream

If making your own shortcrust pastry Mix 350 g softened butter with 100 g sugar and yolks, and mix well. Gradually mix into the flour till it is smooth, Wrap in cling film and refrigerate at least 1 hr. Roll out pastry and line a buttered and floured 30 cm tart tin. Prick it lightly all over with a fork, and bake blind for 20 mins at Mark 6 (200C 400F). Lightly brown pears in butter, add salt and sugar. Put slivers on cheese in bottom of pastry, add caramelised pears and cover with a whisked mixture of cream, three eggs, two yolks, ground almonds and bake 30 mins at Mark 4 (180C 350F).

Pineapple upside-down cake

for 8 160 g 1 cake 250 g 250 g 3 tspn butter plain flour baking powder 250 g 4 caster sugar eggs butter large pineapple 200 g sugar

Add sugar to melted butter and warm to rich caramel and pour into greased deep cake-tin, running alittle down the sides as well. Cover with thinly-sliced pineapple. Beat together butter, flour, sugar, eggs and baking powder and pour over pineapple, and bake at Mark 4 (350F 180C) oven for 40 mins till done. Invesrt onto plate.

Plum pudding
for 8 40 g 80g 80g 80 g 15 g 1 pinch 1 pinch 1 pinch 40 ml apple suet plain flour sultanas raisins almonds ginger cinnamon salt rum 150 g 120 g 80 g 80 g 115 g 2 1 pinch 40 ml demerara sugar marmalade crystallised fruits currants crumbs eggs allspice nutmeg Guinness

Mix ingredients, adding liquids last, put in cooking basin covered with securely tied baking paper, and put basin in saucepan with boiling water almost to the basin rim. Quite a good idea to put an upturned plate at the bottom for the basin to sit on. Boil covered for at least 4 hrs. Store in a cool pace it improves with age. Boil for two more hours before serving. Pour on rum and set light to it. [ serve with rum butter and cream ]

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Aromatic plums
for 8 1.2 kg 2 2 200 g plums bay leaves cloves honey 350 ml tspn 2 4 red wine ground cinnamon star anise cardamom pods seeds or tspn ground cardamom

Bring all ingredients apart from plums to the boil. Pour over halved and stoned plums which have been spread in a single layer cut-side down in dish. Cover with foil and bake at Mark 4 (180C 350F) about 1 hr till plums tender. (They will keep in fridge for 3 days or so and can be reheated.) [ serve with Barbados cream ]

Szilvs gomboc
1 kg 2 225 g old potatoes eggs flour bread crumbs 1 kg Swetschen plums cinnamon sugar ground nuts

Boil potatoes and mash while still warm. Mix with a pinch of salt and enough flour to make medium-consistency dough (it stops sticking to the table). Roll out to inch thick and cut into 4 inch squares. Stone plums and fill hole with a little sugar and a speck of cinnamon. Cover with dough and seal that carefully to prevent juice leaking out. Put in fast-boiling water with a little salt in it for about 10 to 20 mins. When done the dumplings rise to the top. Quickly fry crumbs and roll dumplings in that. (Alternative coatings are crushed walnuts or almonds and sugar.) To prevent naked dumplings sticking to each other cover in a little butter.

Windies plums
for 8 12 2 4 tblspn 1 1 2 tblspn plums cinnamon star anise Dijon mustard orange lime ginger 5 tspn 6 2 tblspn 7 tblspn 1 1 tblspn 300 ml brandy cloves sugar redcurrant jelly lemon flour (or arrowroot) red wine

Cook the halved plums in a tiny bit of oil flesh-side down to golden. Add a large knob of butter and sugar and continue cooking for 10 mins, then add half a glass of water and turn plums over for a quick cook. Fry flour gently to beige in a little butter or butter with oil, and add wine, brandy, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and star anise (if using arrowroot instead of flour, add at this point). Simmer for 10 mins. Add juice from the three fruits, bring to the boil and reduce by half. Add mustard and redcurrant. Cook a few minutes and pour over plums. [ serve with Barbados cream which has some rum in it ]

Pumpkin pie
for 12 4 1 kg 1 tspn tspn 750 ml eggs pumpkin cinnamon cloves milk 300 ml 1 tspn 1 tspn tspn 150 g sugar salt ginger nutmeg butter

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250 g

plain flour

Rub (or food-process) flour and butter together to fine crumbs and add a teaspoon water. Knead and chill for 30 mins in a tart tin. Boil pumpkin to soft about 10 to 15 mins then mash. Beat the eggs slightly, add sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and pumpkin. Heat the milk and butter together and add. Pour into pie crusts. Bake low in the oven at Mark 7 (215C 425F) for 15 mins then Mark 4 (180C 350F) for 30 mins.

Queen of puddings
for 8 1 litre 150 g 1 pinch 50 ml milk sugar salt raspberry or black cherry jam 8 150 g 150 g eggs crumbs sugar

Mix four eggs with the yolks for another four and with half the sugar, then add warm milk while stirring. Put jam in bottom of pie dish, pour on custard and bake in Mark 2 (300F 150C) oven for 1 hour or until set. Whisk egg whites till set and fold in sugar. Put on top and return to over for 15 mins till meringue sets.

Rakott palacsinta
for 8 200 g 2 2 tblspn flour yolk butter 500 ml milk salt

jam, drinking chocolate, curd cheese, raisins, walnuts, sugar, egg Make pancakes. Lay one flat in a dish, cover with jam, cover with pancake, sprinkle with drinking chocolate, add pancake, curd cheese mixed with an egg and raisins, pancake. Repeat till bored. Cover with pancake and then whipped egg white. Put in moderate oven for 10 mins to heat through.

Sabayon Madeira
4 150 ml yolks caster sugar verdelho lemon nutmeg cinnamon

Whisk eggs till pale and frothy and then beat over double boiler till it thickens. Gradually add Madeira and juice from lemon and go on whisking to whipped cream consistency. Pour into glasses, sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg, and serve with a slice of Madeira cake.

Semolina pudding
2 eggs semolina double cream Simmer semolina in milk. Add sugar and when thick add blend in well-beaten eggs. Bake in Mark 2 oven for 35 mins. [ serve with double cream, black cherry juice, or jam ] 1 pint milk sugar

Shortbread

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for 8 160 g 4 tblspn 125 g (1 tspn butter cornflour sugar vanilla essence) 225 g tspn tspn plain flour baking powder salt

Rub diced butter, sugar, salt, flour and cornflour (plus vanilla essence if used) together. Use some of the butter to rub on baking tins, pack in mixture and incise the top to mark out the bars where it will be broken up. Prick top all over with a fork. Refrigerate 30 mins to 1 hr then bake in Mark 4 (180C 350F) oven for 18 to 20 mins till surface just beginning to colour and firm to the touch.

Mango souffl
for 8 100 g 40 g 300 ml 1 2 tspn 50 g sugar flour milk lemon peach or brandy apricot dark chocolate 4 1 tspn 2 large 100 g 40 g eggs cornflour mangoes apricots butter

Beat 3 tblspns of the sugar with the yolks of three eggs and then add flour and cornflour. Slowly pour in hot milk. Simmer till it thickens. Blend the mango to puree with the juice of the lemon and cook gently till reduced to half. Cover apricots with boiling water for 5 mins and simmer for 10 mins. Puree apricots and add to the mango. Mix this into the milk and flour mixture with the brandy. Chill briefly. Rub ramekins with butter, coated with grated chocolate. Whisk egg whites to stiffish and beat in rest of sugar and fold into the mango and fill ramekins. Bake at Mark 5 (190C 375F) for 10 to 15 mins. Serve fast.

Steamed sponge pudding

125 g 125 g 2 (75 g butter vanilla sugar eggs mixed fruit) 2 tblspn 150g self-raising flour milk jam

Mix butter and sugar, add beaten eggs, fold in flour and add a little milk. Put jam in buttered 1 pint basin, spoon mixture over that and cover with greaseproof paper. Tie on cloth and steam for 1 hours. (Add 75 g glace cherries or mixed fruit to mixture before folding in flour. Instead of jam 50 g currants can be used with 2 tablespoons of syrup and a lemon's juice; or 2 thickly-sliced apples sprinkled with sugar.)

Lemon sponge pudding

for 8 4 250 g 260 g eggs sugar milk 2 3 tblspn lemons flour

Mix grated rind and juice of lemon to beaten yolks. Add mixture of sugar and flour slowly. Beat well and add milk slowly. Fold in beaten egg whites. Bake with dish sitting in water at Mark 3 (165C 325F)

Spotted dick
for 8

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250 g 200 ml 180 g 1 1 tspn

self-raising flour milk currants lemon cinnamon

100 g 100 ml 100 g 1 pinch 1 tspn

suet dark rum sugar salt ginger

Add milk and rum to a mixture of the dry ingredients and mix to thick dough. Rest for 5 mins then roll out to 20 x 30 cm. Roll into floured tea-towel or buttered double layer of greaseproof paper, and tie off ends to make it look like a cracker. Steam for about 2 hrs.

Summer pudding
for 8 2 tblspn little 6-8 slices sugar (with optimum 150 g) lemon juice firm white bread (crust removed) 2 kg berries eg redcurrants, blackcurrants, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries recommended: 600g raspberries, 300 g redcurrants, 150 g blackcurrants or 125g blackberries, 125g blueberries, 250g strawberries, Cook mixture of fruit for 2 two 3 mins gently with sugar. Line a bowl completely with bread. Put in fruit but keep back a little of the juice, and weight it down. Put in fridge for at least 1 hour. Turn out onto platter. Use the remaining juice to stain areas of bread which have remained white.

Syllabub
for 8 1 150 ml 3 tblspn lemon sweet white wine rosemary brandy 3 55 g 400 ml egg whites caster sugar double cream nutmeg

Soak lemon rind and rosemary in wine a few hours, and add lemon juice and brandy. Strain and stir into stiffly-beaten whites and whipped cream. (You can substitute Madeira or sherry for the wine and it does not have to be sweet, and the brandy can be replaced with Grand Marnier or Cointreau) [serve with almond biscuit]

Raspberry syllabub
Fold raspberry puree into syllabub

Tarte Tatin
for 8 25 g 6 (1kg) plus 1 pack of puff pastry or 200 g 50 g flour icing sugar 100 g 2 butter yolks butter granny smiths (bramleys) 150 g tspn sugar cinnamon

If making your own pastry mix ingredients with a couple of tablespoons of water, roll out to a bit larger than the baking tin size and let it rest, or even chill. Either way it should be about 3mm thick. Gently caramelise sugar to golden and add butter. Line base of sponge tin with greaseproof paper and

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butter sides. Pour in half of the syrup. Place cored, peeled and sliced apples and sprinkle with cinnamon and pour on the rest of the syrup. Heat gently for 5 to 8 mins. Put on pastry and tuck down edges into bottom of pan. Put on top shelf of Mark5 (190C 375F) oven for 30 mins. Invert onto large plate. [ generally served cold but can be good hot in which case after baking allow to cool for 1 hr and then gently reheat and serve with cream ]

Tarte tatin poire

for 8 6 750 g 1 tblspn William, Conference or Comice pear puff pastry fivespice 150 g 200 g 250 g butter sugar walnuts

Quarter and core pears and let them stand to dry a little. Roll out pastry to 3 cm greater than dish, put on baking sheet, prick evenly with fork, and let it stand covered with clingfilm. Spread butter on base of dish/pan, cover with sugar and fivespice. Press pears rounded side down into it. Cook in Mark 7 (220C 430F) oven sprinkled with a little wine or port, till pears soften and caramel begins to brown, which is about 10 to 12 mins. Remove from heat, sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Cover with pastry, tucking in edges and bake at Mark 6 (200C 400F) for 15 mins to make pastry golden and crisp. Cool and upend onto plate. If caramel sticks, heat on stove. [ serve with ice cream ]

Pear and walnut tatin

for 8 6 150 g 1 tspn pears (Williams, Comice or Conference) butter five-spice 700 g 200 g 5 tspn puff pastry sugar walnuts

Roll out pastry to something larger than the pan, prick all over and cover with clingfilm. Cover pan with the butter, then sugar and five-spice and press quartered pears into the mixture rounded side down. Cook on medium heat 10 to 12 mins till pears soften and caramel is golden brown. Remove from heat and add crushed walnuts. Cover with pastry and bake at Mark 6 (200C 400F) for 15 mins till pastry browns. Cool for 10 mins and then upend onto large plate. If it sticks heat briefly on stove to soften. [ serve with ice cream or creme fraiche ]

Trifle
for 8 350 g 400 g 300 ml custard 350 ml 350 ml 3 5 milk double cream eggs yolks 1 1 40 g lemon vanilla pod sugar sponges raspberry jam oloroso sherry 250 g 150 g 450 ml almonds ratafia/amoretti biscuits (almond macaroons) double cream

Simmer milk with the 350 ml cream, rind of the lemon and vanilla for 5 mins. Remove lemon rind and vanilla pod leaving seeds. Whick in eggs, yolks and sugar and cook over low hear stirring constantly 15 to 20 mins until thick. Cool over iced water. If it goes lumpy during coking put pan in iced water and whisk. Cover bottom of bowl with broken sponge covered in jam, pour on sherry, and after 5 mins the custard. Just before serving, cover with whipped cream and toasted almonds.

Satsumas in wine
for 8 600 g satsumas 600 ml red wine

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400 g 1 pod

caster sugar vanilla

2 sticks

cinnamon

Cover peeled satsumas with boiling water and leave 2 mins and replace with cold. Remove pith but leave satsumas as one piece. Boil wine with 200 ml water, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla for 15 mins and reduce by half. Turn off heat and add fruit. [ serve with whipped cream ]

Turoscsusza
for 8 350 g 350 g lasagne smoked streaky bacon 125 g 250 g sour cream curd cheese

Boil broken lasagne. Fry Finely-chopped bacon to crisp. Spread lasagne in flat dish, cover with bacon, a little butter, curd cheese and sour cream. Bake at Mark 8 (230C 450F) to sizzling which should take about 7 mins.

Victoria sponge
for 8 500 g 8 3 tblspn butter eggs baking powder 500 g 500 g 1 tspn sugar flour salt

Mix ingredients in blender. Bake in tins lined with baking parchment at Mark 3 (160C 320F) for 35 to 40 mins. Put jam between layers.

Zabaglione
6 6 tblspn yolks caster sugar 200 ml marsala

Whisk yolks and sugar in double boiler to thick and creamy.

Ricnut
ricotta cheese 2 tblspn honey walnuts Blind-bake pastry base, layer of crushed walnuts, put mixture on top with the juice of the lemon, and put into Mark 4 (180C 350F) oven for half an hour. 1 lemon egg

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