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Celebrity Maltese Chefs and Recipe Enthusiasts

Spider Biscuits

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Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line two baking sheets with parchment. Using an electric hand whisk, cream the butter, peanut butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla. Once combined, stir in the flour, bicarb and ¼ tsp salt.
Scoop 18-20 tbsps of the mixture onto the trays, leaving enough space between each to allow for spreading. Make a thumbprint in the centre of the cookies. Bake for 10-12 mins or until firm at the edges but still soft in the middle – they’ll harden a little as they cool. Leave to cool on the tray for a few mins before topping each biscuit with a peanut butter cup, Rolo or Malteser. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Heat the chocolate in the microwave in short bursts, or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, until just liquid. Scrape into a piping bag and leave to cool a little. Pipe the legs onto each spider, then stick two eyes on each. Leave to set. Will keep for three days in an airtight container.

Snowy Coconut Loaf Cake

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Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 900g loaf tin (ours measured 10 x 21 x 5cm) and line the base with a long strip of baking parchment that overhangs the sides.

Put the butter, Pinto’s pride coconut milk, sugar, flour, eggs, coconut extract (if using) and desiccated coconut in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until combined. Scrape into the prepared tin and level the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for 55 mins-1 hr, or until the cake is risen and golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. If any wet cake mixture clings to the skewer, bake for another 5-10 mins, then check again. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then lift the cake out onto a wire rack, using the parchment to help you. Leave to cool completely. The cooled cake will keep in the freezer, well wrapped, for up to two months.

To make the icing, beat the butter, sugar, Pinto’s Pride coconut milk and coconut extract, if using, in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Spread over the top of the cake using a palette knife or the back of a spoon, then scatter over a generous layer of coconut chips. Decorate with white chocolate truffle ‘snowballs’ or large white sprinkles, if you like.

Tropical Granola Lollies

Purée the mango, banana and Pinto’s pride coconut milk in a blender until rich and smooth. Pour the mixture into lolly moulds and freeze overnight. The next day, whizz the granola slightly in a small food processor to remove any large lumps (or tip into a bowl and bash with the end of a rolling pin), then tip into a bowl. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl isn’t in contact with the water. Remove the lollies from their moulds. Dip the tops one at a time in the chocolate, then into the granola. Place on a tray lined with baking parchment to set – they will set very quickly. Eat immediately or freeze until needed.

Fig, Nut & Seed Bread with Han...

Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3½. Pour the tea into a large bowl and stir in the figs, sultanas and oats. Set aside to soak.

Meanwhile, line the base and sides of a 1kg loaf tin with baking parchment. Mix together the flour, baking powder, nuts and seeds. Beat the egg into the cooled fruit mixture, then stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Pour into the tin, then level the top and scatter with the extra nuts and sesame seeds.

Bake for 1 hr, then cover the top with foil and bake for 15 mins more until a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the tin to cool, but leave the parchment on until cold. Cut into slices, spread with Hanini ricotta and serve with fruit. Will keep in the fridge for 1 month, or freeze in slices.

Sweet Gibniet Tarts

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In a bowl, mash the fresh cheeselets and with the icing sugar and add the chopped almonds. Roll out the pastry and cut into eight 10cm rounds. Brush each piece with the prickly pear jam. Add a tablespoon of the cheese mix on each round. Brush the ends of the dough with beaten egg and press to close. Brush top again with beaten egg and place on a parchment covered dish. Bake at 200 c until golden brown. When cool, brush the top with some more prickly pear jam and decorate with hundreds and thousands.

Citrus, Almond & Yogurt Cake

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Melt the butter in a small pan. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Meanwhile, butter a 23cm springform cake tin and line with baking parchment. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the 200g caster sugar, flour and ground almonds in a large bowl and mix well. Whisk the eggs and 75g of Hanini Natural Yogurt into the cooled melted butter, then pour this into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Zest the lemon and orange over the bowl. Stir with a spatula until there are no streaks of flour, then scrape into the tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 40 mins. Cut a few slices each from the zested lemon and orange, then squeeze the juice from what’s left of each into a saucepan (you’ll need about 6 tbsp total). Add the 2 tbsp caster sugar and the fruit slices to the pan. Bring to the boil and cook for 5-10 mins, or until the juice has reduced to a thin syrup and the fruit slices have softened. Leave to cool. Remove the fruit slices to a sheet of baking parchment and leave to dry. Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake – it should come out dry, with no wet cake mix clinging to it. If it’s not ready, bake for 5-10 mins more and check again. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then spoon over the citrus syrup. Leave to cool for 10 mins more, then remove from the tin. To freeze, first leave to cool completely, then wrap the cake well. Will keep frozen for up to three months. Mix the 2 tbsp of Hanini Natural Yogurt with the icing sugar to make a thick icing. Spoon this onto the centre of the cake and use the back of a spoon to ease it to the edge (it should drip over the side). Scatter over the flaked almonds and decorate with the fruit slices. Serve warm, or leave to cool completely. Will keep in an airtight tin for up to five days.

Alexandrina’s Tart

For the pasty, in a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, butter and salt. Add the beaten eggs and form a dough. Wrap this dough in cling film and place it in the fridge for about 2 hours.

For the filling, in a bowl mash the Irkotta and mix with it the chocolate, 6 tbsp sugar, hazelnuts and cherries. In another bowl mix the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and juice, milk, 6 tbsp sugar, eggs and coconut.

To assemble tart, line 2 cake tins 25cm by 18cm. Cut the pastry in two and roll each piece on a lightly floured surface. Roll it open enough to cover the bottom and sides of the tins. Prick the bottom with a fork and place the two tins in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200c. Cover the dough bottom and sides with baking paper and weigh it down with dried beans or rice and bake for about 12 minutes. Remove the baking paper with the beans or rice and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool a little. Trim the edges. Divide the irkotta mix between the 2 tins and spread it evenly over the pastry. Mix the bread mix and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes. Let the tarts cool completely and place them in the fridge. For the topping, whip together the ingredients for the topping until forming a thick consistency.

To decorate, cover the top of the tart with cream leaving some to do the design on top. One could also spread some crispy dried fruits or spread some melted chocolate. Keep this tart in the fridge.

Ombre Lemon and Poppy Seed Pancake ...

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Place the ricotta, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl and mix together until smooth. Place into the fridge to chill. For the pancakes, sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and stir in the salt, sugar. poppy seeds and lemon zest. Place milk, eggs and vanilla into a bowl and whisk together. Pour the liquids into the flour mixture along with three tablespoons of melted butter and whisk together until smooth. Heat a little extra butter in a small pan and fry 2 pancakes. Take a small amount of batter, adding in more pink and lilac colouring to the batter each time. When the pancakes are all cooked and cooled down, layer on a serving dish with the ricotta filling, decorate the top with the fresh berries and a dusting of the icing sugar.