• 1 ½ c diced dried fruit such as apricots, prunes, fig, cranberries
• ¼ c sherry or orange juice
• ½ c chopped almonds
• ½ chopped dark chocolate
• 200 g ricotta
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp honey

For the shortcake:

• 125 g butter
• 110 g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 225 plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp each of mixed spice, cardamom

Combine the dried fruits with the sherry and marinate for at least 30 mins.  Stir in the almonds and chocolate.  Mix together the ricotta, egg and honey and stir through the fruit.

Preheat the oven to 170 C.  Cream the butter and sugar, beat in the egg and then add the sifted dry ingredients.

Press half the shortcake mixture into the base of a  24 cm springform tin.  Spoon in the fruit mixture.  Crumble over the remaining shortcake mixture.

Bake for 40 mins or until golden.  Dust with icing sugar and serve warm with cream or icecream.

Serves 10-12.

• 1 sheet of flaky pastry
• 2 cups of frozen berries
• 1 grated apple
• 1/3 c icing sugar
• 2 tbsp cornflour

Defrost the pastry and lay it out on a greased oven tray.

Grate the apple into a bowl and mix in the berries with the sifted icing sugar and cornflour.

Pile the berries into the centre of the pastry and pull the corners of the pastry up, pinching the base so that it all holds together.

Cook for 25-30 mins in an oven pre-heated to 210 C.  When cool dust with icing sugar.