Mince pies:

Mince pies:

8oz butter
12oz flour
9oz sugar
1 orange rind
1 egg
Large apple (chopped finely and peeled)

Mix the butter, flour, sugar, orange and egg. When it starts to form a dough, knead by hand. Roll the dough into golf ball sized balls and place in the indents in the muffin baking tray. With a round ended object squash the balls into the indents so that it form the cup shape desired. Put a little bit of chopped apple in and then top up with the ‘mince meat’. To make a top you can role the dough flat and cut out a lid, but its not necessary.





Pat Gallagher’s ice box cookies:

An empty milk carton
1 cup melted butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
¼ tsp salt
3 ½ cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1tbsp vanilla
1 cup of nuts

Mix sugar, butter, egg and vanilla
Then add salt, baking powder, flour and nuts
Put all in an empty milk carton. Let it stand in the fridge for a day or freeze
Slice with a sharp knife and bake at 180ºC on baking sheet for 5-10 mins


Pat Temples orange or lemon biscuits

An empty milk carton
125gr butter
200 gr sugar
1 large egg
1 orange or lemon zest
250 gr plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

Mix sugar, butter, egg and zest
Then add salt, baking powder and flour
Put all in an empty milk carton. Let it stand in the fridge for a days or freeze
Slice with a sharp knife and bake at 180ºC on baking sheet for 5-10 mins


Crumble topping and Plum crumble 200ºC 35 mins
125 gr flour
1tsp mixed spice
50gr butter
50gr sugar
Mix all by hand

Plumb crumble:
2lbs plums
50gr sugar
Take out stones, put all in a dish and mix with sugar
Put crumble topping on top.
Put in the over at 200 ºC for 35 mins
Raspberry Ice cream:

1kg frozen raspberries
7 tbsp sour cream
70 gr sliced roasted almonds
Lemon zest

Slowly cook the raspberries until soft
Put through sieve
Add lemon juice
Pour the mixture through sour cream
Mix in the almonds and freeze



Chocolate Brownies:

4oz melted chocolate
4oz butter
8oz sugar
2 beaten eggs
4 oz flour
4oz chopped walnuts

Mix all together.
Pour into a buttered and floured into an 8 inch square tin.
Put in the oven at 180ºC for 30 mins (until the top looks crispy)
Leave in tin for 15 mins


 



Recipe for Ginger cake:

Ingredients

* 175 g butter
* 175 g soft brown sugar
* 175 g golden syrup
* 200 ml milk
* 2 eggs, whisked
* 325 g self-raising flour
* 2 tsp ground ginger
* 1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

1. Heat oven to Gas 2, 150°C, 300°F. Butter and line a 1kg (2lb) loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Melt butter, sugar and syrup in a pan on a low heat, mix so that the sugar has melted into the butter and syrup. remove from the heat, add the milk and blend until smooth, add the eggs and mix in. Finally fold in the flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda, pour into the prepared loaf tin.
3. Bake for 1 hour, then cover with baking paper and bake for another 30 minutes. To check that the cake is cooked insert a knife into the middle and it should come out clean.
4. Remove cake from the oven and leave for 5 minutes, then turn out of the baking tin and cool. If possible, wrap cake in greaseproof paper and leave it in a tin to enrich for a week as it improves with age.

 
Rhubarb and Almond Crumble:

Ingredients
2 lb (900 g) rhubarb
4 oz (110 g) golden caster sugar
1 rounded teaspoon grated fresh root ginger

For the crumble:
4 oz (110 g) whole almonds, skin on
3 oz (75 g) chilled butter, cut into small dice
6 oz (175 g) self-raising flour, sifted
2 level teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 level teaspoon ground ginger
4 oz (110 g) demerara sugar

To serve: custard or pouring cream

Method:
Begin by preparing the rhubarb. First of all wash it, then trim off the leaves and cut the stalks roughly into 1 inch (2.5 cm) chunks. Next, toss them in a bowl with the sugar and freshly grated root ginger, then place them in the baking dish and keep on one side.

Now make the crumble, which couldn't be simpler, as it is all made in a food processor. All you do is place the butter, sifted flour, cinnamon, ground ginger and sugar in the processor and give it a whiz till it resembles crumbs. Next, add the almonds and process again, not too fast, until they are fairly finely chopped and there are still a few chunky bits.

If you don't have a processor, in a large bowl, rub the butter into the sifted flour until it resembles crumbs, then stir in the almonds, which should be fairly finely chopped by hand, cinnamon, ginger and sugar.

Now you need to press the rhubarb very firmly with your hands all over the base of the dish to spread it evenly without too many large lumps sticking out. Then simply sprinkle the crumble mixture all over the rhubarb, spreading it right up to the edges of the dish, and, using the flat of your hands, press it down quite firmly all over; the more tightly it is packed together the crisper it will be. Then finish off by lightly running a fork all over the surface.

Now bake the crumble on the centre shelf of the oven for 35-40 minutes, by which time the rhubarb will be soft and the topping golden brown and crisp. Leave it to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving, then serve it warm with custard, pouring cream or ice cream. One of my favourites with this would be Hill Station Stem Ginger Ice Cream, available at Sainsbury's and other supermarkets.