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Almond kisses and date syrup

January 18, 2013 in Uncategorized

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addtotaste_almondkisses

 

*waves frantically* Hello!

I wonder if you remember me, I sure remember you guys and I missed you. I am struggling to get into a routine with this full time job that has no internet access and a very very busy little boy. Trying to lose weight, 30kg before my 30th birthday so been on a wild ride of low carb, high fat, primal v.s. paleo and sleek geeking.

This doesn’t mean my cooking has been boring. In fact, it has been more creative that ever before, only that it happens at a late hour and I never really get good light for a photo. My one camera’s battery is dead and I have no clue where the charger is and the other fell and makes funny pictures.

This lovely shot up there was taking with my dad’s camera, the kisses baked in my mom’s oven. They were made for the kick-ass, now officially annual, Cookie n Cheer cookie swap. It is inspired by my new  way of eating. What kind of cookie I could make that would be delicious and easy for someone to replicate.

As sugar isn’t really an option I had to come up with a substitute. Normally I would use but this time I wanted to try something else, so I made my own date syrup. This is something that is used a lot in the middle east but the shop bought stuff is full of sugar as well so I made my own. So easy too.

The kisses are a lot like macaroons so light and fluffy and the longer you keep them the softer they get.

Almond Kisses

slice of lemon
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
130g almond flour
3 tbs date syrup or honey

Preheat oven to 150 degrees
Wipe a clean, dry bowl and whisk with the lemon.
Whip the egg whites till they start to bubble and add the Cream of Tartar.
Whip till stiff peak.
Add the almond flour in slowly, folding it in.
Add the syrup or honey and fold till mixed through.
Use a spoon to place blobs onto a prepared cookie tray and put in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Date Syrup

1 cup pitted dates
1 tbs lemon juice
Water.

Soak the dates over night. Taken them out keeping the water, process them till sooth and add back to the water with the lemon juice. Heat over a medium to low flame until syrupy. Cool

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Primal Tikka Masala

August 23, 2012 in main, Primal

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Add to Taste - Primal Tikka Masala

The west is a funny place. We take foods from all over the world, change them, tweak them, call them something new and then credit the country the orginal, very different, dish came from. Like, “inside out rolls” and “chop suey” and this vibrant dish, Chicken Tikka Masala.

Not that I am complaining, all the above and other dishes like them are firm favourites of mine and the only “food origin” argument I ever let myself get into is whether hummus is originally Middle Eastern or Greek (Hummus is the Arabic word for chick pea so decide for yourself).

What I really love about this particular dish is how easy it is for me to fit it into my current eating habits. Thanks to a recipe found here and with a little tweaking, the whole family loved the dish. Myself and mysister had it with garlicy sweet potato mash, while the rest of the family had it with rice. Even my 10 month old enjoyed it (He just had the tikka part without the masala sauce).

Add to Taste - Garlic sweet potato mash

Primal Tikka Masala

For the tikka

6-8 boneless and trimmed chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces (As this method is gentle on the protien you can substitute with fish)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch fresh corriander, finely chopped
Juice of half a lemon
1 tin coconut milk
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 thumb size ginger grated
Small pinch cayenne pepper
Generous pinch of salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon ground black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 200C
Mix everything together in your baking dish, cover and bake for 1 hour.

For the masala

2 tbs olive oil
2 onions, sliced thinly
65g tomato paste
1 tin peeled tomatoes in their juice
3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 tin water (use the tomato tin)
Juice of half a lemon
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder (depends how hot you like it)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons garam masala (an Indian spice blend)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 can coconut milk
Salt & Pepper to taste

In the olive oil fry some the onions (use a bit of water to cook the onions a little before they fry)
Add the spices  and fry them a little.
Add the tomato paste and cook it out
Add the tinned tomatoes, the water and the lemon juice.
Cook for about a minute and add the coconut milk.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Then scoop out the chicken pieces and a bit of the cooking juices and add them to the pan. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve with your choice of starch, or just so in a bowl.

Add to Taste - Empty Bowls

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Buttermilk Ricotta

August 14, 2012 in Uncategorized

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Being frugal does not come naturally to me. I am a poster child for conveniece and would much rather “just pay for it” than calculate how much I can save if i “just do it”. Unfortunately, of late, being frugal is more a necessity than an luxury and I have been doing freelance anything for some extra cash on the side.

One of those freelance anythings has been baking. Red velvet cupcakes to be exact and if you follow that link to my recipe you will see that a key ingredient is buttermilk.  For those who don’t know, buttermilk is what is left over when you turn cream into butter and lends a tang and a creaminess to the red velvets.

Add to Taste - Pot 'o Ricotta

Suddenly buttermilk has turned into a regular ingredient found in my fridge so when I was given a recipe for ricotta made with it I had to give it a try (I am all for giving things at least one try). I make ricotta regularly and it is the one frugal move I make. Every time I reach to pick it up off the fridge shelf in the supermarket I look at the price and swop it for a bottle of milk instead to make my own.

This recipe is so simple (the friend who gave it to me has yet to let me know who to credit) with only 2 ingredients and some simple kitchen tools. If you don’t yet have a candy thermometer I recommend you invest in one (Only R60 from yuppie chef) and you can use a regular kitchen towel if you cannot find muslin.

Add to taste - Ricotta stack

Buttermilk Ricotta

2 litres full cream milk
2.5 cups butter milk
Candy thermometer
Cheese cloth

Slowly bring both milks up to 82C on medium heat. In the this time it will begin to separate and curdle. Once it reaches 82C, remove from heat and slowly strain the whey and curds over the cheese cloth. You can use a slotted spoon to get all the curds out as well.

Once everything is separated, tie the cheese cloth into a ball and hang from an elevated area for a minimum of half an hour. The longer you hang, the dryer the curds.

Add to Taste - Snacking Ricotta

I had mine with some fresh tomatoes, a sprinkling of za’atar and a splash of olive oil

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Bread and Butter pudding

July 24, 2012 in dessert

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Add to taste - Bread and Butter pudding before

Let’s be frank (and I don’t mean the annoying new insurance company), times are still tough. For the average person on the street, numbers and figures on wall street looking promising doesn’t mean a thing. July, the month of saving, has been my most difficult month yet, I look over my expenses and there hasn’t REALLY been anything outstanding and still, I am holding my breath until the 25th.

Add to taste - Bread and Butter pudding during 

So when asked to bring something for dessert on a Friday night, my mind jumped first to “Malva pudding” I love making it as a bring along dessert, I make the batter and the butterscotch sauce and bake it while dinner is being eaten so it can be served warm and luscious at the end. Then I remembered that cream and butter were in short supply at my house and that my credit card would hate me hard if I even thought about it…

Add to taste - Bread and Butter pudding covered 

I started looking through my mental inventory of what I DID have at home and remembered a challa, sitting patiently in my freezer, waiting to be eaten. A Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) challa full of raisins and sultanas. I knew what I was going to make. I had enough butter, milk and eggs. Some bananas and cranberries found their way into the dessert and there we had it.

I didn’t really use any recipe, they are all mostly the same. I just googled the what the ratio of eggs, milk and sugar was for a baked custard as a guide.

Add to taste Bread and Butter pudding sneak peak 

Bread and Butter Pudding 

1 loaf challa (I used the round kind)
100g butter
1,5l milk
8 eggs
120ml sugar
1 tsp vailla
1 large banana (optional)
1 cup cranberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 180°C
Butter an oven proof dish thoroughly.
Slice the bread into thick slices and better each side.
Mix together the milk, eggs and sugar and set aside.
Slice the banana.
Put down a layer of bread, followed by banana, then bread, then cranberries, then banana, then bread. (If you are not adding fruit, just layer the bread).
Slowly pour in the custard. You will need to do it in batches, waiting for the bread to soak in the custard.
Place in the oven for 45 minutes and then allow to set.

 

Add to taste Bread & Butter pudding revealed 

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Coke float cupcakes

July 10, 2012 in baking

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If you had to describe coca cola what words would come to mind? Dark, bubbly, sweet? That description could easily match Nerine *ducking to avoid flying shoe* and so when she asked for that flavour of cupcakes for the launch of Inkarna I reckoned it would be a perfect match. Over a chocolate martini and juice that was actually water we discussed ideas and “coke float” was the winner.

Add to taste coke float cupcakes

Who hasn’t had a coke float at least once in their sticky youth (if you haven’t I suggest you pony up and regress slightly and try one) Mess and sweetness, what more could a child want. Well how do I recreate that in a cupcake.

I took to the internet to find if others had done it and found Brown Eyed Baker did something very similar. I started there and went off on my merry adventure of figuring out how to stabilise whipped cream icing without gelatine and how to get it to have enough of a vanilla flavour to mimic vanilla ice cream.

The solution was really simple and the result, magical. Try for yourself and see :)

Add to taste coke float cupcakes on a rack

Coke Float cupcakes

(makes 12)

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 3 tbs cocoa
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 125 gs butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup coke
  • 1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract

Icing

  • 1 cup cream
  • 1 cup instant vanilla pudding 
  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 12 maraschino cherries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C and line a standard muffin pan with paper liners; set aside.

2. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. (I used vanilla powder so added it in here)

3. Combine the sugar and butter and beat on medium-high until light and creamy. Add the egg and beat for until combined. In a large mixing cup or small bowl, combine the buttermilk, Coke and vanilla extract. It may curdle

4. Alternate adding the coke and flour mixtures.

5. Divide the batter evenly between the muffins tins. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center cupcake comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing:

1. Whip the cream till it thickens, add the vanilla pudding and icing sugar and continue whipping till it comes together.

2. Place in a piping bag with a star nozzle.

3. Choose the cherries you want to use and place on a paper town to remove excess syrup. Place on top of each cupcake.

Add to taste coke float cupcakes in a hand

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker’s Cherry Coke Cupcakes

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3 ways with pizza dough

May 31, 2012 in entree, main

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You know those cravings that won’t leave you. The ones that creep up at in appropriate times. Cravings that whisper in your ear “that just doesn’t taste right” when you eat something that isn’t what you crave. Fill your mind to the point where not even your favourite series, your child’s laughter or your husband’s loving words can penetrate the thoughts of making or eating that which you crave?

I see you nodding and so you will understand when I tell you about my pizza dough craving. It wasn’t about what was on top, that didn’t matter. It was the flavour and texture of what makes a pizza a pizza that took residence in my head and would not leave.

So I paused Lost Girl, got up and made the dough. I had no idea WHAT I was going to put on it but the dough was made. Next I went foraging in the fridge, freezer and cupboards for something to use. No, going to the shop was not an option….because…stop it! No! aaaaanyway. In the freezer I found a beautiful piece of beef fillet which I had trimmed off a larger piece I made a few weeks back, some roasted red pepper and tomato soup and a couple of sausages. In the fridge a tiny bit of cheese and in the cupboards onion and spices.

So I went about creating these 3 tasty snacks for us, never having to leave the house or dress in anything but slippers and PJs (see why the shop was not an option). I turned the sausages into cows in blankets (beef sausage see), the meat I fried up with some onions, caramelising it a little then made balls of meaty goodness. The roasted red pepper and tomato soup was cooked down and thickened and made a beautifully rich base for the pizzas I made with cheese and some onion and the rest of the dough was mixed in some caramelised onions to make little dinner rolls (that never made it to dinner)

Pizza Dough

1/2 cup warm water
1 sachet activated dry yeast
2 + 1 cup 00 flour (or half white bread flour half cake flour)
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Put the yeast in the warm water with a pinch of flour and allow it to bloom. Mix it in with the 2 cups of flour and knead adding the 3rd cup as you knead the dough. Kneed in the olive oil and salt. Place ina oiled bowl and cover and allow to rise.
Once the dough has risen, knead it to knock out or the air bubbles and divide it into the number of portions you need. (If you are freezing the dough this is when you do it)

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Baa Baa Bolognese

May 29, 2012 in entree, main

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I love when plans come together. When you have a tiny seed of an idea and with the right kind of nurturing it starts to grow into the seedling of something amazing. Some ideas, like some seeds, when planted at the wrong time or in the wrong place never sprout but others, oh they even surprise. That was why I was cooking supper for Jon from i shot images.

 

I had an idea, I thought he might be the person to help me grow it and what I got in return for sharing this project with him was more than I could have ever imagine. The excitement I was holding back, in case I was totally off the mark, he let show immediately. I started to hope, to dream and to plan. After a great brainstorming lunch out I thought a working dinner in would be the logical next step.

 

After telling Jon that I was cooking his reply was “Whoot! Such a privilege.. ” and I started to panic. The pressure was on and my culinary creativity went into overdrive until my loving husband reminded me that keeping it simple was always a winning idea. So the meal of bolognese, and a new technique I had spotted on Rhodes across Italy that I had wanted to try, came to mind. As if by fate, Frankie Fenner tweeted about the lamb mince they had in stock and a meal was born.

 

The technique? Well before adding the tomatoes to the Ragu di Bolognese you add milk. Yes, milk. I knew this would make a difference, there was no reason to not believe that but I had to see for myself. So I fried off some lardons, cooked the mince with the usual carrot, onion and celery mix (also known as soffritto) and tasted the mince. Then I added the milk and cooked it till it was all soaked up by the mince and tasted again. The difference was not as subtle as I expected. The meat was softer, almost creamy and I from now on, that step will be added to my usual process (that is, if I don’t forget)

 

Considering everyone went back for seconds and Baby Bug gobbled his portion with no complaints I figured this is a winning recipe. You can use any mince you have available but the lamb mince was a very nice change from the usual.

 

Baa Baa Bolognese

1 tablespoon lardons (or olive oil)

1 large carrot

1 cellery stick

1 onion

750g lamb mince

1 cup milk

1 tinned peeled and chopped tomatoes

1/2 tin water

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp dry oregano

salt and pepper to taste

 

Fry the lardons until the lard melts and add the carrot, cellery and onion.

Fry till soft then add the mince and brown.

Once the meat is cooked, add the milk and cook on a medium heat until all the milk is soaked up.

Add the tin of tomatoes, water, sugar and oregano and allow to simmer on a low heat for at least 1 hour.

Season about 20 minutes before serving.

 

I served mine with Rigatoni and toasted ciabatta.


 

Disclaimer: Sorry for all the mixed metaphors, entertaining the bugling and blogging is new to me.

 

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Trinchado

May 3, 2012 in entree, main

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The start of something beautiful

When you have a relationship with some one for many years, living in the same house, sharing meals, you learn their preferences, their quirks. You discover what makes them turn up their nose and what makes their ears perk. After 7 years with Jack I can happily say that I KNOW the man and I KNOW what he loves.

 

My misfortune is that my husband is a man that eats because it is something that is needed to survive. He does enjoy things that taste good and has preferences but he does not go googly eyed at a well presented dish or get a far away stare when something so good touches his tongue, random “mmm” sounds do not escape his lips when he tastes something amazing. He will even eat things he isn’t crazy about in the right company.

 

simmer away

He does, however, have his favourites. Something he will order every time we go to a certain restaurant or something he loves for me to make for him if I have a chance. One such thing is Trinchado. A Portuguese beef stew, rich with flavour. My favourite thing about this recipe is how forgiving it is of adjustments, especially the kind of adjustments that make it a healthier option.

 

The long cooking time means you can use lean cuts of meat and using evaporated milk or regular milk (carefully), while not making the dish AS creamy as using actual cream, still make for a very tasty dish. I personally don’t miss the olives in the dish when I need to take them out for TheSister and my favourite adjustment has to be the wine.

 

A little longer

Trinchado

What you need:

1 tbs butter

1 tbs olive oil

(or 2 tbs olive oil if you want to reduce the fat)

1kg beef, cubed (as this is a stew you can decide how lean you want the beef)

2 large red onions, chopped

2-3 red chillies, chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

250ml beef stock (I used NoMu fonds, the richness is unbeatable)

1 bottle red wine, minus 1 glass for the cook (I used Pinotage)

1 bay leaf

100g black olives, stones removed (optional)

1 sprig fresh rosemary

125ml cream (or evaporated milk or regular milk)

1 tsp lemon rind

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

What to do:

 

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy-based pan and brown the beef.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

Lower the heat and saute the onions, I like to put in some water so that the onions get soft without burning, when the water has evaporated add the chillies and cook for about a minute.

Add the stock and wine. Bring to boil and stir continually.

Add the bay leaf, olives (if using) and the fresh rosemary.

Add the crushed garlic

Return the meat to the pan and simmer slowly for 2 hours (or more).

If you are making this in advance, this is where you stop. The rest of the process happens just before serving. When you are ready to serve, gently heat up the trinchado to a medium heat.

Add the cream (or substitute) and stir through. If you are using milk instead pour slowly and carefully to avoid it splittin.

Add the fresh lemon peel and if you want extra rosemary.

Season to taste

 

You can serve trinchado as a starter with some bread, or a main course with rice.

 

originally blogged here

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Buffet style sweet & sour dumplings

December 6, 2011 in chicken, chinese, entree, fried, main

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When TheHusband and I started dating I was living in a digs in “Little Mowbray”. I wasn’t really a student at the time but my friends were and well I was tired of living at home. My relationship with my parents was strained from moving out of home and smoking and (not really) working for my dad.

In walking distance from our house we had some great food options. Some for the begining of the month (Greek and Chai Yo), one for mid month and special (read: reasons to get drunk) occasions (Fat Cactus) and one for just before the end of the month (when you know you really shouldn’t but you really don’t want to eat at home) and that was a “chinese” buffet place. I forget the name, it changed so often as did the clientèle. They are no longer there, I believe their fatal mistake was adding a sushi bar (which was not all you can eat like their buffet)

TheHusband and I often went there as it was normally quiet in the week and they didn’t seem to care that we sat there talking till midnight while they packed up around us. Some of my deepest and darkest secrets were shared with J in the dimmed and slightly steamed (a result of many chaffing dishes) restaurant and I remember the place with much warmth and love.

They had firm favourites on offer. Chicken sweetcorn soup, prawn chips, spring rolls, kung pow chicken, steamed rice, egg fried ice, bbq ribs and sweet and sour chicken or pork. Those little deep fried dumplings were my weakness. I would always try something else but those little balls always featured.

The only other place I know that makes them are Tong Lok and well, I didn’t much feel like going out to get some. Somehow making them myself seemed like a lot less work. I was wrong but it was completely worth it in the end. Tasted so much better home made and fresh out the wok.

Buffet Style Sweet and Sour Dumplings

You will need:
3 boneless chicken breasts
Enough peanut or sunflower oil for deep frying
For the batter:
1 cup flour
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup water

What to do:
Cut the breast into about 2cm chunks.  Whisk together the dry ingredients and in a seperate bowl whisk together the egg and milk until well combined then add in the water. Slowly add the liquids into the dry ingredients until it forms a batter and all the ingredients are combined well. Put the chicken pieces into the batter and mix well till they are all well coated. DO NOT REMOVE from the batter. Heat the oil to a high heat and then bring the plate to medium. Drop the pieces directly from the batter into the oil (I used chopsticks to do this). Be careful not to over crowd your pieces. Constantly turn them (I found that if I let them brown one side first they got bottom heavy and refused to turn over) until golden brown all over. Place them on paper towels to drain and cool a little. Serve with a sweet and sour sauce or some sweet chilli sauce and steamed or egg fried rice.

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Truffle Salt Risotto

July 20, 2011 in Uncategorized

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I was never very good at physics, in fact I was shocking (no pun intended). Even if I memorised the rhymes till I turned blue in the face, when it came down to a test or making something work I didn’t know my positives from my negatives and failed every time. On the other hand, when it came to chemistry I was “Queen of the Lab”, I loved the way things worked and how 1+1 did not always =2. Unfortunately at my school we just had “science” as a subject and so, although my chemistry scores were FANTASTIC, my physics scores were so flat I had to drop “science” as a subject.

I had to find another subject, still in the “sciences” faculty which would let me continue my love for chemistry without having to face those dreaded physics lessons ever again. I chose “home economics” and I guess that is where my love for cooking began. I saw the chemistry in it straight away, so while for many of my classmates it was just a “science” subject to add onto their qualification at the end of their high school career, for me it was just like being in a lab, different tools, different chemicals but still reactions that created something beyond what you would have imagined when everything started.

In those 1 and 3/4 years that I was in Mrs Roy’s class I had flops and successes, learned how to make choux pastry and that souffles were not as scary as pop culture made them out to be. This was the first time I had made risotto. One of the most incredible reactions in the kitchen. Without an ounce of dairy, one of the creamiest dishes in creation forms right in front of you and the flavour options…endless. However, that was also the last time I had the chance to do that experiment, not for lack of trying. Sad but true.

A long while back @SagraFoods gave me a beautiful jar of gold flecked truffle salt. I was ready to use it the minute it was delivered, but living at my mom’s house, I had to wait…patiently. It wasn’t easy. Every time I opened the store cupboard, the rich, earthy aroma of the truffle salt tickled my nose, drawing me closer. I had to resist until my very own lab…kitchen…was ready. As promised though, the first people to try a dish with this salt would be my family.

I looked for a recipe that would really make the salt shine, but still had some skill involved and it dawned on me, risotto would be the perfect platform for just that. Ready to go I told my family exactly what they were having for dinner and I was so excited, until the very day the magic was meant to happen, when I realised I hadn’t made this dish in 10 years. Excitement turned to nerves and I lost my confidence, I even admitted to @polkadotcupcake how scared I was. Even so, I went ahead and I didn’t regret it for a moment. Their were no fireworks, explosions or fizzing and popping, just the slow, steady, rich, alchemy that I remembered from my schooldays.

Truffle Salt Risotto 

what you need:

1-1.5l vegetable stock

1 tbs dried or crushed garlic

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped celery

olive oil

knob of butter

400g Arborio rice

1 tbs lemon rind

2 tbs truffle salt

grated Parmesan

Optional: Most recipes include a glass of white wine. My mother really doesn’t like food cooked with wine so I omitted it.

What to do:

 

Heat up the stock and keep it warm. Put the garlic in with the stock. In the meantime heat up oil and butter and fry up the onion and celery until translucent. Add the rice and make sure it is well coated with the oil butter mixture and let it cook for a few seconds (at this point if you are using it, add the wine and cook until the rice absorbs it). At this point start adding the stock, 1 cup at a time into the rice, stirring gently until each cup is absorbed (if you find that you are running out of stock before you rice is ready, add a bit more boiling water to the stock). When the rice is ready (should be soft and creamy but not mushy) add the lemon zest and stir until well incorporated. Take off the heat and add the truffle salt, stirring well. Season to taste. Serve with the Parmesan on the table.

 

Originally blogged here

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