Banana Bread

Makes 1 x 2lb loaf or 2 x 1lb loaf

Ingredients

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 tablespoons boiling milk

100g Soft butter

175g caster sugar

2 eggs beaten

2 ripe bananas - mashed

225g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180C (gas mark 4).

Lightly grease & base line loaf tin(s) with greaseproof paper.

In a large bowl, stir bi-carb into the boiling milk. allow to cool slightly,

Measure all other ingredients into the bowl & beat together until thoroughly blended.

Pour into loaf tin(s) and bake for about an hour (test after about 45mins if you are making the smaller loaves)

Turn out and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Ultimate Chocolate Cake

• Ingredients
  · 200g dark chocolate, about 60% cocoa solids
  · 200g butter, cut in pieces
  · 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
  · 85g self-raising flour
  · 85g plain flour
  · 0.25 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
  · 200g light muscovado sugar
  · 200g golden caster sugar
  · 25g Cocoa powder
  · 3 medium Eggs
  · 75ml Buttermilk (I used ½ milk ½ water)
  · 1 handful chocolate curls, or grated chocolate, to decorate
  For the ganache
  · 200g dark chocolate, about 60% cocoa solids, as above
  · 284ml double cream, (pouring type)
  · 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
  

Method

• Butter a 20cm round cake tin (7.5cm deep) and line the base.
• Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas 3.
• Break the chocolate in pieces into a medium, heavy-based pan.
• Tip in the butter, then mix the coffee granules into 125ml cold water and pour into the pan. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted. (Or melt in the microwave on medium about 5 minutes, stirring half way through.)
• While the chocolate is melting, mix the two flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugars and cocoa in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps.
• Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the buttermilk.
• Add the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, quite runny consistency.
• Pour this into the tin and bake for 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes
• To check if its cooked push a skewer in the centre, it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don't worry if it cracks a bit).
• Leave to cool in the tin (don't worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely

Make the ganache:

• Chop the chocolate into small pieces and tip into a bowl.
• Pour the cream into a pan, add the sugar, and heat until it is about to boil.
• Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
• Pour over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smoothing to cover with a palette knife.
• Decorate with grated chocolate or a pile of chocolate curls. The cake keeps moist and gooey for 3-4 days.
• (You can slice the cake into layers & use some ganache to sandwich it together but I didn’t bother. It didn’t last 4 days!)

Squash soup

Ingredients: 

1 squash (or pumpkin)

1 large onion

1 potato

3 cloves of garlic

1 large carrot

2oz red lentils

1 red chilli

2 chicken stock cubes

1 veg stock cube

1 bouquet garni

2 teaspoons fresh coriander leaf (or 3 dried)

Method:

• Chop Onion & garlic & soften in olive oil in pressure cooker
• Dice potato & carrot, add to onions and gently fry for a few minutes.
• Dice the squash and add to pan, again soften for a few minutes. 
• Chop the chilli into the pan & stir. 
• Add the red lentils & stir to coat with oil. Make the stock cubes up in 1 pint of hot water. 
• Add to pan along with bouquet garni & coriander (add more water if you think it needs it). 
• Put on lid & bring up to pressure & cook for 10 minutes. 
• Let off pressure & liquidise. 
• Taste & add pepper if needed. 
• Add about ½ pint of water & bring back up to boil uncovered. 

Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 cooked chicken carcass

2 leeks finely chopped

2 onions finely chopped

Bunch of parsley finely chopped

1Ltr chicken stock

2 chicken stock cubes

2 tablespoon olive oil

25g Butter

1 bouquet garni

1 ltr water

Some cold cooked chicken

250g dry pasta or noodles

Method:

IMPORTANT

How to Prepare Leeks. Leeks are grown in sand/fine grit so:

1. Remove top green part of leaves
2. Cut off the root end
3. Cut leek in half
4. Under a running tap, separate the layers to wash out all the grit

• Remove all the white meat from the chicken carcass & set aside for later.
• Put the carcass in the pressure cooker with just over 1 litre of cold water.
• Bring up to pressure & cook for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to de-pressurize.
• When de-pressurized strain the stock into a jug & throw away the bones.
• Rinse & dry the pressure cooker pan.
• Finely chop the leeks & onions.
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil & 25g of butter to the pan.
• Add the chopped onions & leeks and sweat down.
• Add the chicken stock, stock cubes cold water & bouquet garni and cook gently for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Bring up to the boil & then add the pasta.
• Keeping it just on the boil, cover & cook until past is soft then add the chopped parsley & cold chicken.
• Cook for 5 minutes & then serve with crusty bread

(To make Chilli chicken soup cut in 1 red chilli with the onions & leeks)

serve with crusty bread and butter

Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients:
- Biscuits:
8oz SR flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
4oz butter, chilled
About 150ml milk
- Filling:
strawberries
sugar
whipping cream for topping, or non-dairy whipped topping

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 185 degree
• In a food processor (you can use a pastry cutter or fingertips) combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and pulse to mix. 
• Cut butter into about 8 pieces and add to the mixture. 
• Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, but with few pea-size chunks of butter left in the mixture. 
• Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and make a well in the center. 
• With a fork stir in the cream or milk, just until dough is moist. (Be very careful not to overwork, The dough doesn't have to hold together well at this point)
• Let the dough stand for a minute. 
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. 
• Fold the dough over on itself (knead) 2 or 3 times, until it is holding together and is less sticky.
• Gently pat the dough into a 6 by 12-inch rectangle about 3/4-inch thick and cut into 8 (3-inch) biscuits with a floured round cutter. 
• Transfer to a buttered foil-lined cookie sheet. 
• Brush on a little milk or cream and sprinkle tops with some sugar, if desired. 
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until risen and golden brown. 
• Remove to a platter and split each biscuit horizontally with a serrated knife. 
• Butter the hot buscuits then top with about 1/3 cup of berry mixture. 
• Replace the tops and top with a tablespoon or so of berries. 
• Serve with whipped cream for topping. 

Serves 8.

Pumpkin Orange Biscuits

Ingredients:

300g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
3 tbsp butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
450g pumpkin, cooked and mashed
orange zest
1 egg
1 tbsp double cream

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.
• Place all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and combine well.
• Add the butter and work into the dry ingredients with a knife until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
• Stir in the pumpkin and the zest from 1 orange.
• Place the dough on a floured surface and pat down carefully until 1cm thick.
• Cut with a floured 5cm cutter, or cut into 5cm squares.
• Place on a well greased baking sheet.
• Gather up the scraps, pat down and cut again.
• Beat the egg in a small bowl and add the cream.
• Brush the biscuits evenly with the mixture.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until fluffy and golden brown

good after Halloween if you have leftover pumpkins (or bits)

Panckakes

Ingredients:

12oz Plain flour

1 pint of milk

½ pint of water

6 eggs

Oil to fry

Method:

• Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. 
• Pour the milk, water & eggs into the well and mix with and electric whisk.
• The flour will stick to the edge, so GENTLY draw it in with the whisk, (you may need to turn it off & use the whisk as a scraper)
• The hardest part is getting the pan the right temperature. It needs to be very hot. But not too hot! Not quite smoking hot. 
• Only have a small amount of oil in the pan (4 or 5 DROPS.) Add just enough mix to cover the base of the pan. (I use a ladle, you will have to experiment but it is about a tablespoonful) 
• Cook until the edges starts to come away from the pan. 
• You can then toss it or turn it with a spatula (you may have to loosen it with the spatula first.)
• Repeat until all the batter is used and you have a big pile of pancakes. (You will have to oil the pan in between each pancake.)