Serves 8-10
Ingredients

• Plain Sponge Cake Or Plain Pound Cake
• 1 1/2 Pounds Full Fat Ricotta Cheese
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 oz. Of Your Favorite Liqueur (Good Choices Are Creme de Cocoa, or Grand Marnier)
• 1 Ounce Of Dark Rum
• 1 Tablespoon Grated Dark Chocolate
• Tablespoons Finely Chopped Mixed Peel
• Powdered Sugar

Preparation time
15 minutes

Preparation
In a round bowl, carefully line the sides with the sponge cake or pound cake by cutting the cake into slices, and fitting them in carefully side by side. Mix together your rum and liqueur, and brush it liberally over the cake lining the sides. Drain the ricotta of any excess water by letting it sit in a strainer over a small bowl in your refrigerator for 30 minutes. Mix the ricotta with the other filling ingredients, and pour this mixture over the moistened cake. Top with the remaining cake slices cut to fit. Cover, and refrigerate for a minimum of 5-6 hours, or overnight. Flip over the bowl onto a serving dish, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Ingredients

Fruit Filling

• Four Ripe Pears
• 1 Cup Chopped Pecans
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

Coffee Cake

• 2 Large Eggs
• 2 Cups Sour Cream (or Creme Fraiche or Yoghurt)
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 8 Ounces Unsalted Butter At Room Temperature
• 1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Lemon Peel
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• Dash Of Salt
• 2 Cups Granulated Sugar
• 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

Preparation time
40 minutes

Preparation
Prepare your pan by buttering either a 10″ cake pan, or a 10″ bundt pan.

To prepare the filling, peel and core the pears. Cut the fruit into 1/2 inch dice. Mix together with the rest of the topping ingredients, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the eggs and sour cream with the vanilla extract. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue beating another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg mixture, and on low speed mix well with the butter mixture.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and mix just until it is combined. Pour half the mixture into your prepared pan, and spread the filling mixture over top. Pour the rest of the batter over the filling and carefully spread evenly. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Serve either warm, or at room temperature.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice
• 1 cup of chopped apples
• 3/4 cup of skim milk
• 1/2 cup of raisins (optional)
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Preparation time
65 minutes

Preparation
In a large bowl, mix 11/2 cups of cooked rice, 1 cup of chopped apples, 3/4 c skim milk, 1/2 c raisins, 1/2 c brown sugar, 2 beaten eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla.
Pour into a 11/2-qt casserole. Bake at 325 F (160 C) for 1 hour, or until firm and golden brown

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 tb Margarine
• 1 c Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 2 c White flour
• 2 1/2 pt Baking powder
• 1 c Skim milk mixed with 1 ts
• 6 Granny Smith apples

Topping

• 1/3 c Brown sugar
• 1/2 ts Cinnamon
• 1/4 ts Freshly ground nutmeg
• 3 tb Margarine, no salt

Glaze

• 1/2 c Apricot jam
• 1 ts Lemon juice
• 1 About 1 tsp water

Preparation time
45 minutes

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Spray a 9″ x 12″ baking dish with a nonstick spray Cream margarine with sugar. Beat in egg. Sift together dry ingredients. into egg mixture alternating with milk and vanilla. In food processor, pro egg with sugar until well mixed. Add margarine and process and then milk. dry ingredients into processor and pulse 3 or 4 times, just until mixed. ( wash processor reserve for next step.) Spread batter evenly into prepare dish.

Top with fruit. Mix topping ingredients together in food processor or mixe Dot over top of cake. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until skewer comes out clean Cool completely.

For glaze, heat together apricot jam, lemon juice and water. Strain into s saucepan or glass measuring jug. Heat on top of stove or in microwave unti boiling and slightly reduced. If reduced too much, add a bit more water. onto completely cooled cake with pastry brush.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• Cinnamon
• 8-10 apples

Preparation time
45 minutes

Preparation

• Fill an 8 or 9 inch pie plate with peeled sliced apples.
• Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and egg together.
• Place the egg mixture over the apples.
• Pour the melted butter over the flour mixture.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Cook at 350 F (175 C) degrees for 35 minutes or until apples are soft (Test them with a knife)

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 pound blueberries
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup flour
• 5 tablespoons of butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation time
40 minutes

Preparation
Mix the flour, brown sugar, and salt in a bowl. Melt the butter and add it to the flour mixture. Stir this thoroughly and make it as granular as possible. Once you have a fine crumby texture put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours. This will be the crust and the top layer of the tarte.

Put the blueberries in a pan with the white sugar and cook it over a low heat for 10 minutes. Spread a thin layer of dough in the pie pan evenly over bottom. Then carefully spread the blueberries over the crust. Cover the layer of blueberries with the remainder of dough. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and bake at 350° F (175° C).

Ingredients

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 cups shortening
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons anise seed
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation time
20 minutes

Preparation

• Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Cream shortening with sugar and anise seeds until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in flour and brandy until well blended.
• Turn dough out on a floured board and pat or roll to 1/4 or 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into shapes (the fleur-de-lys is traditional).
• Dust with a mixture of 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) 10 – 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 store-bought puff pastry sheets

Filling cream

• 125g butter
• 125g sugar
• 125g ground almonds
• 3 eggs

Preparation time
30 minutes

Preparation
Puff pastry is too difficult to make at home and can be bought frozen at the supermarket; it must be thawed before you start preparing the galette. Some pastry shops also sell their own puff pastry, which of course will taste even better.

Preheat oven to 230° Celcius (450° F). To make the filling cream (called “frangipane”), mix the sugar and butter and beat until smooth. Add the almonds and the eggs, and beat until smooth again (this can be done in a food processor). On a slightly floured cold surface, cut 2 circles the size of dinner plates out of the puff pastry. Put one of them on a floured baking sheet. Spread the frangipane cream on the circle, starting from the center, up to 2cm from the border. Brush water on the edge around the cream and place the second circle on top of the first one. Press all around the edges to seal them together.

If desired, you can decorate the galette by drawing patterns with a fork and brushing the top with an extra beaten egg.

Bake the galette for 25 to 30 minutes at 230° Celsius (450° F) until brown.

Recipe for:  1 pie

Ingredients

• 1 – 9 inch unbaked pie shell
• 2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup walnuts

Preparation time
20 minutes

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In medium saucepan, melt chocolate and butter or margarine over low heat. Stir in coffee, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Pour filling into pastry shell. Top with walnuts.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until center is set. Cool.

Serves: 1 tarte

Ingredients

Apples

• 2 1/2 sticks (20 tablespoons) butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 9 golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and halved

Pastry

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Preparation time
40 minutes

Preparation
For apples, preheat oven to 400° F (200° C). Scatter butter pieces and sprinkle sugar evenly in a 9 to 10-inch copper tartin pan or heavy baking pan. Tightly pack apple halves around inside edge of pan, reserve 4, standing upright, nestled against one another, with round side tilted down. Place 4 remaining halves in similar position in center of pan. (Apples will shrink as they cook and slip round side down into pan.) Bake for about 2 hours. Transfer pan from oven to stove top and cook over medium-high heat until butter and sugar caramelize to a rich brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and gently ease sticky apples away from side of pan with a knife. Refrigerate overnight so that apples firm up and “confit” further.

For pastry, preheat oven to 350° F (175° C) about 1 hour before serving tart. Sift flour, salt, and sugar into a bowl. Rub butter into flour mixture with your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons ice water and work dough until it just holds together. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out dough on a floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Drape pastry over apples and pan. Roll the rolling pin across of pan to cut off excess pastry and allow pastry to fall over apples against the inside edge of pan. Bake in oven (still at 350) until pastry is flaky and golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, place a flat ovenproof platter on top of tartin pan and invert quickly and carefully. Do not unmold yet. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and return platter and pan to oven for 10 minutes. Remove tartin pan and serve warm.