thank goodness, they seem to be happy to oblige by eating it all up.
Then they ask for the recipes... I’ve decided to share them here. Enjoy!
225 gm butter, softened
225 gm brown sugar
2 Tbsp silan (date honey)
1 Tbsp orange-ginger confiture or marmalade
5 eggs, beaten
350 gm plain flour + extra for dredging the fruit
a pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder + extra for dusting the baking tin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp group cardamom
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
200gm dried currants
175gm dark raisins
150gm dried apricots, chopped into eighths
75gm dried cranberries
50gm candied cherries, cut in half
25gm unsugared preserved ginger, chopped into tiny bits
50gm dried citrus peel
Prepare an 8-inch cake tin with butter, greaseproof paper and a sprinkling of baking powder.
Cream the butter and sugar; then add the silan and confiture. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt, and mix in the spices. Add the eggs to the butter/sugar mixture, then stir in the flour mixture. Dredge all the dried fruit in flour* and mix thoroughly into the batter. Pour evenly into the prepared baking tin.
Bake for 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 hours at 150 degrees C (300 degrees F), covering the cake with aluminium foil once the top is brown. Allow to cool thoroughly before removing from the tin. Wrap well and keep in the fridge.
*This prevents it from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
a wide bowl of chilled water
4 fennel bulbs (the greenest you can find), washed, topped-and-tailed, sliced thinly lengthwise
1 lemon, washed
1/2 lemon, juice only
50gm shelled pistachios, lightly roasted
honey (the runny kind)
light olive oil
Slice the fennel and keep in the chilled water for at least 30 minutes.
Peel the lemon, and separate out the sections of the fruit, getting rid of extraneous pith. Slice each section into thirds. Once the fennel has chilled for at least 30 minutes, drain it, and add the lemon.
Cut any further pith from the lemon peel, and discard. Slice half of the remaining lemon peel in very thin long strips, and add to the lemon and fennel in the bowl.
Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and honey to taste: do this slowly until you get the 'right' combination for your palate. Toss over the salad and mix thoroughly.
Just before serving, add the roasted pistachios.
