How To: Pumpkin Puree

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
Pumpkin
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 C, cut your pumpkin in half, scoop the seeds and pulp out, cover in aluminium foil and put it in the oven for 1 hour. Take the pumpkin out and scoop the flesh, put it in a food processor or a blender until it has a baby-food consistency. You can then use it immediately or freeze it to use later.

Easy Banoffee Pie

Banoffee pie is a rich, decadent dessert consisting of four delicious layers. It is very easy to make and requires only 30 minutes to make!

Serves:

10 people.

Preparation time: 

20 minutes.

Cooking time:

10-15 minutes.

Total time:

30 minutes.

Ingredients:

For the crust

- A pack of digestive biscuits.

-100g butter.

For the filling:

-1 large banana chopped into thin slices.

- 1 bag of thorntons toffee.

-2 tbsp double cream.

For the cream and garnish:

-300ml double cream.

- 2 tbsp icing sugar.

-1/4 pecans, chopped.

-1 tbsp instant coffee.

Method:

Start off by crushing the biscuit using a food processor, until it forms a fine texture, add the butter and beat until the biscuit and butter are well mixed, next add the mixture into an 8 inch x 11 inch baking tray and press firmly, bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. In the meanwhile, put the toffee in a small saucepan along with the two tablespoons of cream on low heat and keep mixing until all the toffee has melted. Turn off the heat and leave to cool. Take the baking tray out of the oven and let it cool as well. In a bowl, whip the double cream until it starts forming soft peaks , add the icing sugar and fold it into the cream. when the crust and the toffee has cooled, put the coffee over the crust and spread it out evenly, layer the banana on top until the toffee is covered by the banana, finally, use a piping bag to pipe the cream and then spread it out with a spatula. chill the pie for a few hours, and before serving, garnish with pecans and coffee.

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a Lebanese salad that is quick, easy to make, but really light and delicious. 

Serves:
8 people.
Preparation time:
20 minutes.
Ingredients:
- a few handfuls of parsley.
-1 large onion.
- 2 tomatoes.
- 3 tbsp fine bulgur, soaked for about 15 minutes.
-4 tbsp olive oil.
- the juice of 2 medium lemons.
-salt to taste.
-Some lettuce to garnish.
Method: 
Finely chop the parsley, onions and tomatoes. In a bowl, mix the parsley, onion and bulgur. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and salt to make a dressing and add it into the bowl. Put the mixture in a serving dish and add the tomatoes on top. Garnish with some lettuce. And enjoy!

Custard and Summer Berries Dessert

This dessert is super quick and easy to make, it is light and delicious, perfect to have on a sunny day or on a picnic.
Serves:
4-6 people
Preparation time:
10 minutes
Cooking time:
Around 20 minutes

Ingredients:
-3 cups of milk.
-a pack of digestive biscuits.
-4 tbsp custard powder.
-4 tbsp granulated sugar.
-A cup of mixed berries.(I used strawberries and blueberries) 
-A stalk of mint.
-1 tsp icing sugar.

Method:
-Dissolve the custard powder in 1/2 cup of milk. Pour 2 cups of the milk into a sauce pan and add the granulated sugar, place the saucepan on medium heat and wait for the  mixture to boil, mix constantly until the mixture forms a custard-like, thick consistency. 
Get a your bowl, serving dish and start by adding a thin layer of the custard to the bottom, layer the biscuits on top and then add another thin layer of custard, add a layer of chopped up fruit and then another layer of the custard, followed by a layer of biscuits and a final layer of the custard, finally, garnish the top with some fruit, mint and icing sugar. 

Coconut Cake

Ingredients:
- 3 cups all purpose flour.
- 4 large eggs.
-1.5 cups sugar.
- 1/2 cup butter(at room temperature).
-1/2 tsp baking soda.
- 2 tsp baking powder.
- a pinch of salt.
-1.5 tsp vanilla.
- 1 cup whole milk, or coconut milk for a richer coconut flavor.
-1 cup desiccated coconut.
- 1 tbsp desiccated coconut, to garnish.
Method:
preheat the oven to 165 degrees Celsius,start off by mixing the butter with the sugar until it forms a creamy consistency, add your eggs while whisking/beating the batter, in another bowl, mix the dry ingredients except the coconut and then sieve them, add in your sugar, butter and egg mixture and mix, follow up by adding the milk and the 3/4 of coconut to the mixture, and mix thoroughly. Grease a cake tin and pour in your batter, sprinkle the rest of the coconut on the top and leave it to rest for 10 minutes, put the tin in the oven for 45-50 minutes, insert a knife into the cake and if it comes out clean, your cake is fully cooked. Garnish your cake with the tablespoon of desiccated coconut, and enjoy!

Home Made Ricotta Cheese

You'll be surprised by how easy it is to make ricotta cheese at home. It requires 2 ingredients; milk and vinegar and just a little time to make. Ricotta cheese is delicious on its own but can be used in many recipes like pasta, lasagna and many types of dessert.

Ingredients:
Makes about 300 grams of ricotta cheese
- 2 liters of whole milk.
- 6 tbsp vinegar( I used rice vinegar)
Time required:
- 30 mins in total
Method:
Pour the milk in a large pot over medium heat, you can also add a tablespoon of sugar if you like your ricotta sweet, when you see bubbles forming on the edges of the pot (right before the milk comes to a boil), add your vinegar and stir through until the milk starts clotting, keep on stirring and then turn the heat off. Place cheese cloth over a large bowl and pour the liquid through it (feel free to use a sieve if you do not have a cheese cloth), squeeze the excess liquid out of your cheese. If you like your ricotta salty, add some salt according to your preference, mix through and store in an airtight container. I like to add salt to my ricotta, and serve it with some zaatar and olives.

Berry Filled Ice Cream Dessert

This recipe could be one of the tastiest and most effortless desserts you will ever come across. The flavor of the berries in the ice cream goes so well with the chocolate ganache covering the cake, making a delicious, refreshing dessert. Since the main ingredient of this dessert is ice cream, it needs to stay in the freezer overnight or for 6-8 hours prior to serving. But it is perfect to make head of time as it can be stored in the freezer for a long time.

Serves:
6-8 people
Preparation time:
25 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1 liter tub of vanilla ice cream or your favorite fruity ice cream flavor.
- 1 cup frozen mixed berries.
- 1/2 cup fresh berries.
- 1/2 cup double cream.
- 1 cup dark chocolate.
-2 tbsp blackberry jam (or any other berry jam)
- Few mint leaves to garnish
-You will also need a cake/loaf tin (i used a heart shaped cake tin), as well as some cling film.
Method:
Leave your ice cream tub outside for 15 minutes, or until it becomes softer and easy to work with, mix your frozen berries with the jam, then line your tin with cling film , note that your cling film must be long enough to overlay the ice cream when you want to put it back into the freezer. And then start scooping out some ice cream, level it out, add some of the berry jam mixture, and repeat to create layers, make sure that the last layer is  ice cream layer. When you are done, cover the ice cream with the cling film and leave it in the freezer for 6-8 hours or overnight.
Before serving, make your chocolate ganache by placing the double cream in a sauce pan over low heat, before the cream boils, put in your dark chocolate and turn off the heat, mix the dark chocolate through until its well combined. Take your ice cream out of the freezer, peel off the cling film and place your ice cream onto your serving plate, pour your chocolate ganache on top and before it sets, arrange your fresh berries on top, chop up your mint leaves and use them as a garnish. Heat your knife to be able to cut into the dessert, and finally, enjoy your dessert!