COOKBOOKS GALORE

The weather here has been so hot that I decided to make some real lemonade. I used the recipe from Delia's 'Summer Collection' You need: 6 lemons 150g sugar Scrub the lemons and thinly pare the outer coloured zest from 3 of the lemons. Remove any white pith as it will make the lemonade taste bitter. Put the zest in a large bowl and add the lemon juice and the sugar. Pour in 1.4 litres of boiling water, stir well, cover and leave overnight in a cool place. Next day stir again and check for sweetness. Add more sugar if necessary. Serve chilled with lots of ice.

One of the books I've had for a long time but never used is Delia's 'Summer Collection'. I decided I'd like to try her easy one-crust pie, so having bought some apricots, we [my granddaughter and I] made it today. I have to admit that I didn't use the semolina flour or the egg in the tart base, but it turned out fine. Maybe with fruit that are have more liquid, like rhubarb, you should use them.I didn't use the crushed sugar cubes and egg white on the top either - just brushed it with milk. The recipe: for the pastry: 175g plain flour 40g lard 40g butter or margarine cold water to mix for the filling: 750g prepared fruit [rhubarb,gooseberries or really any fruit at all][I used apricots stoned and 1/4d and added 25g flaked almonds] 75g caster sugar 2 rounded tbspns semolina flour for the glaze: 1 egg white 6 crushed sugar cubes Sift flour into a bowl and rub in fat. Add enough cold water to make a smooth dough. Chill in the fridge for 30 m...

When we first came to live in France, we brought 2 Bramley apple trees with us. This type of apple is unknown here. The trees have done well, and this year have been loaded with fruit. What to do with them all? Today I decided to try an apple muffin recipe from Susan Reimer's excellent book 'Muffins fast and fantastic'. It's a nice and easy treat to makeThis is the recipe which I have changed a little. Apple muffins - makes about 10 -12 muffins . 250g sr flour 1 tspn baking powder 11/2 tspns mixed spice 85g sugar 1 egg 150ml milk 170g peeled, cored and chopped Bramley [or any other type] apple 90ml vegetable oil soft brown sugar for the tops Preheat oven 200C/400F/gas6 and grease muffin tin. In a bowl mix the flour, baking powder and spice together. Add the chopped apple. In another bowl beat egg into the milk and add the oil. Mix together well. Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and stir till just combined. Spoon this into the muffin ...

We came back from out holidays on Tuesday night. Had typically British weather! The caravan in Norfolk was much bigger than I thought it would be. We went to the sea a couple of times, the second time we had rain, but determinedly sat under our umbrellas waiting for the rain to stop - how British! Got back to find the garden growing like the Triffids. No-one had picked the courgettes so one had grown into a huge marrow - 54 cms long. Lots of tomatoes, aubergines and peppers - so a ratatouille is called for methinks.