150g plain flour OO

150g eggs

150g sugar

vanilla essence

Method

In order to have a really light sponge you have to use either an electric hand beater or else an electric mixer.  If you beat the eggs and sugar using a hand whisk, you will never have the same result.

Prehat the oven 200⁰C, Gas 6.

Lightly grease and dust with flour a baking dish.

Combine eggs, sugar and vanilla essence in a large mixing bowl.  Beat for about 10 minutes on the highest speed, until white and thick.

Sift the flour and, using a large metal spoon, lightly fold HALF of it into the mixture.

Using a metal spoon, add the rest of the flour, half at a time, folding gently, in a figure of eight movement.

Pour the mixture in the baking dish.

Bake for 25-300 minutes or until well-risen and firm to the touch.

Allow to stand for 5 minutes before turning on to a wire rack to cool.

Ingredients

• 500g plain flour
• 20g dry yeast
• 200 ml lukewarm water
• pinch of salt
• 55g butter
• 20g crushed aniseed
• 210g sugar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• some oil

Method

• Put the lukewarm water in a small bowl and stir one teaspoon of sugar and sprinkle on the dried yeast.  Leave in a warm place (room temperature) until frothy.  It is very important that the water will not be too hot because it will kill the yeast and it will not rise.  If it is too cold the yeast will take ages to rise.
• In a large mixing bowl sieve the flour.  Always remember to hold the sieve as high as possible, so that the flour gets a really good airing
• Add the pinch of salt, butter and aniseed and rub the margarine into the flour using your fingertips only and being as light as possible, till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Make a well in the centre of the flour and the yeast mixture.
• Mix the dough using a wooden spoon to start with. Then mix by hand when less sticky.  Add some more milk if required.
• Knead the dough until smooth and elastic for about eight minutes.  You can use an electric mixer using the dough hooks.
• Lightly oil the dough and wrap it in stretch and seal or place in a plastic bag and put back in bowl.  Leave in a warm place for about one hour or until double in size.
• Preheat the oven 200⁰C, Gas Mark 6.
• Remove dough from bowl put on a lightly floured surface and knead it again back to its original size.
• Shape the mixture into two or three oblong loaves and arrange on a greased baking sheet allow spaces in between for increase in size.  Leave them to rise again in a warm place for about 45 minutes.
• Bake the loaves for about 25 minutes or until they are golden, firm and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
• Remove the loaves from the oven and allow them to cool overnight.
• The next day slice them and return the rusks to the oven at 170⁰C, Gas Mark 3 until they are golden and crisp.
• Leave them to cool on wire trays and store them in an airtight container.

Ingredients, serves 8
2 sheets rice paper
115g (3/4 cup) plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1 cup (160g) whole blanched almonds
1 cup (150g) hazelnuts
1/2 cup (95g) sultanas
1/4 cup (60g) chopped dried figs
1/2 cup (110g) chopped glace pineapple
1/4 cup (65g) chopped glace ginger
1/4 cup (60g) chopped glace peach
2/3 cup (140g) caster sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) honey
2 tbs water
Icing sugar mixture, to dust
Method
Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a 20cm diameter springform pan and line base with rice paper sheets, using scissors to trim paper to fit base. Place the almonds and hazelnuts on separate oven trays. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes or until almonds and hazelnuts are toasted. Remove from oven. Place the hazelnuts in a clean tea towel and gently rub to remove skins.
Combine the flour, cinnamon, mixed spice, coriander, pepper, almonds, hazelnuts, sultanas, figs, pineapple, ginger and peach in a large bowl.
Combine sugar, honey and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Cook, without stirring, for 5 minutes or until syrup thickens slightly.
Pour sugar mixture into nut mixture and stir until well combined. Spread mixture into prepared pan, pressing down firmly. Bake for 40 minutes or until just firm. The centre should still be a little soft. Cool in pan. Dust with icing sugar and slice thinly.

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups plain flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
125g butter, cubed, chilled
1/2 cup milk
1 cup dried figs
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup Sunbeam Sultanas
30g good-quality dark chocolate, grated
2 tablespoons honey
1 small lemon, rind finely grated
1 small orange, rind finely grated
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup pure icing sugar
Method
Place flour, caster sugar and baking powder in a food processor. Process for 30 seconds. Add butter. Process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the motor running, add milk and process until dough comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth. Divide in half. Press into two 1.5cm-thick discs. Wrap in greaseproof paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
Meanwhile, place figs in a bowl. Cover with warm water. Stand for 10 minutes. Drain. Place in a food processor. Process until roughly chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Process walnuts and almonds until roughly chopped. Add to figs with sultanas, chocolate, honey, lemon and orange rind, cinnamon and cloves. Mix well.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 flat baking trays with baking paper. Roll out 1 piece of dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Cut 6cm x 9cm rectangles out of dough. Fill dough and shape biscuits (see related article). Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Place on baking trays.
Bake biscuits for 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden. Cool on trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

Ingredients
500g almond meal
1 3/4 cups (400g) caster sugar
4 egg whites
1 tbs vanilla essence
30 whole blanched almonds
30 red glace cherries, halved
Method
Preheat oven to 160°C. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Place almond meal, sugar, egg whites and vanilla essence in a large bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until well combined.
Roll 2 teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls. Place on the trays. Press a blanched almond into the top of half of the biscuits and a glace cherry into the remaining balls.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until light golden. Set aside to cool slightly on the trays before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Ingredients
250g butter, softened
2 1/2 cups pure icing sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 orange, rind finely grated
1 egg, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
Method
Preheat oven to 160°C. Line 2 flat baking trays with baking paper.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter, 1 cup icing sugar, vanilla and orange rind until pale and creamy. Add egg and beat until well combined. Sift flour and baking powder over mixture. Add almond meal. Stir until dough comes together.
Using 1 tablespoon dough per biscuit, roll out into 8cm-long sausage shapes. Bend to form crescent shapes. Place on baking trays, allowing room for spreading. Bake for 20 minutes or until light golden. Stand for 5 minutes on trays until firm.
Place remaining sugar in a bowl. Coat warm biscuits, 1 at a time, in sugar. Place on a wire rack to cool. Sift any remaining icing sugar over biscuits when cool.

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups (375g) plain flour
250g butter, halved
1/4 cup (60g) caster sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 small green apple, grated
35g pecans, chopped
165g mixed dried fruit
1 1/2 tbs brandy or dark rum
2/3 cup (160g) caster sugar, extra
Icing sugar, to dust
Method
Sift the plain flour into a bowl. Rub in half the butter to form fine crumbs. Stir in sugar. Combine the egg and milk.
Use a flat-bladed knife to stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until a dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Melt the remaining butter and combine with the cinnamon, apple, pecans, dried fruit, brandy or rum and extra sugar. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 24cm springform pan with non-stick baking paper. Roll the dough out to a 25cm x 35cm rectangle. Spread the fruit mixture evenly over the pastry, leaving a 2cm border. Roll the dough up to enclose the filling. Refrigerate until firm.
Cut into 2cm thick slices. Arrange cut side up in the base of the pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Instructions:
Using food processor, blend all ingredients except almonds until the mixture is smooth.

Shape the mix into suitably starsol sized balls and chill in refrigerator.

Before serving, roll the cheese truffle balls in the chopped almonds to coat.

Instructions:
In a saucepan, boil the double cream until reduced to 2 tablespoons.

Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate pieces until melted.

Add the butter and stir gently, then pour on to a large flat plate.

Refrigerate for 45 minutes until chilled and set.

Using a teaspoon, scrape across the chocolate so that it forms a rough truffle shape in large curls (not balls).

Roll them in dry cocoa powder.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

· 250g (8 oz) caster sugar,

· 8 eggs,

· 2 oranges,

· 3 lemons,

· 125g (5 oz) roasted pinenuts,

· 200g (7oz) of chopped dried dates,

· 200 g (7oz) chopped dried figs,

· 275g (9 oz) ricotta,

· 75g (3 oz) plain flour.

· For the syrup;

· 125g (5oz) sugar,

· 125g (5oz) water,

· 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary,

· 1oz (25g) of toasted pine nuts,

· 1oz (25g) dried fig (fresh if you can get it)

Preparation method
1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/356ºF or Gas Mark 4. Grease a 12” x 2” / 30cm x 5cm spring form cake tin sparingly with vegetable oil.

2. Place the soft unsalted butter and 250g (8 oz) caster sugar in a large mixing bowl and, using a wooden spoon, cream until pale and fluffy.

3. Separate the egg yolks into the mixture, one by one, beating well between each addition.

4. Place the finely grated zest of the oranges and lemons, into a separate mixing bowl and add 125g (5 oz) roasted pinenuts, the chopped dried dates, 200 g (7oz) chopped dried figs and the ricotta and mix well together.

5. Fold the butter and egg mix into the ricotta mixture and sift the plain flour into this mix and combine.

6. In a large bowl, using a whisk beat 2 egg whites into soft peaks. Fold in one large spoonful of egg whites into the ricotta mix. Once this is well mixed, carefully fold in the remainder, ensuring that you do not lose too much of the air.

7. Pour the mixture into the greased cake tin and bake for about 45 minutes or until the tip of a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.

8. While the cake is cooling, put 125g (5oz) sugar and the water into a small saucepan over a medium heat and reduce. Add the sprigs of fresh rosemary and infuse.

9. Spike the cooled cake all over with a fork and dribble with the rosemary syrup.

10. Garnish with 1oz (25g) of toasted pine nuts, 1oz (25g) of thinly sliced dried fig and sprigs of rosemary.

11. Anton’s tip: For diabetics substitute 100g of caster sugar for 4 tablespoons of Splenda granulated sweetener