Ingredients:

o 2 cups sweet dessert wine (Muscat, late- harvest Riesling or ice wine)

o 1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped off, seeds and pod reserved, or 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

o 4 extra-large ripe peaches, halved and pitted

o 1/2 cup sugar

o 2 pt raspberry sorbet or gelato

o Garnish: fresh golden and/or red raspberries

Method:

1. You’ll need a baking dish. Mix wine, vanilla-bean seeds and pod (or extract, if using) in the baking dish until seeds are dispersed; add peaches, cut sides down. Marinate at room temperature 1 to 2 hours, occasionally spooning marinade over peaches to keep them moist.

2. Transfer peaches cut sides up to a platter; refrigerate.

3. Pour marinade into small saucepan; stir in sugar. Bring to a boil and boil until reduced by half or until thick and syrupy, about 7 minutes. Discard pod. Let cool to room temperature.

4. To serve: Put a peach half cut side up into each of 8 small dessert bowls, put a small scoop of sorbet into each cavity and drizzle with syrup.

Ingredients:

• 300 ml (plus 1 tbs) all-purpose flour
• 60 ml (plus 2 tbs) sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 120 g (stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 240 g raspberries
• 240 g fresh blackberries
• 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbs sugar

Method:

1. Make the dough: Combine 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Form a well in center of the dry ingredients and place the butter and 1 egg in the well. Using your hands, mix the ingredients into a soft, pliable dough. Form it into a 4-inch disk and place it on lightly floured parchment paper. Lightly dust the dough with flour and roll it into a 10-inch circle. Place dough with parchment on a baking sheet, cover the dough with plastic wrap, and chill for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Make the crostata: In a small bowl, mix remaining flour and sugar and set aside. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and evenly spread the flour and sugar mixture on the dough, leaving a 1-inch-wide border around the edge. Place berries on top of the mixture and sprinkle with lemon juice. Fold the 1-inch border over top of the berries to form a 9-inch crostata.
3. Bake the crostata: Lightly brush the top of the crostata dough with remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Bake on the middle rack of the oven — about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and slide crostata with the parchment paper onto a wire rack. Cool for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: Crostata a free-form rustic tart is a quick fill-in for two-crust pie and can be made in under an hour. Perfect pastry is easy with Mixed-Berry Crostata and crostata isn’t limited to berries: take advantage of all of the seasonal fruits, like thin-sliced rhubarb or stone varieties. Equal amounts of peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines, or apricots can be substituted for some or all of the berries in this recipe, and you can create a different dessert each time. Vary repeat performances by adding a hint of flavor (grated orange zest, candied ginger, or cinnamon) to the crust. In the filling, toasted chopped nuts tossed along with the berries add a satisfying crunch.

Ingredients:

4 beetroots, cooked and peeled
1 red onion, chopped
A handful of chopped mint leaves
Lemon juice
Lemon zest
1 cup natural yogurt
5 gelatin leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon honey
1 ½ fl oz each white wine vinegar, white balsamic vinegar and water

Method:

Line a terrine dish with baking paper. Cut the beetroot into thin rounds and layer some at the bottom of the terrine. Follow with a layer of onion then chopped mint. Repeat and finish with beetroot.

Combine the vinegars, honey, water, salt and pepper and heat together until the honey dissolves.

Soften the gelatin leaves in a covered bowl of cold water. When soft, squeeze the water from the gelatin and add it to the vinegar sauce.

Stir until dissolved and adjust the seasoning. pour the gelatin mixture over the terrine until it is covered.

Press down and refrigerate for at least 6 hours until set.

Mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest and some more chopped mint and serve the terrine drizzled with this sauce.

Serve garnished with mint leaves and fresh pepper and arrange some green salad on the side.

(Serves 6)

Ingredients:

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups milk

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs beaten

1/2 cup raisins

ground cinnamon

2 cups cooked rice

Method:

In a large bowl combine the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt and make sure you mix them well together. Take the cooked rice and raisins and mix them into the mixture.

Using cooking spray just lightly spray a baking dish and spoon the rice mixture evenly into it. Set the oven temperature to 180 degrees Celsius and place the pudding into it. Bake for 30 minutes, then stir, sprinkle the cinnamon on top and continue baking it for another 30 minutes.

The Baked Rice Pudding is ready when you insert a knife in the centre and it comes out clean.

Photography by Ben Dearnley

Ingredients:

(serves 10)

• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• ½  cup semolina
• 1 cup self-raising flour, sifted  OR plain flour with 1 tsp baking powder

Lemon syrup:

• ¼  cup icing sugar
• ½  cup lemon juice, strained
• ½  cup water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 6cm-deep, 20cm round (base) spring form cake pan.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, lemon rind and sugar on high speed until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating between each addition. Stir in semolina and flour.
3. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
4. Meanwhile, make lemon syrup: mix sugar, lemon juice and ½  cup cold water stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Pour the syrup over baked cake. Stand for 15 minutes. Turn out on to a plate. Serve with lemon or fruity yoghurt.

Notes: Semolina is the heart of the durum wheat kernel, separated during processing. Most good-quality pasta, gnocchi and couscous is made from semolina. It’s also popular for puddings, cakes, porridge, pancakes and desserts. This is Dairy Free recipe!

Ingredients:

2 to 3 large tomatoes, diced

1 large cucumber, peeled and finely diced

1/4th cup red onion, finely diced

1 Green chili, finely chopped

20 sprigs of coriander leaves minced

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4th teaspoon salt

3 to 5 tablespoons lemon juice

Method:

1. Toss the tomatoes, cucumber and onion together.

2. Add the green chili, coriander leaves, sugar, salt, and lemon juice and mix well.

3. Serve chilled.

Note: Serves as a great accompaniment with curries and Indian meats.

Ingredients:

400 g sweet short pastry

Filling:

½ custard powder

1 cup sugar

4 tsp grated lemon rind

1 cup lemon juice

1cup water

50 g butter

6 egg yolks

Meringue:

6egg whites

¾ cup sugar

Method:

Roll pastry on a lightly floured board to a 4mm thickness and line the base and sides of 24 cm pie dish. Bake blind at 190 degrees Celsius until slightly golden.

Mix custard powder, sugar, lemon rind in a saucepan. Add water and lemon juice, mix until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thick stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add in butter and egg yolks by constant stirring, then return to heat and cook foe additional minute until thickens.

Pour filling into pastry shell.

Beat egg whites and sugar together until glossy and thick.

Cover the pie with meringue and bake at 190 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes or until lightly golden.

Note: This is my favourite recipe that never fails and is often on the table during lemon season. And it is Dairy Free!

Delicious homemade truffles and marzipan-stuffed fruits are just the right thing to serve up with after-dinner coffee.

Rum Truffles

Preparation time 25 minutes

Standing time 10–20 minutes

Cooking time 5 minutes

Makes about 24 truffles

Ingredients:

200 g plain dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

2 tablespoons rum

60 g unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pouring cream

1/4 cup ground almonds

2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted

1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted, for coating

Method:

1 Melt the chocolate in the rum in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Do not allow the water to boil or the chocolate to become too hot. Remove the bowl from the heat and beat in the butter, a little at a time. Stir in the cream, ground almonds and icing sugar. Let the mixture cool, then chill for about 10 minutes, or until firm enough to handle.

2 With dampened fingertips, take teaspoons of the mixture and roll into small balls. Roll in the cocoa powder, spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper, and refrigerate until firm. Put the truffles in individual paper cases and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator – they will keep for up to 10 days. Serve after dinner with coffee.

Variations:

Orange Truffles: Add orange juice instead of rum and 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange rind.

Coffee Truffles: Use 1–2 tablespoons black coffee instead of the rum.

Hazelnut Truffles: Replace the ground almonds with 1/4 cup ground hazelnuts.

Marzipan-Filled Fruits

Preparation time 40 minutes

Makes about 48 filled fruits

Ingredients:

11/4 cups ground almonds

1/4 cup caster sugar

1/4 cup icing sugar, plus a little extra for rolling out

A few drops almond extract

1/2 egg white

125 g fresh dates, each slit along the top and stoned

125 g small, soft, ready-to-eat prunes, each slit and pitted

125 g each small, soft, ready-to eat dried apricots and figs, each fruit sliced in half horizontally

1/4 cup sugar

Method:

1 Put the ground almonds and sugars in a bowl. Add a few drops of almond extract and sufficient egg white to make a stiff paste.

2 Sprinkle a board or work surface with a little sifted icing sugar and roll the marzipan into a sausage shape, about 25 cm long. Cut the roll into about 48 equal pieces.

3 Shape each piece of marzipan into a neat oval and insert one piece into the centre of each fruit, gently moulding the fruit flesh around the marzipan. Roll lightly in sugar and put into individual paper cases.

These marzipan-filled fruits will keep, refrigerated, in an airtight container, for up to four weeks. Serve at room temperature.

(From Like Grandma Used to Make)

Ingredients:

(makes 32)

1/2 seedless (hothouse) long cucumber, cut into 32 slices

2/3 cup roasted red pepper hummus, store-bought

1/4 cup snipped chives

1/4 cup finely chopped red capsicum

Method:

1. Lay cucumber slices on a serving platter.

2. Top each slice with about 1 tsp hummus.

3. Sprinkle with chives, capsicums and serve.

One of the easiest recipes!

(recipe from Woman’s Day)

Ingredients:

(serves 12)

* 1,5 kg butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3cm pieces

* 2 large rutabagas (swedes), peeled and cut into 1-2cm pieces

* 2 large fennel bulbs, cut into 1-2cm pieces

* 2 small turnips, peeled and cut into 1-2cm pieces

* 1/4 cup olive oil

* 1/4 cup lemon juice

* 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Method:

* Place the squash, rutabagas, fennel and turnips in two smaller or one large baking pan. Combine the remaining ingredients; drizzle over vegetables and toss to coat. Bake, uncovered, at 220°C for 55-60 minutes or until tender, stirring twice.