This is the perfect dessert for a summer’s lunch when you have to accommodate young and old. You do not need any special equipment and all preparations can be done up to three days in advance.
1 X 397g tin of condensed milk
200ml lemon juice
zest of two lemons or limes
500ml cream
about 30 small meringues; you may buy them or make them from the recipe: Mini Pavlovas
Line a 22cm loose-bottomed cake tin with a double layer of plastic wrap. If you run cold water through the tin and shake most water out, the plastic wrap will “cling” to the tin and make the lining thereof easier. Store in the freezer while you get on with the work.
Mix the condensed milk, lemon juice and lemon zest in a mixing bowl. Stir with a whisk until the mixture amalgamates. Set aside.
Add the cream to a clean mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until stiff peaks form.
Fold the cream into the condensed milk mixture with a spatula.
Now smash half the meringues and sprinkle it onto the bottom of the lined cake tin.
Pour the cream mixture into the cake tin and wrap it securely with plastic wrap. Wrap it all around as you do not want the ice cream to form crystals.
Freeze overnight.
To serve:
Remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow to stand outside for 10 minutes.
Take off the plastic wrap on the outside.
Loosen the ring of the cake tin and remove it and then pull the plastic wrap from the cake and place it on a serving dish.
Decorate the top with the remaining meringues.
Cut into portions with a serrated knife and serve.
This time of year, I’m usually in strawberry heaven: I have them in salads, flans, cakes, with muesli, in smoothies, cocktails, with ice cream, juice and my real favourite, fresh; covered in a natural strawberry syrup.
1kg fresh strawberries
250ml caster sugar
a handful of fresh mint leaves
Hull the strawberries and slice them in half.
Add them to a large bowl and sprinkle the caster sugar and torn mint leaves on top.
Give everything a good stir and place in the refrigerator for an hour.
And voila! You have sweet, fresh strawberries covered in their own natural syrup!
This is a delicious vegetable bake as the subtle sauce combines soft, sweet butternut with almost-crispy chickpeas. Loaded with goodness and flavour and really easy to put together.
3 medium butternuts
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5ml curry powder
10ml turmeric powder
10ml salt
15ml sugar
125ml coconut milk
2 tins chickpeas, drained
a handful of basil leaves
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Halve the butternuts lengthwise and take out the seeds.
Sprinkle the flesh with some vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place on a baking sheet and bake until soft. This should take about 30 minutes.
Add a small amount of vegetable oil to a small saucepan and add the chopped onion, red pepper, garlic, curry powder, turmeric, salt and sugar.
Cook this flavouring mixture over a medium heat for about two minutes and then add the coconut milk, followed by the chickpeas.
Cook for another 5 – 10 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. Take off the heat.
Remove the butternut from the oven and scoop out some of the flesh – you want most of the flesh left behind in the skin, but you also need to make space for the chickpea filling.
Mix the butternut flesh which you have scooped out into the chickpea mixture.
Now scoop the chickpea mixture into the butternut halves and bake for another 15 minutes.
I love this time of year. My children “disappear” and go into exam mode which to me signals Christmas baking! I bake with the intention of stocking up for the lazy weeks in the sun and surf around Christmas. My intentions are “tasted”. I bake again. And so on…… all in the name of the love and joy of baking and the spirit of Christmas.
This recipe makes a small batch of about 24 fingers but I usually double it up! I suggest you do the same.
120g oats (oatmeal)
80g desiccated coconut
150g sugar
120g cake flour
2ml bicarbonate of soda
a pinch of salt
125g butter
25ml syrup
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Grease a 20cm X 30cm X 3cm baking try.
Mix the oatmeal, coconut and sugar in a mixing bowl.
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt onto the mixture and stir through.
Melt the butter and syrup in a saucepan over low heat.
Pour onto the oatmeal mixture and give it a thorough mix so that no dry flour remains.
Spoon the mixture into the greased baking tray and press it firmly into the tray with the palm of your hand.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Cut the crunches into fingers while still warm.
Allow to cool completely in the baking tray.
Break into the finger markings and store in a glass jar.
If you hide them away they will make a wonderful gift for a friend…..
I have never been able to eat breakfast, but tasting these muffins have convinced me that I might just be a brunch person!
Makes about ten muffins, depending on the size of your tins.
1 orange
125ml orange juice
190ml pitted dates, roughly chopped
1 egg
125ml butter, melted
375ml cake flour
5ml bicarbonate of soda
5ml baking powder
2ml salt
190ml sugar
125ml pecan nuts, roughly chopped
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Line a muffin tin with paper cups and spray lightly.
Cut the orange into smaller pieces, leaving on the skin. Remove any seeds that you can see.
Add the orange pieces and orange juice to the bowl of a food processor and blitz until finely chopped.
Add the dates, egg and melted butter and mix.
Now mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl.
Add half the flour mixture to the bowl of the food processor and incorporate into the orange mixture. Add the rest of the flour mixture and incorporate until well mixed.
Stir in the chopped nuts.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tin, filling each muffin hole about two-thirds.
This is one of those canapés that isn’t big on looks but out of this world as far as flavour goes. It is my go-to when I want something that every single person raves about and I serve them as a canapé with wine and at times as a casual starter on the patio. They are a bit fiddly to make and you should allow enough time for that, but can successfully be made a day in advance.
250ml flour
100g butter, cubed
200g strong cheddar cheese
2,5ml smoked paprika
2 sachets pitted green olives
poppy seeds to sprinkle
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Grate the cheese in a food processor and keep aside.
Now blitz the cubed butter and flour until it forms clumps as tiny as peas.
Add the grated cheese and paprika and mix to achieve a well blended dough.
Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it with the heel of your hand to bring it together.
Drain the olives and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Now break off small pieces of the dough, press it flat in your hand and place an olive in the centre. Shape the dough around the olive, working towards a ball shape and making sure that it is sealed all around. They don’t have to be perfect, just bring the dough together without any olive showing.
Place the balls onto the baking sheet and sprinkle some poppy seeds on top.
If you run out of olives, simply roll and mould the remaining dough into stick-shapes and place onto the baking paper.
This is a perfect meat-free meal when accompanied by a crisp salad or fruit.
Filling:
15ml vegetable oil
30ml butter
4 onions, sliced
45ml brown sugar
3 – 4 sprigs of thyme
125g Camembert, Brie or other soft cheese with a rind
Pastry:
40g butter, melted
100ml cultured buttermilk
1 egg
5ml wholegrain mustard
200g cake flour
5ml baking powder
5ml salt
60ml cheddar cheese, grated
For the filling:
Put a heavy-bottomed saucepan onto medium heat and add the butter and oil.
Add the sliced onion and cook over a medium heat until soft and translucent.
Now add the brown sugar and the thyme and allow everything to cook, stirring now and then, until caramelised and golden brown. This will take about 30 minutes so it is best to keep an eye on it while you get on with making the pastry.
For the pastry:
Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Grease a loose-bottomed cake tin.
Mix the melted butter, buttermilk, egg and mustard in a mixing bowl.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt onto the wet mixture.
Grate the cheddar cheese and add that as well.
Mix together and knead the mixture with your hands until you have a soft workable dough.
Flour a work surface and roll the dough to a circle about the same size as your cake tin.
Lay the circle of dough on the bottom of your tin and with your fingers, press the dough slightly up onto the sides of the cake tin. Try to get the dough about 2cm high.
Spoon the caramelised onion mixture onto the pastry and spread it evenly.
Slice the Camembert cheese into strips and arrange on top of the onions.
Bake for 15 minutes, turn heat down to 180℃ and bake for a further 10 minutes.
Take the cake tin out of the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing from the cake tin.
It is gooey and chocolatey and if I did not tell you, you would never know that this chocolate mousse was made from avocado pear. In fact, four ingredients, 5 minutes and a dessert that is truly fabulous!
Simply double the ingredients to make up the portions you want: 2 avocado pears makes 4 generous portions of mousse.
Keto friendly, vegan and gluten-free.
2 ripe avocado pears
120ml cocoa powder
90ml honey
20ml vanilla
Blend the ingredients together with a stick blender until completely smooth.
This is the dessert you want to have when strawberries are in abundance. Keep them whole, cut them in half or dust them with icing sugar….you will keep going back for more!
For the pastry:
One portion of Pâte Sucrée (you will find the recipe on this blog under French Lemon Tart)
For the pastry cream:
500ml milk
40g corn flour
100g sugar
4 egg yolks
5ml vanilla
Assembly:
Fresh strawberries
Icing sugar, if you want to dust the flan
For the pastry:
Blind bake. a Pâte Sucrée pastry case and allow to cool completely.
For the pastry cream:
Add the corn flour to a small bowl and add just 50ml milk to dissolve and mix the corn flour. Put aside.
Pour the rest of the milk into a small saucepan, add about half the sugar and put the saucepan on the heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and just before the milk starts boiling. Take off the heat.
Now add the egg yolks to a mixing bowl and sprinkle the rest of the sugar on top.
Add the dissolved corn flour mixture to the egg mixture and whisk well.
Pour the warm milk directly from the saucepan onto the yolk mixture in a very thin stream while constantly whisking. Remember: pour slowly and whisk quickly!
Once you have incorporated all the milk, immediately pour the mixture back into the saucepan and put it back onto a low heat. Whisk continuously until the mixture is beautifully thick. Allow it to bubble away for about a minute.
Take the pastry cream off the heat, add the vanilla and pour the mixture into a clean bowl.
Put a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming.
Chill the refrigerator.
Assembly:
Take the cold pastry cream and give it a really good whisk by hand so that any lumps break up and the mixture is smooth once more.
Scoop the mixture into the pastry case.
Arrange whole or halved strawberries onto the pastry cream.
You may dust a layer of icing sugar onto the strawberries.
My Whisk and I 