Refreshing Raspberry Sorbet

• 1 cup  caster sugar
• 1  kg frozen raspberries, slightly thawed
•   2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Place the sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.
2. Place the raspberries and lemon juice in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Press through a nylon sieve into a large bowl; discard the seeds in the sieve.
3. Stir the sugar syrup into the raspberries. Cover and chill for about 1 hour. Reserve 1/2 cup to use as the sauce.
4. Pour the remaining mixture into an ice-cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a large freezerproof container, cover and freeze until ready to serve.
5. If you don’t have an ice cream maker you can still make this by
   • Chill a 23×33 cm baking tin in the freezer.
   • Pour in the raspberry mixture and freeze until slushy, about 1½ hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
   • Place in a food processor and process until smooth.
   •Transfer to a large freezerproof container, cover and freeze until firm, about 4 hours. Before serving, let the sorbet stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
6. Divide the sorbet between 8 dessert dishes. Drizzle each with 1 tablespoon reserved sauce and serve.

Lamb Skewers With Tzatziki

Ingredients

• 3 lemons, juiced
• 1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano leaves (see note)
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1.6kg lamb (rump or leg), diced into 3cm cubes
• 1 small lemon, juiced, to serve

Tzatziki

• 1 large green ridge cucumber
• 2 cups thick, plain yoghurt
• 1 garlic clove, crushed

Combine 1/2 cup lemon juice, oregano, and pepper in a large ceramic dish. Add lamb and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, to marinate.

Make tzatziki: Peel and halve cucumber lengthways. Scrape seeds from centre and discard. Grate cucumber. Place in a sieve. Cover and stand over a bowl for 30 minutes to drain. Combine cucumber, yoghurt, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Drain lamb, reserving marinade. Thread 4 pieces lamb onto each skewer.

Preheat a barbecue plate on medium-high heat. Lightly grease barbecue plate. Cook skewers, turning and basting with marinade, for 8 to 10 minutes for medium or until cooked to your liking. Place skewers on a platter. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice. Serve lamb skewers with tzatziki and Greek salad

Poached Pears In Cranberry Juice

• 2 Cups (500ml) cranberry juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar,firmly packed.
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 4  ripe pears,peeled.
• Cream or Ice Cream To Serve

1. Combine the cranberry juice, brown sugar and cinnamon stick in a saucepan large enough to hold the pears standing upright. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and reduce heat to medium-low.
2. Add the pears and simmer, uncovered, spooning the juices over and carefully rotating the pears occasionally, for 40-50 minutes or until tender.
3. Remove from heat and cool pears for 30 minutes in the syrup. Discard cinnamon stick.
4. Serve the pears warm with cream or ice cream

Chive And Tuna Muffins

Olive oil (optional), to grease
2 cups plain flour
4 teaspoons baking powder (or 2 teaspoons cream of tartar plus 1 teaspoon bi-carb soda)
125g cheddar cheese
3 medium (about 550g) potatoes, unpeeled
185g can tuna in oil, undrained
1 bunch fresh chives, chopped
2 eggs, lightly whisked
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 180C.
Brush a 12-hole 1/3 cup muffin tray with olive oil to lightly grease, or line with paper cases or use squares of baking paper.
Sift flour and baking powder or pulse briefly in food processor and place in a large bowl.
Grate or process cheese then set aside.
Grate or process potatoes.
Add tuna, chives, eggs, pepper and 3/4 of the cheese to potatoes and pulse to mix.
Add potato mixture to flour, stir with a large metal spoon until just combined.
Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin pans and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until golden and cooked when tested with a skewer.

Lemon Cheesecake

• 1 Tin sweetened condensed milk
• 300 grams cream cheese
• 285 ml thickened  cream
• 4 lemons
• Grated rind of one lemon.
• 12 wheatmeal biscuits (crushed)
• 80 grams butter

1. You need a 23cm loose bottomed cake tin, melt butter slowly on stove and add the crushed biscuits.
2. once the butter has been absorbed then turn into loose bottomed tin and pat down gently, refrigerate
3. for the cheesecake mixture, place the soft cheese into a mixing bowl and start to soften with an electric mixer
4. add the sweetened condensed milk slowly, this will ensure no lumps from the cheese remain
5. then add the  cream.
6. add the lemon juice and rind to the bowl a bit at a time until the mixture starts to thicken.
7. once all of the lemon juice has been added transfer the mixture to the biscuit base and refrigerate till set.

Chocolate Pudding With Hot Fudge Sauce

• 100g self-raising flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbs Dutch cocoa powder
• 75g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs golden syrup
• 100ml milk
• 80ml (1/3 cup) light olive oil
• 2 tbs roasted chopped hazelnuts

Fudge Sauce

• 30g unsalted butter
• 90g good-quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 300ml thick cream
• 20g icing sugar
• 20ml (1 tbs) brandy

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C and grease four 180ml dariole moulds. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine egg, syrup, milk and oil. Add to dry mixture and combine until a smooth batter. Pour into moulds, place on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes.
2. To make sauce, place ingredients in a pan over low heat and cook, stirring, until thick. Turn out puddings, pour sauce over top and garnish with nuts.

Butter Chicken

• 1 tbs grapeseed oil
• 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 400g butternut pumpkin, peeled, cut into 2cm pieces
• 500ml (2 cups) salt-reduced chicken stock
• 70g (1/4 cup) tomato paste
• 800g chicken breast fillets, cut into 4cm pieces
• 125ml (1/2 cup) low-fat Greek yoghurt
• 1 1/2 tsp cornflour
• Steamed basmati rice, to serve

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, garlic and ginger for 4 minutes or until soft. Stir in cinnamon, garam masala, coriander, paprika, cumin, turmeric and chilli for 1 minute or until aromatic. Stir in pumpkin, stock and tomato paste. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until pumpkin is just tender. Stir in chicken for 7 minutes or until almost cooked through. Remove from heat.
2. Spoon 2 tbs of the sauce into a heatproof bowl. Whisk in yoghurt and cornflour until smooth and combined. Slowly stir into the chicken mixture. Stir over low heat for 3 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Serve with rice.