ELLI LUCA

INGREDIENTS 1 vanilla bean 1 1/2 cups whole milk 3 extra large egg yolks 1/4 cup sugar 3 tablespoons potato starch (halve if using cornstarch) 1/3 cup heavy cream, whipped until stiff 1 Punnet raspberries 1 Punnet of blue berries Mint leaves to garnish 85g pkt strawberry jelly crystals MAKE THE JELLY FIRST FOR THE JELLY Make up the jelly according to packet instructions. Set aside to cool slightly.  Once cooled divide evenly among shot glasses, add as much or as little as you desire. Refrigerate as per directions. CUSTARD INGREDIENTS 1 vanilla bean 1 1/2 cups whole milk 3 extra large egg yolks 1/4 cup sugar 3 tablespoons potato starch (halve if using cornstarch) 1/3 cup heavy cream, whipped until stiff METHOD Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and use the back of your knife or a spoon to scrape the seeds out of the pod (save the pod to make vanilla sugar). Add the vanilla seeds, milk, eggs yolks, sugar, and corn starch to a blender, and blend until smooth. Pass

I don't know many people who don't like the tangy sweetness of lemon butter. As a child my father introduced me to it, I have not eaten it in years. In my jam making mode I have been in I decided to make something different. (This didn't disappoint. ) Method courtesy of Stephanie Alexander. Time: 20-40 minutes Difficulty: Medium This is delicious as a spread for toast or scones, to sandwich together a sponge cake or as the filling for powder puffs. It keeps for weeks if well sealed and refrigerated after opening. INGREDIENTS 4 egg yolks 2/3 cup castor sugar 60g unsalted butter 2 tsp grated lemon zest 100ml lemon juice METHOD Whisk egg yolks and sugar until well combined but not frothy. Tip into a heavy-based non-reactive saucepan and add butter, zest and juice. Stirring constantly, bring to simmering point over a medium-high heat (about five minutes). As soon as bubbles appear, remove from heat, still stirring. Allow to cool. Transfer to sterilised jars an

Raspberry & White Chocolate Steamed Jam Pudding Even the lighter-textured steamed puds would send most dieticians running for the celery sticks. But golly, they're good. They are a tradition worth upholding, even if only occasionally. Start with a light main course - some vegetable soup, perhaps - then bring on the pudding. And the cream. And the custard. This is not the moment to worry about the odd extra calorie. My Mum used to make the most divine steamed puddings ever when I was a child. She had this funny little pan with a fitted lid. I wanted to make it the old way. So I scoured Ebay and found a steamer from the 70's I wasn't disappointed. The finished product was as good as I remembered. Worth the 2 hour cooking time. I will make this again. AMAZING! Serves 6-8 Divinely rich. The tanginess of the raspberries saves the pudding from being too sweet. INGREDIENTS 5oz/140g soft brown sugar  4oz/110g butter  2 eggs  2 tsp vanilla extract  6oz/170g self-r

Today's weather is horrible cold and windy. What better thing to do than bake cookies. I dug up an old recipe:  (and made a carob version for the dog)

INGREDIENTS 500g diced raw pumpkin cut into 3cm by 3cm cubes 1 teaspoon curry powder 3/4 tablespoon coriander powder 3/4 tablespoon cumin powder 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon salt   1 tablespoon of olive oil (i used a garlic infused one) 100g sour cream METHOD Preheat the oven to 200C on bake with the shelf in the middle of the oven. Into a large bowl, mix together the diced pumpkin, curry powder, coriander, cumin, brown sugar, salt and canola oil ensuring the pumpkin pieces are well covered in the spices, sugar and oil. Place the pumpkin in a roasting dish in a single layer and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the pumpkin is caramelised and tender. Cool for 1 hour before placing in a food processor along with the sour cream.  Process until the mixture is blended to a smooth paste.

        INGREDIENTS 11/2 kg peaches 750 gms sugar Peel of one lemon Juice of two lemons To test for setting using methylated spirits: Place 1 teaspoon of the jam in a glass and add 3 tsp methylated spirits and stir gently with a teaspoon. If it forms a fairly solid clot the jam is high in pectin and will set. If several small clots form without combining it will not set and requires more cooking to reduce or pectin added. Longer cooking will darken the jam and lose flavour esthers. Throw out testing liquid! METHOD Cut peaches into chunks, leaving skins on and taking out the stone. Use really ripe fruit for the flavour, but also some less ripe ones as these have a higher level of pectin. Don’t keep the peaches in the fridge, as this also will reduce the pectin levels. Put the cut Peaches into a pot, no added water and simmer at a very low heat, adding lemon peel to add the tart taste and also to increase the levels of pectin. Tie some of the stones in to a

Being eaten / modelled here by Jacob I had a craving for pizza but couldn't be bothered making dough so I decided I'd make a toasted sandwich that tasted like pizza. Pair this with a salad and you have a great pizzeria style lunch without the calories attached...or the bill. INGREDIENTS A tablespoon of tomato paste or concentrate Few leaves of fresh basil Tasty cheese (or ideally some mozzarella grated with some tasty)  Hot pepperoni or salami Sprinkle of oregano (dried) Salt & pepper top taste 2 Slices of bread METHOD Turn on griddle or fry pan and get a good heat going. Spread bread with tomato concentrate layer with ingredients above Cook until brown on both sides and cheese melts. Delicious!  

Just finished off the batch of Peach Jam. The product tester agrees, it's good. Recipe will be up in the next few days.  UPDATE:  21- 3- 2012 Recipe now up on blog here

    INGREDIENTS Serves: 150 3.2 kg strawberries, small and firm if possible, stems removed, unwashed juice of 2 lemons 2.7 kg granulated sugar METHOD Prep: 20 minutes | Cook: 30 minutes Put the strawberries and lemon juice in a preserving pan or large, heavy-based stainless steel saucepan. Heat gently until the juices start to run, then use a potato masher to mash into the required texture, keeping some of the strawberries whole if you like. Continue cooking and stirring often until the mixture is reduced to a thick slush. Add the sugar to the saucepan and stir continuously over a low heat until completely dissolved. Bring the mixture to the boil and boil steadily for 15–20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the setting point is reached (105°C on a sugar thermometer). Ladle the jam into warm, sterilised jars, then cover and seal. When cold, label, then store in a cool dark place. Use within 1 year of making. Once opened, store in the fridge and use within 1 month.

 INGREDIENTS 3 beetroot bulbs 1 clove garlic 200g creamy Greek style yoghurt Pinch of salt Olive oil METHOD Parboil the beetroot bulbs then bake them until soft. Peel and cut into quarters. Process in a food processor or blender until finely chopped. Grate the garlic into the yoghurt, add salt and mix well. Add to the beetroot and stir to combine.  Drizzle olive oil over top to finish.

INGREDIENTS 1 cup all-purpose flour, more as needed 1/2 tsp salt 3 tbsp parmigiano reggiano cheese, finely grated 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup cream or half-and-half, more as needed 1 Tablespoon milk, if required Fleur De Sel salt or your favourite topping (sesame seeds, poppy seeds, black pepper)  METHOD Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C. Put flour, salt, cheese, rosemary, olives, garlic and olive oil in bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until flour and olive oil create little crumbs. In case you don’t have a food processor, simply whisk all the dry ingredients together first. Then add the oil and using a fork or a pastry blender mix till they look like coarse crumbs. Add about 1/4 cup cream or half-and-half and let machine run for a bit. If the dough is still a little dry after pouring in the cream, add a little milk.  Alternatively (without the food processor), pour the cre

INGREDIENTS 250g frozen spinach, thawed, drained 1 cup (240g) light sour cream 2 green onions (shallots), thinly sliced 1 garlic clove, crushed 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves 1 tablespoon lemon juice 3 drops Tabasco Cracked black pepper and sea salt to taste METHOD  Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Season to taste. Chill for 20 minutes. (ideally overnight to let the flavours combine. Pictured here in the center along side beetroot and spiced pumpkin dip.