Phyllys Burr's Crab Dip

1/2 lb. fresh crab, flaked
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup finely diced celery
4-6 green onions, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 8-oz packages cream cheese
1 envelope Knox gelatin
3 T. hot water

Over medium low heat, blend soup and cheese until smooth. Take off heat. Dissolve gelatin in hot water and pour into the soup cheese mixture. Add remaining ingredients, stir and pour into a mold. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. A little oil or Pam in the mold will help it release. Serve with Ritz Crackers.

Burr Family Salsa

Really good with corn chips and beer, or on tostadas.

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 medium chopped white onion
1 bunch chopped cilantro
1 small bottle Salsa Brava (Rosarita brand, if you can find it.)
1 T. vinegar
2 T. olive oil

Luis' Green Salsa

This salsa is amazingly captivating, especially on black beans and rice.

15 Serrano chiles, seeded (wear gloves)
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch green onion
1 medium white onion

Chop the above all together until very fine. Put into a bowl and add:

2 T. lime juice
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Elderflower and Lime Cheesecake

Oxfam Chocolate Recipes Calendar 2006

3/4 large package of digestive biscuits/graham crackers (I use a mix of digestives and ginger snaps)
90 g (3 oz) butter
60 g (2 oz) sugar (I use demarerra or light brown)
360 g (12 oz) full fat cream cheese
160 ml (6 fl oz) double cream, lightly whipped
icing/powdered sugar (to taste)
1 lime (zest and juice)
2 tbsp elderflower cordial
50 g (2 oz) dark chocolate
fresh strawberries (or other berries) to decorate

Crush the digestive biscuits.
Melt butter and add crushed biscuits and sugar.
Press the mixture firmly into a 20 cm (8 in) round tin with a lift-up base.

Place cream cheese, icing sugar, zest and juice of lime in a food processor and mix. Slowly add cream and elderflower cordial.

Spread mixture on to biscuit base.

Refrigerate until required. Remove carefully from tin.

Melt chocolate and drizzle over the cheesecake. Decorate with berries.

Rani's Pavlova

pavlova (8 persons)

I tried this when Rani made it for her daughter's 21st birthday. It was wonderful.

- 6 egg whites at room temperature
- a pinch of salt
- 2 cups/360 g caster super fine sugar
- 1 tsp cornflour (i never use that as i never have any!)
- 1 tsp of vinegar (sometimes i forget to put it in and it doesn't seem to make any difference)
- 240 ml double cream
- passion fruit, or strawberries or raspberries, blue berries, whatever fruit selection you have and want for the decoration.

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Lightly grease a baking tray and line it with baking parchment/waxed paper.
draw a 8 1/2 inch (22cm) circle on the paper. (i just make the circle whilst pouring eggs whites on paper).

Put the egg whites in a large bowl with a pinch of salt and whisk until stiff. Start whisking in the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, and whisking well after each addition.
Continue whisking until the egg whites are stiff and glossy, they should be stiff enough for you to hold the bowl over your head without the meringue falling out.
Last of all, whisk in the cornflour and vinegar. I add some vanilla essence here, 1 tsp, especially if i put the vinegar in.

Mound the meringue on to the paper lined tray and bake for 5 mins and then turn the oven down to 130C/250F/Gas1 and cook for 1 hour and a quarter until crunchy-crusted but still marsh mellow centered.

Cool before lifting off baking parchment.

Whip cream, add a tiny sugar to it, and then decorate inner circle of pavlova with cream and fruit and you can dust it with icing sugar too.