Category: Play

Serves 4

Ingredients;

• 2 small carrots, very thinly sliced
• 1 small green pepper, de-seeded & cut into small strips
• 4 level teaspoons finely-chopped canned pineapple
• 6 spring onions or shallots, chopped
• 4 tablespoons syrup from can of pineapple
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 level tablespoon  clear honey
• 1 oz (25gm / 1 teaspoon) brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 level tablespoons cornflour
• 1/2 pint (250ml – 1  cup) chicken stock
• salt & pepper
• 1 oz (25gm) flaked blanched(white) almonds
• 1oz (25gm – 1/2 teaspoon) butter
• 1 freshly-roasted chicken (1 + 1/2 kilo)

Method;

1. put carrots into saucepan with green peper, pineapple & spring onions
2. Stir in pineapple syrup, soy sauce, honey, sugar and vinegar
3. Slowly bring to boil and simmer for 5 mins
4. Meanwhile, blend cornflower to a smooth cream with the chicken stock
5. Add to saucepan and cook, storing until sauce comes to the boil and thickens. Season with salt & pepper. Add almonds and butter. Leave over very low heat.
6. Quickly cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and put into a warm serving dish
7. Coat with sweet-sour sauce and serve straight away with freshly boiled rice or noodles

Ingredients

• 250 gm pitted prunes
• 3 tbsp cognac / brandy
• melted butter for greasing the form/mould
• 3 tbsp flaked almonds to prepare form (to sprinkle on form to make sure the cake doesn’t stick to the form)
• 4 eggs
• 1 + 1/4 cups caster sugar
• 1 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
• 1 + 1/4 cups thickened cream
• 2 cups self raising flour
• 1 cup walnuts
• icing sugar for dusting
• 3 tbsp cherry jam
• cocoa

Method;

1. cut up & soak them prunes in brandy
2. dust tin with melted butter and sprinkle flaked almonds
3. beat eggs with castor sugar and lemon rind until thick & pale
4. stir in cream & gently fold in flour
5. remove about 1/3rd of the mixture
6. combine jam & cocoa, plums and walnuts and stir into remaining mixture
7. spoon into prepared mold
8. pour plain mixture into mold
9. stir with knife to get marbled effect

(need a few last steps here…)

Steak (300g sirloin)

Medium heat
Drizzle with olive oil
Sprinkle with sea salt & pepper
8 min – medium rare (4 min each side, rotate 90 degrees each 2 min)
16 min – medium
32 min – well done

After cooking, brush with oil & thyme
Sprinkle with sea salt

Rare

– lean cut (eg. eye fillet)

season with salt & pepper over medium-hot grill
3-4 mins on each side

Medium

t-bone
4 mins on each side
rest for at least 2 mins

Well done

rump steak
salt & peper
when firm to touch take off grill
should be grey-brown all through