Tarte Tatin by Christylle

Plenty of opportunity to burn yourself with this recipe so be careful.

You will need l deep metal tart dish (the usual shallow ones are not deep enough), one packet of puff pastry , a lot of apples, more than you think, probably 2kg or more depending on the size of your dish, not cooking apples, a good knob of butter (50-75gr), juice of a lemon, sugar.

Put the butter, juice of lemon and sugar (I would think about 3-4 tablespoonful) in the dish and on top of the gas, cook it slowly. it will turn into a nicely deep brown caramel, you need it nicely brown not pale but not burnt either.
leave it to cool a bit, turn the oven on 180, and meanwhile cut IN HALF, peel and core the apples. Then stand them in the dish stacked tightly (That's why you need a lot of apples) until you have filled the dish. they should support each other. bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Now if they have given out A LOT of juice put the dish on top of the gas and simmer slowly until some of the juice has evaporated. Otherwise, roll out your puff pastry, not too thin, and cut out a circle the size of the dish and then lift it on top of the apples. try not to burn yourself. Push the edges of the pastry down round the inside of the dish, between the dish and the apples, (use a spoon otherwise you will burn yourself). back in the oven and cook it until it is nicely brown. Not pale and not burnt. Now take it out

NOW BE CAREFUL you need to turn it out while it is hot, but there are some boiling juices in there, so: take a flat dish bigger than your tart dish place it on top on the tart dish, grab the whole lot on both sides with a cloth and in one fair swoop turn it over FAST turning it AWAY FROM YOU, preferable towards a tiled wall so if the juices splash out they won't go too far . Otherwise, if you turn the dish towards you, the juice may splash you and believe me it hurts. remove the tart dish. The apples are now on top and should be a golden brown. eat warm.

Tarte aux Pommes by Christylle

You need: pastry, about 4 large cooking apples, or others but the cooking apples work best, a little sugar, ground cinnamon if you like it.
Buy a packet of sweet pastry to spare you some time and work.
Line a metal tart dish with the pastry and put it in the fridge (That's supposed to stop it shrinking...)
Peel core and chop 2 of the large apples and cook in a pan with a very little water, just so that it does not burn, lid on, until reduced to mush. Let it cool and mash it up if there are still lumps. Hopefully it is not too runny. taste for sweetness and add sugar accordingly (I don't like it too sweet but that is a matter of taste)
When cool, turn on the oven, 180, get your pastry case out of the fridge, pour the apple puree into it, spreading it round. peel core and slice thinly the remaining apples and put the slices on top of the puree making a nice pattern, usually concentric circles. Sprinkle with sugar and a little ground cinnamon if you like. bake, on an oven tray, until cooked and nicely browned on top.

Kerry's Chocolate Cake

Not a family recipe - but who cares. It's delicious.

For 8 people:

3 eggs
125g sugar
100g flour
200g dark (70%) chocolate
15cl water
125g semi-salted butter

In a big bowl beat together the eggs and the sugar. Then add flour and beat until the mixture is completely homogenous.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 6 – 7 (200 degrees). Break chocolate into a bowl, add water and melt in the microwave for 2 minutes.

Mix the melted chocolate and water then add the butter cut up into little pieces. Put in the microwave for another 1-2 minutes and give it another stir.

Pour the melted chocolate mixture in with the flour, eggs and sugar and stir well.

Pour the mixture into a buttered loaf tin and put in the oven for 15 minutes.

It shouldn’t be cooked all the way through, but still gooey in the middle – you can test this with a knife. Let it cool for 15 mins before turning it out.

Grandma's Date Filled Drop Cookies

For date mixture: In a saucepan cook, while stirring, 2 cups chopped dates, 1/2 cup sugar and 3/4 cup water until thick. Cool to lukewarm and add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

For batter: Sift together 3 1/2 cups flour and 1 tsp each of salt and bicarbonate of soda. Cream one cup butter with 2 cups light brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Beat in 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture with 1/2 cup sour cream.

For each cookie, put in a pattypan 1 tablespoon batter, then 1 heaped teaspoon date mixture, then another tablespoon of batter.

Back at 350F (or 400F?) for 12 minutes or until golden.

Makes about 45 cookies. Can be frozen.

Grandma's Almond Crescents

Beat until soft 1 cup (8 oz) butter. Add 1 cup fine sugar - beat until very light and creamy - beat in 1 egg yolk - stir in 2 1/2 cups (10 oz) bread flour (plain flour). Add 8 oz almonds blanched and chopped and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Chill the dough. Roll to 1/4 inch thick. Cut in crescent shapes. Bake on a greased tin in moderate oven (355 F) until light golden. Sprinkle with sieved icing sugar.

These cookies freeze and keep for ages.

Lemon Cream by Maman (by way of Grandma, I think)

Lemon Cream (NOT a slimming recipe)
I large pot of DOUBLE cream (single won't do)
1/3 of this volume of caster sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 tablespoonful of dry sherry

Beat up the cream till it thickens. Add the sugar and beat again. Add
the zest and juice of the lemon and beat again. Add the sherry and
beat again. Taste to check if it tastes good...It will set and keep a
couple of days if you do not eat it all up at the first session.

Roasted Garlic Soup

By Dr. Ben Kim

If you're big on soups and you enjoy fresh garlic bread, this dish will likely cause you to do a little jig before going for seconds. Garlic is a surprisingly good source of vitamin C, which partially explains why it's long been thought to boost immune system strength. Garlic is also rich in organosulphur compounds that are known to promote healthy blood flow throughout the body.

Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:
8 heads of garlic
6 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
Baguette (enough to transform into about 8 slices)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius).

2. Cut top third of garlic heads off so that you can properly carry out step three.

3. Arrange garlic heads in a baking dish, cut side up, and drizzle with olive oil so that each garlic head gets exposed to just a touch of olive oil.

4. Loosely cover the baking dish with a sheet of aluminum foil, and roast for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until cloves are super tender, almost like soft butter.

5. Give the roasted heads several minutes to cool down, then squeeze roasted garlic flesh into a bowl.

6. Slice baguette into 1/4 or 1/2 inch slices, then toast in a light coat of olive oil over medium heat in a large pan - toast both sides until baguette slices are light golden brown and crispy. Set toasted baguette slices to the side.

7. Combine roasted garlic flesh and 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth in a pot and warm over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring often. Use a hand-held blender or a food processor to bring the broth and garlic together into a substantive soup. Season with sea salt and pepper, to taste.

To serve, place one or two toasted baguette slices in each bowl and ladle garlic soup over them.

Enjoy this heavenly roasted garlic soup with toasted baguette slices.