Pretty Plums!

We are indulging in the last of the summer bounty as the seasons start to change – and what a bounty it is! Wirie found these enormous plums at our local supermarket and they were so pretty she just had bring them to the LekkerBek office.

Fresh, poached in sweet wine or baked in a tart, plums are versatile and o so yummy! 

For recipes using plums visit: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/plums/

Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe

This recipe was published in the March edition of Food & Home Entertaining, and we loved it so much we just had to share!

Moist Chocolate Cake

You will need:

4 large eggs

300 g sugar

250 ml cooking oil (1cup)

120 g cake flour (1cup), sifted

125 ml cocoa powder (1/2 cup), twice sifted

20 ml baking  powder (4tsp)

pinch of salt

310 ml milk

15 ml vanilla essence (1tbsp)

How to:

Heat the oven to 180°C.

Lightly grease a 20cm springform cake tin.

Beat eggs, oil and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and creamy.

Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, milk and vanilla.

Beat for a few more minutes until the batter is smooth.

Pour batter into prepared tin and bake for about 40-50 minutes or until you tester comes out dry and clean.

Cool before removing from pan, and allow to cool completely before sprinkling with icing sugar. (use the sieve for nice even distribution)

This cake is so gorgeous, you can serve it just as, or with whipped cream for dessert.

Enjoy!

The Consol Solar Jar

I noticed these jars in November last year and have been dying to try one out…

What a brilliant concept! You leave the jar outside (it doesn’t even have to be in direct sunlight), flip the clip to activate the LED lights and voila – light in a jar for 6 hours (with a nifty handle to carry it around or hang it strategically). We can just imagine a dinner party under the trees with the Solar Jars hanging from the branches like fireflies… Or perhaps as décor for the upcoming wedding party J

Designed and developed by Consol’s Ockert van Heerden and John Bexley, this product has been winning awards and getting the thumbs up from practically everyone that has used it. Besides the prettifying-for-parties and back-up light functionality, this type of product could become revolutionary on a continent blessed with plenty of sunlight and let down by terrible infrastructure.

The only thing that I would change: The colour of the light… If Consol could come up with warm yellow LED lights I’d buy a dozen.

You can get yourself one from Consol for R120.00.

Perfect way to light up the bar area for those sundowners!

Fab idea by ELLE!

Beautiful Bushveld

We just spent a glorious weekend in the bush… Hot days, camp fires and G&T’s – bliss!

Steak cooked to perfection in the middle of the bush – thanks Jock!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

How cute are these Heart Toasties we made for Miri? So easy and the prefect finger food to celebrate the day of love ♥

Here’s how:

Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut our heart shapes from slices of bread.

Lightly butter/oil both sides and grill in the oven until golden (this takes only moments).

Top each heart a basil leaf.

Place a slice of Chevin (or any creamy cheese) on top of the basil leaf.

Top this with a roasted (or fresh) baby tomato.

Voila!

Hope you are spreading the love this Valentine’s Day! 

Nigella’s Red Velvet Cupcakes

With Valentine ’s Day around the corner we can’t help but see red, pink and heart shapes everywhere! This recipe by Nigella Lawson (unashamedly copied, because face it, no one describes things quite as well as Nigella can) is the perfect sweet addition to any day of celebration.

http://www.nigella.com/

PS This is one day where you can be as kitsch as you’d like and get away with it :)

Nigella’s Red Velvet Cupcakes

Makes 24 Cupcakes

You will need

Cupcakes

250g plain flour

2 x 15ml tbsp cocoa powder, sifted

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

100g soft unsalted butter

200g caster sugar

1 x heaped 15ml tbsp Christmas-red paste food colouring

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

175ml buttermilk

1 tsp cider vinegar or other vinegar

Frosting

500g icing sugar (no need to sift if using a processor)

125g cream cheese

125g soft unsalted butter

1 tsp cider vinegar or lemon juice

Red food colouring to make it pink

Sugar Hearts

How to make it

Preheat the oven to 170°C and line the muffin tins with paper cases. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarb in a bowl. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar, beating well, and when you have a soft, pale mixture beat in the food colouring and the vanilla.

Into this vividly coloured mixture, still beating, add 1 spoonful of the dried ingredients, then 1 egg, followed by some more dried ingredients, then the other egg, followed by the rest of the dried ingredients.

Finally, beat in the buttermilk and vinegar and divide this extraordinary batter between the 24 cases.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, by which time the redcurrant-sorbet-coloured batter will have morphed into a more sombre, but still juicily tinted, sponge.

Leave them to cool on a wire rack and do not ice with the frosting until absolutely cold.

To make the buttery cream-cheese frosting:

You can use all butter rather than half-butter and half-cream cheese for this icing. Equally, decorate as pleases you, too.

Put the icing sugar into a processor and whiz to remove lumps. Add the cream cheese and butter and process.

Pour in the cider vinegar (or lemon juice) and process again to make a smooth icing.

Ice each cupcake, using a teaspoon or small spatula.

Decorate with sugar hearts.

NIGELLA'S TIPS

* The cupcakes can be baked 2 days ahead and stored, un-iced, layered with baking parchment in airtight containers. Frosting can be made 1 day ahead: cover with clingfilm and refrigerate; remove from fridge 1-2 hours before needed; beat briefly before using.

A fab Valentine’s themed spread I made for a Girl’s night with Gazpacho, Terrine, 

Pate, Cheeses, Preserves and Nigella’s cupcakes.  

The Year of the Dragon

So the fiancé and I attended the Chinese New Year celebrations in Cyrildene last Saturday… Loud, colourfull, crazy and fabulous! The entire street was closed off to traffic and filled to the brim with tables spilling out of the restaurants, street vendors frying meats on open fires, red lanterns and dragon dancers marching to loud beating drums.

The atmosphere was electric, and we found ourselves surrounded by men in lion suites blessing the stores, exceptionally loud crackers (that are apparently used to expel bad spirits) and a display of stunning fireworks. People mill around the street, some snacking on street food and others dining on elaborate set menus – the smells are intoxicating! We settled on some plastic chairs and watched as the last of the fireworks and lanterns disappeared into the night.

We’ll definitely book a table for ourselves and a group of friends next year – the traditional set menus that include a whole steamed Cantonese fish looked utterly delicious!

PS If you are sensitive to smoke and noise I suggest taking along some ear plugs!

Paella Recipe

I was very spoilt this Christmas, and one of my gifts was a cherry red Le Creuset cast iron Buffet Casserole (yay!!) – perfect for Paellas! So what better reason does one need to prepare a deliciously fragrant – and not to mention healthy – seafood feast.

Paella

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

1 Pinch Saffron threads

80ml Sherry

2 Tbls Olive Oil

4 Spring Onions, chopped

3 Garlic cloves, sliced

4 Small or 1 large Sweet peppers

½ Chorizo sausage (about 15cm long), sliced

2 ½ Cups Arborio rice

500ml Chicken or vegetable stock

250g Squid, sliced or whole small tentacles

250g Small prawns, cleaned and de-shelled leaving the tail on

1 Smoked chicken fillet, sliced

1 Cup frozen peas

8 Langoustines, cleaned, with shell still on

Salt and pepper, for seasoning

Dried chilli flakes, for seasoning

Fresh coriander, for garnish

Fresh lemon wedges, for garnish

How to make it

Soak the Saffron in the sherry in a small pan, warm (but don’t boil) and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan. Add the spring onions & sweet peppers and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the garlic and fry for another minute.

Add the chorizo and fry until the sausage edges become caramelised and the oil starts seeping out.

Scatter the rice over the bottom of the pan and fry for a few minutes, coating it well with the oil.

Add the chicken, squid, prawns, langoustines and peas, and toss everything together.

Heat the stock and pour over the rice mixture. Add the sherry and saffron mix.

Stir to mix everything together and bring to the boil. Once bubbling, turn down the heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 15 – 20 minutes, until the rice is tender. Do not stir at all.

Separate the rice and other ingredients lightly with a fork.

Season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes.

Serve scattered with fresh coriander and lemon wedges.

Tips

• This dish is perfect for using up leftovers. Use whatever you have in the fridge. Meats should be cooked when added, but seafood raw.
• You can spice it up with some smoked paprika.
• A crispy crust should form at the bottom of the pan – just keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t blacken.
• Have all your ingredients pre-prepped and sliced, once the cooking starts you won’t have time for chopping!

Valentine's Goodies

Spoil someone this Valentine’s Day

with sweet treats, salty snacks

and fluffy cakes.

for more information, visit

www.lekkerbek.co.za

or contact

Andanté

andante@lekkerbek.co.za

Wirie

wirie@lekkerbek.co.za

Mixed Berry & Sour Cream no-bake Cheese Cake

We served this cheese cake on Christmas Day, and it was the perfect accompaniment to a chilled lunch by the pool. Recipe from Food & Home Entertaining, December 2011, p55.

Mixed Berry & Sour Cream no-bake Cheese Cake

(Makes one tart)

Ingredients

Base

200g (2 cups) Shortbread biscuits

80ml (1/3 cup) Butter, soft

Filling

230g (1cup) Cream cheese

150g Castor sugar

20ml (2Tbls) Lemon juice

250ml (1 cup) Sour cream

20ml (4 tsp) Powder gelatin

125ml (1/2 cup) Cold water

125ml (1/2 cup) Blueberries

Berry Topping

250ml (1 cup) Berry juice

15ml (1 Tbls) Cornflour

15ml (1 Tbls) Water

15ml (1 Tbls) Sugar

100g Raspberries, puréed

How to make it

For the base, place the biscuits and butter into a food processor and process until combined.

Lightly grease a 15cm loose-bottom cake tin and press in the biscuit mixture to form a base. Set in the fridge for at least 40 minutes while you prepare the filling.

For the filling, mix the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and sour cream together until combined.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and leave it for a few minutes. Place some warm water into a bigger bowl and place the bowl with the gelatin mixture into it to gently melt the gelatin. Whisk 15ml (1 Tbls) of the cream cheese mixture into the melted gelatin. Mix well and pour half over the biscuit crust.

Sprinkle over the blueberries and cover with the rest of the filling. Place in the fridge to set.

For the topping, mix all the ingredients together and heat gently until slightly thickened. Allow to cool completely.

It can be poured over the cake while it is still setting – just ensure that the top of the cheesecake is firm to the touch before adding the topping.

Place the cheese cake in the fridge to set overnight.

Serve topped with a selection of fresh berries and a dusting of icing sugar.

Enjoy!

PS. There are quite a few processes, so plan your steps before hand; also, you’ll need to prepare this cake the day before as it needs time to set.