Recipes

Egg Free Cupcakes

Over the weekend we catered for a fabulous 16^th Birthday Party with a Neon theme. Nadja (the birthday girl) and her mom Lorraine were great clients, but they had one request that made us LekkerBekke quiver in our aprons – Eggless Cupcakes!

Most bakers we know have given up on baking without eggs, but we had to give it a shot and we were thrilled with the results! ideas food magazine published a special ‘Health(ier) Options’ in February, and that is who we credit for this recipe. Thanks to Michelle Mitrovic for letting Nadja have her cake and eat it!

We ♥ Themed Parties 

For those of you that ever need to bake Eggless Cupcakes or Cake, here is the recipe:

Chocolate Cup Cakes

MAKES: about 14 Cup Cakes

PREP TIME: 30 Minutes

COOKING TIME: 25 Minutes

OVEN TEMP: 180°C

Ingredients:

750ml Flour

170ml Cocoa Powder

10ml Bicarbonate of Soda

500ml White Sugar

250ml Sunflower Oil

20ml Vanilla Essence

20ml White Vinegar

5ml Salt

500ml Cold Water

Icing:

100ml Soft Butter

500ml Icing Sugar, sifted

A few drops food colouring of your choice

Sprinkles of your choice

Sift the dry ingredients together with salt in a mixing bowl.

Mix the oil, vanilla and water in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Then add the vinegar and mix well again.

Immediately pour the mixture into a cup cake pan lined with cup cake papers and bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes. (or until a cake tester comes out clean)

Leave to cool.

Icing

Beat the butter until soft and stir in the icing sugar.

Add a few drops of water if the mixture is too dry.

Add a few drops of colouring until you get your desired shade.

Beat well.

Spread or pipe the icing onto your cooled cup cakes.

Decorate with colourful sprinkles.

Fig Tarte Tatin

The soon-to-be parents in law have a massive Fig Tree in their garden, and since fig season is almost over, we just had to make use of the summer’s last offerings.

This tart is sweet and buttery – perfect as a desert for friends after a dinner party, or ideal as an utter indulgence with your loved one on Valentine’s…

*You will need an oven proof frying pan (about 20cm across the bottom and 28cm across the top) for this recipe.

Fig Tarte Tatin (Upside Down Fig Tart)

Serves 8

You will need

20 Small Green Figs, peeled and halved (use as many as is necessary to cover the base of the pan)

1 Roll Puff Pastry

100g Butter

150g White Sugar

How to make it

Roll out the puff pastry on a cool lightly floured surface in one direction (handle as little as possible), and cut the pastry slightly bigger than the diameter of your pan. Refrigerate. 

Melt the butter over a low heat in your oven proof pan.

Sprinkle over the sugar to coat the base evenly.

Arrange the figs sliced side down on top of the sugar until the base is covered.

Cook the figs on a stove top for about 20 minutes until they are a deep golden colour and nicely caramelised. Don’t stir; just shake the pan every so often.

Allow to cool.

Pre-heat oven to 220°C.

Gently place the pastry over the figs and tuck in the sides.

Bake until the pastry has risen and becomes a golden brown colour. About 35 minutes.

Allow the tart to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.

Run a blunt knife around the edges of the pastry to dislodge any stuck bits.

Hold your serving dish/plate over the pan, hold the pan firmly at the base and flip to allow the tart to ‘fall’ onto your plate.

Serve warm.

Tips

• We like the Puff pastry from Woolworths – it is very buttery though, so refrigerate all you can and handle as little as you can.
• If you don’t have fresh figs, use gooseberries, apples or pears.
• You can serve it with Whipped Cream or Ice Cream if you’d like.

Smoked Turkey – South African Style!

The fiancé and I have been watching a few too many festive cooking shows and although Turkey is more a British Christmas tradition than South African, we found ourselves slightly obsessed with the idea of smoking a Turkey over open flames for a few hours…

So we bought a plump 4.something kg Turkey and some wood chips for smoking and got the process started. After defrosting in the fridge for 24 hours (although it’s advisable to defrost for 48 hours), we washed him, patted him dry and started seasoning.

Our South African twist on Stuffing:

4 x Skilpadjies (Spiced lambs liver wrapped in fatty netting), slightly browned on the fire and finely chopped.

4 Fresh Apricots, finely diced.

1 Medium onion, finely diced.

4 Garlic Cloves, finely sliced.

1 tsp Dried Oregano.

2 Tbls Braai Seasoning.

1 Egg.

2 Cups Bread Crumbs.

After seasoning, stuffing, basting every half hour and hot smoking for 4 hours, we ended up with this:

Delicious! (Way too much for two, so needless to say, we’ll be eating Turkey the whole week – yum!)

Pita Pocket Tapas

We are busy planning our Christmas Menu, and if, like us, you are hosting a lunch event, these pitas are perfect as table snacks or as part of a cold Tapas spread.

Pita Pocket Tapas

Serves 6-8

You will need

Mini Pita Pockets (Buy at least 3 -4 per person)

Buy the little triangular ones or small round ones, and make sure they are fresh and puffy.

2 Spicy Sausages of your choice. Chorizo works well.

Butternut Filling

250g Butternut, cut in small blocks

20ml Olive Oil

5ml Cumin, powdered

Treacle Sugar

Salt

Caramelized Red Onion Filling

1 Spanish Onion, finely sliced

30ml Caramel Sugar or Treacle Sugar

30ml Balsamic Vinegar

Salt

Lentil Filling

1 White onion, chopped

1 Garlic Clove, chopped

1 Tin Lentils, drained

2 Big Tomatoes, chopped

15ml Tomato Puree

60ml Water

Chickpea Dip

1 Can Chickpeas, drained

1 Garlic Clove, chopped

20ml Olive Oil

10ml Lemon Juice

Beetroot

Bunch of fresh young Beetroot

Treacle Sugar

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper

How to make it

Pitas

Slice open tops of pitas - you can butter the inside a bit if you wish.

Butternut

Place Butternut blocks on oven tray, sprinkle with Olive Oil, Salt and a little bit of Treacle Sugar.

Bake at 180°C until soft, but not mushy. About 20 min.

Toss every now and then.

Beetroot

Peel and cut into small blocks.

Place on oven tray, sprinkle with Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil, Treacle Sugar and drizzle with Balsamic Vinegar.

Bake at the same time as the butternut (saves some electricity).

Toss every now and then, until soft (not mushy) and glazed.

Caramelized Onion

Place all the ingredients in a heavy bottomed pot or pan.

Cook slowly until caramelized.

Lentils

Fry onion and garlic in pan, when cooked add all the other ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

Chickpea Dip

Whirr everything in a food processor until smooth.

Season to taste.

Slice Sausages.

To Serve

Dish all your fillings in separate little dishes with the pita pockets on the side.

Guests can stuff their pitas with a little bit of this or a little bit of that.

Tips

• You can buy Mini Pitas at your nearest Spar.
• To save time, buy pre-prepared butternut and just chop them a bit smaller.
• Serve a chilli sauce on the side to add some bite.

Wild Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Oil

Joburg has been hit by a cold front and rainy weather like this just calls for comfort food!

Wild Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Oil

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

440g Arborio Rice

500g Mixed Mushrooms, sliced

60g Parmesan

60g Pecorini

2 Tbls Butter

2 Tbls Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic, chopped

1 Leek, finely sliced

1 L Chicken Stock

125 ml White Wine

Zest of 1 Lemon

2 Tbls Parsley, chopped

Truffle Oil (Optional)

How to make it

Before you start on the rice, shallow fry the mushrooms in some butter and set aside.

Heat stock and keep on the boil.

Fry leek and garlic in the oil for 5-6min.

Add Arborio rice and stir until coated.

Add 125 ml stock and stir until absorbed.

Add wine stir until absorbed.

Add the rest of stock 125 ml at a time stir until absorbed and rice is tender and creamy

(Once you start cooking the rice, you can’t leave it unattended, it may become dry and sticky if you don’t keep an eye on it.)

* Taste the rice, it should be soft but still offer some resistance when you bite into it. If you feel that it is still too undercooked and your liquid is finished just add some boiling water until it reaches the right consistency. 

Stir in mushrooms, and cheese (you can use less if you’d like).

Stir in lemon zest and parsley or

Add little cream or mascarpone for a more indulgent version.

Drizzle with Truffle Oil for a superb flavour.

Tips

• Wild mushrooms are in season, so you should be able to buy some from most greengrocers (Impala Fruitiers on Beyers Naude has a fantastic selection). Woolworths also sells punnets of mixed exotic mushrooms.
• Truffle Oil can be bought at delicatessens and some specialist stores.
• Wild mushrooms are expensive, so use portabelinni and big brown mushrooms with one punnet of wild mushrooms instead.
• For a more intense mushroom flavour, soak dried Porchini mushrooms in 500ml hot water and combine with 500ml chicken stock.
• If you can get fresh Porchini (considered the marrow of the mushroom world), shallow fry thick slices in butter and some garlic, and use as garnish on the risotto.

Viva España!

Spain beat the Netherlands 1-0 in the spectacular 2010 Soccer Final, and to celebrate we served up this selection of quick and easy Tapas…

Did you know: Tapas arose from the need to avoid drinking on an empty stomach!

Garlic & Parmesan Mussels

Mix some butter, garlic, parmesan and parsley. Scoop onto cleaned half shell mussels. Grill for 4 minutes.

Mini Chorizo & Cheese Pies

Heap a tablespoonful of a mixture of diced Chorizo Sausage and Grated Cheese onto Puff Pastry Rounds (we buy ours ready-made!). Fold over and seal to form a half moon shape. Brush with egg and dust with some paprika. Bake for 10 – 14 minutes at 200ºC.

Peppery Cream Cheese and Balsamic Onion Toasties

Lightly toast some slices of bread. Fry and onion and some garlic until translucent, add a splash of balsamic vinegar and salt. Top the bread slices with the onion mix. Cut the Peppered Cream Cheese into rounds and place on top of the onion mix. Grill until the cheese starts to brown slightly. Garnish with Raisins and Parsley.

Mixed Olives

Serve a selection of Black Olives, Green Olives stuffed with Garlic and Green Olives stuffed with Almonds.

Bandarillas

Peg the following onto a toothpick: Mini Gherkin, Pickled Onion or Garlic, Pitted Olive and a Caper rolled in Anchovy Fillet. 

Chick Pea Dip

Blend together: 1 Can drained Chick Peas, 1 Tbls Crushed Garlic, 1 Tbls Lemon Juice and 2 Tbls Chopped Parsley. Season with salt & Pepper and serve with toasted bread rounds. 

Bean, Chippolata and Butternut Soup from Paraguay

Serves 6

Ingredients

250 g Chippolata's (Mini Pork Sausages)

125 g Lean Bacon

1 Onion, chopped

1 Chilli, chopped (without pips if you like it mild, with pips if you like it hot)

2 Garlic Cloves, chopped

½ Tbls Paprika

1 Tbls Cumin powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

500g Butternut, diced into small pieces

1 can (410g) Kidney Beans

1 can (410g) Chopped Tomatoes

6 Cups Chicken Stock

Croutons or Fresh Bread

Fresh Coriander

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Dash of Sugar

How to make it

Fry Bacon until crispy in heavy bottomed pot.

Remove, drain on kitchen towel and chop. Keep aside.

Fry Sausages in the same pan - don't make it to hot or your sausages will pop.

Remove, and dice into small pieces. Keep aside.

Fry onion, garlic, chilli, paprika, coriander and cumin in fat of bacon and sausages.

(Add a dash of olive oil or knob of butter if there is not enough fat in the pot.)

Add tinned tomatoes and chicken stock.

Add Salt, Pepper and about a tablespoon of sugar.

Add diced butternut and simmer until butternut is cooked, about 20 - 30 minutes.

Add drained kidney beans and diced chippolata's - heat through and check flavour.

Add more salt or pepper if needed.

Serve in hot bowls, topped with croutons, diced bacon and coriander.

Tips

• If you like your soup thicker - add about 1 tablespoon of flour to your pot just after you have fried the onion and spices, stir through and then add the stock and tomatoes - just keep an eye you might need to top up with boiling water if it gets too thick.
• Or you can thicken it the French way - mix equal parts soft butter and flour into paste and stir it into your soup, let it simmer until dissolved, then add sausages and beans. Equal could be 1 tablespoon of each. 
• You can leave the chilli if you don't like it hot and spicy, or add more if you do.
• You can use Chorizo sausage instead of pork sausages.

Chilli Hot Chocolate

Two Mexican classics, Chilli & Chocolate… A rich and spicy treat for cold winter nights!

Mexican Chilli Hot Chocolate

Serves 2

Ingredients

4 Cups Full Cream Milk

2 Red Chillies

200g Dark Chocolate

6 Tablespoons Cocoa

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Fresh Cream

How to make it

Heat Milk with the Red Chilies and let it stand a bit for the chilli flavour to infuse.

Strain the Milk and pour back into the pot.

Reheat the Milk and melt the dark chocolate in the milk.

Mix the Cocoa Powder with a little water into a paste and stir into hot milk and chocolate.

Add some of the hot milk to the cocoa paste and whisk into the rest of chilli and milk mixture until smooth.

Bring  milk to the boil.

Stir in vanilla essence.

Pour delicious hot chili chocolate mixture into glasses and top with whipped cream.

Tip: Remember to put a spoon in the glass to absorb the heat or your glass will crack.

We decided to leave the cream, because the hot chilli chocolate was so delicious and beautiful - but it is entirely your choice.


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Chakalaka

A South African staple! Great on Boerewors rolls, Pap and Beef Burgers.

Homemade Chakalaka

Serves 8 as side dishes

Ingredients

2 Onions, chopped

1 Green Pepper, diced

5 Carrots, diced or grated

3 Cups Cabbage, shredded

2 Tomatoes, skinned and chopped

2 Red Chilies, chopped (if you like it hot)

3 Garlic Cloves, chopped

4 tsp Fresh Ginger, chopped

2 tsp Curry Powder

1 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Paprika

2 tbls Sugar

30 ml White Wine Vinegar

30 ml Water

Cooking Oil

Salt and Black Pepper

How to make it

Heat a dash or more of oil in a heavy bottomed pot.

Fry onions till translucent, add garlic, ginger and chili - fry a minute or two.

Add spices and fry lightly, add carrots, cabbage and green pepper - fry until mixed with all the spices.

Add chopped tomatoes, vinegar, water and sugar.

Season with Salt and Black Pepper.

Put the lid on and let the chakalaka simmer and stew softly. (about 10 - 15 minutes)

Check your flavour, add more salt, sugar or pepper if needed.

Serve hot with your Boerewors Rolls.

Tip: Can be made a day in advance - then all the spices and flavours are even better!