45ml butter, cubed 3 eggs 180ml flour 180ml milk, warmed in the microwave for 30 seconds 15ml sugar 10ml vanilla a pinch of salt 125ml lemon curd 125g cream cheese, room temperature 2 blood oranges, peeled and cut into segments icing sugar for dusting
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Add the cubed butter to a 23cm ovenproof frying pan and place it in the oven to heat up. Add the eggs, flour, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt to a blender and blitz until smooth. Remove the hot pan from the oven and swirl the butter around so that it covers the bottom and sides of the pan. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the pan and stand on a cooling rack. Add the lemon curd and cream cheese to a small bowl and mix. Spoon the mixture onto the warm pancake and spread it out. Scatter the orange segments over the curd and sift with icing sugar to serve.
Jodetert is a traditional South African bake of years gone by. It is a wonderful concoction of light and buttery biscuit discs, layered with a soft custard and literally melts in one’s mouth. Without doubt, one of my all-time favourite eats – do try it!
For the biscuit: Preheat your oven to 180℃. Cut 8 pieces of baking paper the size of a large baking tray. Spray each paper sheet with cooking spray. Add the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to mix. Add the beaten egg in a thin stream while the engine is running, until the mixture comes together in a dough ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Divide the dough in to 7 equal portions. Place one piece of dough on a sprayed piece of baking paper and dust with flour. Place another piece of baking paper on top and roll the dough to a thickness of 5 mm and a 20cm diameter circle. Remove the baking paper on top and place the dough circle on the baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden. Repeat with the other 6 pieces of dough.
For the filling: Add the flour, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla to a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Drizzle the milk onto the flour mixture in a thin stream while whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over a low heat. Stir with a whisk until it thickens. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the custard into a clean bowl and place some plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Allow to cool completely.
Assembly: Spoon the custard into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle. Place the first biscuit disc on a serving plate, pipe a spiral of custard onto it and place the second biscuit circle on top of it. Repeat the process of piping custard and stacking the biscuit discs until you have none left. Dust the Jodetert with some icing sugar and serve with a good cup of coffee.
Who can say no to an espresso and pain à la crème on a sidewalk in Paris? I assure you, you might be in your own home but your tastebuds will be fooled into believing you were there….
For the buns: Line a large baking sheet with baking paper and put aside. Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Warm the milk until tepid and pour it into a mixing bowl. Add the butter, instant yeast and sugar to the milk and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Turn the mixer on to a low speed and add the liquids. Mix/knead for about 3 minutes. The dough will be very sticky! Turn the mixer to medium speed and knead for another 6 minutes. You are aiming for a soft, smooth, elastic dough. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces – weigh them on a scale, they should be around 60g each. Roll each portion into a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten the dough ball slightly with your hand. Now make an indent with a small cup/glass, pushing down onto the dough. Spray some plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover the buns lightly. Set aside in a warm place for 90 minutes.
For the crème pâtissière: Add the corn flour to a small bowl and pour a small amount of milk in to the bowl while stirring. You want to make a slurry, which is basically a runny, pourable paste. Put aside. Add the egg yolks and 50g caster sugar to a mixing bowl. Stir the corn flour slurry into the egg mixture. Set aside. Pour the milk into a small saucepan and add the other 50g caster sugar. Place the saucepan on medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Take the saucepan from the heat as soon as tiny bubbles start to appear around the edges of the pan. Drizzle the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking vigorously. Pour slowly, whisk quickly! Now pour the mixture from the mixing bowl, back into the saucepan and place it on a medium-low heat. Stir continuously until the mixture has thickened. Allow to cook for 30 seconds before removing it from the heat. Add the vanilla and stir to mix. Pour the crème pâtissière into a shallow bowl and place some plastic wrap directly on the surface. This will prevent a skin from forming while the custard cools down. Place in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely.
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Take the same cup/glass that you used to make the indents in the buns, and press down onto the exact same area again. Brush the buns with egg wash. Whisk the cold créme pâtissière to soften it. Spoon about 20ml or more if you can, of crème pâtissière into each round indent you have made. Bake the custard buns for 20 minutes. The custard filling will rise up as it bakes but do not panic, it will fall back on itself once it cools. Cool the buns to room temperature. Sieve with icing sugar and serve with coffee.
My Whisk and I 