Peach Cream Tart

Serves 8-10.
This tart looks a bit underwhelming, but once you taste it you'll love it. It is really easy to make, especially if you use a food processor.

Preparation time approx 20 mins using a food processor (recommended), plus about 30 mins to cook, plus cooling time.

Important note:
The canned peaches can cause problems if you don't follow this advice!
I am not normally brand-conscious, but I have made some extremely sloppy/runny versions of this tart using cheap own-brand peaches. (It still tasted nice, but it looked absolutely disastrous).
1. Peaches must be canned in syrup, peaches in juice just don't work, they make a really sloppy, runny tart.
2. Buy decent quality peaches - not a supermarket basics/ultra cheapo type. Del Monte peaches never fail (don't ask me why). I use Waitrose's own brand, also good.
3. Take the peaches out of the can a couple of hours before you make the tart. Strain them in a colander and leave them in it until ready to use, so that they are relatively dry by the time they go into the flan.

Ingredients:
Base:
12 oz plain flour
2 pinches baking powder
6 oz unsalted butter
3tbsp caster or granulated sugar

Filling:
2 x 14oz/410g cans of reasonable quality peach halves in syrup, strained (see above)
2tbsp caster or granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 large egg yolks
1 x 10oz/284ml carton sour cream

Method
1. Grease a 10 inch loose-bottomed flan or cake tin. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/ 200 deg C/ 400 deg F.
2. Either sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs,
or tip the flour, baking powder and butter into a food processor and blitz.
3. Pour just over half the mixture into the flan/cake tin. Press onto the sides, it needs to be reasonably thick to hold the filling. Tip in the rest and press over the base, so that you have a dry 'pastry' case.
4. Arrange the peaches on the base.
5. Sprinkle the peaches with the sugar and cinnamon.
6. Beat together the egg yolks and sour cream, pour over the peaches.
7. Bake for about 30-35 minutes.
8. Leave the flan in the tin to cool, then transfer onto a serving plate.


Notes
Based on a recipe in an old Sainsbury's cookbook: The Best of Sainsbury's Baking, published 1986. Like a lot of the recipes in this book, this one needed some adapting to make it work reliably!

Hummus

Serves two as a main course or four as a starter/side dish.
Preparation time approx 5 minutes using a food processor, plus a few hours to chill.
You can make this by hand using a potato masher and a large bowl, but it is a bit back breaking! I only ever did this by hand once, that was more than enough.
It is really important to allow the hummus to stand for several hours before serving to allow the flavours to mingle, otherwise it tastes a bit harsh. I make it either the night before I want to use it, or first thing in the morning if I want to serve the hummus in the evening.

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (butter beans also work well)
1 medium garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp tahini (creamed sesame seeds) or use smooth peanut butter - the flavour is a bit different, but it still tastes good - plus peanut butter is a lot cheaper than tahini!
approx 3 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Freshly ground black pepper

Method
1. Tip everything into a food processor. Blitz for 2-3 minutes until smooth. If the mixture is very dry you may need to add a little more olive oil at this stage.
2. Place the hummus in a dish, cover and refrigerate.

Serve with salad and bread.

Moroccan Chicken

Serves four.
Ready in approx 40 minutes.

Ingredients:
4 skinless chicken breasts – whole or diced
3 tbsp flour, seasoned with salt & pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, sliced
2 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
75g sultanas
Few ready to eat dried apricots, diced
300ml hot stock
50g toasted pine nuts
Small handful chopped fresh coriander and/or parsley
Juice of ½ a lemon
Couscous or rice

Method
1. Toss the chicken in the seasoned flour.
2. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat; add half the chicken and brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
3. Add the remaining oil to the pan and reduce the heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for around 10 minutes until golden.
4. Return the chicken to the pan, add the spices and stir for 1 minute.
5. Add the sultanas, apricots and stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until thickened.
6. Stir in the pine nuts, coriander, parsley and lemon juice and season to taste.

Serve with couscous or rice.

Notes
Based on a recipe in ‘Delicious’ magazine, March 2005

Boozy Mincemeat

Makes half a tonne....
OK, that's an exaggeration, but it does makes loads!

Ingredients
500g/ 1lb 2oz washed currants
500g/ 1lb 2oz washed raisins
500g/ 1lb 2oz washed sultanas
500g/ 1lb 2oz Bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
500g/ 1lb 2oz vegetable suet
100g/ 4oz blanched almonds, coarsley chopped
350g/ 12oz demerera sugar
1 rounded tsp ground cinnamon
2 rounded tsps mixed spice
Grated zest and the juice of 1 large lemon
250g/ 9oz chopped mixed peel
125ml/ 4fl oz dark rum
125ml/ 4fl oz Amaretto di Saronno
175ml/ 6fl oz brandy

Method
1. Tip everything into a very large bowl. Mix very thoroughly.
2. Cover and leave for around 24 hours, stir the mixture from time to time.
3. Pack into sterilised jars, cover with a circle of waxed or greaseproof paper and seal the jars. Store in a cool, dark dry place.

Notes
Based on a recipe by Ruth Watson in Good Food Christmas Made Easy ed. Mary Cadogan
Don't hold back on the booze, it's what preserves the mincemeat.
The original recipe suggests using within 6 months, but it makes loads and I've recently used the last from 3 years ago - it tasted fantastic.