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Malva Pudding Recipe

April 7, 2012 in BAKING, DESSERT

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And just like that it happened…..in the blinking of an eye…..overnight!  Autumn, my favourite of all the seasons, has disappeared without actually showing her beautiful self much at all. Now and again I throught I caught a glimpse of her but then summer reappeared with a vengeance again. The last couple of days were once again in the 30′s and today? I think if it was 13 we were lucky. We so need the copious amounts of rain that has fallen today so I am definitely not complaining. It will be lovely to see the countryside turning green again and the little Silvermine river filling up once more to flow freely into the ocean.

With the advent of cold weather my thoughts turn to comfort food. Today was a typical example…I sent brownieboy out to go and buy some lamb and our bellies are full tonight with delicious lamb curry. Earlier this week my brother and sis in law were visiting from the Free State and came over for lunch. I am here to share with you all my delicious Malva Pudding that I served for dessert – a well-loved, traditional baked South African dessert from Dutch origins that graces the most classy plates in the classiest restaurants…….and also most homes! Everyone needs to have this particular ace up their sleeves. Talk about comfort food on a cold wintry night. It ticks all the boxes for me! And the beauty of it is that it is simple and easy to prepare. I am not sure where the name comes from (malva is Afrikaans for marshmallow but this does not have any marshmallow in it) but Wikipedia suggests that it is called Malva Pudding after Malvasia dessert wine from Madeira – apparently the two were served together after the meal in the good old days…that makes sense! My inspiration for this recipe comes from my well worn Cook With Ina Paarman – one of the doyennes of South Africa’s culinary history.  This book was given to me years ago by a very good friend and it has been the inspiration for many a delicious meal. I will blog a few of them when I can. Right now I am in the midst of organizing the South African Food and Wine Blogger Indaba 2012 and it is taking up all of my time.  I am in the process of discussions with a new headline sponsor so should be able to make an announcement soon. But I CAN tell you all that this event will be happening on 24 June 2012 in Cape Town once again. It will be a one day event as before….but I am hoping to add a few new twists that will make it very attractive for all those keen to attend. So do save the date and those who are planning to fly down for it, best you start making plans and booking tickets! To sweeten you all up a little bit more…..here is my Malva Pudding Recipe

MALVA PUDDING

Serves 8-9

(adapted from the original recipe in Cook With Ina Paarman

published by Ina’s Kitchen 1987 ISBN 0 620 11087 2)

Ingredients:

250ml Castor Sugar

1 ¼ Cups (312ml) Cake Flour

2 XL Eggs (at room temperature)

1 ½  tsp (7ml) Bicarbonate of Soda

Pinch of Salt

Finely grated zest of 1/2 an Orange or 1 whole Clementine

½ Cup (125ml) Milk

1 Tbs (15ml) Smooth Apricot Jam

2 Tbs (30ml) Butter

1 Tbs (15ml) Vinegar

½ tsp (2.5ml) Real Vanilla Extract

Sauce:

1 Cup (250ml) Evaporated Milk (or fresh cream if you prefer)

½ Cup (125g) Butter

½ Cup (125ml) Sugar

½ Cup (125ml) Orange Juice (or water if you prefer)

Knife point of Vanilla bean seeds

It also works well with ½ brandy and ½ orange juice  for an adult version

 Method:

Preheat oven to 1800 Celcius

Grease a medium to large deep ovenproof dish and set aside

Beat the eggs and castor sugar until light and fluffy

Beat in the apricot jam and orange zest

Sift the dry ingredients together in a seperate bowl

Melt the butter and mix together with the milk and vinegar

Alternately fold some of the dry ingredients and liquid into the batter until all is folded in (I do about a third of each at a time) end with dry ingredients

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes

About 5 minutes before the end of baking time melt all the sauce ingredients together in a saucepan and boil gently for a few minutes – this can also be done in the mircrowave

As soon as the pudding comes out of the oven poke some holes into it with a fork or skewer then pour the hot sauce over and leave to be absorbed for about 15 minutes or so

(I like to keep about half the sauce aside and serve it warm with the pudding)

Serve this pudding warm with thick cream, custard, crème frâiche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream – my best way….I just love the mouth feel of hot and cold at the same time! :)

For a yummy extra South African twist I like to sometimes half whip some cream, add a tot of amarula liqueur  and 10ml Icing Sugar to it and then whip until stiff peaks form and serve this with the warm pudding….yummy!

The beautiful thing about this dessert is that it is one of those dishes that improve with age and maturity :) So it is always a good thing to make more than enough for left overs. Oh and you can safely make it a day or two before you need it and leave it sealed with foil or cling film in the fridge, just warming it up before you need to serve it.

To all my Christian readers and friends I wish you a Blessed and Joyous Easter! To all the rest of you I wish you a wonderful time of happiness and joy with families and friends, a time of renewal and celebration of life.

browniegirl xx

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Easy Simnel Cake Recipe for Easter

April 5, 2012 in BAKING

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Easter – a time of year when Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday and a celebration of His resurrection to life on Easter Sunday. On Good Friday it is traditional to eat hot cross buns. Easter Sunday is the day of feasting and celebration, the day when kiddies all go on their Easter egg hunts and overdose on sugar and chocolate. For many families it is a tradition to bake and enjoy a Simnel Cake, a light fruit cake that has a layer of marzipan (almond paste) baked into the middle of the cake and another layer to decorate it when it is cold. It is also decorated with 11 little marzipan balls – these symbolize the eleven disciples of Christ (Judas Iscariot who betrayed Christ is not included).

Recently my friend Michael Olivier  called and asked me if I would be interested in baking his Granny’s Simnel Cake for him to include in the Easter edition of Crush! Online Magazine. I was delighted in his faith in my abilities to recreate some childhood memories for him and set about preparing the ingredients and baking the cake according to the recipe supplied by Michael. What a delightful cake! And one that I will adopt for my own families Easter celebrations from now on!

GRANNY’S SIMNEL CAKE (courtesy of  Michael Olivier)

Ingredients:

For the almond paste

250g castor sugar

250g ground almonds

2 free-range eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla essence [some like to use almond essence]

For the cake

180g butter [don’t even be tempted to use margarine or vegetable fat]

180g soft brown or Moscovado sugar

180g cake flour

¼ tsp each ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves and fine salt

3 extra large eggs

150g Orange River Raisins

150g Orange River Golden Sultanas

50g currants

60g chopped mixed peel

grated rind of 1 lemon and one orange

2 Tbs smooth apricot jam (for brushing on cake before the applying the almond paste topping)

1 egg – for brushing over the cake before grilling.

Method:

Prepare a 20cm cake tin by lining it, bottom and sides, with greaseproof or silicone paper.

In a large glass bowl mix the sugar and the finely ground almonds.

Whisk the eggs until frothy and add only enough, a bit at a time, to give the paste a soft texture.

Flavour with the vanilla essence and knead gently for about a minute.

Divide the almond paste into three portions. Roll out one third to make a circle 18cm in diameter which will go into the centre of the cake.  Wrap the remainder tightly in double cling film and set aside. One half  will be used for the 11 balls and the other to roll out another circle to place on top of the cake once completely cooled.

Preheat oven to 140C.

Using your mixer cream the butter until light and fluffy and then add the sugar and beat together until pale in colour and light in texture.

Sift together the flour, spices and salt in a separate bowl.

Add the eggs one at a time and add about a third of the flour mixture with each egg as this helps to prevent curdling.

Add the fruits, the mixed peel the grated rinds and stir together with a wooden spoon to mix well.

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared cake tin.  Level it off with an off set spatula and then put the circle of marzipan on top.

Spoon the rest of the batter on top and smooth over allowing a little bit of a dent in the middle to ensure that the cake ends up baked with a nice flat top.

Bake for 1hour 45 minutes, insert metal skewer into the middle to test.  If it comes out clean, the cake is baked.  If not test after a further ten minutes baking.  Remove the cake from the oven.

Allow to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cake is completely cooled remove it from the greaseproof or silicone paper.  If it is slightly domed, put it upside down on a baking tray.

Set your oven’s grill on high.

Heat the apricot jam and brush over the top of the cake.  Roll out one half of the  remaining marzipan  into a thickish circle the exact diameter of the cake (use the pan to measure) and place it carefully on top of the cake.

With the remaining marzipan, roll out 11 small round  shaped balls and place them around the edge of the cake.

Brush the marzipan and the balls with beaten egg and set in the oven to brown gently, watching all the time for about 1 – 2 minutes, depending on the heat of your grill.  Otherwise use a blow torch to brown it.

Garnish with some little candy or small chocolate Easter eggs.  And do place a little fluffy chicken on top.

As I sit here writing up this post my skin is being caressed by the most beautiful cool sea breeze blowing gently in the window. It has been so many months since I last felt that and my whole body is  cheering on the advent of Autumn. This is MY time of year…the season that I delight in the most! In previous years by the time Easter came upon us autumn had all but disappeared and winter was already making her presence felt with wicked north westerly gales and driving rain. I remember well that my daughter, who has her birthday at the end of March, throughout her childhood years bemoaned the fact that she could never have a swimming party around the pool! Instead all her little friends arrived dressed up warmly in coats and boots and they had to play indoors! This year for the first time sweet daughter was able to have her wish……for her 33rd birthday!

If you are on the roads travelling at this time of year do drive safely and have a wonderful time with family and friends. We remain home as brownieboy has to work. Usually our Good Friday is quiet with those who want to going off to church to commemorate the crucifixion. In true Cape style I always enjoy some pickled fish for my lunch on this day! YUM! On Easter Sunday the family gathers at daughter and son in laws home to participate in the excited hunt for Easter Eggs. Then we all head to church as a family to celebrate Christs resurrection. After church we gather around the table at our home to  feast!

Now it is time for a nice cup of soothing rooibos tea before I tackle the afternoons admin…… and a slice of this delightful Simnel cake would do very nicely too thank you! But I shall have to wait until I have baked it again!

I wish you all a Blessed and Happy Easter.

browniegirl xx

This recipe was first published in the 17th issue of  Crush! Online Magazine and also on Michael Olivier’s website  Crush is available globally and provides very interesting reading with interactive pages. Just supply your email address to subscribe and your issue will drop into your mailbox once a month – absolutely free of charge! 

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Tame your Dragon with these Citrus Wontons

February 6, 2012 in DESSERT

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Are you self-confident, innovative, brave, impulsive, compassionate and a perfectionist who is strong and decisive? Do you not care to listen to the advice of others? Like being in command? Then you were most likely born during the Year of the Dragon, the mightiest of all the Chinese Zodiac signs.

The Chinese year 4710 began on the 23rd of January 2012, and of course this is The Year of the Dragon. The Year of the Dragon comes around every 12th year . Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth day, when the moon is brightest. So, much is being celebrated all over the world by Chinese and non Chinese alike.

To enter into the mood I decided to make a dessert.  My inspiration for this recipe came from Amy at she wears many hats  My eye caught her photograph that had been pinned onto Pinterest so I followed the link and found her recipe. I pimped it a bit to suit my ingredients that I had to hand

Citrus & Mascarpone Wontons

 

CITRUS MASCARPONE WONTONS

Ingredients:

4 ClemenGolds – canned mandarins will also do)

2.5ml Chinese 5 Spice Powder

15ml Brown Sugar

10ml Cornflour

Mascarpone Cheese

Wonton Wrappers (I couldn’t find any around here so settled for phyllo pastry)

Peanut Oil and Vegetable Oil – enough to cover about 2.5cm of your saucepan base

Method:

Peel and segment the fruit (catching the juice that runs out in a bowl as you do so)

Place in the bowl with the juice and add the 5 spice powder, cornflour and sugar. Mix well and set aside

Open up Wonton Wrappers (if using the phyllo pastry as I did brush melted butter on sheets and layer 2 or 3 on top of each other. Cut them out into squares

Place a small dollop (about half a teaspoon) of Mascarpone Cheese into the centre of each square or wrapper, add a teaspoon of the ClemenGold mixture then wet the edges of the pastry, fold the one corner over to the opposite corner to form half a triangle then fold over the other corners all to meet in the middle. Fix with a bit of water

Repeat with all the wrappers.

Heat up some oil (I used half and half peanut and vegetable oil) in your wok or saucepan and add the wontons a couple at a time and fry until golden brown all over

Set aside on paper towel to drain while you complete the rest of them

When cool dust liberally with icing sugar and serve as is or with some vanilla ice cream.

I made a yummy dipping sauce to dip my wontons into:

Mix together until dissolved :

50g Dark Brown or Muscovado Sugar

1 teaspoon Lime Juice

¼ teaspoon Five Spice Powder

Few drops Kikkomans Soy Sauce

20ml Hot Water

Serve alongside the Wontons or pour over ice cream as I did and enjoy!

Oh….and seeing as this is the month of luuuuurve………

Dragons will give in to love, but won’t give up their independence. Because they have quick, sometimes vengeful, tempers their partners need to be tough-skinned. Dragons enjoy others who are intriguing, and when they find the right partners, they’ll usually commit to that person for life. If you would like to read more about the Year of the Dragon you can go here

Happy Chinese New Year to all my readers,

browniegirl xx

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Spiced Citrus Tarte Tatin with Butter Puff Pastry

January 23, 2012 in DESSERT

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Tarte Tatin……the word conjures up cold nights and comforting food eaten around the fireside with a delicious glass of sweetish wine to accompany it. Tarte Tatin also conjures up visions of firm crisp apples and caramel and delicious puff pastry. So easy and simple to prepare and yet so delicious and comforting. ClemenGold also conjures up wintry thoughts as it is a winter citrus and only available for that season….but I turned both into a wonderful summery delight this past week.

The new year has firmly entrenched itself and 3 weeks have just flown past in a blur. Here in the Western Cape where I live we have been overwhelmed by a heatwave of massive proportions. I have not been able to bear spending any time in my kitchen during the days. Nights are oppressive and everyone is battling to sleep. I think airconditioning companies have been benefiting from it all. In the bowels of my freezer I came across a bag of ClemenGolds this past week that I had popped in there towards the end of the 2011 season. As I was contemplating them the idea of using some for a tarte tatin  came to mind. Using my favourite spices of course for my ClemenGold goodness. It ticked all the right boxes for me….quick and easy to prepare and delicious with a big scoop of icy cold vanilla ice cream! I was sold on the idea and this is what I came up with…

Spicy citrus deliciousness with vanilla ice cream



SPICED CLEMENGOLD TARTE TATIN WITH RICH BUTTER PUFF PASTRY

Serves 4-6

Easy to prepare

Ingredients:

1 roll good quality Butter Puff Pastry – thawed but still cold

2 ClemenGolds (or other clementine/mandarin if you cannot get the ClemenGolds)

125 g butter

100 g Light Brown Sugar

½ Lemon – juice only

5ml NoMU Sweet Rub

1 Vanilla Pod – split and seeds removed with the tip of a sharp knife

2 star anise

1 Egg – lightly beaten for brushing the pastry

Method:

Wash and slice the ClemenGolds thinly (leaving the delicious peel on) and set aside. I am so in love with my new Lassar ceramic knife that is perfect for this job :)

Unroll the puff pastry and, using your skillet as a measure, cut out a circle  about an inch wider all round than the size of the skillet that you are using. Set aside in the fridge until needed

Place the skillet (it needs to have an oven proof handle) onto the hob over a low to moderate heat

Place the butter, sugar, sweet rub and lemon juice into the skillet and melt all together without stirring

Add the vanilla seeds and pod and star anise

Allow the mixture to caramelize and turn a medium golden colour giving it a bit of a shake every now and again.  Don’t allow it to go any darker than that as it can burn very easily

Remove the pan from the heat and place the ClemenGold slices in the caramel in circles, overlapping the slices slightly and placing the last one in the centre of the pan so the whole base is covered

Set aside to cool for 10 – 15 minutes

Preheat oven to 200C while the caramel is cooling

Remove puff pastry from the fridge and place it lightly over the top of the caramel in the skillet. Fold and tuck the extra bits down the sides carefully as the caramel might still be hot enough to burn your fingers

Brush lightly with the egg wash and bake on the middle shelf in the oven until the pastry is puffed up  and a deliciously medium golden brown colour

Remove from the oven then place a large flat serving plate over the top of the skillet

Using oven gloves or a couple of folded dish towels hold the plate and pan tightly together and in a quick motion flip them over and place plate down  on to the counter

Remove the pan – if any slices have remained behind gently lift with a spatula and place back into position

Allow to cool slightly then remove the star anise and vanilla pod and cut into wedges

Serve with whipped cream, crème frâiche or ice-cream (personally I prefer the iciness of ice cream with the still slightly hot tarte tatin!)

browniegirl tip: Wash the stickiness off the vanilla pod then let it dry thoroughly on your windowsill in the sunlight. Once dry pop it into a jar of sugar and cover tightly. In a week or two you will have delicious vanilla sugar for all your baking needs :)

To interact with Lassar ceramic knives visit their facebook page or take a peek at the Essentials page in the latest Crush online magazine edition to see how to slice and dice an onion…the Lassar way!

Enjoy,

browniegirl xx

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