
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Combine the lard and milk in a saucepan, and heat until the milk is hot. Pour the hot milk into the flour mixture, and stir until a dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Cover, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Roll the dough out on a floured surface 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch rounds. Brush the outer edges of each circle with beaten egg, and fill with a small mound of cheese. Fold each circle in half to form a half-moon; press the edges with your fingers or a fork to seal. Place the empanadas onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with remaining egg. Bake in preheated oven until golden-brown, about 20 minutes. Alternatively, the empanadas may be deep fried in 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oil. If deep frying, do not brush the outsides of the empanadas with egg. Drain on paper towels.

Cut the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds. In a bowl combine 3.5 oz (100 grams) Feta cheese, 7 oz (200 grams) cottage cheese, 1 tbsp chopped chives (optional), 1 tbsp chopped parsley (optional), 1/4 tsp salt (more or less to taste) and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Fill the peppers with the mixture. Top with chopped chives and parsley. Serve.

Heat up a pan over medium high heat, add olive oil and let it get hot. Add onions, peppers, cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper, cook for 3 to 5 min until onion is translucent. Mix in the beans, stir and reduce heat to medium, add the Lizano sauce, stir and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the rice, stir and cooked for a few more minutes, to incorporate all the flavors in the rice. The time to cook it I will depend of how you like your gallo pinto, some people like it a little wet and some other like it a little toasted or dry. I prefer it not too dry, so I cook it for about 5 to 7 min.

step 1 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Rub 4 ramekins, about 175ml capacity, or dariole moulds liberally with the soft butter. Sprinkle with the caster sugar to coat. step 2 In a medium bowl, press the egg yolks through a wire sieve and mix with the coconut milk, sugar, coconut and vanilla. Pour into ramekins and place in a large roasting tin in the oven. step 3 Pour water into the roasting tin to three-quarters up the ramekins so it acts like a bain marie or water bath for the quindim. Bake for 30-35 mins until the tops are golden. Take the ramekins out of the water and leave to cool for 5 mins. step 4 Chill for 4 hrs and then run a knife around the edge. Place a plate on top and turn out the quindims to serve.

1) In a large bowl, combine the butter and caster sugar until creamy. Add the egg and a pinch of salt. 2) Stir into a buttery mixture. Add the sifted flour. 3) Whisk well. You should end up with a smooth dough. Cover it with a piece of plastic wrap and put the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill and set. 4) In the meantime combine the cassonade (or brown sugar) and the cinnamon. 5) Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead it for a minute. Add extra flour if necessary. Roll the dough out gently into a nice rectangle. It should be about ⅕-inch (5 mm) thick. Sprinkle with the sugary cinnamon mixture. 6) Carefully start rolling the dough up. If it is too sticky, put it in the fridge again for a couple of minutes. Wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap. 7) Put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill and set. After that, remove the cling film and cut the dough roll into even slices. 8) Place the slices on a baking paper lined baking tray. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for 14 to 16 minutes. 9) Let the baked cinnamon roll cookies cool down fully before eating or wrapping them up.

Combine vegetables in a bowl and sprinkle salt on top. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Add the oil. Top with feta and parsley. Serve.

1 Prepare In a mixing bowl cream together the eggs, sugar and cooled melted butter then add the honey and soda. 2 Add half the flour and the walnuts (you can add the walnuts whole or ground them) and mix well. 3 Add the rest of the flour and using your hands kneed the mixture together until a firm dough is formed. 4 Coat a large baking tray (traditionally a circle tray is used about 30cm is best with a 2 - 3 inch height) with olive oil. Add the dough and press it down so that it fits the whole tray. Try and get the dough flat and equal in height all over. 5 Baking Place on the bottom shelf of a cold oven and turn the temperture up to 180 degrees. Bake for 35 minutes and the dough has turned dark brown and is firm to touch. 6 Remove from the oven and leave to cool while making the syrup. 7 Adding the Syrup Add the sugar and water to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Leave boiling for 10 minutes, mixing occasionally. Remove from the heat. 8 Cut the Shendetlie into squares of diamond shapes and pour over the hot syrup. Use enough of the syrup to cover the cake plus 1 cm overflowing, sitting on top. This will soak into the cake while you leave it to cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

Place the flour in a large bowl and add the yeast and sugar. If the milk is cold make sure to heat it to lukewarm. Mix your flour mixture bit by bit with the milk until you have a smooth batter. Add the salt and mix with a wooden spoon till the batter is smooth and liquidy. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm spot for about an hour to rise. Heat your deep fryer or add the oil to a large pot. The oil should be a t 180˚C (350˚F) for best results. Before starting stir your batter through and scoop the batter with two spoons or with an ice cream scoop. Let it drop into the oil carefully. It is easiest to do this if you dip your spoons or scoop into the oil before dipping into the batter. That way it will slide of the spoons easily. Don't over crowd the fryer to prevent the oil cooling down too quickly and everything sticking together. Once one side is golden brown it usually turns around to the other side automatically. If not help it along with two forks. Take the balls out once golden brown and leave to drain on a piece of kitchen paper.

Cook beans until tender, add rice, coconut milk, onion, black pepper and salt, and add enough water to just cover the ingredients. Place Scotch Bonnet peppers on top, careful not to burst them. Simmer until rice is tender. Remove pepper before serving.

Place beans in a large pot and cover with cold water. Soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse, before you use in the soup. Chop one of the onions and leave the other one whole. Chop carrots. Heat oil on a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots. Cook for 2 minutes. Add beans, water, peppers, head of onion, salt, pepper, summer savory, mint, thyme, Vegeta and tomato puree. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 hours, or until the beans are tender. Remove the peppers and whole onion. Mash the onion. Peel peppers and chop. Return to the pot. Add more salt and pepper, if needed. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve.

step 1 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Oil and line the base of a 20cm springform cake tin. Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder together in a large bowl and set aside. Tip the oil, carrots and eggs in a blender and blitz until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring until smooth. step 2 Pour the batter into the cake tin and give it a shake to get rid of air bubbles. Bake for 45 mins to 1 hr, until a clean knife or skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. If the middle is sticky, put back in the oven for a further 5 mins. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. step 3 For the drizzle, heat the milk, cocoa and sugar in a saucepan over a low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves (about 5 mins), creating a thick, shiny drizzle. step 4 Remove the cake from the tin and level the top using a serrated knife, then flip so the bottom becomes the top. Pierce all over using a knife or toothpick and put on a wire rack with a tray or large bowl underneath. Pour the drizzle over the cake in batches until it’s all absorbed. You can reuse any drizzle caught in the tray or bowl. Most of the drizzle should be absorbed.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together eggs and powdered sugar for3 minutes. Add vanilla extract and honey. Mix to combine, then add oil. Add the flour mixture in two increments and beat to incorporate. Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes. Shape 2 tbsp balls, place on baking sheets and press flat. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden. Let the cookies cool down completely. Melt white and semi-sweet chocolate separately with 1 tbsp vegetable oil each. Dip cookies halfway into chocolate. Let it set. Keep in a air tight container or wrapped in cellophane bags for up to 2 weeks in room temperature or refrigerated.

step 1 In a medium heavy-based saucepan, heat the butter, condensed milk, a pinch of salt and the cocoa, to boiling, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium-low; cook for 10-15 mins, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and shiny and starts to pull away from the bottom. step 2 Stir in the vanilla and vigorously mix again. Pour the mixture onto a buttered plate. Chill for at least 2 hrs. step 3 Butter your hands and pinch off some of the dough to make 2.5cm balls. Place your toppings into small bowls and roll the balls of one of the decorations. Place in mini paper baking cups or on a tray lined with non-stick baking paper

Scrub the potatoes well but don't peel them. Cut them into bite-size pieces. Add them to a large pan water and a pinch of salt. Bring it to a good boil. Cook the potatoes until tender and then remove them using a slotted spoon. Keep the potatoes at room temperature. Trim and clean the green beans. Add them to the pan of hot water you boiled the potatoes in. Cook the green beans until nearly tender (keep them crunchy). Strain and refresh them immediately under cold running tap water to stop the cooking process. Add the bacon to a large non-stick pan and place it over medium heat. Cook the bacon for a couple of minutes until cooked through. Then take the pan off the heat and let the bacon cool down a little. Combine the olive oil, vinegar and mustard. Transfer the cooked potatoes, green beans, bacon, chopped onion, parsley and vinaigrette. Season with pepper and salt. Stir well. Check the seasoning and add extra vinegar, pepper or salt to taste. Transfer the salad to a large serving bowl or 2 deep plates and garnish with the boiled eggs. Serve lukewarm.

step 1 Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix into a sauce. Add seasoning, then pour into a serving bowl.

Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla sugar until light and fluffy. I beat this in a stand mixer on medium-high speed for about 10 minutes. Sift the flour and cornstarch and add to the mixture. Fold this gently into the mixture; you don’t want all the air you whipped in to disappear. Pour the batter into a greased baking pan. Bake the cake base at 180°C/350°F (conventional oven) for 30 minutes. The cake is done when you press lightly on the top and it springs back. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing it to a cake rack. Meanwhile, prepare the nougatine and jam according to the recipe if you haven’t already. Let the cake cool completely before you cut it. If, like me, you used a 20 cm/8 inch spring form pan, cut the cake into three layers.

1 Prepare the Figs Cut off the hard bits of stalk and then cut the figs in half length ways. 2 Place the figs in a small frying pan / saute pan with the cut side face up and add the water around them. 3 Cooking Leave the figs on a medium heat to cook through, once they become soft remove them from the pan and place onto a serving dish. This will take around 10 - 15 minutes. 4 Prepare the Syrup In the pan there will be a red water juice left from the figs. Add the sugar while remaining on a medium heat. Stir continuously for a couple of minutes until the juice has turned to a thick syrup. Remove from the heat. 5 Serving Push one half of walnut into every fig and then drizzle the syrup over the top. 6 Serve warm or cooled.

Peal the bananas and boil them together with the cinnamon, vanilla extract, sugar and water for about 20 minutes. Bake the bananas in the oven at 275°F for 10 minutes. Serve with favorite ice cream.

1 Preparation In a mixing bowl mix together the summer squash, sugar, eggs and baking soda. Add the flour and continue to mix, you are looking for a thick sticky mixture. Add a bit more flour if the mixture is still thin and slightly runny. 2 In a large round baking tray (about 2 inches deep) rub some olive oil over the base and edges. 3 Scoop the mixture onto the tray and spread out evenly, then pour a small amount of olive oil onto you hand and rub it in circles gently over the top of the mixture. This should flatten it and leave it with a slightly shiny glossing. 4 Cooking Bake in the oven for 40 minutes on 180 degrees – the top should be a golden brown once cooked. 5 Serving Leave to cool before slicing into squares and serving.

Add the molasses to a large mixing bowl and begin by pouring 300ml of water to start with and whisk together. The texture of Bangladeshi molasses varies from a thick syrup to slightly set. I use brands such as Zilani or Akza. If the set is very syrupy (like golden syrup) you will only require 300–325ml of water 2 Pour in the flours and spices (if using) and whisk for 3–5 minutes, until you have a smooth batter. You need to check carefully for lumps, as they prevent the handesh from rising and will cause them to split. Cover the batter and rest for 2 hours 3 After 2 hours, thoroughly whisk the batter until smooth, as the rice flour will have settled at the bottom of the bowl. The batter should have a fairly thick consistency, yet remain loose enough to pour – similar to thick pancake or waffle batter. It should form ribbons as you drag the whisk though it 4 Take a cast-iron korai or wok and add enough oil to half-fill the pan, or enough to deep-fry and turn the heat to high. Once the oil is hot reduce the heat to low–medium. Drop in a teaspoon of batter to test the oil – if it rises slowly to the surface the oil is ready 5 Pour batter in a quick steady stream into the centre of the pan, preferably using a pyrex jug with a pouring spout (About 45ml of batter for each cake). It should rise to the surface in about 15–20 seconds and slowly puff up. If it rises too quickly, just turn the heat down slightly. Cook for 45 seconds, or until the underside is golden. Carefully turn over and cook for a further 30–45 seconds, until golden. Make sure to not let excess batter drip into the pan as this may prevent the cakes from rising and always fry one at a time 6 If the batter splits while frying, whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour to the mixture and try again. You should be creating handesh which are about the size of a digestive biscuit 7 Use a slotted spoon to remove the handesh and place on kitchen towel with frilled edge facing down while you continue frying the rea

In a bowl of warm water, add tapioca pearls and allow them to soak for 20 minutes. Prepare bananas by peeling them and cutting them into ½ inch slices. Set the slices aside On a stove, pour in 4 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Add in the banana slices. After 20 minutes, drain the tapioca pearls in cold water to allow the pearls to separate from each other. Add the tapioca pearls into the the pot. Allow to simmer for 3 minutes or until the tapioca pearls turn clear. Next, add in sugar and pour in the coconut cream. Stir the ingredients gently for 3 minutes to incorporate the flavors. Add salt to taste.

Toast the bread slices -- either in a toaster, or by baking them in the oven at 400°F -- until crispy and golden. (Toasting/baking time will totally depend on the type and thickness of your bread.) Take a clove of garlic and rub it cut-side-down all over the top of a slice of bread. Take a tomato half and rub it cut-side-down all over the top of the bread. Drizzle the bread evenly with a hint of olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Repeat with the remaining slices of bread. Then serve immediately while they're nice and warm!

Heat the oven to 180°C. For the dough, mix flour and sugar in a bowl. Heat the 100 grams of milk to lukewarm and dissolve the yeast in it. Let stand for a while until it starts to bubble. Then add to the flour along with the coconut oil and mix into a smooth dough. Let rise for 30 minutes, covered, in a warm place. Meanwhile, make the rice pudding by putting the rice with sugar, milk and vanilla extract in a saucepan. Add the cardamom, star anise and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly. Take out the spices. In a small bowl, mix baking soda with lemon juice/apple vinegar. Stir well until baking soda is dissolved, then mix into the rice pudding. Roll out the dough on a floured work surface (it is very sticky, but don’t stress it will be fine) and line the bottom and edges of a greased mold with it. Spread the rice pudding over the bottom and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the flour, coconut milk, palm sugar and eggs and salt. Brush a waffle iron with oil pour in the batter and cook over an open fire until light brown and crispy.