Chocolate Fondants

Chocolate fondants are quite an impressive dessert if you can get the consistency just right, so that it sits beautifully when plated, and oozes chocolate sauce as your spoon first breaks through the soft cake crust.  This is from a Gordon Ramsay recipe, and it came out perfectly on my first try.

Ingredients:
- 50g melted butter, for brushing
- Cocoa powder, for dusting
- 200g dark chocolate, best quality you can get, chopped into small pieces
- 200g butter, chopped into small pieces
- 200g golden caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- 200g plain flour

Preparing my chocolate fondants

Method:
1.  Using upward strokes, heavily brush the melted butter all over the inside of nine 150 ml pudding moulds. Place them into the fridge to chill.  Once chilled, brush more melted butter over the chilled butter, then add a spoonful of cocoa powder into the mould. Tip the mould so the powder completely coats the butter. Tap any excess cocoa out, and then repeat with all of the moulds.

2.  Place a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, and then slowly melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove the bowl from heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for about ten minutes.

3.  In another bowl whisk the eggs and yolks together with the sugar until thick and pale and the whisk leaves a trail. Sift the flour into the eggs, and then beat together.

4.  Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture in thirds, beating well between each addition until all the chocolate is added and the mixture is completely combined to a loose cake batter.

5.  Evenly divide the fondant between the moulds. (These can be frozen for up to a month and cooked from frozen.) If not freezing, chill for a minimum of 20 minutes or up to 24 hours.

6.  Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

7.  Place the fondants on a baking tray then cook for 10-12 minutes until the tops have formed a crust and they are starting to come away from the sides of their moulds. Remove from the oven, and then let them sit for 1 minute before turning out.

8.  Loosen the fondants by moving the tops very gently so they come away from the sides, easing them out of the moulds. Tip each one slightly onto your hand so you know that it has come away, then tip back into the mould, put a plate on top and turn it over.

9.  Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Don't forget to make meringues with the egg whites left from the fondant prep.

Chocolate Fondant served with Vanilla Ice Cream

Cheesy Chicken & Aubergine Dinner

This recipe is for a very easy, quick and still tasty dinner.  This should feed 6 people, with some left over for lunch!

Ingredients:

Chicken Breasts (skinless, boneless, and cut into nice bite sized chunks)

1 – 2 Aubergines (tops taken off, cut into chunks)

1 Pack Rosa tomatoes, 1 tin chopped tomatoes, tomato paste

Thyme and Oregano (fresh if possible) chopped finely

Garlic, chopped finely 

Salt and Pepper

Dried Chilli Flakes

Worcestershire Sauce

80g – 100g Mozzarella cheese, grated

Fresh Basil (two handfuls)

60g Parmesan, finely grated

Ciabatta bread

Cheesy Chicken and Aubergine Preparations

Method:

- Fry chicken breasts chunks in olive oil, garlic, chilli flakes, salt and pepper and a good dash of Worcestershire sauce

- Add aubergine chunks shortly after (you want them to get really nice and soft)

- Add thyme and oregano

- Once the aubergines are nicely browned add the tomatoes and the tin of tomatoes.  Also add tomato paste

- Add more Worcestershire sauce and spice to taste

- Turn to medium heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the aubergine is soft and chicken is cooked through

- Add the mozzarella in small handfuls until sauce turns creamy and cheese is mixed through evenly

- Add basil just before serving

- Garnish with Parmesan

- Serve with Ciabatta bread

Cheesy Chicken and Aubergine Dinner served with Ciabatta Bread

Ostrich Steaks in the Best Meat Rub Ever

My beautiful friends gave me Justin Bonello's "Cooked in Africa" book for my birthday, and it holds the recipe to one of the best meat rubs I have ever tasted.  He was only preparing two steaks, so the recipe below is to feed 6.

I made ostrich steaks in the rub, and served it with garlic bruschetta, green salad and sautéed asparagus and brinjal.

Ostrich Steak, sautéed Asparagus & Brinjal, Salad and Bruschetta

Meat Rub:
3 teaspoons of:
- Coarse sea salt
- Brown sugar
- Dried Garlic Flakes
- Mustard Seeds
- Coriander Seeds
- White, black and green peppercorns
- Paprika
- Bell Peppers
- 3 Juniper Berries

Toss all the ingredients into a pestal and mortar and grind into a fine granular rub.

Coat the ostrich steaks in Olive Oil before covering in the rub on both sides.  Braai for 15 - 20 minutes.

For the garlic bruschetta coat sliced french bread in olive oil, grill on both sides until golden and crispy and then rub with raw garlic.

For the sautéed asparagus and brinjal, fry brinjal (I used baby brinjals cut into slices) in olive oil, garlic, salt and black pepper until soft and then add the asparagus just before serving (so it is still crunchy).  Garnish with grated Parmesan.

Ostrich Steak, sautéed Asparagus & Brinjal, Salad and Bruschetta

Grilled Rump served with Exotic Mushroom Risotto, garnished with horseradish butter and rocket

I copied this idea from one of my favourite restaurants, Little Havana, in Umhlanga (Granada Square).  It was simple enough to put together, and awesome to enjoy a "gourmet" meal at home.

Rump with Exotic Mushroom Risotto, garnished with horseradish butter and rocket

RUMP STEAK:

- 300g Rump Steak per person

Marinated in:
- Olive oil
- Worcestershire sauce
- Soy sauce
- Red wine
- Black pepper
- Coriander seeds

Grill/braai for 12 - 15 minutes, and allow to rest for 5 min before serving

EXOTIC MUSHROOM RISOTTO:

- 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice (Risotto rice) 
- 150g Exotic Mushrooms (Woolworths sells an awesome pack with shiitake, king oyster, shimeji mushrooms) - cut large mushrooms into thin slices, separate shimeji bunches
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 1 tsp fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 4 – 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup dry white wine 

- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Sea salt & pepper to taste

Woolworths Exotic Mushroom Mix

1. Have a large pot with weak chicken stock on medium to high heat, ready to add to the risotto when necessary

2. Melt butter in another large pot.

4. Add rice and toss to coat for 3 - 5 min until toasted but not browned

5. Add lemon juice; cook, until all lemon juice has been absorbed, stirring continuously so rice does not stick to sides of pot, about 1 minute.
6. Add 3 cups of hot broth to the risotto, and stir until absorbed. 
7. Add the mushrooms.
8. Add 1/2 cups of the remaining broth thereafter, making sure each addition of broth is absorbed before adding more. Add the cup of wine during this process, which takes about 20 – 30 minutes. When rice turns creamy and just done (should be slightly chewy and not mushy), remove pot from heat.

9. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir well.
10. Season with salt and pepper, and an extra squeeze of lemon juice.

HORSERADISH BUTTER:

- 1 stick softened salted butter
- 1/3 cup chopper chives
- 1 - 2 tbsp horseradish sauce
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Mash together all ingredients, and shape into a roll in wax paper.  Cool properly before cutting into slices to garnish the rump.

ROASTED VEGETABLE SIDE:

- Preheat oven to 200 degrees C
- Chop up a mixture of veg (butternut, baby marrows, red peppers, red onion, tomato - whatever your fancy)
- Drizzle with Olive Oil
- Sprinkle with Moroccan spice mix
- Roast for approx 1 hour, until butternut is soft

Serving:

Place the rump on the risotto, garnish with horseradish butter and rocket and serve with a side of roasted vegetables.

Rump served with Exotic Mushroom Risotto, garnished with horseradish butter and rocket served with a side of roasted vegetables

Kingclip with Mushroom & Leek Risotto

I love Risotto, but have never tried to make it myself.  It was relatively easy, but requires quite a bit of manual labour!  Worth it in the end, and it worked really well with the Kingclip. 

Kingclip with Mushroom & Leek Risotto 

Ingredients:

Kingclip:

- 4 Kingclip Fillets

- 2 lemons

- 2 cloves of garlic

- Fresh Thyme and Sage, finely chopped

- Salt and Pepper

- 4 small slices of butter

Risotto:
- 6 leeks, trimmed and cut into 1cm slices
- 1 pack/6 - 8 Portobello mushrooms, cut into thin slices
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 1 onion, minced
- 1 tsp fresh chopped parsley
- 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice (Risotto rice)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 4 – 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup dry white wine (I chose chardonnay)

- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Sea salt & pepper to taste

Method:

The Risotto takes quite a bit longer to cook than the Kingclip, but you need to prep everything before you start cooking the Risotto as it has to be stirred constantly.  Pop the Kingclip into the oven when the Risotto is nearly ready.

Kingclip:

1. Preheat oven to 180C

2. Place Kingclip fillets onto a baking tray

3. Place butter, garlic and fresh herbs over fish fillets, and season with salt and pepper

4. Squeeze lemon juice over the fillets, and finish off with lemon slices on each fillet

5. Bake for 15 min, and Grill for an extra 5min (or until golden brown)

Risotto:
1. Have a large pot with chicken stock medium to high heat, ready to add to the risotto when necessary

2. Melt butter in another large pot.

3. Add shallots; cook, stirring frequently, until translucent.

4. Add leek, mushrooms, parsley and rice and toss to coat; cook for 2 minutes.

5. Add lemon juice; cook, until all lemon juice has been absorbed, stirring continuously so rice does not stick to sides of pot, about 1 minute.
6. Add 1 cup of hot broth to the risotto pot at a time; stir until absorbed. Repeat with remaining broth, making sure each addition of broth is absorbed before adding more. This process takes about 20 – 30 minutes. When rice turns creamy and just done (should be slightly chewy and not mushy), remove pot from heat.

7. Add the parmesan cheese and stir well.

8. Season with salt and pepper, and an extra squeeze of lemon juice.

Traditional Afrikaans Koeksisters

Koeksisters are a traditional Afrikaans treat – a crisp, sticky, sugary, deep fried braided donut soaked in syrup!  They are so more-ish, but if you don’t finish them in one go you can refrigerate them.

Traditional Afrikaans Koeksisters

Ingredients:

Koeksisters:

4 cups cake flour

2.5ml salt

30ml baking powder

50ml butter

1 egg

250ml - 375ml milk or water

Oil to deep fry

Syrup:

4 cups sugar

375ml water

2.5ml cream of tartar

2.5ml fine cinnamon

2 sticks of cinnamon

Optional: glycerin

The Koeksisters dough and Syrup need time to rest and cool, and will need to be prepared at least 2 hours before the remaining steps.

Syrup Method:

1. Mix sugar and water, add cream of tartar and cinnamon. Let it boil for 5 mins. You can add 5-10ml of glycerin just before you take it off the stove to give it a nice shine.

2. Let the syrup cool of thoroughly before using it. It HAS to be cold when the Koeksisters are added. An ice bath will also help to keep the syrup container cold while the hot Koeksisters are being added.

Koeksisters Method:

1. Sift dry ingredients together, mix butter in with the points of your

fingers or add it to a table top mixer.

2. Beat the eggs and add to the mixture.

3. Add water/milk until it becomes a soft dough, knead until it is smooth and then let it stand for at least 2 hours.

4. Roll the dough out and cut strips, make them a nice size as the thicker they are the more syrup they absorb!

5. Braid the strips.  Easiest way is to cut a thick strip and then cut 2 lines starting at one end but not going through the other end. Braid the 3 strips all connected together at the top.

6. Heat the oil in a deep pan or pot. Let the oil get nice and hot (like 375C)

7. Add the Koeksisters to the hot oil. Moenie jou vingers brand nie!  Let them go brown on one side and then turn them over.

8. Take them out, and let them drain for a few seconds on a kitchen towel.

9. Add them into the bath of ice cold syrup and allow them to soak up all of the greatness.

10.Take them out and let them dry off on a cookie rack

Kudu & Pinotage Gourmet Burgers

I love a good burger, and my boyfriend makes the BEST burgers.  Here is his recipe:

Kudu and Pinotage Gourmet Burger

Patties:

500g Kudu Mince
1 garlic clove, grated
60ml water
1 egg
15ml Dijon mustard
10ml Worcester sauce
5ml salt
3ml black pepper

Pinotage Sauce:

100ml pinotage
30ml balsamic vinegar
45ml brown sugar
2ml fine cinnamon
2ml salt
2ml ground black pepper

Garnish:

Fresh rocket leaves
100g blue cheese, thinly sliced 
2 large onions, chopped

METHOD:

1. Mix mince and garlic, use your fingers and let the mince get loose

2. Mix a 20ml water, egg, mustard, worcester sauce, salt and pepper. 

3. Add this mixture to the mince, and add the remaining water as required.
4. Mix untill it is all incorporated, separate into individual portions wrapped in cling wrap and then let them cool in the fridge for 30mins. Use this time to prep your onions and mix the pinotage sauce.
5. Caramalise the onions, using butter or oil. 

6. For the pinotage sauce, simply mix all the ingredients together and set aside.
7. In another pan, heat oil and then put patties in.
8. Add the pinotage sauce,and allow to boil in order to reduce and turn into a thick sauce.
9. Turn burgers and coat with sauce until cooked as desired.

10. Place on a bun and garnish with caramalised onions, fresh rocket and blue cheese.