tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12970161979529884182024-02-06T18:45:09.963-08:00Nelleke Elston Food, to me, is just as much about evocative memories and shared culture as the delicious flavours of the food itself. I love the creativity and the stories behind the food we love. My passion for people and beautiful places fuels my desire to see more of this captivating world we live in and explore its flavours. I hope to share some of my adventures with you...Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-79186295496345518832014-04-03T04:48:00.000-07:002014-04-03T09:18:52.113-07:00A new adventure begins...It feels so, so right to be sitting down to write again and there's something that feels so familiar, like it was just last week that I last wrote a post. The sad reality of course, is that it's been over three dry months of silence from my side. 'Not great for gaining and retaining readership', I can just hear my brother, who acts as a sort of mentor to me saying, accompanied by a stern look of disappointment, of course.<br />
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I have however, a very, very valid excuse... Since my last blog post on this site, I have launched my new sight, cooked for oh-so-many people through a busy catering season, ended another term of my degree in Nutrition, had a baby (this is in random order - as this is by far my biggest achievement yet!) and not documented copious amounts of macaron-baking, delicious meals cooked for family and culinary trips that would have been great to share!<br />
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So, on that note, I really feel that not blogging has left a gap in my life and am excited about directing you all to www.nellekeelston.com - my new site that is finally up and running! The site includes a food styling portfolio and I hope for this to be a lovely space to document this incredible new adventure that we find ourselves on and all the the culinary implications this will have... As you can imagine I'm already planning the healthy meals I'm going to cook my little Luella in six months time!<br />
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Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-61400614628856486822013-11-18T22:02:00.005-08:002013-11-18T22:05:01.627-08:00Mixed Cheese Tortellini with Red Pepper Pesto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Basic Pasta Recipe:</b></div>
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(Serves 4-6 people)</div>
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500 g strong white bread flour</div>
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5 large free-range eggs</div>
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extra white bread flour, for dusting surface </div>
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pinch of fine salt </div>
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<b>Making the dough by hand: </b>Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the eggs and fine salt into the middle. Using a fork, break up the eggs, mixing from the centre outwards. Now start to take more and more flour from the outsides working the dough with your hands until it comes together and becomes smooth and elastic. This takes about 2-3 minutes of kneading on a floured surface. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and allow it to rest in the fridge for 60 minutes.</div>
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The next step is to role the pasta out with a pasta machine. Remove your dough from the fridge and work it on a floured surface until smooth and pliable again. Divide the dough into manageable portions, three to four balls. Now set the pasta machine on the widest setting and role one of the pasta balls through once.<br />
Set the pasta machine to the next setting to roll an even thinner sheet. Roll the pasta sheet once. Continue like this until your pasta sheet is about 1 mm thick.<br />
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Use a damp cloth to keep the pasta dough from drying out as your are cutting and rolling your pasta sheets.</div>
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I generally use a cookie cutter to cut my pasta in round shapes.</div>
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<b>Prepare the filling: </b>The filling is very easy to prepare. I like to use some strong cheese like finely grated Parmesan, ricotta, pecorino and even a mature cheddar. Mix the grated cheese in a bowl and add a bunch of freshly chopped basil and salt and pepper. You can be creative with the combination and cheeses, but try to not use too much of one cheese as the flavour can become quite over-powering. A binding cheese that is moist like ricotta, works well to bind the other cheeses together.</div>
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Brush the circles of pasta with some egg and place a teaspoon of filling onto the centre of every circle. </div>
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Now fold the pasta circle into a half circle, sealing it well on the edges. Add a little more egg to the sharp points of the half circle and pinch those two points together. Set aside and continue with all your circles.</div>
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<b>To cook: </b>Bring a big pot of well salted water to the boil and quickly boil your Tortellini until they float to the top of the water (5-10 minutes). I always taste one just to be sure that they are cooked through.</div>
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Drain the Tortellini and while still hot, mix them with a pesto of your choice. Serve with an extra drizzle of good quality olive oil, Parmesan shavings, soft herbs and some freshly ground black pepper.</div>
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<br />Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-44316668907039312892013-11-12T05:57:00.001-08:002013-11-12T06:21:53.703-08:00Canadian Buttermilk Pancakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Does the world really need another pancake recipe, is a good question to ask at this stage... I thought I'd share my story of how I became known as the 'pancake-asaurus' in our family. Yes, that was one of those little family words that we took the liberty of making up based on the amount of fluffy Canadian pancakes I could pack away, leaving my bigger brothers in the dust at age three.<br />
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As I've mentioned on my blog before, my childhood was filled with vibrant adventures with my family that took us from living in a desert country on the West Coast of Africa to a small village in Canada where my father worked as a doctor. If there's one thing that the Canadians added to our quirky array of culinary favourites it is breakfast pancakes with maple syrup and bacon. To this day when we have family gatherings it usually involves my father (who's specialties include this, and cooking fish to absolute perfection) to don my mother's apron and get his hands dirty.<br />
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So, living back in Southern Africa today we take it upon ourselves to educate our friends and family about the absolute wonder that is pure, imported maple syrup combined with salty bacon and a knob of melted butter. Even my husband has had to resolve himself to the fact that this is one bit of Canada he can't get out of me and he's embraced it to become part of our repertoire. I must say, my husband and I have added fresh berries and Bulgarian yoghurt to the mix. Yes, that's Bulgarian yoghurt with bacon, I know what you are thinking... <br />
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So on that note, if you haven't tried this combination, I'd strongly recommend it. Here's a delicious recipe for buttermilk pancakes I love to make:<br />
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<b>Canadian Buttermilk Pancakes</b><br />
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(Makes 14 portions)<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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<li class="ingredient_content ingredient"><span class="amount"><span class="quantity">1 1/2</span> <span class="unit">cups</span> </span><span class="metricUnit">(375 ml) </span><span class="ingredientSingular active name">all-purpose flour</span></li>
<li class="ingredient_content ingredient"><span class="amount"><span class="quantity">3</span> <span class="unit">tbsp</span> </span><span class="metricUnit">(45 ml) </span><span class="ingredientSingular active name">granulated sugar</span></li>
<li class="ingredient_content ingredient"><span class="amount"><span class="quantity">1</span> <span class="unit">tsp</span> </span><span class="metricUnit">(5 ml) </span><span class="ingredientSingular active name">baking powder</span></li>
<li class="ingredient_content ingredient"><span class="amount"><span class="quantity">1</span> <span class="unit">tsp</span> </span><span class="metricUnit">(5 ml) </span><span class="ingredientSingular active name">baking soda</span></li>
<li class="ingredient_content ingredient"><span class="amount"><span class="quantity">1/4</span> <span class="unit">tsp</span> </span><span class="metricUnit">(1 ml) </span><span class="ingredientSingular active name">salt</span></li>
<li class="ingredient_content ingredient"><span class="amount"><span class="quantity">1 3/4</span> <span class="unit">cups</span> </span><span class="metricUnit">(425 ml) </span><span class="ingredientSingular active name">buttermilk</span></li>
<li class="ingredient_content ingredient"><span class="amount"><span class="quantity">1</span> <span class="unit"></span></span><span class="metricUnit"></span><span class="ingredientSingular active name">egg</span></li>
<li class="ingredient_content ingredient"><span class="amount"><span class="quantity">2</span> <span class="unit">tbsp</span> </span><span class="metricUnit">(30 ml) </span><span class="ingredientSingular active name">butter</span>, melted</li>
<li class="ingredient_content ingredient"><span class="amount"><span class="quantity">2</span> <span class="unit">tsp</span> </span><span class="metricUnit">(10 ml) </span><span class="ingredientSingular active name">vanilla</span></li>
<li class="ingredient_content ingredient last_child"><span class="amount"><span class="quantity">1</span> <span class="unit">tbsp</span> </span><span class="metricUnit">(15 ml) </span><span class="ingredientSingular active name">canola oil</span></li>
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Method:<br />
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In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking
soda and salt.<br />
In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, butter
and vanilla.<br />
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk until combined and smooth.<br />
Lightly brush large nonstick pan with some of the oil. Heat the pan over medium-high heat.<br />
Using a 1/4 cup per pancake,
pour the batter into the pan and allow it to spread slightly to form pancakes. Cook until bubbles
appear on top, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until the bottom is golden
brown, about 1 minute. Transfer to a platter, cover and keep
warm at 120°C in the oven.<br />
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<br />Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-2062988946528269222013-09-30T23:17:00.000-07:002013-11-12T06:22:27.720-08:00Hollandaise Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The other day my husband and I had the most delicious breakfast with my brother and his wife. We made home-made rostis with salmon and I, between the chaos of frying rostis and poaching eggs, quickly whipped up some Hollandaise sauce. My brother, my number one support when it comes to blogging, immediately said, "We should have taken photo's!". And that's what lead me to this post. I realise so many people think that Hollandaise sauce is such a difficult thing to make, when actually it just requires a little practice.<br />
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My photographer friend Jill Chen, took these gorgeous images (with me styling), so I really have no excused not to write a quick post on the infamous Hollandaise. This is what my The Professional Chef cook book from the Culinary Institute off America has to say about it, "A classic emulsion sauce made with vinegar reduction, egg yolks, and melted butter flavoured with lemon juice. It is one of the grand sauces" ..."And will press the socks of your guests", should have been added.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Hollandaise Sauce</span></b><br />
(Makes 5 portions)<br />
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2 egg yolks<br />
170ml melted whole butter or clarified butter<br />
a reduction made from 100ml white wine vinegar, minced shallots and peppercorns<br />
a small amount of water, to refresh or cool the reduction<br />
lemon juice <br />
salt and pepper, to taste <br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
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To make the clarified butter: Place the butter in a small pot and bring it up to melting point slowly. Don't let it boil. Allow it to stand for 5 minutes, now carefully spoon off the white residue floating on the top of the butter until you have clear, melted butter.<br />
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Boil the ingredients for the reduction over a medium heat until the ingredients are almost cooked away. (You only need 2-3 tablespoons of reduction). Cool and strain the reduction. Place it in a small stainless steel bowl.<br />
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Add the egg yolks to the reduction and place this over a double boiler. (a small saucepan with slowly simmering water). Whisk until it is pale and frothy (this might take some practice!). The stage that you need to whisk to is called 'sabayon' stage. This is when your whisk will leave a 'trail' as it drags through the yolks.<br />
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Remove the bowl from the heat. I like to place a tea towel on the surface so that my bowl doesn't slip. Now gradually drizzle the warm butter into the egg yolk mixture as you whisk. It helps if another person pours the butter into the bowl while you whisk.<br />
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If the sauce becomes too think, add a little lemon juice or water. If it looks like your sauce is 'breaking' (splitting) add a little water and continue to whisk until adding more butter. Don't add more butter at that stage as it will only get worse. Also watch the temperature carefully, if the sauce becomes to hot, the egg will start to cook on the outside of the bowl, add a little cool water to restore this.<br />
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Once your sauce is glossy and smooth with all the butter incorporated you can season your sauce with salt and pepper and possibly another splash of lemon juice. <br />
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As I've mentioned, this might seem quite daunting, but all it needs is a little practice! Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-81584503718496299092013-08-26T02:24:00.000-07:002013-10-10T02:40:42.718-07:00My ParisI've been planning to write this post for sometime now, but between planning my new website (more information on this to come) and cooking up a storm in the last two months after returning from Paris, time has been scarce to sit down and write.<br />
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Long before my many hours working as a pastry chef and learning to
make delicate French pastries, I started dreaming about going to
Paris. I remember learning about the classic French cooking methods
during my chef training and being so enchanted by their appreciation of
cooking methods that have been in use for hundreds of years. Then
specializing as a pastry chef I learnt about their passion for only the
best ingredients, Belgian dark chocolate, full fat farm butter, stone
ground flour, Madagascan vanilla beans, and so I started dreaming about
working in an authentic French Patisserie one day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eiffel Tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paris street</td></tr>
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My dream came true in a surprising way, when I got a job in Dublin at La Maison de Gourmet, a very well know French bakery in the heart of Dublin. I jumped at the opportunity to run the pastry production all on my own. The fact that I was working night shifts, six days a week didn't seem to deter me one bit. On Friday evenings I worked with a French pastry chef who would help me with the huge work load for Saturdays and teach me new recipes as we worked through our production lists. <br />
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Eight years later, on our recent European holiday my husband and I finally spent a week in Paris, something we've always dreamt of doing together. I must admit, I found Paris rather intimidating at first, but once we met up with a good friend of ours from South Africa who currently lives there, our hearts were opened and warmed to this bustling city of love. I put a whole day aside to go on a pastry shop adventure, stopping at about four of the most well known pastry shops or patisseries in Paris. Obviously Laduree was on top of my list. Inside, the walls were covered in the most beautiful Asian themed wallpaper in a cool green, covered courtyard. We ordered macaroons and the most delicate strawberry mouse cake with infused teas and sat for what felt like hours soaking up the atmosphere. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laduree display</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strawberry mousse cake</td></tr>
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Apart from the beautiful display windows I just loved looking at the fresh produce available in Paris. The little cardboard punnets of fresh berries on display was just like I'd seen in magazines. I tried some delicious things like white asparagus, different peach varieties and ate more cheese than I've ever eaten. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buying berries</td></tr>
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The other stop that I just loved was this chocolate shop, there seemed to be as many chocolate shops as patisseries in Paris. They were rather pricey (as most things are in Paris) but I had to spoil myself with a little bag of carefully chosen hand-crafted chocolates! My absolute favourite was the cherries in liquor, dipped in dark chocolate and hand-made marzipan in dark chocolate.<br />
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By the end of our week in Paris I'd worked through my little list of culinary experiences. It included things like eating a crepe at a authentic Creperie, buying cherries at the market and savouring the world-famous macaroons from Laduree. Paris is definitely one of those cities you'll have a completely unique experience in every time you visit and I'm most definitely planning another visit and working on my next list of "culinary to- do's". <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selecting chocolates</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com1Paris, France48.856614 2.352221900000017748.6894645 2.0294984000000178 49.0237635 2.6749454000000177tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-43072599922689054042013-07-05T03:57:00.001-07:002013-09-30T22:30:12.933-07:00Exploring Andalucia...I had never thought of travelling to Spain until we received a home exchange request from a Danish couple with the most beautiful home in a white-washed Moorish village called Frigiliana... We had just finished renovating our cottage and decided that we'd put it on the home exchange website and wait and see what requests we get. I was immediately enchanted by the idea of exploring southern Spain and started doing some research about the food and the area known as Andalucía. We realized that from Frigiliana, we would be surrounded by beautiful cities like Granada, Seville, Jerez and Malaga, only a few hours’ drive away. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malaga</td></tr>
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So, six months later we landed at Malaga airport. I just knew this was going to be such a great culinary adventure and I was very excited about tasting the amazing food that Andalucía has to offer. Oranges from Seville, almonds, avocados and the freshest seafood. <br />
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On our first evening in Malaga, we got horribly lost; driving on the other side of the road didn't help and only arrived at our hotel at 10pm that evening. We were starving and so relieved to hear that the kitchen was still open (did I mention this was one of the top ten restaurants in Malaga?) and sat down at 11pm to the most incredible meal with a view of the sparkling lights of Malaga below us. First port of call was a local beer for my exhausted husband and then we had some delicious local white wine and big crispy, green olives. The manager brought us a complimentary starter of aubergine pate which was just amazing and we ordered a huge pan of paella to share. It was the most magical welcome to Spain and I still remember making a toast, “to Spain, let the adventure begin!”. <br />
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The following day was my birthday and we spent the day exploring Malaga's old city and ate the most divine deep fried seafood with fresh lemon and garlic alioli. We had crumbed anchovies (a first for me), baby squid and monkfish, with small crispy crackers and ice cold white wine while people-watching for what felt like hours.<br />
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It felt like such a cliché, but I had to try the tapas, I was so excited about this simple, fuss-free eating style and wanted to sample them wherever I went. Every little restaurant seemed to have its own specialty. The best tapas we had was in Jerez, where we found what looked like a real local hang-out. We had artichokes with marinated anchovies, cold gazpacho soup and marinated pork belly to the sound of cheering local men watching bullfighting on TV. This was authentic Spain. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jerez</span></td></tr>
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The markets were just spectacular. We went to the Seville indoor market and splashed out on cherries, which we finished while shopping, beautiful bell peppers, fennel bulbs, oyster mushrooms and heirloom tomatoes. In Cadiz, we unfortunately miss the most impressive indoor market in Spain, which I was very sad about, but I guess this gives me a reason to go back. A friend of mine had written to me from Germany (she was on holiday there a few weeks before us) and told me that it’s not be be missed! <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Seville indoor market</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cadiz</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
The closest seaside ‘resort village’ as they call them, from Frigiliana, was Nerja. This was a funny little town that kept us guessing for a week what the fuss was about. We couldn’t understand why the Brits seemed to flock there, until we discovered the beautiful old town square close to the Balcon de Europa (well worth a visit). It has a beautiful view and there are two stunning beaches just a quick walk from the viewing point. Here children played ice-cream in hand and the elderly sat for hours in the sun chatting.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Nerja</span></div>
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All along the coast there are lots of rustic seaside café’s serving ‘all you can eat’ paella out of huge pans heated over coals, while the smell of smoked sardines and seafood filled the air. Spain to me was just such an unforgettable experience, one of those places you know you’ve got to come back to.<br />
So, our two weeks came to an end too fast, but I think it will be time to start planning the next trip soon. <br />
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Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-7064722598803736802013-07-03T08:17:00.001-07:002013-11-11T07:51:53.382-08:00Amsterdam and its culinary secrets... <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08ZS5aiA6mpd5VNBej1hzzU497MC7HLzEDP9UwWSkDjWkBcBV7rP-TxhOBaxITV9D35W8jpUcf0LEznbxaO39riaUmIIETManU9KvfZ2x0wwbi5vStb0oQOR0WhNhh0Xdes18AWPwWAw/s800/IMG_3867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" oya="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08ZS5aiA6mpd5VNBej1hzzU497MC7HLzEDP9UwWSkDjWkBcBV7rP-TxhOBaxITV9D35W8jpUcf0LEznbxaO39riaUmIIETManU9KvfZ2x0wwbi5vStb0oQOR0WhNhh0Xdes18AWPwWAw/s640/IMG_3867.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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I just got back from a six week holiday in Europe and am suffering from mild symptoms of post-holiday-blues. What better way of overcoming them than reminiscing about all the delicious food and great memories with a 'stroop wafel' in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, I thought...<br />
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There's something about travelling that makes me come alive. I've put it down to the fact that I'm the kind of person who actually enjoys being out of my comfort zone, roughing it and possibly not finding all the familiar things I'm use to, those little comforts in life. I love to see how different people all over the world do simple everyday things, how they take their coffee, get around, spend their Saturday afternoons...<br />
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We planned our holiday around three home exchanges in Paris, Amsterdam and southern Spain. The most amazing thing about staying in someone's home was really feeling like a local and getting a taste of what it would be like to live there. Just grocery shopping became an adventure; I'd spent forever browsing the isles looking at all the interesting products we don't get in South Africa. And then there were the markets, probably one of my most fond 'food memories' was shopping at the beautiful organic markets in Seville, Paris and Amsterdam.<br />
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We actually ended our holiday in Amsterdam, but for some reason I'll start there, possibly because it's the most fresh in my memory. I'd been to Amsterdam ten years ago and remember being so enchanted by it, the funky people and great food scene, the countless bicycles... This time, we stayed in a very up-and-coming area, De Jordaan and just loved exploring the surrounds. The Noordermarkt was walking distance from our apartment, as well as some buzzing restaurants where the locals gather every evening. The Noordermarkt Bio Market (every Saturday) was quite a gem and I bought some dried nettle leaves (for nettle soup - I'd tasted in the French countryside), spekulaas spice for biscuits, chamomile tea, an over-priced nut bread which we savored every crumb of. <br />
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Another amazing discovery was a little corner cafe called "Winkel" (meaning shop) where we had the most delicious Dutch apply pie imaginable. (It's on the edge of the square where the Noordermarkt is on Saturdays.) So good, that we went back the very next day because my husband said he needs to have a piece of his own! That day, we ordered one slice, thinking I'd just have a bite of his (he wasn't very impressed by this arrangement) and the waiter gave us two slightly smaller slices for the price of one, which made my day!<br />
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The other absolute must, is to try the ‘bitterballen’ or croquettes. When I was there ten years ago my mum and I found this typically Dutch butchery that sold the most delicious fresh croquettes with strong mustard which was the perfect afternoon snack between sight-seeing. But this time, we happened to stumble across Cafe van Leeuwen that looked like a bit of an institution and sold great 'bitterballen', crumbed deep fried balls with soft beef and veal ragout inside. Great with an ice cold beer.<br />
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If you are a chocolate and pastry fan, and really, who isn't, don't miss Patisserie Kuyt! We happened to stumble across this gorgeous beautifully styled patisserie while strolling down the road, but it's definitely worth the visit. They sell tiny little cakes, so you don't have to sample just one! I bought two mango macaroons, as well as two little mouse cakes we had with our tea at home. This is a photo of their beautiful display in their window.<br />
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I really loved the food scene in Amsterdam, the people are very laid back and I think this comes across in most things they do. We found the service was great and the locals seemed to really celebrate their Dutch heritage. Amsterdam is very cosmopolitan, but I think that it's an amazing foodie destination and would highly recommend it. Hopefully I don't have to wait another ten years before going there again!<br />
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<br />Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com6Amsterdam, The Netherlands52.3702157 4.895167899999933152.2151142 4.5724443999999327 52.5253172 5.2178913999999335tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-10829245095875614612013-03-13T08:55:00.000-07:002013-10-10T02:34:23.937-07:00Bundt Cake with frozen berries<br />
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So, this the brief add-on to my last post, to guarantee you a full-proof outdoor entertaining repertoire. The story of this cherished recipe is probably worth a mention...<br />
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A few years ago, my husband and I were in a part of the country we don't regularly explore, as we had flown there for a wedding. Without a car, but eager to explore the surrounding mountains, friends of ours told us about their old 4x4 car that was standing on an aunt's farm and offered for us to use it. When we arrived on the beautiful sugarcane farm, the aunt welcomed us in true colonial style...On the veranda we devoured big chunks of warm, orange flavoured Bundt cake, shamelessly, along with a huge pot of tea.<br />
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As she waved us goodbye and the first thing I said to my husband while driving down their driveway was, "that was the most delicious cake I've had in years'. She was totally unaware that I'm a pastry chef and in returning the car, I mustered up the courage to ask her for the recipe. She then told me how this recipe had made its rounds from friend to friend, via e-mail as the 'most reliable, most delicious tea cake' and was the only cake she baked - well different versions of it!<br />
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And so, it's earned its way into my collection of most trustworthy recipes, also know as "Nelleke's Keepers".<br />
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Bundt Cake<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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175ml plain yogurt<br />
175ml sunflower oil<br />
350ml castor sugar<br />
525 ml self-raising flour<br />
3 large eggs <br />
a pinch of salt<br />
zest of 1 lemon or orange<br />
1/4 tsp vanilla extract<br />
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500ml icing sugar, sifted<br />
a few tablespoons boiled water<br />
zest of 1 lemon<br />
Frozen berries, to decorate<br />
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Method:<br />
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Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.<br />
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Measure all the wet ingredients together. <br />
In another large mixing bowl, sift all the dry ingredients together.<br />
Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients while mixing.<br />
Whisk with an electric mixer on a high speed for 2-3 minutes.<br />
Pour the batter into a greased Bundt tin and bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean.<br />
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Allow to cool on a cooling rack. <br />
Make the icing by adding just enough boiling water, until the icing coats the back of a spoon. Pour the icing over the cake just before serving and decorate it with frozen or fresh berries.<br />
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Variations:<br />
Add candied lemon rind/ stewed apple/ frozen berries/ nuts to the batter before baking.Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-75874111893825838372013-03-01T04:16:00.001-08:002013-10-10T02:34:57.357-07:00Summer Entertaining<br />
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How fitting that it's one of the most gorgeous summer days today... Possibly it's more noticeable because it's that time of summer when you realize that the days are getting a little cooler and you'd better appreciate every sunny, wind-free day you've got!<br />
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This brought me to the thought of outdoor entertaining, something I personally think I've got down to a fine art. I can honestly say that I am at my happiest when I've got a glass of chilled white wine in my hand and I am sitting around a huge table with friends and family eating in a relaxed, alfresco style. Forget courses, just bring everything out at once, sharing across the table from platters.<br />
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I have a few 'old faithfuls' when it comes to easy entertaining. This post will have to be a little bit of a series of blog posts, as it includes four great recipes: a quiche, a gallete (shared on the previous post), a classic bunt-style cake and a easy seasonal salad.<br />
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<b>Mushroom, asparagus and mince Quiche</b><br />
(8-10 portions)<br />
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Pastry:<br />
155g butter<br />
280g cake flour<br />
45ml water<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
45 ml olive oil<br />
1 onion, finely chopped<br />
2 garlic cloves, chopped<br />
200g tomato paste<br />
10 ml cumin powder<br />
500g lean beef mince<br />
250g white button mushrooms<br />
250g brown mushrooms<br />
1 tin whole tomatoes<br />
a bunch of fresh parsley, chopped<br />
salt and black pepper<br />
3 eggs<br />
300 ml full cream milk<br />
fine greens beans or asparagus<br />
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Method:<br />
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.<br />
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Place the flour and the cold butter in a food processors and buzz until it looks like bread crumbs. Add the water and continue until it all comes together.</div>
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Wrap the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.</div>
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Roll the dough out on a floured surface and line a buttered 30cm cake tin.</div>
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Place the tart case in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes.</div>
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Prick it with a fork and bake it blind for 10 minutes. Remove the wax paper and bake for a further 10 minutes, until golden brown.</div>
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For the filling:</div>
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In a big pot, saute the onions and the garlic until translucent.</div>
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Add the tomato paste and the cumin and cook for a further 5 minutes.</div>
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Add the mince and brown mushrooms and cook until the mince is cooked through.</div>
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Add the parsley and the tinned tomatoes, turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.</div>
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Add salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.</div>
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Fill the crust with the mince filling and arrange the asparagus and raw button mushrooms on top.</div>
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Mix the eggs and the milk, season and pour this over the top of the quiche.</div>
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Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and set.</div>
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Allow to cool before serving.</div>
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Garnish with fresh parsley leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.</div>
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<b>Roast butternut, pumpkin seeds and feta Salad</b></div>
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This is such a classic combo, you can't really go wrong with feta and butternut, ever.</div>
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This salad doesn't require so much of a recipe as just the right proportions. So for 8-10 people, roast 1 large butternut in the oven until soft and sweet.</div>
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I usually use 3 rounds of feta cheese, crumbled or cut in blocks and a handful of pumpkin seeds. A tip, and trust me on this one, toast the pumpkin seeds in a pan just until they begin to pop and allow them to cool, this will make all the difference!</div>
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For the dressing, I drizzle the salad with good quality olive oil just before serving and then the secret ingredient is balsamic reduction, this is now available at most supermarkets.</div>
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Season well with black pepper and salt and you're good to go!</div>
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Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-87824865571383684062013-02-12T01:22:00.000-08:002013-03-01T04:26:32.673-08:00Asparagus and goat's milk cheese galetteThe humble galette is something I only really discovered and have learned to love (especially the cheats version) over the last year or so. A blog introduced to me by a fellow passionate foodie, Smitten Kitchen, has become one of my favourite food blogs: smittenkitchen.com. It's here that I found the galette recipe that has become my own with a few tweaks, so it's only fit that I mention this awesome space of endless fool proof recipe for you to enjoy too! It's one of those blogs where you can be guaranteed of the trustworthiness and pure deliciousness of every recipes. So, I'll be forever grateful for the convenience of throwing together a last minute galette and seasonal salad when it's too hot a summers day for anything else or I simply haven't even thought of cooking dinner until 7 pm...<br />
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Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius<br />
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Ingredients for the pastry:<br />
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1 1/4 cups cake flour</div>
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1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
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8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into blocks <br />
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1/4 cup buttermilk or full fat cream cheese<br />
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2 teaspoons lemon juice<br />
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1/4 cup cold water<br />
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Method: The method is very simple. Remember that when making pastry, you want all the ingredients to be chilled, and the butter to be almost too hard to crumble. What I like to do is leave the flour in the fridge for an hour or so before making the pastry. <br />
Start my sifting the flour and the salt together in a bowl. Now crumble the butter in with your fingertips until you've got the consistency of coarse bread crumbs. Then, mix in the buttermilk or cream cheese, lemon juice and cold water until it all comes together. Flour a surface and work the dough until it comes together and is a little smooth, but be careful not to over work the dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and allow to rest in the fridge for an hour.<br />
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After an hour you can use a rolling pin to roll out the pastry in a rectangular shape and spread the pesto over the middle, leaving the edges without pesto. Fold the edges over into a double layer and press indents with your fingers or crimp the pastry to make a pretty pattern. <br />
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What I like to call the 'cheats version' - The other option of course, is if you can get hold of some good quality frozen puff pastry, this can work just as well, although I would recommend giving yourself the challenge of making this very easy pastry yourself, and who knows what could follow after that!<br />
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For the topping, I like to use a pesto of sorts, I tend to have these type of ingredients in my fridge left over from my catering functions, but I realise it's not everyone that happens to have caper berries, red pepper pesto and goat's milk cheese just lying around in the bottom shelf of their fridge... So my plan is to give you options and inspiration to really make this recipe your own and discover the pure joy that is a crispy galette with a soft moist filling and some crunchy veggies on top...Yes please.<br />
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The options are endless when it comes to fillings and toppings for galettes, as mentioned, I like to use either rocket pesto or red pepper pesto for a moist base. Then I generally use a cheese, like soft blue cheese or goat's milk cheese and some vegetables like caramelised brown onions, beetroots or baby marrows.<br />
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Suggested toppings:</div>
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<li>Caramelised onions with beetroot and goat's milk cheese</li>
<li>Ricotta cheese with red onions and baby marrows</li>
<li>Blue cheese, caramelised onions and fresh rocket</li>
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Once you've spread the toppings on to the galette, all you need to do is paint the pastry with a whisked egg using a brush. Make sure your oven has reached the temperature and bake for 20-25 minutes or until brown and crispy. Serve the galette with a seasonal green salad or as a starter scattered with fresh herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.<br />
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Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-19810394072493796912012-11-21T07:06:00.001-08:002012-11-21T07:19:02.651-08:00Roast potatoes, two ways<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You're in for a serious treat today. I don't know if it's just in our South African culture, but we love roast potatoes...Years ago all I knew was a very standard, white fleshed potato, but now-a-days we've got the most beautiful varieties available in our local stores and they were the inspiration for this shoot.<br />
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This is where I think it all started for me... Just before I turned four, my parents took my siblings and I on the adventure of our lives. They bought 'Round The World' plane tickets and we flew to Canada where my father would work for most part of the year and we'd travel from there. I firmly believe this is where my love for vegetable gardening started. You see, previously we'd lived in Namibia, a country that is mostly desert, so my father just loved the fertile Canadian soil and generally, the fact that things grew. We had a huge garden in comparison to our house and my father grabbed the opportunity and planted rows and rows of potato and mielie plants (corn plants). I'm still not sure if he accidental planted too much or if he was convinced he had to stock up for the snowy winter months, but I have memories of a mountain of corn and potatoes in our basement after our harvest and spending our evening cleaning corn cobs as a family.<br />
In the little village where we lived, there was quite a large Ukrainian community and my mother was taught how to make potato Peroghi's, but that's for another day and another blog post...<br />
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Today I just want to share two creative dishes which are so, so easy, and in case you haven't picked that up, I'm all about fuss-free cooking. These are more tips, than actual recipes, so feel free to give it your own unique twist!<br />
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For this roast potato dish, you'll need a variation of potatoes. Go to the local market and find as many varieties as you can. Organic potatoes are packed with 'of the earth' flavour. I also added some sweet potatoes cut into wedges, a good drizzle of olive oil, sage leaves from the garden, baby leeks and sea salt flakes with coarsely ground, black pepper. Roast this for about 30 minutes, then give it a good mix, making sure that everything is coated in delicious olive oil and roast for a further 10-15 minutes until crispy. Serve it with a whole roasted chicken or even a pork roast, the sweet potato is lovely with pork.<br />
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The next 'recipe' is once again very, very simple. It's more in the technique than anything. You'll need some medium sized roasting potatoes. Give them a good wash and take a very sharp knife and cut thin slits into the top of the potato about half way through the potato. Arrange then in a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and season well. Roast them at about 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes or until they are cooked through and the tops are crisp and pulling apart. Serve them with sour cream and lemon zest as a delicious accompaniment to a roast.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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This picture was taken of my brothers and I in our vegetable garden, to send to our family back in South Africa.</div>
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Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-23235801177849661212012-09-28T00:56:00.001-07:002012-10-14T14:05:46.754-07:00Marshmallow Pavlova<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been meaning to share this recipe on my blog for some time now. It's one of those recipes that have become an all-time-favourite in my family while growing up and even makes the cut as a birthday 'cake'! This recipe was introduced to me by a friend's mother, who was the undoubted pavlova queen, but over the years this has somehow become uniquely ours with every flavour under the sun having been tried, from passion fruit curd and summer fruit, to whipped cream and raspberries. </div>
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The thing I love about this recipe? It's one of those make-ahead-recipes, so don't decide an hour before the picnic to whip up a pavlova! This recipes needs a little time, but will never fail you in the wow-factor of it's presentation. I just love people reactions when you present them with a crisp pavlova, filled with soft whipped cream and summer berries!</div>
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So, the trick is to get a really crispy outer crust and a spongy, marshmallow centre, the options are limitless from there! This is achieve by two very simple things, a tablespoon of cornflour and resting the pavlova in the oven, overnight. Proving to a last-minute-gal as myself, sometimes it's worth planning ahead...</div>
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Marshmallow Pavlova</div>
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Ingredients:</div>
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4 egg whites</div>
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1 cup castor sugar</div>
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1 tbsp corn flour</div>
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1 tsp vinegar</div>
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300ml cream</div>
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2 tsp vanilla extract</div>
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1 tbsp icing sugar</div>
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1 punnet cherries/raspberries/fruit</div>
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Preheat the oven to 100 degrees Celsius</div>
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Beat the egg whites in a bowl until soft peaks form, adding the vinegar and gradually adding the sugar until it has all dissolved. Fold in the sifted cornflour.</div>
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Spread the meringue in a circle (about 20cm in diameter) on wax paper or a silicon sheet. Don't flatten the mixture too much, you want to get some height. </div>
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Bake for 1 hour -1 1/2 hours until dry and crisp on the outside.</div>
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Allow to cool overnight in the oven.</div>
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The next day, whip the cream, add the sifted icing sugar and vanilla extract and serve with cherries or seasonal fruit!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6587nzHwU252_IAzF0-Qv9vkrP8lHGaibuRNA1rml65N8XuOS-BFEDtaPdkhdIeUU6HaXzLDM5EfbpkaGpGrHHYF7RDifY0SqTErNvFMhOhiOxU0qdeJI8cpNkycrNUJAx0PMkm5HHQ/s1600/n+cake-097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" kea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6587nzHwU252_IAzF0-Qv9vkrP8lHGaibuRNA1rml65N8XuOS-BFEDtaPdkhdIeUU6HaXzLDM5EfbpkaGpGrHHYF7RDifY0SqTErNvFMhOhiOxU0qdeJI8cpNkycrNUJAx0PMkm5HHQ/s400/n+cake-097.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
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Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-84127977204093228632012-09-16T08:28:00.000-07:002012-09-16T08:28:42.008-07:00Baby potato salad with watercress and radishes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZrYzIHMAkFP7E9HL_jQ6lJPodhV146c20G5okSmDlSGuittrUzS_7r-rigy_5RHl4oMt-aBdlaP2hxdQxINIgbChwBZnDMxq86evdHvQUMfnIfptDHG6DhGBqzBcMvi9vvhxlv5_Xd0/s1600/DSC_6740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZrYzIHMAkFP7E9HL_jQ6lJPodhV146c20G5okSmDlSGuittrUzS_7r-rigy_5RHl4oMt-aBdlaP2hxdQxINIgbChwBZnDMxq86evdHvQUMfnIfptDHG6DhGBqzBcMvi9vvhxlv5_Xd0/s400/DSC_6740.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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Okay, it's official, Spring is here. This is a beautiful salad for a garden lunch and is prefect for this time of the year. It's still hearty, but has a lovely Summer freshness and crisp.<br />
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I love potato salad and love trying new and different ingredients in them... It all started when I visited Dublin and went to Cornucopia, this gorgeous little vegetarian cafe that serves good 'honest' food. You could immediately tell by the ques of vastly diverse people waiting to be seated every lunch time that there was something special about their food. I didn't quite get that term 'honest food' until I visited Cornucopia... One of their acclaimed dishes from their daily buffet menu is their potato salad with hazelnuts and home made garlic mayonnaise. Amazing! A serious surprise to me and it's taken me down the slippery slope of adding nuts and seeds to most things...be it an open sandwich or a simple green salad. </div>
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So apart from Cornucopia's salad, next on my list of amazing potato salads is this one. A simple vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, whole grain mustard and good quality olive oil drizzled over warm potatoes. Oh and garlic, did I forget the garlic? ...I used the pink skinned potatoes for something a little different and added some radishes for a fresh crunch. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtBcLDPu4KDqBcBonVj47pzTgvJYZN3nhTIEQLZuXfcB6iOXZc4b1FDAJv-McJVdpl2lKnnCkPHUkLH6drnj-YH53YBRCVqdEeUOIIg5TDk1iR6ImgVzPFZe8WmlcxaWwG0UISDrJFc4/s1600/DSC_6753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtBcLDPu4KDqBcBonVj47pzTgvJYZN3nhTIEQLZuXfcB6iOXZc4b1FDAJv-McJVdpl2lKnnCkPHUkLH6drnj-YH53YBRCVqdEeUOIIg5TDk1iR6ImgVzPFZe8WmlcxaWwG0UISDrJFc4/s400/DSC_6753.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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Ingredients:</div>
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(makes 4-5 portions)</div>
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16 baby potatoes</div>
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5 radishes</div>
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a bunch of watercress</div>
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1 punnet of sugar snap peas</div>
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a handful of frozen peas (optional)</div>
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salt and black pepper, to taste</div>
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a handful of fresh basil leaves</div>
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Dressing:</div>
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3 tbsp red wine vinegar</div>
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6 tbsp olive oil</div>
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1 tsp whole grain mustard</div>
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1 garlic clove, finely chopped </div>
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salt and black pepper</div>
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Method:</div>
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Firstly, half fill a pot with water and wash the potatoes.</div>
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Add a pinch of salt to the water and put the potatoes in the pot. Bring them to the boil.</div>
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Make the vinaigrette by adding all the ingredients into an empty jam jar or bottle and give it a good shake.</div>
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When the potatoes are soft drain them and cut them in half. Drizzle the dressing over them while they are still hot. They'll absorb the delicious flavours.</div>
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Allow them to cool. Blanch the peas by pouring boiling water over them and allowing them to stand for 5 minutes or so. Drain them.</div>
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Toss all the other ingredients together and garnish the salad with freshly torn basil leaves.</div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-79216188129865576582012-09-04T10:53:00.000-07:002012-09-04T10:53:57.304-07:00Marbled bundt cake <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year has really taken me by surprise, it feels like just the other day I was thinking to myself that another two months of cold, wet winter days awaits us and somehow, here we are, on the official 4th day of Spring, but really the first. The birds seem to know it, the trees seem to know it and the definate smell of Spring hangs in the air as the sun is setting over the mountain. As happy as I am about Spring making it's first appearance I still have some Winter recipes to share before I start day-dreaming about pink peaches and plums, floral fabrics and pretty things...</div>
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My life has been somewhat of a whirlwind lately, studying part-time, food styling and catering. So much so that I have been a little bad with blogging regularly I'm afraid. So this is a very apt recipe for just a time as this, when you're trying to do the laundry, finish some work on your laptop and quickly bake a friend a wow-factor birthday cake, all before the day is out... </div>
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There was a time I was baking 15 of theses marble loaves a day when I was working at La Maison de Gourmet! Just the thought makes me tired and this was just one of the items on my daily production list! Now I stick to one at a time, I'm happy to report.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSBiiGJ99UVFE34AtksYW8ZWO0j9E3OCVvDKtatjCoNx2BtxrEanIm7QV9pSSYOY6pr_OcBzKWvT5GAdtuEINTqIsTzsHSWWljHR3gyN1IXf2iBvB4gHGvItAH5gWwBIUkU4uSPwdNZs/s1600/n+cake-155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSBiiGJ99UVFE34AtksYW8ZWO0j9E3OCVvDKtatjCoNx2BtxrEanIm7QV9pSSYOY6pr_OcBzKWvT5GAdtuEINTqIsTzsHSWWljHR3gyN1IXf2iBvB4gHGvItAH5gWwBIUkU4uSPwdNZs/s400/n+cake-155.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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Ingredients:</div>
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250g butter</div>
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250g castor sugar</div>
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4 eggs</div>
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420g flour</div>
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2 tbsp baking powder</div>
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1 cup milk</div>
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1/4 cup cocoa</div>
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2 tbsp espresso or strong filter coffee</div>
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1/2 tsp vanilla extract</div>
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Method:</div>
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Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. </div>
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In a large bowl, beat the sugar and the butter together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.</div>
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Sift the flour and the baking powder together and add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mix then add half a cup of milk. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and the rest of the milk.</div>
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Divide the batter into two bowls, equal amounts.</div>
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Add the vanilla extract to the one bowl and the sifted cocoa and coffee to the other bowl.</div>
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Mix each batter well.</div>
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Grease a large bundt cake tin and spoon alternate dollops of cocoa and vanilla batter into the tin.</div>
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Using a skewer, swirl the batters to create a marbled effect.</div>
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Bake for 40-50 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean.</div>
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Cool on a wire rack and served drizzled with ganache or simply dusted with icing sugar.</div>
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For a simply ganache: Measure equal weight of good quality dark chocolate and cream in separate bowls. Heat the cream to boiling point and throw it over the chopped chocolate. Allow it to stand for 5 minutes, then with a whisk, mix the mixture until all the chocolate is melted. Pour this over the cake when it has cooled and garnish with pomegranate pips and pistachios.</div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-4H3Me69IGnzXYoeWlPcnw_T6deQzEdtW9V1LLUSZXjKFkNTzSJzKxooan6zARX5pNgP26ItgW7y5N5-WDSJa5JpWxZ_FUA5Otekewfx-D4CVuQGTpX9Ft6KnHNYdjUmFFPibZkH9Zc/s1600/n+cake-166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-4H3Me69IGnzXYoeWlPcnw_T6deQzEdtW9V1LLUSZXjKFkNTzSJzKxooan6zARX5pNgP26ItgW7y5N5-WDSJa5JpWxZ_FUA5Otekewfx-D4CVuQGTpX9Ft6KnHNYdjUmFFPibZkH9Zc/s400/n+cake-166.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-61253166188226748532012-07-24T06:37:00.000-07:002013-10-10T02:39:17.528-07:00Panzanella Salad<br />
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The reason I love this salad is that it's simple to make and it consists of some of my favourite ingredients... Fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, capers, red onion - how can theses delicious flavours not create something awe-inspiring together! <br />
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I thought I'd share the story of my first taste of buffalo mozzarella, the real thing. When I was living in Dublin, working long night shifts in a French bakery, I lived with a young Italian woman (I thought that was the best way to describe her). She was everything you'd expect an Italian woman to be, confident, matter- of-fact and a lover of food, of course. So every now and again when our <span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">bus</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">y </span>schedules would coincide and we'd bump into one another (quite literally) in our tiny kitchenette and I would subtly ask her all sorts of questions about authentic Italian cooking.<br />
So, when she heard that I hadn't ever eaten real buffalo mozzarella (the kind that pulls apart in layers and is good enough to eat on it's own with only course salt and black pepper) she couldn't believe it. <br />
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Her parents were due to arrive for a visit in the week to follow, so she asked them to bring a mozzarella cheese all the way from Italy! To this day, I am not exactly sure of the long journey it travelled to our little kitchen, but I do know that it involved a train journey and a flight. Sure enough, they arrived proudly with a huge mozzarella ball gently floating in it's brind packaged in a polystyrene box! And to say it was the most delicious mozzarella, and that I have since not tasted anything close to the delicate flavour and soft texture of that very cheese, wouldn't be an exaggeration.<br />
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My mother introduced me to Panzanella salad. It was after one of her European holidays that she came back raving about this simple and delicious salad. This is my version and is probably a little more modern and not quite so authentic. I make chunky croutons from slightly stale ciabatta which is so addictive! What doesn't get eaten while making the salad gets used in it, so make double the quantity needed, trust me on this one. Enjoy!<br />
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Panzanella Salad<br />
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(Makes 4-6 portions)<br />
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2 big buffalo mozzarella balls, torn<br />
1 red pepper, roasted, peeled and chopped<br />
2 tbsp capers/caper berries<br />
1 red onion, thinly sliced<br />
300g tomatoes (plum, vine, rosa)<br />
1/3 loaf of crusty, stale bread<br />
1/4 cup good quality olive oil<br />
salt and black pepper<br />
a bunch of basil leaves<br />
6-8 anchovies (optional)<br />
2 tbsp red wine vinegar<br />
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced<br />
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Method:<br />
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Break the bread into bite sized chunks, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven until golden and crispy.<br />
Toss all the ingredients together, keeping everything chunky.<br />
Make a simply vinaigrette by whisking the red wine vinegar into half of the olive oil. Drizzle this over everything and toss the salad.<br />
Garnish with fresh torn basil leaves and the finely chopped red pepper.Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-68362345178580970992012-06-24T12:29:00.000-07:002012-07-29T09:48:34.043-07:00Tomato Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm huddled in front of the fireplace on a very cold and rainy June evening and the sound of the crackling fire and the hum of my laptop are the only sounds in the house. The rain has finally stopped. This is the perfect time for a quick blog post before the busy week starts, I think. And what better way to bring a little colour and cheer into this grey day than write about tomato soup and share these beautiful pictures with you...<br />
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I never quite got tomato soup until I started roasting the tomato's, and my life was changed really. Now I'm hooked. In my catering company the napolitana sauce is one of the basic sauces we use almost daily, so there's nothing as easy as diluting that intense deep red sauce into the quickest and cheekiest dinner for my husband and I, served with home-made ciabatta croutons, what could be better?<br />
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I'm quite passionate when it comes to soups and as I've mentioned in one of my previous posts, the fact that soup makes the cut as a main-meal in my books, was something my husband had to grow use to. Soups are one of those dishes you just need to try, throw yourself into it with abandon and gain the confidence you need to make them following simply your nose and your taste buds. Once you're there, the options are endless! When I think of soups, I think of a dear friend of mine who would ask me the same question over and over, "how much stock or water do I add?". The answer was always the same,"...I don't know, about 1 liter, you need to taste it and see". It comes down to<em> feel</em> and getting the seasoning and thickness<em> just</em> right, so there is a little skill in making a good soup, I must admit.<br />
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Roast Tomato Soup<br />
(Makes 8-10 portions)<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
1 onions, roughly chopped<br />
2 tins whole, peeled tomatoes<br />
2 garlic cloves, sliced<br />
2 tbsp tomato paste<br />
4-6 whole organic tomato's<br />
roasted vine tomato's for garnish (optional)<br />
2 tbsp olive oil<br />
1-2 tsp brown sugar<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
fresh basil/parsley/sage to serve<br />
1 liter vegetable stock<br />
ciabatta bread<br />
1/4 cup good quality olive oil (for croutons)<br />
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Method:<br />
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.<br />
Cut all the tomatoes in quarters, place them in a roasting tray and drizzle them sparingly with olive oil.<br />
Season with salt and black pepper.<br />
Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.<br />
In a large pot, slowly saute the onions and the garlic until soft and translucent.<br />
Add the soft, roasted tomatoes and the tinned tomatoes.<br />
Add about 750ml of vegetable stock to the pot and bring to the boil. Turn the neat down and simmer for 20 minutes.<br />
Blend the soup with hand held blender until smooth and add the sugar.<br />
Taste the soup and dilute with the remaining stock, if needed. Adjust the seasoning.<br />
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To make the croutons: Tear the bread into chunky, bite-sized pieces. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast until they are golden brown and crispy. <br />
Serve this soup with croutons, fresh herbs and a drizzle of good quality olive oil.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdtaDPRLWcS_jDiApJR773YwFBHA5LvlTtiu1FdhwHh6LFnOPoE3We2kx-g7x9in_1h63_3ZSTX7NjAQLZOuF-tCgBorJKWcBsHGnNQMlD3gvXoDju14f0zcj3fbjNGEPOITrixvoiGY/s1600/Studio+Session-052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdtaDPRLWcS_jDiApJR773YwFBHA5LvlTtiu1FdhwHh6LFnOPoE3We2kx-g7x9in_1h63_3ZSTX7NjAQLZOuF-tCgBorJKWcBsHGnNQMlD3gvXoDju14f0zcj3fbjNGEPOITrixvoiGY/s400/Studio+Session-052.jpg" width="265px" /></a></div>Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-37172847009163201762012-06-20T06:03:00.000-07:002012-07-29T09:49:34.531-07:00Grapefruit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When I was a little girl my mother would give me half a grapefruit sprinkled with sugar, each segment delicately cut loose for me to eat it more easily. I still remember that bitter sweet deliciousness, it's such a fond memory, but thinking about it now I realise it was quite unusual for me to be eating, not to mention enjoying grapefruit at that age! Somewhere along the line, probably when I started doing my own shopping and choosing what to fill my fruit bowl with, grapefruit didn't quite made the cut and many years passed without me giving them much notice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Then, a few months ago, a Taiwanese friend of mine invited my husband and I over for a traditional meal prepared by his mother who was visiting at the time. I was flattered that she wanted to teach me a traditional (with a South Africa twist) version of a rice flour tray-cake. So there I was, learning a little about Asian-style baking, a real first for me. For one, a small bowl was used for measurements, which generally seemed less precise and a lot more about 'feel'.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBbb97swhJ6nDS1-UI0PPwMpfSbd_NTeUaDO56dr4dM9TiF3-6xjKHQcjFK7tV4GlqCEbcq4I87VPC0WNOorwyL-jHLSHxlSH4p03MFPMNTY8z04rFg7AiF9IIugft8NeZt-8tdzufAM/s1600/DSC_4454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="270px" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBbb97swhJ6nDS1-UI0PPwMpfSbd_NTeUaDO56dr4dM9TiF3-6xjKHQcjFK7tV4GlqCEbcq4I87VPC0WNOorwyL-jHLSHxlSH4p03MFPMNTY8z04rFg7AiF9IIugft8NeZt-8tdzufAM/s400/DSC_4454.jpg" width="400px" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When we had all eaten more than our fare share and were waiting for the cake to cool, his mom disappeared into the kitchen and came back bearing gifts - a yellowish grapefruit and spiky dragon fruit! I had only seen dragon fruit in Indonesia at the road side stalls but was never brave enough to buy one. She told us that she had grown the tree herself from a fruit many years ago. We all sat around the dining room table sipping cup after cup of jasmine tea and nibbling on the most delicious grapefruit and dragon fruit chunks. The grapefruit was a variety that I hadn't tasted before with a more yellow peel and a light pink coloured flesh, just beautiful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's as if my appetite for grapefruit has been reawakened and I have since come up with some adventurous recipes using them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here are two inspirational ideas if you share my sentiments about the very under appreciated grapefruit.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsKg_TL7aofDlHJsUi4fm2LU7axF9afSTXDgml3_XtbjH8eFoR7WIiLiAqVOYbrZnLeUOrTvnNXKD4mZmXaR1b9mYgwZXpJDdkfRFZ9i96FEBQTjfBu1T8UMP9fH034KwUVhmglIxOhE/s1600/DSC_4285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400px" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsKg_TL7aofDlHJsUi4fm2LU7axF9afSTXDgml3_XtbjH8eFoR7WIiLiAqVOYbrZnLeUOrTvnNXKD4mZmXaR1b9mYgwZXpJDdkfRFZ9i96FEBQTjfBu1T8UMP9fH034KwUVhmglIxOhE/s400/DSC_4285.jpg" width="265px" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Firstly, I made a beautiful salad with locally smoked salmon trout, grapefruit segments, radishes and radicchio, using grapefruit juice in my vinaigrette. Another idea is when roasting beetroot in the oven, add some slices of grapefruit to sweeten and caramelise in the pan with the beetroot, add some blanched baby leeks and you've got a delicious veggie side dish. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Enjoy!</span>Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-70431678231007917622012-06-06T06:42:00.001-07:002012-07-29T10:40:16.174-07:00Operation: Wedding Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqo3GmWxWxjXHJoRPsvrZIpEOp-EgTXeDJXmL_jt39u1ksOxbqgtScrrEXQiIiZSMbsXy9b9EaZ9ClGXdRbpSzofr6rk8ixhjAHKtHJK04an8WdlqGztOnxBwkyMDm29H9x293yWJuYw/s1600/Troukoek+-+Jacobie+&+Alex+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqo3GmWxWxjXHJoRPsvrZIpEOp-EgTXeDJXmL_jt39u1ksOxbqgtScrrEXQiIiZSMbsXy9b9EaZ9ClGXdRbpSzofr6rk8ixhjAHKtHJK04an8WdlqGztOnxBwkyMDm29H9x293yWJuYw/s320/Troukoek+-+Jacobie+&+Alex+001.jpg" width="222px" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As much as I boldly say “I don’t bake wedding cakes anymore”, I am trying unsuccessfully, to put that phase of my career behind me. You see, there are a few opportunities that I simply can’t resist – like my brother’s wedding day! And frankly, what makes a more apt wedding gift to a sibling than the wedding cake <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">itself</span>! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t enjoy making wedding cakes…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So, years after O My Darling Cakes has been shelved and my piping bag and pallet knife are by far the least used tools in my kitchen, I find myself phoning a friend to ask her which is the best butter to use for butter cream icing. The problem is that most of the butters available in the stores are so yellow that is would definitely not give me pure white butter cream – crucial for a wedding cake. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Like most wedding cakes I’ve baked, this one was a journey. From high points like eating warm buttermilk sponge off-cuts late at night, to the general low point of piping for 6 and a half hours...What a great thing to blog about I thought, share my ups and downs with you…The idea was to take some pictures as I went, which didn’t transpire in the least (I think I snapped some on the first day) So, this comes a little outdated, three weeks after the wedding, but better late than never, they say.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I thought I’d share the very easy butter cream icing recipe I used. I did make about 6 batches so feel like a little bit of a butter cream snob (expert). But first, let me tell you a little more about the cake itself...My new sister-in-law had some adventurous ideas, first being to make a 'rainbow cake' for her wedding – a huge trend at the moment. Being very diplomatic, I convinced her to instead have three colours of a hot pink, lighter peach and white vanilla sponge. (After the first blue-coloured sponge came out the oven green, I knew it was time for drastic measures to be taken) The second obstacle was the fact that the icing technique was something I’d never seen or done before. Thanks for nothing, Pinterest.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I’d would like to report that considering the obstacles, this wedding cake was a breeze and one of the cakes I am the most proud of for sure, but I am rather relieved that my next one isn’t for another 4 months! </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Vanilla Buttercream (Swiss Method)</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ingredients</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">600g unsalted butter, at room temperature</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1 recipe Swiss Meringue</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1 tsp vanilla extract</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">140g good quality white chocolate, melted</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Swiss Meringue Recipe</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">240ml egg white</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">400g castor sugar</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Method</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Combine the egg whites and the sugar in a mixing bowl. Place the bowl over simmering water and heat to 60 degrees Celsius, whipping constantly to avoid cooking the egg whites.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Remove from the heat and whip the mixture on a high speed to lukewarm.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Cut all the butter into evenly sized blocks.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Lower the speed on the mixer and add the vanilla. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Gradually whip in the butter until everything is combined and the icing has a soft whipped butter consistency.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Slowly mix in the melted white chocolate when all the butter is mixed in.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Note: This icing will set hard in the fridge. It is ideal for wedding cakes or cupcakes. Add flavouring like orange zest, 2 tbsp of strong coffee or liqueurs. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">It also freezes very well. Simply thaw and whip to the right consistency!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span>Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-4869413887828683142012-05-11T06:52:00.000-07:002012-07-29T09:56:46.596-07:00Red Wine Poached Pears<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This is a seared pork fillet and red wine poached pear salad I made. I know this might sound like an odd (to put it politely) combination, but there's something so lovely about the texture of a soft poached pear in a salad. I generally like to over do it when it comes to fruit, I need no excuse to combine most things with it. But red wine poached pears somehow bridge that gap between savoury and sweet and can become the most delicious dessert or be tossed in a salad on a autumn day. </span><br />
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<span "trebuchet="" font-family:="" ms",="" sans-serif;?="" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This salad idea was borrowed from a rare roast beef and red wine poached pear salad I had seen in a magazine, while looking for inspiration for a shoot. And this beautiful photo was taken in my second food styling shoot with a photographer-friend who now travels all over South Africa with a well-known documentary filming company. It was that clinching shot that made my day and caused me restless nights until I could finally received my copy of the images. And it did make the magazine paging, shopping, lugging, prop-hunting and cooking all the more worth it...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But the actual hero of the day is the red wine poached pears. It is one of those little tricks I learn early on in my cooking endeavors...I think I must have still been in high school, but it's one of those timeless little tricks I like to pull out of my hat when I'm really trying to 'wow a crowd'. Since then, I baked a red wine poached pear and chocolate cake (definitely a recipe for a future post) when I was working as a pastry chef in a boutique hotel (and do they love chocolate!) and tried many more combinations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So, I am really doing you a huge favour by showing you how incredibly easy this is, and no, they will never be uncool or old-fashioned in my books. I will leave room for you to be very creative with this recipe, think these pears wrapped in puff pastry with home-made vanilla bean ice cream, think rare roast beef, rocket and poached pear salad...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Red Wine Poached Pears</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The first tip I can give you is to not buy pears that are too ripe. Then, whenever cooking with wine, use the best wine you can afford. Many cooks think they can get away with using a cheaper wine, but the flavours are intensified during cooking and especially when the poaching liquid is reduced. A good, spicy Shiraz will be lovely for this recipe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">750ml of good quality Shiraz or Merlot</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">250ml of sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2 cinnamon sticks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1 star anise</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">two long curls of orange rind </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">6-8 firm pears, peeled</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In a big pot - place all the ingredients, except the pears. Bring this up to a gentle boil and stir a little until all the sugar is dissolved.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Peel the pears (only when the poaching liquid is ready) leaving the stalks on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Bring the poaching liquid to a simmer and gently lower your pears into the pot by the stems. They will float about, so don't worry if they don't stay upright.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Cut a wax paper circle the same size as the pot and put this over the pears to help them stay submerged under the poaching liquid. Poach for about 30 minutes or until the pears are a deep purple red colour and are soft. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the pears to cool in the poaching liquid. Use them as desired!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSDgW7pxqQhQDZRswLdQu2Yk46HWapgwJIS-QPL933dy6INLfKcnpRB6ZnIsP1nHFZZcAPt3FXbeB3rG7X8LsfutpEjVVIykVG21V6DAW9uFT8HDW7TcndsxUF-B1832rGuj326ANh9w/s1600/_MG_5804bstock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="400px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSDgW7pxqQhQDZRswLdQu2Yk46HWapgwJIS-QPL933dy6INLfKcnpRB6ZnIsP1nHFZZcAPt3FXbeB3rG7X8LsfutpEjVVIykVG21V6DAW9uFT8HDW7TcndsxUF-B1832rGuj326ANh9w/s400/_MG_5804bstock.jpg" width="266px" /></span></a></div>Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-69555652567455945642012-04-15T12:24:00.000-07:002012-07-29T09:55:42.076-07:00Curly Kale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, I have a little confession to make, although it is one of the most common vegetables in Europe, kale is quite new to me as a chef sitting on the most southern tip of Africa. I first came across kale when I was living in Ireland in that delicious dish, Colcannon (the Irish seem to be experts at combining potatoes with pretty much anything) but I haven't been able to source it at our local markets. Then last weekend, on my most recent visit my parents guest house, there they were in a little row, upright and proud kale plants begging to be harvested. Of course, like most of my short visits, I tried something new and cooked my first kale dish.<br />
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So, I can promise nothing awe-inspiring as I am a beginner at this myself and wanted to keep the kale as simple as possible to really appreciate the flavour. After asking the advice of the British guests staying overnight in the guest house over dinner, we settled on sauteed kale with onions, garlic and bacon.<br />
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Here is the simple recipe, might I add that kale is in fact a nutritional superstar! It has higher levels of antioxidants than almost any other vegetable and is full of cancer-fighting compounds, beta-carotene, Vitamin A and C, amongst other goodies. So, step aside quinoa, kale is the new super food!<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
<br />
1 large bunch of kale leaves<br />
1 large onion, finely chopped<br />
1 garlic clove, finely chopped<br />
6 rashers of streaky back bacon<br />
1 tbsp good quality olive oil<br />
salt and pepper, to taste<br />
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Method:<br />
<br />
Wash the kale leaves and remove some of the stalks and veins, if needed.<br />
Heat a big pan and slowly saute the onions and the garlic on a low heat.<br />
Add the bacon bits and saute, rendering some of the fat off the bacon.<br />
Add the roughly chopped kale leaves and saute for about 10 minutes until tender.<br />
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.<br />
Serve as a side dish - delicious with pork.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ff_woTT_SWqTDlo-Xj36rxlH5T_xCJZIeMPlMIk5-jweIR3DvC7ZMbCYC87iAMdRC4bamk77jMYizrcgZqxJn9zqh18oxwB1pwE-aravG8a22LGqfDp3ke8EcLxKDO-1op1bf7zBKhE/s1600/P1140803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ff_woTT_SWqTDlo-Xj36rxlH5T_xCJZIeMPlMIk5-jweIR3DvC7ZMbCYC87iAMdRC4bamk77jMYizrcgZqxJn9zqh18oxwB1pwE-aravG8a22LGqfDp3ke8EcLxKDO-1op1bf7zBKhE/s320/P1140803.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div>Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-40692302377811538142012-03-28T06:41:00.001-07:002012-07-29T09:53:39.555-07:00Warm brownies on an Autumn day...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I just took a warm batch of brownies out of the oven and couldn't resist cutting a corner right out of the tray... Brownies are good, but warm brownies take it to another level. <br />
Dark chocolate gets moved to the back of my pantry shelf in summer when there are raspberries and other beautiful stone fruit to distract me, but as Autumn creeps up on us and the days get cooler, I start dreaming up recipes with cinnamon, preserved ginger and dark chocolate. There's something just RIGHT about brownies in Autumn.<br />
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So, while I am supposed to be costing a recipe for a function this week, putting in orders and just generally being productive, here I am blogging about this brownie recipe which is really a MUST in any bakers' repatoir. I know, I know, you've heard it all before and I bet you've got your own favourite brownie recipe you swear by.<br />
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Well, let me tell you a little about how this recipe became my favourite and I may just convince you that this it's worth trying. It's quite funny really, but like many pastry chefs, my love for baking started with a humble brownie recipe. Nothing fancy, no raw chocolate, cranberries or white chocolate chips, just a good ol' faithful brownie, made with regular ingredients.<br />
From there I never did get into the way-out flavours, to me it's more about getting that balance between a dense texture, an intensely dark chocolate taste and just the right amount of sugar - the perfect compliment to a cappuccino, is how I like to think of it.<br />
<br />
This recipe landed in my inbox when I asked a fellow pastry chef friend of mine if I could try the recipe she was given when she was at a very well known chef school many years ago. I was looking for a recipe with a dense texture, obviously, rule number one when baking brownies is not to over bake them, but there is still something to say for a reliable recipe, that can be baked over and over and never seems to let you down. I'm hoping you sense my passion here.<br />
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So, a few tweaks later, this is it, I can confidently say. At most, I add chopped hazelnuts because there's something just SO right about combining hazelnuts and dark chocolate but I'll allow you to take it from here and add whatever your heart desires, to make it yours.<br />
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Brownie Recipe<br />
<br />
175g butter, plus extra for greasing<br />
5 large eggs<br />
220g castor sugar<br />
220g brown sugar<br />
175g cake flour<br />
100g good quality cocoa powder<br />
100g hazelnuts, roughly chopped (optional)<br />
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Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a brownie tray or large cake tin with greaseproof paper after greasing it generously.<br />
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Very gently melt the butter in a saucepan and leave it to cool. Using a wooden spoon, beat the eggs with the sugar in a large bowl until creamy and smooth, then slowly stir in the cooled butter.<br />
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Stir the flour and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Gradually add the egg mixture until smooth, then fold in nuts and keep a few aside to sprinkle on top.<br />
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Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 25 – 30 minutes until risen with a cracked, crusty top. Be very careful not to overcook them, as the cooking time may vary slightly in different ovens.<br />
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Cool in the tin for about an hour, or until completely cool before cutting them in squares. I like to dust them with cocoa powder.<br />
Variations - adding cranberries, white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, macadamian nuts, pecan nuts and the list continues...<br />
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</div>Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-9402634470985317532012-03-22T06:50:00.009-07:002012-07-29T09:54:49.816-07:00Berry Bliss<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So much for new beginnings…This years' blogging is off to a not-so-good start, but with a little inspiration and better time management, VOILA! We have a new post! <br />
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I have had this blog post brewing for some time now and am dying to share this very easy, anyone-can-do-it jam recipe as well as these fun pictures I took in December. Yes, you heard right, these photos were taken in December! I have however, resisted the temptation to scrap the idea all together, as Autumn in sneaking up on us and the idea of a summer berry jam seems kind of, well, out-dated.<br />
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In December, every December, I get this home-sick longing to just be at my parents' old house, just breathing in the familiarity and reminiscing back to my childhood in that beautiful house with all its' creaks and its' magical big garden. As I’ve mentioned so many times on this blog, the thing I love most about those times is how my family gravitate towards the kitchen and what to eat for the next meal becomes the order of the day (excuse the pun). Not only that, but there always seems to be some mini harvest of sorts, be it potatoes or artichokes or berries…<br />
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So, I’m going to be very honest with you. My mum and I are very similar in the fact that we like unfussy cooking and recipes aren’t taken too seriously, but rather used as inspiration – we really do believe that almost every recipe can be improved and added to. So when I called her to ask her for the recipe of her mixed berry jam, the one we made only 3 months ago, her answer went something like, “Oh, a recipe? It’s about 800g sugar to 1 kg of mixed berries”. And that was that, need I say more.<br />
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This leaves me with the sad conclusion that no jam you or I for that matter, make will EVER be the same as last years summer berry jam. I must say, that does put a smile on my face because I’m sure the next batch will be pretty awe-inspiring with some orange zest added to it… <br />
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Mixed Berry Jam <br />
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Jam is one of those things that might seem a little daunting to try for the first time and it’s also something you need to get a FEEL for. So, I think it’s going to be easier to resign yourself to the fact that there will be at least one batch of jam that you will not be entirely happy with. Cooking jam too long will give you a very sticky thick jam, perfect for jam cookies and a jam that’s too runny? Well, I’ll leave you to be creative with that one…<br />
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Note: This recipe has no pectin or gelatin as we simply used a few handfuls of berries that were less ripe. You might have to add pectin if your berries are shop bought.<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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1 kg mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries)<br />
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800g white sugar (this can be reduced to 500g for a less sweet version)<br />
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Juice of 1/2 lemon <br />
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Method:<br />
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Put the berries in a large bowl and sprinkle the sugar as well as the lemon juice over it. Leave it to rest for about two hours.<br />
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While you are waiting you can start preparing the jars. Now, keeping in mind that I like to take the shortest and easiest method when cooking, do the following: Heat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Rinse your jars and place them in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until dry and very hot. Remove them with tongs. Boil the kettle and pour hot boiling water over the lids and allow them to stand in the water for 5-10 minutes.<br />
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Put the berries in a big pot and place this on a medium heat. Bring it to the boil and boil it for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. A light coloured foam will appear on the surface, gently spoon this off. This will ensure a clear jam. After 30-40 minutes the jam should be thick and reduced. Spoon a little bit on a cold plate and leave it to cool to check the consistency.<br />
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Gently pour into hot jars and seal with hot lids. Be sure to wash your hands and not touch the inside of the jars or the bottom of the lids.<br />
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Store in a cool, dry place.<br />
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Yield: 4-6 medium sized jam jars<br />
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<img aea="true" border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxZvJ9SH9oBLFG2lZTSgmZHsKxVZ2pU_AV8nUwO767xBkeVqcmlza6WzlF3dkyL5wI110KP3FL7NsUY0IGgWzmoNbY5eAUgDQ5lAsePo4Y4lZKSv58vONnjvY9TbUJ9GihQu5JdIEaJE/s320/P1130701.JPG" width="213px" /></div>Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-78856649582413325092011-12-07T05:39:00.000-08:002012-07-29T09:58:01.615-07:00Orange and raspberries with vanilla syrup<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif";">As much as I love making short crust pastry and whipping meringues to perfection, there's something that's just great about simple recipes that have that wow- factor. A fellow foodie once sent me a quote by Jamie Oliver, I probably won't get it exactly right, but it went something like this: "If you are the kind of person that can make their own puff pastry, you obviously have a good life and not enough work to do. Life is too short."I thought that was brilliant. Because to be honest, I am a lazy cook disguised as a pastry chef. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif";">So this little recipe, if you can even call it that, is dedicated to all those cooks who get me on this one. It's perfect for a summer lunch served with mascarpone or with some sweetened soft whipped cream, it's rather sexy and I don't often call food sexy...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif";">So, simply peel oranges, cut them into rounds and arrange them on a platter. Scatter raspberries over them and drizzle the cooled vanilla syrup over the top a few hours before serving for the flavours to really infuse.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif";">Vanilla Syrup</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif";">3 cups white sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif";">3 cups water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif";">1 vanilla pod, cut in the length</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif";">Heat the sugar, water and the vanilla pod on a medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved and allow to cool.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIMvQCIzuy2kTT-s7wOcXX7gVw75fovLqLJVPdAkBWGshUBctyrEbG-aD0pr_F86i5lmy7K-95oxZ4Y5siNcX5AgPrL4vT67qDFv5KFdyFD-uwjXQNrz2XBZek4OwN1nMom9VPOdBQCg/s1600/P1130339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265px" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIMvQCIzuy2kTT-s7wOcXX7gVw75fovLqLJVPdAkBWGshUBctyrEbG-aD0pr_F86i5lmy7K-95oxZ4Y5siNcX5AgPrL4vT67qDFv5KFdyFD-uwjXQNrz2XBZek4OwN1nMom9VPOdBQCg/s400/P1130339.JPG" width="400px" /></a></div>Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-81530879410111944302011-12-05T06:22:00.000-08:002012-07-29T09:59:01.402-07:00A new kitchen for Christmas...<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif";">Christmas madness is here, but all I can think of is my beautiful creamy travertine tiles and the mess that will soon be my dream kitchen…I am day-dreaming about what colour to paint the walls to compliment my cream oven and actually feeling a little stressed about getting it JUST right... You see, in true domestic-goddess-style I have planned a house warming slash Christmas garden party before my house has even had time to shake it’s self<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from the dirt and debris… what I DO know is that fun will be had, it will most definitely be merry and there’ll be great food.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif";">This year has been a whirlwind of change. I put my blogging hobby on hold to simmer and stew and I am hoping to produce something new and exciting to give my readers something to draw them back after months of silence. Frankly, I realised I needed to lift the bar a little. So, cheers to new beginnings, lots of new blog posts, improving my photo-taking skills, and allowing my blog to change as the seasons do, oh and 2012 of course!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif";">Inspiration will not be hard to come by with my herb garden, my planned sprouting kitchen garden (for sprouts and other baby lettuce varieties to be grown in my kitchen sill) and my long awaited brand spanking new kitchen! The way to a man’s heart might be through his stomach, but the way to a woman’s’ heart (well most) is a brand new kitchen!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif";">So on this cheery Christmas note I’d love to share one of my all time favourites with you - my raspberry, pistachio and frangipane tart. In my mind, this tart doesn’t need an excuse to be baked, it’s simply that good. But if you do need one, the Christmas season is as good as any.</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif";">Raspberry and Pistachio Frangipane Tart</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif";">The lovely thing about this recipe is that the tart shell doesn’t have to be prebaked. Simply refrigerate while making the filling, fill and bake!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Pastry Ingredients:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">85g icing sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">250g cake flour</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">1 egg</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">125g butter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Method:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Mix all the ingredients in a food processor until it comes together. Roll it into a ball with your hands and cling wrap it. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Line the tart shell and refrigerate while you make the filling.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Frangipane Filling</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">100g butter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">125g castor sugar </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">1 egg</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>20 ml fresh orange juice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">25g cake flour</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">100g ground almonds</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">1 cup Frozen raspberries</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">1 ml almond essence</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Zest of one orange</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Handful of pistachio nuts, roughly chopped</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Method:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Cream the butter and the sugar until pale, add egg.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Simply add the almond flour, flour, essence and orange juice and mix until combined.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Spread the filling into the cold lined pastry shell.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Sprinkle the frozen raspberries and pistachio nuts over the top.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Bake at 180 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Century Gothic'; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;">Glaze with hot smooth apricot jam when cool. </span><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic", "sans-serif"; mso-font-kerning: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1297016197952988418.post-62743686993462575462011-06-17T01:35:00.000-07:002012-07-29T10:00:17.796-07:00Pomegranates in Winter<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzaw96zHSwNorJQKlwoVvmNDcCNWsmzw5YggpvZ1TFbGIk1wY4f6pTH6mb-XTPl15tYcPtehBffmPMq6Ca4edNaeCZz7fIU1cbW21jPUnz94r_7DCMaBUZX0ibsPuEvJzZmgyNNmPp1M/s1600/juice+making+stand.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619105907597208354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzaw96zHSwNorJQKlwoVvmNDcCNWsmzw5YggpvZ1TFbGIk1wY4f6pTH6mb-XTPl15tYcPtehBffmPMq6Ca4edNaeCZz7fIU1cbW21jPUnz94r_7DCMaBUZX0ibsPuEvJzZmgyNNmPp1M/s320/juice+making+stand.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I simply can’t let this winter go by without featuring one of my favourite fruits in season this time of the year, the pomegranate. I first fell in love with the crisp flavour and beautiful colour of pomegranate seeds while travelling in India. Along the roadsides men would sell freshly squeezed fruit juice blended to order. Cut plastic bottles containing the fruit, lined the stalls and among them were always handfuls of pomegranate seeds, which was my obvious choice. The fruit was often liquidized with manual aluminum juicers, something we only find in antique shops, yet the whole livelihood of an extended family was reliant on this one juicer and a steady supply of fresh fruit. The juice was then strained through a sieve and served with a smile in a rinsed reused plastic cup, Indian-style. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><br />Pomegranates are native to the Iranian Plateau and North Indian Himalayas but they are now cultivated in various parts of the world from the Mediterranean, to the East and even in South Africa. There are many varieties with different coloured arils (seed castings) ranging from deep red to a subtle light pink with flavours ranging from sweet to sour depending on the ripeness.<br /><br />My other fond memory of ruby red pomegranates is from Neil Island, the so-called fruit basket of the Andaman Islands. With limited Hindi words, and lots of smiles we befriended a man selling fruit from a stall pulled behind his bicycle. Every day he would cycle to the town centre, a buzzing concrete slab of vendors, where he’d sit cross legged in his mobile stall selling locally grown star fruit, mango’s and pomegranates to the passing locals and tourists.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><br />I like to use pomegranate pips more as a garnish and add them without hesitation to any dish I think needs a little crunch and freshness this time of year, which seems to be more often than not – be it winter salads, cheese platters or desserts.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtewGQsPwSRZZhbL8d_1RiRir3SWm0JjRWiqW7AZvJ6PPbuFtCDnj9wq9RHR2ckdiXhVB4RvJ0fB-Jkl8p4wWsWfvaKlMZUd_RjQPXkowrggH7MT6LY7uY3QW2SVgzAQBpk3ioSXBD9CI/s1600/Fruit+seller.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619106199928194626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtewGQsPwSRZZhbL8d_1RiRir3SWm0JjRWiqW7AZvJ6PPbuFtCDnj9wq9RHR2ckdiXhVB4RvJ0fB-Jkl8p4wWsWfvaKlMZUd_RjQPXkowrggH7MT6LY7uY3QW2SVgzAQBpk3ioSXBD9CI/s320/Fruit+seller.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br /><strong>Quinoa, Herb and Pomegranate Seed Salad</strong><br />Serves 4<br /><br />Dressing:<br />Juice and zest of 1 orange<br />2 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil<br />2 tbsp white wine vinegar<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />300g quinoa<br />½ vegetable stock cube<br />75g pine nuts, lightly toasted<br />1 pomegranate, seeds removed<br />20g mint, chopped (a small handful)<br />20g coriander, chopped (a small handful)<br /><br />Method:<br />Cook the quinoa by boiling three times the volume of water to quinoa, adding the ½ stock cube to the water. Once the water comes to the boil, place a lid on the pot and simmer on a low heat for approximately 10 minutes or until all the water has cooked away and the quinoa is light and fluffy.<br />Allow the quinoa to cool.<br />Meanwhile, make the dressing by adding all the ingredients into an empty glass jar and giving it a good shake. Once all the ingredients are combined pour this over the quinoa.<br />Toss the roasted pine nuts, the pomegranate seeds and the fresh herbs into the salad.<br />Season the salad with salt and pepper, to taste and serve as an accompaniment to lamb chops or a Middle Eastern-style dish.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07tr5lDLeBo9QI3zZPnwjxCJEFc6TnPJHF5n23MsChWWN2eYWCtoQWLq1vDD7VNsAwUc6FKpuug8yqg3tpX1xjcf8idAYyVTMOJMVQnEvB-ttnoTrVoXD3rQgJSbhdosvEPCcMXlAPuY/s1600/mangoes+and+star+fruit.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619106677219154978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07tr5lDLeBo9QI3zZPnwjxCJEFc6TnPJHF5n23MsChWWN2eYWCtoQWLq1vDD7VNsAwUc6FKpuug8yqg3tpX1xjcf8idAYyVTMOJMVQnEvB-ttnoTrVoXD3rQgJSbhdosvEPCcMXlAPuY/s320/mangoes+and+star+fruit.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br /><strong>Lemony Ricotta Cheese Cake with Pomegranate Pips</strong>Serves 6<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />100g biscuits (Marie biscuits or Tennis biscuits)<br />1/3 cup butter, melted<br />3 cups ricotta cheese<br />½ cup cream<br />¾ cup castor sugar<br />2 tbsp corn flour<br />1 tbsp cake flour<br />3 extra large eggs<br />Juice and zest of 1 large lemon<br />1 pomegranate, seeds/arils removed<br /><br />Method:<br />Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.<br />Blend the biscuits to fine crumbs in a food processor.<br />Mix the melted butter with the crumbs.<br />Press mixture into a greased 20cm spring form cake tin and refrigerate while you make the cheese cake filling.<br />Beat the ricotta cheese, the cream, castor sugar, flour, corn flour and eggs together until they are smooth.<br />Stir in the lemon juice and the zest.<br />Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for one hour. Increase the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius and bake for a further 10 minutes until set and golden brown.<br />Allow the cake to cool in the tin, remove and refrigerate overnight.<br />Serve cold sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and mint leaves.<br />Optionally drizzle the cake with pomegranate syrup found in most delicatessens.<br /></span>Nellekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13590723213405228988noreply@blogger.com0