Fresh Fig Chutney

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 pound light brown sugar
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
1/4 lemon, zested
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/4 pounds firm, slightly underripe fresh figs, rinsed, stems removed and halved
Directions
In a large saucepan combine the vinegar, sugar, onion, ginger, mustard seeds, lemon zest, cinnamon stick, salt, allspice, and cloves and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until mixture is thickened and reduced by 2/3, forming a thick syrup. Add the figs and cook gently until the figs are very soft and beginning to fall apart and most of the liquid they've given off has evaporated, about 30 minutes.

Transfer the chutney to a non-reactive container and allow to come to room temperature before serving. The chutney may be made up to 3 weeks in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Fresh Fig Bars

4 cups fresh figs, chopped
1 cup water
1 cup honey
Salt
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup shortening
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
2 cups sifted flour
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal


Combine figs, water, honey, ¼ teaspoon salt and lemon peel in saucepan and summer 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until dark and thickened, stirring occasionally. Combine 2 tablespoons flour and water and stir into fix mixture. Cook 5 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and walnuts.


Cream shortening with brown sugar until light and fluffy. Combine flour, ½ teaspoon salt and oatmeal and stir into Creamed mixture. Pat half of oatmeal mixture into bottom of a well-greased 9x13-inch pan. Spread fig filling evenly over oatmeal mixture. Sprinkle remaining half of oatmeal mixture on top and press with a fork. Bake at 350ºF 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Cut into squares while still warm. Cool completely before removing from pan. Makes 24 bars.

Jaffa Chocolate Cake

1 large Orange (pierced with a skewer)
3 Eggs
280g Castor Sugar
240ml Sunflower Oil
100g Dark Chocolate, melted & cooled
25g Cocoa Powder
250g Plain Flour
11/2tsp Baking Powder

Chocolate Topping
200g Dark Chocolate melted
225ml Double Cream
Strawberries to decorate

Pre heat oven to 180C

1. Cook pierced Orange in a pan of boiling water for 30 minutes
2. Whizz the whole Orange in a food processor, discard any pips that remain – cool.
3. Lightly beat Eggs, Sugar & Oil
4. Gradually beat in pureed Orange & melted Chocolate
5. Sift in Cocoa, Flour & Baking Powder – Mix well.
6. Pour into greased 9” round cake tin or silicone mould
7. Bake approx 1 hour. Cool 10 mins.
8. Beat Cream into melted topping Chocolate until smooth
9. Spread over top of cake, decorate with Strawberries………Yumm….Enjoy

Greek Honey Cake

225g Unsalted Butter
250g Clear Greek Honey ( 2 tbsp extra to glaze - optional)
100g Dark Muscovado Sugar
3 Large Eggs
300g Self Raising Flour

1. Preheat the Oven to 160C.
2. Melt butter with honey & Sugar in a pan over a low heat. Boil for 1 minute then leave to cool
3. Beat eggs into the honey mixture.
4. Sift the flour and pour in the egg and honey
5. Pour mixture into a 20cm silicone mould ( or buttered cake tin)
6. Pour mixture in to tin and bake for approx 1 hour until well risen and golden brown. The cake should spring back when pressed.
7. Turn out onto wire rack. Warm 2 tbsp honey and brush onto top of cake to glaze. Leave to cool.

Gingerbread Hands

Instead of gingerbread men I make gingerbread hands for childrens parties at Zippys, thus in keeping with our creative hands theme.

New for 2009 we will be having bake your own party food parties, this will be one of the featured recipes, the children will add nail polish, rings etc with icing.

350g Plain flour sifted with
1 Tsp Bicarbonate Soda and
2 Tsp Ground Ginger
110g Butter
175g Soft Brown Sugar
1 Egg beaten
4 Tbsp Golden Syrup

1. Rub butter into sifted Flour mixture.
2. Stir in sugar, make awell inthe centre.
3. Beat the Egg and the Syrup together in another bowl.
4. Pour Syrup mixture into well and mix to a firm dough.
5. Knead until Smooth.
6. Roll out to 5mm thickness, cutout hands with a cutter or trace round children's hands with a blunt knife.
7. Place hands on a lightly greased baking tray.
8. Bake at 190C for 12-15 minutes until golden.
9. Leave on baking sheet for 1 minute, then carefully transfer to wire cooling tray, decorate as required.

Photo coming soon

Pomelos Galore

The Pomelo is just one of the fruits that grew in our garden. The Pomelo is a giant citrus (citrus grandus) fruit native to Malaysia and Indonesia where it is thought to have grown wild.It is also presumed to have been grown by the Chinese for thousands of years.
The Pomelo is also cultivated in California and Israel. The Pomelo can grew to be a foot in diameter and weigh upto 13 kilos,although they usually weigh 1-2kg, they are the largest of all citrus fruit. The Pomelo is thought to be an ancestor of the Grapefruit, it has a rind that is very thick but spongy and soft and easy to peel away.The fruit is light yellow to coral-pink flesh and can vary from juicy to slightly dry and from seductively spicy-sweet to tangy and tart. The pomelo is also known as a shaddock,named after Captain Shaddock, a 17th-century English ship commander. The pomelo can be a successful substitute for grapefruit in recipes.

Now to find out what to do with our harvest...