Pre-heat oven to 180C and line a 26cm springform pan with non-stick baking paper lightly greased and floured.

Ingredients

1 cup castor sugar

zest of 2 lemons, finely grated

4 organic or free range eggs lightly beaten

3 tablespoons milk

1 3/4 cups self-raising flour

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

140gms melted unsalted butter

2/3 cup light olive oil

300gms fresh rhubarb, leaves removed and stalks chopped into small chunks

Method

In a mixing bowl using an electric beater, blend the sugar with lemon zest for 1 minute.  Ad in the eggs and beat until pale and thick, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the mix and flour to make a smooth batter.  Beat in the lemon juice, melted butter and olive oil to blend until smooth.

Pour one third of the batter to cover the base of the cake tin.  Distribute the rhubarb over the top.  Pour the res of the batter over the rhubarb.

Bake for 50 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan.  Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Serve with creamy honey yogurt or vanilla ice-cream.  Serves 10-12

Ingredients

600gms plums

600gms peaches - plunge into boiling water for 4-5 minutes to remove skins

2 Spanish onions, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 whole lemon, finely chopped, retain removed pips and tie in a muslin bag

1/2 cup cider vinegar

200gms sugar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves

Method

Remove the stones from plums and peaches and roughly chop.  Pre-heat oven to 200C and place the peaches, plums, onions, ginger, lemon and vinegar into a roasting tin and bake for 1 hour, tossing a few times during the cooking.  Remove to a preserving pan and stir in the sugar and lemon pips.

Stir until sugar has dissolved and bring to the boil.  Cook at a low simmer for 30 minutes until thick and syrupy.  Stir in the sage leaves and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Remove from the heat and pour into sterilised jars and seal.  Store in a cool dark cupboard.

Before we say goodbye to the berry season, we have two fabulous recipes (by Syd Pemberton)

Macerated Berry & Yoghurt Parfait

Serves 6

600gms fresh berries such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries,                                                                              

3 tbls balsamic vinegar

2 tbls brown sugar

8 Amaretti biscuits

225m. plain yoghurt

200ml pouring cream, whipped

Combine berries in a medium bowl, pour over the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar.  Let sit, stirring occasionally until berries soften and start to release their juices (30 minutes).

Smash Amaretti biscuits with a rolling pin in plastic bag until roughly crushed.  Whip the cream and fold through yoghurt.

Layer berries with yoghurt cream in parfait glasses and sprinkle with crushed biscuits.

Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.

Fresh Fig Gratin

Serves 4

8-12 fresh figs cut in half

3/4 cup pouring cream

2 organic egg yolks

1 tbls dark rum

pinch of nutmeg

4 tbls soft brown sugar

Pre-heat grill plate

Place the figs cut side up into a gratin dish. Mix the cream, egg yolks, rum and nutmeg together.  Pour over the figs and sprinkle half (2 tbls) of brown sugar over the top.

Place under hot grill and cook for 15 -20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve with vanilla ice-cream

by Syd Pemberton

12 whole sardines, gutted and cleaned

1/4 cup plain flour mixed with 1/4 cup coarse semolina

Salt & Pepper

Olive oil for cooking

Lemon wedges to serve

Caponata

Extra virgin olive oil

1 large eggplant (500g) cut into 2cm pieces

1 Spanish onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 red and 1 yellow capsicum, chopped into 2cm pieces

2 sticks celery, chopped

400gms can of tomatoes

2 tbls red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped

1 tbls rinsed salt packed capers

2 tbls currants

1/2 cup chopped flat leafed parsley

Heat about 1/4 cup of oil in a large fry pan, add eggplant and cook over high heat until browned. Remove from pan.

Add another 2 tablespoons olive oil to pan and cook onion, capsicum and celery over medium heat until onion is soft.

Add garlic, tomatoes, vinegar and sugar.  Season to taste and cook over medium heat about 10 minutes until tomatoes are reduced and pulpy.  Stir in eggplant, olives, capers and currants and simmer another 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat, check for seasoning and cool. Stir in the parsley.

Too cook sardines, mix flour and semolina together and season.  Coat sardines on both sides with the four mixture.

Oil the barbecue plate or griddle and cook sardines in batches on both sides until cooked through - about 2 or 3 minutes each side.

Serve caponata topped with a few rocket leaves with sardines and lemon wedges.

by Syd Pemberton

Potato gnocchi are perfect to serve with rich stews, or make a delicious entree served with burnt butter sauce.

Potato Gnocchi

600g even sized waxy potatoes, such as desiree

150g plain flour, approximately

Cook unpeeled potatoes in simmering salted water until tender. Drain and when cool enough to handle, peel and pass through a mouli or a ricer.

Place potato on bench, season to taste, add 2/3 of the flour and mix to form a soft dough, adding more flour if necessary.

Divide dough in two, roll each piece into a sausage shape about 2 cm in diameter, and then cut into pieces 3cm long.

Cook gnocchi in batches in simmering salted water until they rise to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in an oiled dish.

Burnt Sage Butter sauce

100g unsalted butter

1 cup sage leaves

Heat the butter in a shallow frying pan over a medium heat, until golden.  Add the sages leaves, and cook until the butter foams and the leaves are crisp.  Spoon the golden brown butter over the gnocchi.