Serves 6

Ingredients

Pastry

• 1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 Cups Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 Cup Chilled, Sweet Butter
• 1 Whole Egg And One Additional Egg Yolk

Filling

• 2 cups Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 3 Eggs
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 Cup Fruit Jam (I Prefer Blueberry)
• 1 (10-11 Inch) Tart Pan With Removable Bottom
• Powdered Sugar

Preparation time
20 minutes

Preparation
Prepare the crust first, by first mixing the sugar, flour and baking powder. Cut the butter into this mixture until it resembles small peas. Whisk together your egg and egg yolk, and add this to the dry ingredients. Combine just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix. If the mixture seems a bit dry, add a tablespoon or so of ice water. Wrap this dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, no longer than 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 C). Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 10-11 inch round, depending the size of your chosen pan. Transfer the dough carefully to the pan and trim.

To prepare the filling, mix together the ricotta, sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Spread the jam across the bottom of your pie pan, and pour the ricotta mixture overtop. Bake for about 55 minutes or until golden. Remove from the heat and cool. When cool, remove from the pan rim, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

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 8-10

Ingredients

• 1/2 c Butter
• 1/2 c Shortening
• 2 c Sugar
• 5 Eggs (separated)
• 2 c Flour
• 1 ts Soda
• 1 c Buttermilk
• 1 ts Vanilla
• 1 cn Flaked coconut (3-1/2 oz.)
• 1 c Pecans (finely chopped)

Icing

• 8 oz Cream cheese (softened)
• 1/4 c Butter
• 1 lb Powdered sugar (sifted)
• 3 tb Water
• 1 ts Vanilla
• 1/3 c Pecans (finely chopped)

Preparation time
60 minutes

Preparation
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter and shortening; add sugar and beat until mixture is smooth. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Combine flour and soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in vanilla. Add coconut and chopped pecans. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 8 inch cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool.

Icing
Blend cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and water, beating until smooth. Add vanilla and blend. Spread between layers and top and sides. Sprinkle top with pecans.

For more flavor and taste, coconut and pecans may be added between the layers.

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

• 3 medium pears
• 1 large mango

The Dough

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 egg
• 2 or 3 tablespoons of water

The Cream

• 1/4 cup table cream
• 1/2 plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 eggs

Preparation time
45 minutes

Preparation
To prepare the dough pour the flour in a large bowl and add the butter. Knead this with your fingers. When the butter and the flour are mixed thoroughly, add the eggs and 3 tablespoons of water. Keep kneading the dough until it’s smooth and homogeneous. When finished, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest in a cool place.

Peel the pears, remove the seeds and slice them into pieces. Put the pear pieces in a sauce pan with a cup of water and cook them on a low heat for 5 minutes. Peel the mango, remove the pit and slice it thinly. Preheat the oven at 350F (175 C). Prepare the cream next. Mix the cream, yogurt, sugar and the eggs, in a bowl. Whisk everything together.

Roll the dough into a circle slightly larger than your pie pan. (Have enough dough to cover the edge). Once the dough is in the pie pan, make some holes in it with a fork. Cook this crust alone for ten minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and place the pears and the mango pieces on it. Pour the cream on top. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 F (200 C). Let it cool down.

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).

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 tart

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons golden syrup
• 2 ounces fresh white bread crumbs
• rind of 1 lemon, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 5 ounces rich shortcrust pastry

Preparation time
35 minutes

Preparation
Put the syrup into a saucepan with the breadcrumbs, lemon rind and juice and heat gently until just melted. Cool.

Roll out the dough on an 8 in. pie plate. Pour the syrup mixture. Roll out the dough trimmings and cut into long narrow strips. Form a lattice pattern over the filling.

Bake in a 400°F (200° C) oven 25 to 30 min. until the pastry is lightly browned.

Serve hot or cold.