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.

Elderflower Sorbet and Cordial Recipes

Prized for its delicate, aromatic flavour the cream-colored elderflower. Here are my 2 fave recipes, one is Sorbet and the other is Cordial. Remember to rinse the flower heads first and then shake gently.

For Sorbet:
200g Sugar
500ml Water
1 Lemon's juice and Zest
3 Elderflower Heads

Method:
Dissolve the sugar in the water to make the syrup. Add the elderflower heads and the lemon juice and zest. Cool. Freeze. Two hours later, whisk then freeze again.

For Cordial:
Elderflower Heads
Water
1 Lemon's juice and Zest
600g Sugar
500ml Water

Method:
Simmer elderflower heads with water for 20min, sieve but keep the juices. Add the lemon juice and zest, sugar and the 500ml of water. Dissolve over heat so it becomes syrup. Bottle in sterilized bottle.

Simmer elderflower blossoms in water for 20min

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 :)

Aubergine & Potato Curry (Aloo Bangan)

Oil
2 x Onions (3 if small), sliced
1-2 x Tomatos
1 spoon Garlic and Ginger Paste
2 tsp Ground Coriander
1 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1/4 Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 x Big Aubergines
2 x Potato's, peeled, bioled and chopped into even sized chunks.
1 spoon Yogurt
Fresh Coriander

Step 1 --> Fry onions in oil till light golden, add little water, stir and cover, repeat once more when dry. Then add the tomatos, spices, salt and garlic and ginger paste. Stir and add little more water, cover for about 5-8 min. Uncover, add little more water and repeat till tomatos are reduced.
Step 2 --> Slice aubergine up in to chunks with skin on them. Add to curry, stir so nicely covered in the curry, and add half cup water. Cover and leave for 15 min, stirring now and then and adding more water if dry.
Step 3 --> When aubergine is nearly cooked, add the potatos and cook for 5 more min. Then add fresh corriander and the yogurt.
Check taste..if not so spicy then add little more spices.

Serve on a bed of rice, with yogurt on the side

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.

Orange Drizzle Cake

1 packet vanilla sponge mix 227g
1 egg
water (the aprox. sponge mix needs)
2-3 heaped spoon of Tang powder
1 big spoon of mixed candied citrus peel
butter (for greasing cake pan)

lemon juice from half a lemon
Icing sugar

**pre-heat oven to gas 6**

Step 1:
Mix the sponge mix with the egg, add half the water, and mix with an eletric mixer for 2-3 min (or what is on the instructun box) till smooth.
Step 2:
Dissolve the tang powder in the rest of the water (hot from kettle) and poor in when slightly cooled.
Mix for another min, add candied peel, stir and pour into greased cake pan.

Bake for 12-15min or untill the knife comes out clean (it will be little goey on bottom..cus of the candied peel..it sinks to the bottom and stays moist :P

for the icing:
mix icing sugar with lemon juice...if you want you can use orange juice instead...or a buttercream..whatever you feel like!

Rose Cookies

I love this recipe, the cookies are light and yummy :)

225g (8 oz) Butter, softened
225g (8 oz) Caster Sugar
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp Rose Water (I put in 2 tbsp)
280g (10 oz) Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
pinch of salt

Icing:
250g (9 oz) Icing Sugar
2 tsp Plain Flour
2 tsp Rose Water
pink food coloring

Step 1 -> Put butter and sugar in to bowl, and mix well. Then beat in egg and rose water. Sift flour, baking powder and pinch of salt into mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Shape into a log, wrap in cling film and chill in fridge for 1-2 hours.
Step 2 -> Pre-heat oven to gas 5 and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
Step 3 -> Unwrap the dough and cut into thin sliced with a sharp serrated knife. Put the slices on the baking tray, well spaced apart and bake for 10-12 min or until light golden. Leave cookies to cool, and carefully transfer on to wire rack to cool completely.

To make icing:
-> Sift icing sugar into bowl, add flour and sufficient rose water to make a smooth, easy-to-spread icing. Stir in a few drops of pink coloring, to a light pinky color.

Leave cookies on racks, gently spread icing over them and leave to set