This is fragrant dessert with rose water and honey and is based on the traditional Roz bel Laban. The recipe provides 6 generous portions depending on the size of the glasses or bowls it is served in.
500ml milk 250ml cream 2 cinnamon quills 6 cloves 1,2ml ground cardamon 250ml rice 30ml sugar 500ml water 83ml condensed milk 30ml butter 30ml rose water honey and pistachio nuts to serve
Add the milk, cream, cinnamon, cloves and cardamon to a saucepan. Turn the heat on medium and wait for the mixture to come to the boil. Turn the heat down so that the mixture simmers and add the rice, sugar and water. Allow the mixture to simmer until the rice is cooked, stirring continuously. This will take 30 – 40 minutes. Do not leave the mixture – keep an eye on it! Take the saucepan from the heat and add the condensed milk, rose water and butter. Stir thoroughly. Spoon the rice pudding into glasses or serving bowls. Drizzle each dessert with honey and a sprinkling of pistachio nuts. The rice pudding is best served warm.
This is an old favourite which most of us have eaten in one form or the other. The addition of the chocolate layer on top adds a creaminess and turns a kids-party-favourite into an adult snack! Keeps well in a sealed container at room temperature.
2 X 200g packets plain biscuits 250g butter 60ml condensed milk 30ml golden syrup 45ml cocoa powder, sifted 30 sugar 160g dark chocolate; I used De Villiers Dark Chocolate, Intense 160g white chocolate; I used De Villiers White Chocolate, Raspberry, Vanilla and Almonds
Line two 20cm X 20cm baking tins with baking paper. Put the biscuits into a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Pour the biscuit pieces into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter, condensed milk, syrup, cocoa powder and sugar to a small saucepan and melt together over a low heat. Stir the mixture until completely smooth and amalgamated. Pour the runny mixture onto the biscuit pieces and mix well, making sure that all the pieces are covered in it. Divide the mixture between the two prepared baking tins and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Press down to compact the mixture. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Chop the dark chocolate into small pieces and add it to a heatproof bowl that sits on a saucepan of simmering water. Stir every now and then until the chocolate is melted. Pour onto one of the baking tins with brownies. Repeat the process with the white chocolate and pour over the other batch of brownies. If you want to prettify the brownies with edible flowers, now is the time! Place the two baking tins in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Slice before serving.
This is a simple recipe and requires no thermometer. Brittle is best made on days with sunshine as the moisture from mist and rain will cause the brittle to become/stay sticky. Best kept in an airtight container lined with wax paper, at room temperature.
250ml sugar 62ml water 2,5ml salt 375ml peanuts, cashew, blanched/raw almonds or pistachio nuts
Line a rimmed baking sheet with baking paper and spray it with cooking spray. Spread the nuts onto the prepared baking sheet and set aside. Add the sugar, water and salt to a small saucepan. Place onto a high heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cook the mixture for 4 minutes WITHOUT stirring and start checking the colour – you are aiming for an amber colour. You may cook the sugar for longer until it reaches the colour you like. Remove from the heat and pour over the nuts. Set aside to cool and set. Keep the brittle in a sealed container lined with wax paper, at room temperature.
This recipe provides a quick method for a rye bread with loads of flavour. The addition of buttermilk gives the typical tangy taste that one associates with a traditional rye and adds to a really good texture. This recipe makes two medium-sized, oblong breads.
Add the flours and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the yeast, water, sugar, buttermilk and melted butter to a separate bowl and whisk together to dissolve the sugar and yeast. Turn the mixer on to a low speed and add the liquids. Mix/knead for 7 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double the volume. Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Knead the dough down by hand for 2 minutes. Divide the dough in half and shape two oblong loaves. Place the shaped dough on the prepared baking sheet, cover with oiled plastic wrap and allow to proof until almost doubled in size. Brush the bread with egg white or water for a shiny crust. Make 4 diagonal, shallow cuts in the top of the bread. Bake the breads for 30 minutes. Cool on wire racks until completely cold.
Harissa paste is made from a blend of North-African spices and particularly from dried chillies. This recipe is adapted to make use of fresh chillies and for you to be able to adjust the heat according to your taste. Brush the paste onto any food that you want to add flavour to before cooking. Makes about 200ml. Keep refrigerated.
2 red bell peppers (sweet peppers) 2 red chillies 1 clove garlic 15ml tomato paste 15ml red wine vinegar 15ml smoked paprika 5ml salt 15ml coriander seeds 15ml caraway seeds 15ml cumin seeds
Roast/char the red peppers, remove the skin and seeds and add the flesh to the bowl of a food processor. Chop the chillies and add it to the peppers. Add the garlic, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika and salt. Put a dry frying pan onto medium-high heat and toast the coriander, caraway and cumin seeds for 2 minutes. Shake the pan often to prevent the seeds from burning. Grind the seeds and add to the rest of the mixture. Process to a smooth paste. Now taste the mixture and adjust according to taste. You may add more chopped chillies if you prefer more heat. Spoon the harissa paste into a glass container and pour a small amount of vegetable oil on top. Keep in the refrigerator.
These tiny ricotta cakes with their zesty glaze are on my top 5 list of favourite eats!! The ricotta gives the cakes a fluffy, light, melt-in-the-mouth feel and the glaze adds a citrus punch that draws all the flavours together! Makes about 18 cakes/biscuits.
625ml flour 5ml baking powder 5ml salt 100g butter, room temperature 500ml sugar 2 eggs 420g ricotta cheese (you can make your own by following my recipe for Homemade Ricotta) 45ml lemon juice the zest of one lemon
Lemon glaze: 375ml icing sugar 45ml lemon juice the zest of one lemon
Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line two baking sheets with baking paper. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on a high speed for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer speed down to medium and add the eggs one at a time. Add the ricotta, lemon juice and lemon zest. Turn the mixer onto its lowest speed and add the flour mixture, a few tablespoons at a time. Keep going until you have added all the flour. Spoon about 30ml (one large tablespoon) of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. The dough is very sticky but use your finger to shape/mould the dough into what resembles a circle/round mound – do not flatten it! Space the dough mounds about 5 cm apart as it will flatten slightly and spread during baking. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 30 minutes.
For the lemon glaze: Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix until smooth. Spoon about half a teaspoon of the glaze onto each cooled cake. Allow to become hard – about 2 hours.
Keep the cakes in a sealed container at room temperature.
As far as I’m concerned chicken pie is a crowd pleaser and a very convenient fall-back when you have to feed many people. This pie is made with store bought pastry but has a fabulous flavour! You will feed 6 hungry people with this recipe but you may double quantities for a larger pie.
9 chicken breasts, skin removed 1litre chicken stock 200g mushrooms 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves of garlic, minced 15ml turmeric 15ml salt 10ml thyme leaves 250ml greek yoghurt 1 packet shortcrust pastry Egg wash: one egg beaten with 15ml of milk
Cut the chicken breasts into chunks and add them to a large saucepan. Pour the stock in and add some hot water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook the chicken for one hour. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the liquid. (This will prevent the chicken from drying out and losing its taste). When the chicken is cool enough to handle comfortably: drain and discard the liquid and pull the chicken apart with your hands or two forks, as you would with pork belly. Keep the pulled chicken to the side. Preheat your oven to 220℃. Put a heavy based saucepan onto the heat and cover the bottom with oil. Add the mushrooms and fry them at high heat until they start to caramelise. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft. Now add the garlic, salt and thyme leaves and cook for one minute while stirring. Add the cooked chicken and the yoghurt to the saucepan and reduce the heat to a light simmer for 30 minutes. Spoon the chicken mixture into a heat-proof dish and allow to cool. Roll the pastry to the size of your oven dish and cover the chicken mixture with it. Brush the pastry with egg wash and bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with a salad.
This is a glorious, genuine dark chocolate cake with an intense chocolate and red wine glaze. I use a Pinot Noir red wine as the berry notes mix perfectly with the dark chocolate aromas.
220g DeVilliersChocolate Intense or other dark chocolate, chopped 250ml sugar 200g butter, cubed 4 eggs 3,7ml salt 83ml flour
Glaze: 220g DeVilliersChocolate Intense or other dark chocolate, chopped 62ml butter, cubed 2,5ml salt 125ml icing sugar 125ml pinot noir or any other red wine
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and grease and flour a loose-bottom cake tin of 22cm in diameter. Add the chocolate, sugar and butter to a heatproof bowl and set it oven a saucepan of simmering water. Stir the mixture for 3 minutes or until melted and remove from the heat. Keep on stirring until the chocolate is completely smooth. Scrape the chocolate mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
Set the mixer onto medium speed and add the eggs, one at a time. Turn the mixer onto its highest speed. Keep beating on high speed until the mixture has a very thick, mousse-like consistency. Turn the mixer down to a low speed and add the salt and flour. Mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 60 minutes. It is important to test the cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cake’s centre and checking that it comes out clean. If the toothpick/cake tester is sticky, bake the cake for a few minutes longer and test again. Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Cool the cake in the tin.
For the glaze: Add the chopped chocolate, butter and salt to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with simmering water. Stir for 3 – 5 minutes until melted. Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Sift the icing sugar directly into the melted chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Add the red wine to a small saucepan and place on the heat to warm the wine. Remove the wine from the heat as soon as small bubbles start appearing at the edges of the pan. Drizzle the wine into the chocolate mixture while whisking continuously until all the wine is incorporated. Set the glaze apart for about 10 minutes so that it can thicken. Place the cold cake onto a cooling rack set inside a baking sheet and pour the glaze evenly over the cake. Allow the glaze to set – about 2 hours.
Whenever I eat this sweet potato dish with honey and orange, I am reminded of the city of Casablanca with its sweet smells and the aroma of cinnamon drifting in the air after another very warm day!!
4 – 6 large sweet potatoes 50g butter 62ml brown sugar 62ml honey 62ml orange juice the zest of one orange 2,5ml salt 2,5ml ground cinnamon
Preheat your oven to 190℃. Scrub the sweet potato, cut into chunks and add them to an ovenproof dish. Add the butter, brown sugar, honey, orange juice, zest, salt and cinnamon to a small saucepan and melt together. Pour the mixture over the sweet potato chunks and stir through so that all of the potato is covered in the sauce. Bake in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until cooked and slightly charred and the sauce is syrupy. Serve warm.
l make these truffles from cake off-cuts and sometimes from a slice or two of left-over cake. They are somewhere between a cake-pop and a traditional chocolate truffle but believe me, they are delicious and very more-ish!
160g De Villiers chocolate, chopped 5ml butter 30ml milk 80ml desiccated coconut 330ml cake crumbs (blitz two slices of cake in a food processor) 62ml icing sugar 20g almonds, chopped
For rolling the truffles: A handful of the following almonds, very finely chopped desiccated coconut cocoa powder dried rose petals icing sugar
Add the chocolate, butter and milk to a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan with simmering water to melt. Stir every now and then until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture amalgamated. Take the chocolate mixture from the heat and stir in the coconut, cake crumbs, icing sugar and chopped nuts. Keep mixing until all the ingredients are completely covered with chocolate. Roll the mixture into balls the size of walnuts and then roll them through the almonds/coconut/cocoa/rose petals/icing sugar. Keep the truffles in a sealed container at room temperature.
My Whisk and I 