Lemon Cheese Cake

INGREDIENTS

• 500g Quark
• 200g light soft cheese
• 6 tbsp lemon curd , plus a little extra mixed with lemon juice, to serve
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 2 lemons , zested and juiced
• 4 gelatine sheets
• 12 amaretti biscuits , crushed

METHOD

1. Line a 20cm springform tin with clingfilm. Beat the quark and soft cheese with the lemon curd, icing sugar and lemon zest.
2. Soak the gelatine in cold water until it is floppy, lift out and then put in a small pan with the lemon juice and heat gently until the gelatine melts. Stir into the cheese mixture and pour into the tin. Sprinkle the amaretti over the top and press in gently. Chill for 3 to 4 hours or overnight until set and then carefully turn out onto a plate to serve. Spoon over a little extra lemon curd mixed with lemon juice if you like.

Barbecued Lemon Pepper Salmon Filet

Ingredients:

• 2 salmon filets or steaks
• 15 baby potatoes
• 4 large cloves of garlic
• Juice of 3/4 of a large lemon
• 1/4 cup of good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 tsp of sea salt
• 1 Tbsp of finely chopped sweet basil
• 1 Tbsp of lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp of finely ground black peppercorns
• Olive oil for brushing

Preparation:

1. In a shallow dish, add the ground black ppper, lemon zest and 1/4 tsp of sea salt. Mix well.
2. Brush the salmon filets in a little olive oil, then press the skin side down in the lemon pepper mixture. Set aside.
3. Wash the potatoes and then boil them for about 20 minutes over a high heat or until done. Drain and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, mix the extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 tsp of sea salt, chopped basil and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Whisk quickly to emulsify the mixture. Set aside.
5. Now barbecue the salmon skin side down first for about 5 minutes and then gently turn the salmon over and cook until desired doneness.

Beff Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 table spoon of olive oil
Cracked black pepper
½ pint of beef stock or similar
500g of lean steak mince
100g of mushrooms
1 large chopped red onion
¼ clove of garlic (or to taste)
15 grams of tomato concentrate
1 tin of quality chopped tomatoes
1 packet of lasagna sheets/preferably green, (Verdi)

White Sauce:

300ml of milk
150g of grated chedder
20g of butter
25g of plain flour

Cooking instructions and tips for lasagna:

Whilst heating the pan on a low heat with the oil chop the onion and finely chop the garlic. Add the onions and turn up the heat to sweat for 30 seconds, then add the garlic. Immediately start breaking up the mince into the pan. Stir continuously until golden brown. Some of the mince will start to water, feel free to drain any excess water for a lower fat option; add the pepper to your taste.

Add the chopped tomato and the tomato concentrate and then the mushrooms once the tomato is consistently spread; add the beef stock and leave on a simmer heat whilst preparing the white sauce.

Melt the butter in a pan being careful not to burn and sieve flour into the butter to avoid lumps and stir to consistency, add the milk. Stirring on a low heat will avoid any issues.

Once to a medium heat slowly add the cheese, stirring continuously, add more cheese to taste.

Better to use a Pyrex dish, but simply layer the meat, then pasta, then white sauce, then pasta, then meat and so on. The more pasta you use the drier the dish and likelihood of the lasagna keeping its form when cut into portions, but do try not to overlap pasta when creating your layers.

Make sure there is a white sauce layer on the top and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. At this point feel free to add Italian herbs, grated bread crumbs, chilli flakes and parmesan to your taste.

Bake in the oven at 180c  for 45-60 minutes and use a butter knife to push through to understand if the pasta has cooked.

Serve with a crusty bread role or a rocket side salad, but the most important thing… yet more parmesan!

Asian Barbecued Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 Maryland chicken pieces
• 4 chicken wings
• 1 tsp ground tumeric
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 Tbsp crushed garlic
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp Thai fish sauce
• 1 tsp finely chopped lemongrass
• A brush for basting
• MIXED GREEN SALAD WITH THAI DRESSING
• Mixed salad greens for 2
• 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
• 8 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 1/4 Spanish onion, sliced
• DRESSING
• 1/4 tsp finely chopped red chilis, seeds discarded
• 2 Tbs fresh lime juice
• A pinch of white sugar
• 2 Tbsp Thai fish sauce

Preparation:

1. Mix together the vegetable oil, tumeric, ginger, garlic, sugar, fish sauce and lemongrass in a large mixing bowl. Stir well to combine. Add the chicken and coat it in the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2. Just before cooking, pre-heat a barbecue grill or griddle pan. Cook the chicken on the barbecue or griddle, turning occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Every so often baste the chicken with the leftover marinade to keep it moist.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the salad in a large serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate while you make the dressing. Combine dressing ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir well to combine.
4. Once the chicken is cooked, place it on a serving plate and cover with foil. Allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
5. Just before serving, dress the salad and toss the leaves.
6. Serve the BBQ chicken and salad.

Banana yogurt cake

Ingredients:

• 120g (4oz)butter, at room temperature
• 100g (3.5oz) caster (berry) sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 200g (7oz)sweetened, plain yogurt
• 200g (7oz)all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Extra butter for greasing tin
• Special equipment: 1 x loaf tin

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Grease a 8cm-deep, 11 x 21cm loaf tin with a little butter. Set aside.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at time beating well after each addition.
3. Use a metal spoon to fold through the mashed bananas and yogurt.
4. Sift together the flour and baking powder, then fold gently into the banana/yogurt mixture until just combined. Don't over mix.
5. Spoon mixture into greased tin and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes in tin. After this time, gently turn the cake out of the tin and cool on a wire rack.
6. Serve. Cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Chocolate Oat Cookies

Ingredients:

• 250 grams of butter (1 1/8 cup), softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of castor sugar (berry sugar)
• 1 large room temperature egg
• 1 tsp of pure vanilla essence
• Scant 2 cups of self-raising flour
• 2 cups of dark semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup of rolled oats
• Smarties, colored sprinkles or nuts for topping

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C). Line 1-2 baking sheets with baking paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla essence and beat well to combine.
4. Sift the flour into the butter/sugar mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Add 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 cup of oats and continue to stir until just combined.
5. Roll the batter into balls about the size of 1 tablespoonful. Place on baking sheet/s about 1.5 inches apart. Press the balls down slightly with the back of a spoon and then bake for 10-12 minutes.
6. Remove cookies from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet for 3-4 minutes before transferring to a cooking rack. Repeat process.
7. Meanwhile, place the remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips in a metal bowl. Place the bowl on top of a saucepan filled with water. Bring the water to the boil, all the while stirring the chocolate chips until they melt into a smooth consistency. Turn the heat down low and keep the chocolate warm.
8. Once the cookies have cooled slightly spread about 1 teaspoon of chocolate onto them and then top with smarties, sprinkles or nuts.

Baked Rice Custard with Vanilla Poached Plums

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of medum-grain rice
• 3 cups of milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 cup of castor (berry) sugar
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• A pinch of ground nutmeg
• Special equipment: a large baking pan and a 6-cup ovenproof dish

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C). Cook the rice according to packet instructions. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, sugar, eggs and vanilla until combined. Add the rice to the egg mixture and stir well.
3. Line the base of a large baking pan with a clean kitchen cloth, folded to fit, and place the ovenproof dish in the pan on top of the cloth. Pour the custard mixture into the dish. Sprinkle evenly with nutmeg. Pour enough boiling water into the pan to reach halfway up the side of the ovenproof dish.
4. Bake custard in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the ovenproof dish from the baking pan and set aside for 1 hour to cool slightly. Serve with vanilla poached plums.