Coffee and Carrot Cup Cakes

My favourite coffee place (beside the good cuppa my husband makes) is The Coffee Roasting Company at Lourensford Wine Estate, Somerset West only five minutes from my home.  I also enjoy their homemade carrot cake - delicious!  Here is my recipe which is just as delicious and easy to make.   The recipe will make 12 cup cakes.

500ml (2 cups) roughly grated carrots
400g can crushed pineapple
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
90ml (6 tbs) buttermilk
500ml (2 cups) sugar
375ml (1 and 1/2) oil
5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
200g Pecan nuts, roughly chopped (keep a few out for decoration)
750ml (3 cups) cake flour
5ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
10ml (2 tsp) baking powder
pinch of salt
5ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon
5ml (1 tsp) ground ginger
5ml (1 tsp) ground nutmeg

1.  Combine carrots, pineapple, eggs, buttermilk, sugar, oil, vanilla essence and pecan nuts, in a large bowl.
2,  Sift the flour and remaining dry ingredients and add to the carrot mixture.
3.  Place paper cup cakes in a large muffin pan and fill to 3/4 full.
4.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 160 degrees Celsius.
5.  Test with a toothpick, if it comes out clear you know the cakes are done.
6.  Allow to cool completely before putting topping on.

Topping:

Don't over mix the topping or you will find it tends to become runny.  You will need 2 x tubs of smooth cream cheese, 250ml (1 cup) sifted icing sugar, 15ml (1 tbs) fresh lemon juice.  Simply mix all the ingredients to a smooth texture, keep in the refrigerator until the cup cakes are completely cool.

To complete:

Swirl the cream cheese topping over the cup cakes, sprinkle with chopped nuts.

 

 

 

My first Defy stove

I have always been a Defy fan, in my kitchen all my appliances are Defy my latest addition being my stove, hob and fan.  I found this advert of my first Defy stove, it was white enamel and proved to live up to the slogan of: "You can rely on Defy".  Those years the stove cost R136.90, my new stove cost more than R5000, but can we put a price to the slogan?  I like to think we cant!

 

 

 

Where is the chocolate sauce?

I was going to give you a variation of Aggie's chocolate sauce recipe, well I have not forgotten but got side tracked.  I have such a passion for cooking and recipe development and any new recipe gets me thinking.  Yesterday Lily my neighbour was telling me about Haystack Dinners, apparently this is popular in Gauteng but new to me.  I had to google this and find out that actually it appears to be an American idea known amongst the Amish people.  Haystack Dinners have variations and suitable for large dinner parties.   I'm getting distracted again!!! 

October is a lovely month

AGGIE'S  GARDEN  AND  CHOCOLATE  SAUCE

Today I had lunch with my friend Aggie, she is a wonderful gardener and also an artist.  Aggie's

garden is truly a haven of peace and tranquillity, birds, bees and butterflies are there and the most beautiful selection of geraniums.  I love her garden, here is a picture of a plant I gave her many years ago, so beautiful.

 

How I wish you could feel the beauty of her garden, here is another picture.

 

 

 

Today was really a beautiful day, delicious lunch and for dessert Aggie served ice-cream and chocolate sauce.  What impressed me was the chocolate sauce, easy, economical and delicious.  Here is the recipe.

 

AGGIE'S CHOCOLATE SAUCE

 

250ml (1 cup) sugar

125ml (1/2 cup) water

45ml (3 tbs) cocoa

pinch of cream of tartar

15ml (1 tbs) butter or margarine

 

Simple to make, place the sugar, water and cocoa in a heat resistant bowl and microwave on 100% (high) power, three to four minutes, stir frequently.  Add the pinch of cream of tartar and the butter beat until smooth and creamy.  Walla!  ready to serves.

 

Aggie said this chocolate sauce keeps very well in the refrigerator, for larger quantity just double up the ingredients.  Now what could be simplier?  I have not tested the recipe but I am thinking of adding a few variations, let's see what happens in my kitchen tomorrow.  Will show you the pics!

 

Enough for 4 servings 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Spring Tea

I was invited to a morning charity tea to raise funds for CHOICES a crisis pregnancy counselling centre.  There must have been well over 200 ladies.  Rosemary hosted our table and you can see how pretty the table was decorated.  We had fun, met new friends and all for a very good cause.  I'm always on the look out for new recipes this time a plate of Almond Tarts caught my eye, Marilyn Norton made them and promised to send me the recipe to share on the blog.  With a twinkle in her eye she told me the secret to her little tarts!!

 

A delicious morning tea time spread

 

 

 

Marilyn's Almond Tarts

A BARBECUE RECIPE FOR THE VEGETARIAN

Eggplant or aubergine, also known as a brinjal usually a deep purple colour.  Very popular in Malaysian and Indian curries, elsewhere in Asia it is braised, fried, stir-fried or grilled.  For this recipe you need to use those small slim little eggplant known as Slim Jim Eggplant,  they have a light purple and white skin.

Eggplant kebabs

12 Slim Jim Eggplant, halved lengthways
60ml (4 tbs) olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
5ml (1 tsp) lemon juice

1.  Skewer four halves together using two kebab sticks, like making a ladder.
2.  Repeat with remaining eggplant halves.
3.  Combine remaining ingredients, brush over eggplant kebabs.
4.  Place skin-side down onto grid above moderately hot fire.
5.  Grill until skin turns brown, basting frequently.
6   Turnover and grill until lightly browned and cooked through.

Serves six

 

 

Eggplant kebabs

FLAT BREADS

This is an easy recipe using self-raising flour can be baked in a pre-heated oven or wrap loosely in aluminium foil that has been lightly greased and cook over the coals for about 30 minutes.  I found  at Woollies chargrilled artichokes in a lemon and chilli dressing and adding this to the flat bread recipe with the olives makes a delicious variation.  You can try your own combinations.  Here is the basic recipe.

4 x 250ml (4 cups) self-raising flour, sifted
10ml (2 tsps.) salt
125g butter or margarine
2 extra-large eggs, beaten
250ml (1 cup) milk

1. Sift dry ingredients into mixing bowl.  Rub in butter, mix in eggs and milk to form a soft dough.

Cheese Bread:
Use half the quantity basic dough
 250ml (1 cup) grated cheddar cheese
15ml (1 tbs) dried mixed herbs
5ml (1 tsp) chopped parsley

1 Press the dough into a rectangle shape 5mm thick
2 Sprinkle half the dough with cheese and herbs
3 Brush the other half of dough with egg, fold and close edges.
4 Press bread into quarters with fingertips
5 Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes or see above to cook over coals.

Spring Onion and Olive Bread

This is where I add the chopped artichokes about 5 pieces.

Use half the quantity basic dough
5 chopped spring onions
3 sliced garlic cloves
5 halved black olives

Now follow the same method as for the cheese bread.

KASSLER RIB CHOPS WITH BEER MARINADE





Kassler Rib Chops with Beer Marinade

 



 

 

Kassler Rib Chops with Beer Marinade

 

60ml (4 tbs) olive oil

1 onion, finely sliced

250ml (1 cup) beer

250ml (1 cup) beef stock

15ml (1 tbs) wholegrain mustard

5ml (1 tsp) dried thyme

10ml (2 tsps) finely chopped fresh dill

salt and pepper

1 bay leaf

6 kassler rib chops, each about 20mm thick

 

 

1. Place 15ml (1 tbs) oil in a saucepan.  Add the onions and saute until transparent. 

2. Add remaining ingredients and bring to the boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes and allow to cool.

3  Place chops in a casserole dish, cover with marinade and marinate for a few hours or overnight.

4. Remove chops from marinade, braai on hot fire about 12 minutes or until done, basting frequently with marinade.

 

Serves six

 

To microwave:

 

For step 1 and 2 place the oil in a casserole dish add the onions and microwave on 100% (high) power two minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and microwave on 100% (high) power three to four minutes, stir frequently.



More braai (barbecue) recipes

CURRIED  BUTTERNUT

3 butternuts, quartered and seeds removed
10ml (2 tsps.) crushed garlic
15ml (1 tbs) curry powder
5ml (1 tsp)
pinch of black pepper
10ml (2 tsps) sugar
60ml (2 tbs) olive oil

1.  Combine all the ingredients except the butternut.
2.  Rub onto butternut and place on braai.
3.  Turn several times to prevent burning.
4.  Cook until tender.

Serves six to eight

Defy one step ahead

I showed you my first microwave cookery book or should I say booklet!  At the time I wrote this  simplistic little booklet for Toshiba it proved to be not only useful but necessary for our market.   Defy saw this need and were the forerunners in using a cookery book special written for the South African market.   Other microwave brands had UK cookery books often with recipes our market could not identify with, actually Defy's first cookery book was bilingual, here is a picture.





 

I still believe you can microwave meals in minutes.  Unfortunately this book filled with not only the know-how of microwave cooking but delicious recipes, is out of print!  Maybe we can get it re-printed?  What do you think?  In the meantime my blog will have to suffice.  Let's get back to more braai recipes!



 



Fresh mint from my garden

 

 

I have a small herb garden, last week I planted  mint I guess the lamb recipe inspired me.   Mint is very refreshing and can be used in many summer recipes, you can easily plant mint in a container if you don't have a garden, I must warn you that it grows prolific and tends to invade other plants.

In earlier centuries it became very popular to send bouquets or posies of flowers with hidden messages of love and friendship, for example a posy of thyme, mint and sorrel would convey affection.  Mint is a versatile herb from mint sauce, mint foot baths, mint cleanser to the popular American South Mint Julep.  The drink became so popular in America in the mid-nineteenth century that temperance campaigners in the state of Virginia demanded that all mint beds be destroyed!!

 

 

MINT JULEP

 

For each serving;

 

3 sprigs of fresh mint

1/2 tsp castor sugar

15ml (1 tbs) soda water

Crushed ice cubes

1 measure of bourbon

Sprig of mint, to decorate 

 

1, Crush the mint in a tumbler with the sugar and rub it around the inside of the glass.

2. Discard the mint.

3. Add the soda wsater and stir until the sugar dissolves.

4. Add the crushed ice and pour over the bourbon, DO NOT STIR.

5. Decorate with sprig of mint



BUTTERFLIED LEG OF LAMB WITH MINT MARINADE

 

 

 

 

This looks so delicious!

 

 

 

Credits:  Sherryn Tedder

Photography:  Kim Thunder

 





It's braai (barbecue) time!

Although yesterday was on the cool side today we had a lovely promise of summer.  Can I ask if winter is over?  Well, in Cape Town we tread carefully and don't easily pack away our warm clothes but we do have a braai come rain or sunshine.  As you know my husband and I moved to lovely Somerset West with it's lovely mountains, vineyards, tree lined streets and the sea around the corner.  Our new home was a renovating challenge and the garden needed tender love and care so we have been planning, building and planting, that's why I have been quiet on the blog.  I think having an outside area is just as important as the inside of your home.  We enjoy our new outside area not only for entertaining, but we sit outside with a cuppa, have lunch or read a book. I'm posting a selection of braai (barbecue) recipes for you to enjoy.

BUTTERFLIED LEG OF LAMB WITH MINT MARINADE

1.5kg leg of lamb, boned
(Ask your butcher to debone the leg of lamb for you)
45ml (3 tbs) finely chopped mint
125ml (1/2 cup) olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
30ml (2 tbs) smooth apricot jam
15ml (1 tbs) white vinegar

1. Open out boned leg of lamb, make vertical cuts into thick muscle at 40 mm intervals.
2. Place meat into marinating dish
3. Mix together remaining ingredients and spread over the lamb.
4. Allow to marinate three hours in refrigerator or overnight.
5. Place lamb directly onto grid over moderately hot fire.
6. Braai 20 minutes on each side, basting frequently with marinade.
7. Check for doneness by pressing meat with finger tips.  If meat is still "flabby" it is rare, cook a little longer until done.
8. Remove from heat, allow to stand 10 minutes, slice and serve.

Serves six to eight 

My test kitchen 20 years ago

 

Those years I had more microwave ovens than work space!  Here I tested, developed and wrote recipes to the delight and dismay of both friends and family

My Profile

Since 1982 I have been involved in microwave cooking and technology, during that time I wrote six books on the subject, and was the Microwave Food Editor for Your Family magazine for 10 years.  Those were great years.  By choice during  that time I did not own a conventional stove, pots and pans were packed away.  I decided to make this technology my career choice.  For me to understand this technology, I had to use it.  My kitchen became my office, surrounding myself with many microwave ovens.  I was able to test and try these ovens, the various power output ovens, combination ovens, grill feature ovens, giving me a wider understanding of the technology.  Endless recipes were tried and tested to both the delight and dismay of family and friends.  My first cookery book was a homemade hand drawn and a typed booklet with a know how to and recipes.  This little booklet was used in Jeans Microwave Cookery School until the shiny hard covered book with coloured pictures was published.   Microwave Meals in Minutes.  Sadly out of print but maybe just maybe.......????

 



My work in microwave technology and cooking opened international doors for me, I travelled each year to international microwave conferences, presenting papers at some of these conferences.  I had a keen interest in the safety of microwave cooking and attended workshops in the USA and the UK on the subject until I was convinced that microwave cooking was safe if not even better in retaining the essential nutrients we need.

 

Do I enjoy fine dining and good food?  Yes I do, and have great admiration for conventional food writers and chefs.  I now own a conventional stove and combine the two methods easily.  This blog is about good food whether microwaved or conventional.  Enjoy I have some great recipes to share.