COOKBOOKS GALORE

 I needed a quick dessert for my family and remembered this one which used to be a great family favourite. It uses bought puff pastry, some jam, dessicated coconut and a few other ingredients, but is very simple and quick to make. Preheat oven 200C/gas6                  a 23cm tart tin You need: a pack of butter puff pastry, 80g caster sugar, 4 beaten eggs, 125g dessicated coconut, 1 pot of jam of your choice, 1 tspn vanilla extract, 100g butter. Roll out the puff pastry and fit into the tart tin. Prick the bottom with a fork. Melt the butter, then in a bowl mix together the caster sugar, eggs, melted butter, coconut and the vanilla extract. Spread the jam over the pastry in the tin, then cover this with the coconut mixture. Bake in the oven for 30-40 mins. Sprinkle some more coconut over the top and leave to cool. I like the combination of textures - the pastry, soft jam, coconut mixture then the extra coconut topping. It would work jus...

 This is an unusual cake as it’s made with cream, which is used instead of the usual butter and milk. So the cake is quite firm, tho’ you make it like a sponge cake. You need: 600ml whipping cream, 3 eggs, 1 tspn vanilla extract, 275g light brown sugar, 300g sr flour Topping: 60g butter, 110g soft brown sugar, 2 tbspn milk and 80g icing sugar. Preheat oven 180C/gas4/fan160C Grease and base line a 22cm deep tin. Beat half of the cream with hand mixer till soft peaks. Beat the eggs and vanilla in another bowl till thick and creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating well between each addition. Spoon egg mixture into a large bowl and fold in 1/4 of the remaining cream, then the flour. Make sure it’s all mixed together. Spoon into the tin and bake for about 50 mins. Leave in tin to cool for 5 mins then put in wire rack.  Beat the remaining 1/4 of the whipped cream into soft peaks. Make the caramel topping : melt the butter in a small pan , add the sugar and milk. Bring to the boil a...

 Although my Mum was a great baker, she occasionally brought home one of McVitie's Tunis cakes near Christmas time. Do you remember these cakes? Apparently, it got its name because a baker at McVities had tried a similar cake while stationed in Tunisia, where he was stationed during WW2. Well I was feeling all nostalgic and thought I'd try and make one. Not as elaborate as the original, as that looks too tricky for my icing skills! Mary Berry has a recipe, but I found another one, which was apparently sent by McVitie to a fan of the cake, so I thought I'd give it a try. It's in ounces. 3oz ground almonds 6oz butter 6oz caster sugar 3 medium eggs rind of 1 lemon 8oz plain flour 11/2 tspn baking powder 2 tbspn milk For the topping: 10oz plain chocolate Marzipan fruits [banana, orange, pear, apple] Preheat oven 160C/gas3                                        8" cake tin brushed with me...

 I thought I'd have a change from cakes and make a savoury recipe. There's a new greengrocer in town that sells fruit and veg in bowls. I don't know why, but I bought a bowl of courgettes. Have made this recipe many times before, but my son and my neighbour love it. It's a bit of a faff having to grate the courgettes, but my food processor does it for me. Don't grate them too fine or they'll end up like water! Past experience! You need: 300g goat's cheese, 5 medium courgettes, 3 eggs, 150g flour, 1 tspn baking powder, 2 tbspn vegetable oil, 120ml milk, 100g grated Gruyère cheese, 2 pinches salt. Preheat oven 200C/gas6                         Grease a 900g loaf tin.  cheeses, flour and baking powder, oil and milk. Add the courgettes and salt. Mix well and spoon into the tin.  Bake for about 40 mins then cool on a wire rack. Sorry, photo is a bit blurred. There's a nice flavour from the goat's cheese and the l...

 I  had some of the family yesterday, and as my daughter is a chocoholic, I thought I'd make these. The recipe has been adapted from a French cookery book that my penfriend gave me years ago, but which has languished at the back of the shelf. The book has some other great tarts to try, so will be posting more recipes. It's called simply 'Les tartes' but I can't find an author. The recipe makes 8 tartlets. 250g  shortcrust pastry [your own or bought], 175g dark chocolate, broken into pieces, 2-3 tbspn water,1 tbspn butter - softened,1 tbspn cognac or cointreau [opt!], 3 eggs, separated,  chocolate shavings or grated chocolate to decorate Preheat oven 200C/gas6  Tartlet tin or 8 tartlet moulds Roll out the pastry and line 8 moulds. (I bought a lovely 12 hole tartlet tin from Lakeland)  Put in the fridge for about 15 mins.  Line them with parchment and fill with beans and bake them blind for15mins; take out the beans and...

 Bought some 'Wonky' rhubarb from Morrisons and decided to make this for a family get together last weekend. It's a French recipe, usually for a lemon cake, but I decided to add rhubarb. The recipe uses a yoghurt pot as a measure. Very easy to make. you need a 125g yoghurt pot So:  1pot natural yoghurt, 3 pots sugar, 3 pots flour, 1 tspn baking powder, 3/4 pot vegetable oil, 1/4 pot milk, 1 tspn vanilla extract, 2 eggs, 250g rhubarb Preheat oven 200C/gas6                        Grease and flour a 20cm cake tin. Put all the ingredients except the rhubarb into a bowl and beat together. Chop the rhubarb into chunks and add to the mixture. Mix in with a spatula. Bake for 30-35 mins till golden. It has a lovely moist crumb, and a good contrast between the fruit and the sponge. It makes a good cake with a cuppa or a dessert with cream or ice cream. I've made it with apple, but plums or pears would be good too.

  I love caramel and found this recipe in my magazine cuttings. Happily it's not a difficult caramel to make, as I've had many disasters with it in the past! You can make your own shortcrust pastry or use ready made, which I did. You need:  Pack of shortcrust pastry, 2 eggs, 100g caster sugar, 60g butter, 100g walnuts chopped finely  and 100g walnut halves For the Caramel: 20g butter, 100ml crème fraîche, 150g caster sugar Preheat oven 180C/gas4                 22cm tart tin For the tart: Cut the butter into pieces and melt for 1 min in a microwave. Leave to cool. Beat the eggs and caster sugar using an electric mixer or hand mixer till white and fluffy.  Add the chopped walnuts and melted butter and gently mix together. Roll out pastry to fit a tart tin which is at least 2.5cm high. Grease the tin then line with the pastry. Add the nut mixture gently. Bake for about 30 mins till golden. Caramel: Put ...