Halloumi cheese, cut into 0,5cm slices vegetable oil
Dressing: 2 red chillies, very finely chopped 20ml parsley, very finely chopped 15ml lemon juice 30ml olive oil a pinch of salt
Add all the ingredients for the dressing to a small bowl and stir together. Put aside.
Place a heavy frying pan on medium to high heat and wait for it to become hot. Add about a teaspoon of oil to the pan and give it a swirl. Now lay the halloumi slices down in the pan without them touching. Fry for about one and a half minutes before flipping and frying the other side. Do not move the cheese around when frying as you will lose the caramelisation and beautiful golden crust! Keep going until all the cheese is fried. Place the halloumi on a serving dish and spoon over the dressing while still hot. Serve immediately.
This is the creamiest hummus you will ever taste and I love it for its versatility!! Keep it in the refrigerator and use as a spread on crackers on sandwiches, as a dip with veg or thin it down and use it as a salad dressing.
1 x 400g can butter beans 30ml tahini 2 cloves garlic, minced the juice of one lemon (30ml) 30ml olive oil 5ml salt
Add all the ingredients to a liquidiser and blitz together until completely smooth.
This is a great variation on banana bread and perfect for brunch when served with roasted peaches. Keeps for 2-3 days in an airtight container but it is very good when toasted thereafter.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a 11cm X 25cm X 7cm loaf tin with baking paper. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until creamy. Add the eggs, milk and sliced bananas and mix for another minute. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder together and stir into the mixture. Take the bowl from the mixer, add the coconut and chocolate and stir through by hand. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool. Slice to serve.
Preheat your oven to 200℃. Cut the peaches in half and remove the stones. Place the peach halves on an oven tray and dot the cubed butter over it. Drizzle over the honey. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until caramelised and golden brown. Serve on a toasted slice of Tropical Chocolate Bread.
We made this chocolate calzone one Saturday afternoon when we had leftover pizza dough and it has been a firm favourite from then on. Serve it warm with fresh strawberries and a few basil leaves on the side. This recipe yields 6 – 8 pizzas.
Pizza dough: 15g dry yeast 10ml sugar 800g bread flour 2,5ml salt 60ml olive oil 400ml tepid water
Dissolve the sugar and yeast in a jug with the lukewarm water and stir until the yeast has dissolved. Set aside. Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the oil to the flour. Turn the machine on to its lowest speed and add the yeast mixture. Knead for 2 minutes. Turn the machine to medium speed and knead for another 6 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Leave to stand in a warm place for 90 minutes or until doubled in size.
If you are not baking your pizza in a pizza oven, preheat your oven to 220℃ and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Take the dough from the bowl and release the air from it by gently kneading it by hand for one minute. Cut the dough into 6 – 8 portions. Roll each dough ball to a thickness of 5mm and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
Assembly of one calzone: 2 x 80g slabs of De Villiers Coco Nut, Nut Butter Chocolate a handful of cashew nuts
Place the two slabs of chocolate, one atop of the other, on one half of the dough circle and sprinkle over the cashew nuts. Gently fold the other half of the dough circle over the chocolate and pinch the edges together with your fingers. Now fold the edge back by 1cm and pinch tightly together. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until done.
Serve the calzone with fresh strawberries and basil leaves.
(The calzone on the photographs was cooked in a pizza oven. )
These skewers make for a great canapé especially during an evening of outdoor cooking.
500-600g halloumi cheese 1 fresh pineapple 3 red chillies 45ml lemon juice wooden skewers
Cut the halloumi into 1,5cm blocks. Peel the pineapple and cube it into blocks the size of the cheese. Skewer the cheese and pineapple and put aside. Chop the chillies very fine and add it to the lemon juice. Grill the skewers on a medium-hot fire until the cheese starts to melt and it is slightly charred. Remove from the grill and immediately brush with the chilli-lemon dressing. Serve while warm.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together. Add the egg yolk, milk and vanilla and mix together. Stir in the flour, cocoa powder and salt until combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Add the egg white to a small bowl and whisk until frothy. Chop the pistachio finely (I do mine in a food processor) and place it in a shallow bowl. Scoop up about 15ml of dough and roll it into small balls. Now roll each ball in the egg white and then in the chopped pistachio. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet. Use the back of a 2,5ml measuring spoon to make an indentation in the centre of each dough ball. Bake the biscuits for 12 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and immediately re-press the indentations you made. Set aside to cool completely. Add the chocolate and cocoa butter to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt. Stir every now and then until smooth and glossy. Remove from the heat and stand the bowl for about 30 minutes. Spoon the chocolate into the indent in each biscuit and set aside to allow the chocolate to set – preferably overnight. Makes about 25 biscuits.
These custard pots are easy to make and can be kept in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Makes 12.
2 packets finger biscuits 1 can condensed milk 125ml lemon juice 90ml sugar 135ml custard powder 200ml + 800ml milk
Line up 12 ramekins or serving glasses. Break/cut the finger biscuits in half and place 2 halves in each ramekin, “lining” the bottoms. Set aside. Add the condensed milk and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and stir together until the mixture amalgamates. Set aside. Add the sugar and custard powder to a mixing bowl and make a slurry by slowly pouring in the 200ml milk, while whisking. Pour the 800ml milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour in the the custard and sugar slurry and whisk vigorously. Whisk until the custard is thick and smooth and starts to bubble. Remove from the heat. Scoop about 60ml of the very hot custard on top of the finger biscuits in the ramekins. Now scoop about 60ml of the condensed milk mixture on top of the custard layer and shake the ramekins slightly so that the mixture spreads and covers the custard layer. Repeat the finger biscuit, custard and condensed milk layers. Bash 12 finger biscuits until very fine and divide equally among the ramekins. Place the custard pots in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.
This is without doubt one of the craziest ideas to READ about, but surprisingly satisfying and pleasing in a very old fashioned way. That statement in its own is somewhat out of the ordinary but please try this idea for a quick delicious side dish to smoked and salty meat dishes … you may just have a new favourite recipe!
1 large tin/can of peach halves 100g mature cheddar cheese, grated 60ml mayonnaise 60ml sour cream 125ml feta cheese, crumbed a handful of basil leaves, chopped a handful of pistachio or pine nuts fresh lettuce to serve
Drain the peaches from the syrup. Hold the peach in your hand with the rounded side facing upwards and make a shallow horizontal slice so that the peach can sit on it – cut away as little as possible. Arrange some fresh lettuce on a serving plate and place the peach halves randomly, with the hollow facing upwards. Fill each peach cavity loosely with grated cheddar cheese. Add the yoghurt, sour cream, finely crumbed feta and chopped basil to a small bowl and stir together. Spoon a generous dollop of the dressing onto the cheese in the peach cavity. Scatter the pistachios/pine nuts over the salad and serve with the extra dressing on the side.
This salad goes surprisingly well with any smoked, cured or salty meat dishes that need that boost of natural sweetness.
4 egg whites, room temperature 220g caster sugar 5ml white vinegar 250ml ladies finger biscuits, chopped (or any other plain biscuit) 250ml almond slivers 160g chocolate of your choice; I used De Villiers Nut Butter with no added sugar
Preheat your oven to 150℃ and line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on high speed until medium peaks form. Add one tablespoon of sugar at a time, with the mixer running. Wait 30 seconds before adding the next tablespoon of sugar and continue until all the sugar has been added. Whisk on high speed for 2 more minutes. Add the vinegar and whisk 2 minutes more. Take the bowl from the mixer and add the biscuits and almonds. Fold through. Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt completely. Spoon a tablespoon of the meringue mixture onto the prepared tray and flatten slightly with the back of a spoon. Spoon a teaspoon of the melted chocolate on the meringue and swirl it into the top. Now reduce your oven temperature to 120℃ and place the trays in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven, without opening the door and leave the meringue inside for another 30 minutes. Remove the trays from the oven and leave the meringue on it until completely cold – another hour or so.
Store the meringue biscuits in an airtight container.
My Whisk and I 