Berry Slump

100g butter

100g caster sugar

100g SR Flour

2 eggs

2tsp vanilla extract

600g mixed summer berries

In a mixer, whizz together the butter, sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla, until smooth. Lightly grease a baking dish and tip in the summer berries.

Dollop over the cake mix, cover the fruit.

Cook for 45 minutes in an oven Gas 4. Serve warm with custard, vanilla ice cream, or extra thick cream.

Cherry Clafoutis

When everytime you pick up a cook book, magazine or recipe card, you can't help but wonder if your being "told" to try something. When it then appears on the TV and on websites you frequent, you know you must. This is the case with Cherry Clafoutis.

300g cherries, unpitted (although I did pit mine!!)
300ml milk

3 eggs

60g caster sugar

60g plain flour

Half-tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

Half-tsp vanilla extract

Icing sugar for serving

Method:

Heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Remove the stalks and arrange the cherries in a single layer in a shallow, lightly buttered 22cm glass or porcelain baking dish. In a food processor, combine the eggs and sugar and beat until smooth. Add the milk, salt and vanilla extract, and whiz briefly. Sift in the flour and baking powder and blend for one minute until smooth. Pour the batter over the cherries until just covered (you may not use all the batter) and bake for between 30 and 40 minutes, or until puffed, golden, and set. Rest for ten minutes (it will sink slightly), then dust with icing sugar and serve warm, straight from the dish.

I will admit this was not to my taste and a great dissappointment. I have also come to the conclusion that whilst I love cherries, I do not like them cooked. I had some difficulty in getting my clafoutis to set whilst baking, and this could account for the slightly rubbery texture.

Egyptian Tomato Salad.....sort of

1 Shallot chopped

1 glove of garlic minced

Black pepper (ground)

750g approx of tomatoes (use at least three varieties)

good squeeze of lemon

handfull of fresh chopped parsley

2tbs olive oil

Slice the tomatoes, amd layer in a flat serving dish.

Mix the shallot, garlic, lemon juice in a small jug. Pour over the tomatoes, add a generous grind of pepper and a good pinch of sea salt.

Leave to steep for a few hours. Serve at room temperature.

Just before serving add the parsley, and toss everything together to mix up the tomato varieties.

Coffee and Walnut Cake

175g butter

175g unrefined golden caster sugar

65g walnut pieces

3 large eggs

175g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp very strong coffee

200g butter

400g icing sugar

2 tbps very strong coffee

You will also need 2 x 21cm loose-bottomed sponge tins or a 2lb loaf tin, which is what I used.

Beat the butter and sugar till it is light, pale and fluffy. Set the oven at 180°C/gas mark 4. Meanwhile, line the base tin with greaseproof paper and chop the walnuts. Crack the eggs into a bowl, break them up with a fork and add them a little at a time to the butter and sugar, beating well after each addition.

Mix the flour and baking powder together and mix into the butter and sugar gently, with the mixer on a slow speed or by hand, with a large metal spoon. Stir in the coffee to the mixture. Chop the walnuts and fold gently into the cake.
Pour the cake mixture into the cake tin, smooth lightly, and bake for 40 minutes. If your using 2 round tins this will probably reduce to 25 minutes.

To make the frosting, beat the butter till soft and pale with an electric beater, then add the sugar and beat till smooth and creamy. Stir in the coffee mix it into the buttercream. Decorate with walnut halves.

Languine with chilli, and crab

2 gloves garlic

1 scant tbsp salt

1 large chilli (red)

200g white crab meat

100g brown meat

125ml extra virgin oil

juice and zest of 1 lemon

500g linguine

handfull of chopped fresh parsley

Put on a large pan of water to boil the pasta.

In a large pestle and mortar pulverise the peeled garlic cloves with the salt into a smooth paste. Add the chopped and seeded crab meat, breaking it up gently with the fork, and pour in the oil. Zest the lemon into the mortar then add the juice.

Mix together using a fork. Cook the pasta. Drain and tip into a serving bowl, pouring over the crab sauce. Toss the pasta to coat in the sauce and throw in the chopped parsley, and toss again.

This was not as fantastic as I had expected (or perhapes hoped). For my taste there was a little too much oil, and the flavour of it bebecame over poering in the dish. Should I make this again I'll cut the oil down to 100 ml's and try and find a hotter chilli!!

Lavender Biscuits

50g caster sugar

130g butter

200g self raising flour

1tbsp lavender flowers

Cream together the butter and sugar, add the four and lavender flowers, blend until it comes together. Wrap and chill for 20 minutes, then roll into little balls, and flatten. Bake for 7-8 mins at Gas mark 4.

I received the lavender from my dear friend Terry, and have been pondering for a while how best to use it. These are definately making full use of my lovely gift.

Chocolate brownies

Ingredients

200g best quality bitter chocolate

125g unsalted butter, softened

225g vanilla caster sugar

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

4 tbsp freshly made instant coffee

150g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

handful of broken walnuts

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.

Line the base and sides of a 30 x 22cm roasting pan with foil.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a bowl set over, but not touching , hot water. While the chocolate is melting, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the whole eggs and yolk with the beaters still going. 5. Stir in the chocolate and coffee.

Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. Fold into the mixture together with the walnuts. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the mixture comes out a bit sticky. The interior should resemble fudgy goo, not a sponge.

Leave to cool in the pan, then cut into squares.