300 ml milk
½ vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla essence
150 ml single cream
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
50 g castor sugar
sliced strawberry and mint sprig to garnish

Caramel:
100g sugar
4 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 170°C (325°F or gas 3).

Over a low heat, bring the milk and vanilla pod to the boil and leave to infuse for 15 minutes before stirring in the cream. Beat together the eggs, egg yolk and aster sugar. Remove the vanilla pod and add the milk to the egg mixture.

Make the caramel in a heavy based pan using 100 gm sugar and 4 tbsps water. Stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and then increase the heat and boil rapidly, without stirring, until the mixture turns dark golden. Holding a 450 gm loaf tin with a cloth, pour in the caramel so it coats the base and sides. Leave until cold.

Pour the milk mixture through a sieve into a jug and then pour into the caramel coated tin. Cover with foil and standing in a baking dish with hot water coming halfway up the side soft the tin.

Bake in the oven for 40 to 50 mins until set. Remove foil and refrigerate for four hours before inverting the tin onto a plate. Garnish with sliced strawberry and mint sprig.

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A quick and inexpensive special party dessert.

1 pkt butterscotch instant pudding
2 cups milk
1 bottle of cream
1 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water
1-2 tsps rum essence (or real rum)
chopped walnuts (or any other nuts)

Set pudding mix in milk. Whip cream and fold ½ to ¾ into the pudding mix. Stir in coffee mixture and add rum or rum essence to taste. Pile remaining cream and chopped nuts on top and chill in fridge if desired.

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2 litres plain ice cream
½ cup mixed glaced fruit
2 tbsp brandy
300 ml cream

2 tbsp castor sugar
125g chocolate
15g butter
2 tsp cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
crushed nuts

Line a loose bottomed cake tin with glad wrap. Combine mixed fruit with brandy and let stand. Beat cream with castor sugar. Fold in fruit. Put this first layer into the tin and freeze.

2 litres plain ice cream
½ cup mixed glaced fruit
2 tbsp brandy
300 ml cream

2 tbsp castor sugar
125g chocolate
15g butter
2 tsp cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
crushed nuts

Line a loose bottomed cake tin with glad wrap. Combine mixed fruit with brandy and let stand. Beat cream with castor sugar. Fold in fruit. Put this first layer into the tin and freeze.

Melt chocolate with butter. Allow to cool a little and mix in vanilla and cocoa. Mix into one litre of softened ice-cream. Pour the mixture on the frozen first layer and freeze again.

Soften last litre of ice-cream for top layer. Sprinkle crushed nuts on top and freeze.

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1 punnet of berries (blue berries, black berries, boysenberries)
2 tbsp castor sugar
1 tbsp arrowroot

Wash berries and allow to stand for 1 to 2 hours, then bring slowly to the boil and simmer for a few minutes until fruit is just soft. Cool. Put fruit through a blender then return to heat and thicken with arrowroot. Place in fridge to set. Serve with cream.

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Base:
1 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp lemon juice
125g butter
1 egg yolk

Topping:
2 apples
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
2 tsp lemon juice
½ cup cream
250g cream cheese

Cream butter and sugar, add egg yolk and lemon juice, beat. Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon, add to creamed mix. Place mix into line 18 cm cake tin. Slice apples and arrange on top of base.

Topping:
Combine all ingredients into large bowl and beat until smooth. Pour mix over apples. Bake 180°C for 30-40 minutes. Cool and remove from tin, dust with icing sugar before serving. Apples may be substituted by any fruit of your liking.

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500g lamb fillets
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Cajun spice mix
250g green beans
6 ripe tomatoes
handful of local black olives
freshly chopped herbs (basil, tarragon, Italian parsley, etc) to taste

Trim the silver skin then toss the lamb fillets in half the olive oil with a sprinkle of the Cajun spice mix. Top and tail the beans then simmer in salted water until crisp tender. Cut the tomatoes into wedges.

Heat a pan with the remaining olive oil until very hot then quickly cook the lamb fillets for about three minutes each side. Leave to rest for four to five minutes.

Slice each lamb fillet diagonally into three or four pieces then toss with the beans and tomatoes.

Serve on an attractive platter scattered with the olives and herbs with crusty French bread as an accompaniment.

Serves four.

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6 chicken breast fillets
2 red capsicums
120g butter
450ml cream
60ml whiskey
1 glass sherry
50ml chicken stock
½ tbsp plain flour
lemon juice

Cut the capsicums into thin strips and fry gently. Halve the fillets and fry in butter. Remove chicken and set aside. Flame the pan with the whiskey. Add the cream, sherry and chicken stock and simmer together for 5 mins.

Sprinkle in flour and blend with a wooden spoon. Add a squeeze of lemon juice. Pour sauce over the chicken and garnish with capsicum.

Serve with rice.

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2 cups water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp vinegar
4 whole cloves
8 whole black peppercorns

Place chicken in casserole with above ingredients. Heat through, approximately 30 minutes.

Sauce:
1 cup milk
1 tbsp mustard (dry)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp corn flour
½ tsp salt
1 egg yolk beaten

Add milk to dry ingredients blending to a smooth consistency in heavy based saucepan or double boiler. Simmer 5 minutes stirring. Slowly stir in beaten egg yolk and cook gently for a further 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

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Eaten in the garden under the fig tree, flavored with wood smoke and herbs – and accompanied by a glass of red wine – this is the summer cooking I look forward to all winter.

Lamb chops
lemon juice
marjoram
salt & pepper

Season lamb chops with salt, pepper, lemon juice and fresh wild majoram. Make a fire with grape vine prunings and grill them.

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This dish serves between 4 to 6 people.

1lb minced beef
3 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tsp salt black pepper
16 oz tin tomato puree
1 tbsp sugar
pinch dried basil
8 oz macaroni
chopped parsley

Cook minced beef in a hot electric frypan, stirring constantly until meat is browned. Add onions and garlic and continue to cook until the onions begin to soften. Add salt, pepper, tomato puree, 2 tomato puree tins of hot water, sugar and basil. Stir well. Reduce heat to 300 degree Fahrenheit.

Sprinkle macaroni over meat mixture. Cover pan with vent closed and cook at simmering point for about 30 minutes or until the macaroni is tender. Stir once or twice during cooking. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.