Toffee Apple Cake

Ingredients

200 g dates, roughly chopped
200 ml milk (plus an extra splash)
250 g butter, softened (plus extra for greasing)
280 g self-raising flour
200 g light brown soft sugar
½ tsp baking powder
4 large eggs
1 tbsp mixed spice
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 small red apples
a squeeze lemon juice
handfull toffees
icing sugar, for dusting

Method

  1. Heat oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan). Grease and line a 20 x 30cm baking tray with baking parchment.
  2. Put the dates and milk in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside for 15 mins to cool.
  3. Whizz the date mixture to a smooth purée in a food processor or blender, then scrape into a large mixing bowl.
  4. Tip in the butter, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, eggs, mixed spice and vanilla. Set aside while you prepare the apples.
  5. Quarter and core the apples, then slice quite thinly, tossing in a little lemon juice as you go.
  6. Quickly beat together the cake ingredients with an electric whisk until smooth, then scrape into the baking tray.
  7. Arrange the apple slices, overlapping in rows, on top of the cake - you should be able to get 3 rows lengthways down the tray.
  8. Bake for 45-50 mins until a skewer poked into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tray.
  9. Put the toffees in a small pan with a good splash of milk and gently melt, stirring until runny.
  10. To finish, dust the cake with a little icing sugar. Drizzle the sauce all over the cake. Cut into squares or slices to serve.

Barbecue Marinade

You will Need

meat (steak, chicken, pork, etc.)
1 part olive oil
2 parts lemon juice
2 parts Soy sauce
optional
ingredients		 garlic

Method

  1. Put the marinade ingredients in a plastic bag (in the proportions 1 olive oil to 2 lemon juice to 2 soy sauce).  Include the garlic, if wanted, at this stage.  Vary the quantities (teaspoons, tablespoons, etc.) according to the amount of meat.
  2. Mix it all up well, add the meat and seal the bag securely.
  3. Put in the fridge for at least 20 mins (ideally overnight).
  4. Cook gently over the BBQ, or alternative put in a dry, non-stick frying pan and cook until cooked properly.  The flavour in a pan will be much more intense than on a BBQ.  If in a pan, cook until the liquid turns to a sticky goo.  If there is too much to evaporate, pour some off.

Crunchy Topped Lemon Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

100 g soft butter (or cooking spread)
175 g sugar
175 g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 medium eggs (or 2 extra large eggs)
4 tbsp milk
finely grated rind of 1 lemon

For the topping:

juice of 1 lemon
100 g sugar

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan). Grease and line a 18cm, deep, round cake tin or 1 kg loaf tin with baking parchment.
  2. Place all the cake ingredients into a bowl or mixer and beat well until smooth. Turn the mixture into the cake tin.
  3. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until ready.
  4. While the cake is baking, mix together the lemon juice and sugar until blended. When the cake comes out of the oven spoon the mix over the top. Do this while the cake is still hot so it melts in.
  5. Leave the cake in the tin until cold and the turn out and remove the paper.

Lemon Posset

Ingredients

600 ml double cream
200 g golden caster sugar
zest of three lemons
75 ml lemon juice (strained from the lemons above plus extra, if needed)

Method

  1. Put the cream and sugar in a large saucepan. Heat gently, while stirring, until the sugar has melted.
  2. Bring to a simmer and bubble gently for a minute.
  3. Turn of the heat and add the lemon zest and juice.
  4. Divide between the pots or bowls that it will be served in. Cover with clingfilm and chill for between 3 and 24 hours.

Portobello Burger with Tomatoes and Rosemary Aïoli

Vegetarian.  Serves 4.

Best on a sunny summer's day, or when you want to be reminded of one.

Ingredients

For the burger:

4 portobello (big) mushrooms, stems trimmed
2 to 4 tbsp olive oil
2 beefsteak (big) tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices
4 burger buns (or pitta breads, flat breads, etc.)
optional
toppings 		½ red onion
rocket or other salad leaves
thinly sliced cheese
bacon or Parma ham

For the aïoli:

1 fat garlic clove, chopped
½ tsp coarse sea salt
2 tsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
½ tbsp olive oil
6 tbsp mayonnaise
freshly squeezed lemon juice

Technique

Make the Aïoli:  Mash the garlic with the salt to form a paste.  Mash in the chopped rosemary and then mix in the oil, beat in the mayonnaise and add the lemon juice to taste.

Make the burgers:  Heat a heavy frying pan.  Brush the mushrooms liberally all over with the olive oil then rub with salt and pepper.  Add to the pan and then cook over a high heat until tender.  (You may need to add more oil if the mushrooms are particularly absorbent.)

Remove from the pan and keep the mushrooms warm.  Add the tomato slices to the hot pan and sear briefly for about 30 seconds on each side.

Assemble:  Split the buns and spread with butter.  Add onion rings, mushrooms, tomatoes, aïoli, bacon/ham, cheese and salad leaves.  Close the buns and serve.