Fruit Chaat (Fruit salad with chickpeas)

1 Tin Chickpeas, drained
1 Tin Fruit Cocktail, drained
2 Apples - cored and chopped into small peices.
1 big Banana or 2 small ones - chopped into small pieces
A handful of strawberries or any other soft fruit.
Orange Juice, or mixed juice. About half cup.
pinch of Black Pepper
1-2 tsp Sugar
1tsp Chaat Masala Mix (flat tsp, not heaped lol!)

Step 1: Put chickpeas, fruit cocktail, apple, banana and any other fruit in to a dish and stir well. Add the orange juice, and stir so the fruit is covered in juice.
Step 2: Add the black pepper, sugar and the Chaat Masala Mix. Stir and taste it.
Add more sugar or more chaat masala mix if you like.
Step 4: put in fridge to chill, then serve when cold.

Raspberry Ice Cream

900g Strawberries
200g Raspberries
200ml Double Cream
150g Caster Sugar

1: First rinse the strawberries and raspberries and drain. Remove strawberry stalks, and discard. Mix in the double cream and sugar.
2 : Puree all ingredients in a blender. Churn in ice cream machine. Transfer into sealed container, covering the ice cream with waxed or greased proof paper. Transfer to the freezer.

3:If you don't have a machine, follow the still-freezing method: Place mix in a sealed container and put in the coldest part of the freezer. After 1 - 1 1/2 hours, beat the mix with either a fork or a electric mixer to make a uniform slush. Return to freezer. Repeat process twice more, at 1 - 1 1/2 intervals. Return to freezer for a further hour for final setting.

then serve it with a raspberry sauce..or anything you like :)

Fruity Cookies :)

makes about 30 cookies.

225g Butter, softened
140g Caster Sugar
1 Egg Yolk, lightly beaten
2 tsp almond extract
280g Plain flour
55g ready-to-eat dried pear, finely chopped
55g ready-to-eat peach, finely chopped
4 tbsp Plum Jam
pinch of salt

(you can substitute, I have done this recipe with raisins, dried apple, cinnamon (instead of almond, whatever you like really!)

Preheat oven to gas mark 5, line 2 trays with baking sheets.

Put butter and sugar in bowl and mix well with wooden spoon, then beat in egg yolk and almond extract. Sift together the flour and a pinch of salt into the mixture, add the dried fruit and stir until thoroughly combined.

Scoop up tablespoons of the mixture, roll into balls and place them on the baking sheets, well spaced apart. Make a hollow in each center and fill in with the jam.

Bake 12-15mins.. until light golden brown..leave to cool on baking sheets for 5-10mins. then transfer on wire racks to cool completly.

Fruit and Honey Muffins

280g (1o oz) Plain Flour
1 tbsp Baking Powder
75g (3 oz) Caster Sugar
75g (3oz) Butter, melted
60ml Clear Honey
2 Eggs
230ml Milk
few drops Vanilla Essence
140g (5 oz) Fresh Raspberries or Blueberries
75g (3 oz) Pecan nuts, roughly chopped (optional)
Demerara Sugar for sprinkling

Method:

Pre-heat oven to gas 6.
Line a 12 cup muffin tray with muffin cases.

->Sift flour and baking powder into large mixing bowl and stir in caster sugar. In another bowl mix the melted butter, honey, eggs, milk and vanilla essence together.
->Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients (the bowl with flour+baking powder in) and pour in the liqued mixture. Fold in quickly, until just blended. Fold in raspberries or blueberries and two-thirds of the nuts.
->Divide mixture into the muffin cases, sprinkle over remaining nuts and a little demerara sugar.
->Bake for 20-25mins or until risen and golden. Transfer to wire rack, serve hot or cold.

Pineapple Delight

1 tin of pineapple rings
1 tub of double or single cream
1 cake base
1 packet of Raspberries

serves 5-6

Step 1: break the cake base in to small chunk like peices and place in to serving bowl.
Step 2: cut pineapple rings into chunks, and add to cake chunks.
Step 3: Add the cream, and stir till its mixed up and the cake is wet. You can add some of the pineapple juice from the tin, if it is not wet enough.
Step 4: wash and add the raspberries.

enjoy!