Orange and Carrot Cake. The Best Cake. Ever.

Hurrah we are off on holiday to Madagascar!  As my leaving present I give you my new favourite cake recipe.  It is completely and utterly divine and loved by adults and toddlers alike despite being pretty heavy on the carrots (I took some for a lunch party yesterday and the 2 year old wanted 'more and more and more').

It is so moist and stays highly edible for days, if you keep it in the fridge.  And best of all you just chuck all the ingredients in a bowl, stir, and then cook.  And if you have a few pieces going wanting just heat them up in the microwave top with sugar dissolved in orange juice and serve it as a hot pud with custard.  How wonderful is that?!

Ingredients

150 g unsalted butter, softened
1 orange
150 g brown sugar
175 g carrots, peeled and grated
2 large free range eggs
200 g self raising flour
1 level tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground mixed spice


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and lightly butter a 900 g loaf tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper.
2. Finely grate the orange zest and place in a bowl with the remaining ingredients and the juice of half the orange.  Beat well until fully combined.  Pour into the tin and level the top.

3. Cook for 1 hour or until a skewer or cocktail stick inserted into the middle comes out just clean.  Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes then turn out, peel off the greaseproof paper and allow to cool on a wire rack.

So so so delicious.

Tart Tatin. Lekker.

I love love love Tart Tatin.  It is definitely my dessert island pud.

I made this one for our neighbours and the response was, and I quote: 'what is this? It is so lekker!' Meaning, I think, that it was pretty damn yummy.  And the best thing about it is that it is so easy to make.  You don't need any special dish just a small 20 cm cake tin, frying pan or frying pan with the handle removed in my case - you need to make sure the whole pan is ovenproof.  You must must try this recipe at home.

Ingredients

150 g caster sugar
25 g unsalted butter
8 eating apples, peeled, cut in half with the cores removed
375 g pack of puff pastry


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Place the sugar in the pan and heat gently until it turns golden-brown.  Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
3. Place the puff pastry on a floured/sugared surface and cut roughly into the shape of the pan (a little larger.

4. Place the apples cut side up in the pan and top with the pastry.  Tuck the sides of the pastry into the tin.  Pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and risen.

5. Take the pan our of the oven and allow to sit for a minute.  Place you serving dish top side down over the pastry and flip the whole lot over.  Gently remove the pan.

Serve hot with cream or ice cream.

Mackerel with Rhubarb and Caper Compote.

My brother-in-law, Seb, ages ago asked me for a mackerel recipe, but despite living in spitting distance from the sea I have found it near impossible to source fresh mackerel.  However, last week saw a break-through and I found two fresh mackerels in Woolworths' fridge section.  Hurrah!

So here, for wonderful Seb, is a great recipe that pairs mackerel with rhubarb a wonderful slightly acidic fruit that cuts through the oily fish as well as any lemon.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 whole mackerel
fennel springs
lemon slices
olive oil
salt and black pepper
200 g rhubarb, chopped into 2 cm pieces
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Mix the rhubarb and sugar together in a baking dish and pop in the oven.  Cook for 15 minutes or until just soft.  Remove.
3. Place the lemon slices and fennel in the cavity of the mackerel, season well, drizzle with olive oil and pop on a baking tray in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until just cooked (when the skin will come way from the flesh when pulled).

4. Meanwhile, place the rhubarb in a small saucepan, add the capers and vinegar and warm through.

Serve with the mackerel and perhaps some green veggies.

Delicious and a great way to use up excess rhubarb.

Bolognese Sauce. Simple but Effective.

We had our neighbours around last week and typically I was panic-cooking before they arrived.  As I was in no state for fine-dining I decided to make bolognese.

Bolognese is a key for every carnivorous household but please serve it with penne or some other pasta shape, spaghetti is a travesty in the eyes of an Italian and this is a very Italian sauce.  Spaghetti hasn't enough structure to hold up the tomato-y mince.  To be healthy I made my bolognese with ostrich mince from Woolworths but free range beef mince is your other option.  You can make the sauce in advance and reheat the next day (often the flavours taste a lot better that way).  Or even double the quantity, freeze half and then use it for a lasagna.

Ingredients (serves 4)

500 g free range beef or ostrich mince
1 tin chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato puree
2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick of celery, peeled and finely chopped
3 fat garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
50 ml full fat milk
a small glass of red wine
salt and black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

pasta and freshly grated parmesan to serve

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a moderate heat.  Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery and cook, stirring until the onion is translucent (about 5 minutes).

2. Add the mince to the pan and cook, stirring, until brown all over.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and bring to a simmer.  Turn the heat down, cover and allow to cook for as long as you have but an hour would be perfect.

Serve with pasta and freshly grated parmesan.  Divine.

Stewed Rhubarb with Rosewater and Ginger.

I absolutely love stewed rhubarb, everything about it is perfect from the pinky colour to the slightly sour English-garden flavours.  This week I stewed rhubarb sticks with stem ginger, a dash of rosewater and a couple of spoons of sugar.  It was a perfect pudding after the Moroccan Lamb.

The result was a kind of Persian scented affair that tasted divine hot with a dollop of plain yoghurt but would be equally as good spooned on top of porridge topping for breakfast.

Ingredients (serves 2)

a handful of rhubarb stems, the thinner the better
3 balls of stem ginger
1 tbsp stem ginger syrup (from the jar)
50 ml rosewater
2 tbsp catser sugar

Method

1. Chop the rhubarb into 2cm long pieces and pop in a small saucepan.  Slice the ginger and add to the pan along with the remaining ingredients.

2. Place on a gentle heat and allow to cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the rhubarb is soft.

Serve hot with a dollop of plain yoghurt.

Minted Avo Mash. A Green Dream.

I went a bit crazy in Woolworths the other day and bought millions of avos.  After we ploughed through a couple of retro avo and dressing starters I decided to get creative.  

The hubbie kept calling this guacamole and I guess it kind of is, but rather than using it as a dip or a filling in a fajita I used it as a base for a grilled fillet of fish.  On a hot day topped with a piece of fish or chicken this creamy yet zingy mash is just perfect.  It also makes a pretty damn good chicken and avo sarnie.  If preparing in advance place a couple of the avo stones in the mash, cover with cling film and pop in the fridge, it will stop the whole thing turning from a bright healthy green to a grey brown by the time your guests arrive.

Ingredients (makes 2 mugs full)

3 ripe avos

half a red onion, finely chopped

2 handfuls of fresh mint, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Peel and de-stone the avos and mash with the remaining ingredients.  Garnish with extra mint leaves.

Serve at room temperature. 

Aubergine and Haloumi Skewers with a Lemon Chilli Dressing.

Hurrah, spring is in the air in KZN and braai-ing is on the menu.

A couple of nights ago I made these completely and utterly divine veggie skewers.  I topped the sticks of tomato-aubergine-charred-cheesey deliciousness with a crunchy chilli, basil and lemon dressing which made the whole combination sing.

Veggie skewers are a complete necessity for a braai - by sticking lots of veggies on skewers, rather than individually and directly on the grill, the cook has a lot less turning work to do and so a lot more time for cocktails!

Ingredients (makes 4 skewers)

4 wooden skewers, soaked in water for a few hours before use
1 medium aubergine
a couple of handfuls of tomatoes
200g haloumi
salt

For the dressing -

two handfuls of thai or sweet basil leaves
one handful of nuts, I used a mixture of cashews and peanuts
juice of a lemon
2 red chillis, one deseeded
3 tbsp of olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled
salt and pepper

Method

1. Chop the aubergine into quarters and then slice into chunks about 1 cm thick.  Cover with salt and allow to sit for 30 minutes.  The sour juice will start to emerge, wipe off with kitchen roll and wash the slices under the tap, pat dry.

2. Skewer up the veggies, first a slice of aubergine, then a chunk of haloumi (maybe 1cm cube), then a tomato (halved if its enormous), then a slice of aubergine.  Continue until the skewer is jam packed, then do the same with the other three.

3. Make the dressing by placing the basil and nuts on a large chopping board and then taking a very sharp knife (I use a pretty lethal cleaver) rock it back and forward over the herbs and nuts.  You should use your mezzaluna if you are lucky enough to have one.  But don't use a blender or else you'll turn the nuts into powder and so will loose the delicious crunch.  When the herbs are nice and chopped add the chilli and garlic and chop together.

Finally squirt over the lemon juice, olive oil and season.

4. Fire up your braai and cook the skewers until lightly charred, then serve on a large board topped with the dressing.

Completely divine.

Tartare Trout Canapes. Updating an Old Favourite.

We had some tartare sauce leftover after Tuesday's dinner party so last night I made some scrummy tartare trout canapes.

They were based on the simple and pretty traditional smoked-fish-on-bread-and-butter routine but the addition of a dollop of homemade tartare, a spring of fennel, an extra squeeze of lemon juice and some black pepper made them into something pretty special.

Ingredients

smoked trout or salmon
whole wheat bread
butter
lemon juice
homemade tartare sauce http://bizandthebear.blogspot.com/2012/09/homemade-tartare-sauce.html
fennel springs
lemon juice
black pepper

Method

1. Butter the bread thinly, top with the smoked fish, cut into small squares with a pair of kitchen scissors (remove the crusts), top each square with a dollop of homemade tartare sauce, a sprig of fennel, a squeeze of lemon juice and some freshly ground black pepper.

Devour before they disappear!

Moroccan Lamb. So Aromatic.

On our honeymoon in Morocco a wizened old Berber showed us how to bake bread in the sand while another gave me a tagine lesson under the Sahara stars.  So perhaps not surprisingly I completely fell in love with the country, the food as well as the wonderful rug cushions and lanterns in Marrakech’s market.   

This is a lamb dish inspired by my time in Morocco and apart from preserved lemons the rest of the ingredients will hopefully be in your kitchen cupboards.  Serve the lamb piled on top of couscous (make according to the packet) sprinkled with dates and maybe some roasted butternut squash.

Ingredients (6 chops)

6 free range lamb chops

4 tbsp olive oil

1 preserve lemon, chopped

3 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

 2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp red chilli flakes

1 garlic clove, sliced

2 tsp runny honey

fresh mint leaves to garnish

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients, bar the lamb together.  Rub all over the lamb.... 

...and place in a snug dish in the fridge for at least 4 hours or even overnight.

2. Just before serving remove from the dish, scrape off the marinade (or else the bottom of your pan will look like Pompeii) and pan fry in a little oil for 5 or so minutes on each side (depending on how you like it cooked).  Allow them to sit while cooking so that they caramelise, too much poking and prodding is never a good idea.  Sprinkle over the mint leaves and serve, perhaps piled up on top of a large plate of couscous and dates and allow people to serve themselves.

The whole house smells incredibly evocative for at least 24 hours afterwards.

Cake Signs. So simple.

I know I've posted this blog before but I've decided to have a spring clean and remove the 'Get Crafty' page from the blog.  After all this is supposed to be an all-things-food blog and I'm hopeless at focusing on more than one thing...  However, so I don't completely remove any potentially helpful crafty tips, I'll put them all under a new label - 'food craft' in the recipe index on the side of the blog.

But for those of you who didn't read this first time around...

I made a celebratory chocolate cake the other day, but living out in the sticks and acting on a baking whim I was lacking the 'Congratulations' sign.  Not having the culinary energy to make writing icing, I searched the house for some easy inspiration.  The combination of sellotape, cocktail sticks and an A4 pad resulted in a genius idea (if I do say so myself)....

How great is that?! You can write whatever you like, on your banners or flags and could even use them for place names for a tea party, or to explain what cake is what, or, or, or....

1. Right all you do is cut a strip of plain paper (I cut the top header strip from my A4 lined pad), write your message on one side leaving 2 cm space at either end...

2. Fold over the ends front to back...

3. Place a cocktail stick in the fold on the back side and sellotape it in the fold...

4. Selloptape the ends down to the back...

5. Stick it in your iced cake...

Ta da!

Or you can make single flags by cutting a 'V' shape and only sticking the cocktail stick at the straight end...

Beetroot and Tarragon Chutney. For Every Meal.

In the Vine family (my mother's line) chutney is a big thing.  My granny had an amazing and very closely held recipe for apple chutney that I sadly can't divulge.  It is the kind of chutney that gets better and better with age (I have a huge stash maturing in storage in England) and gets all guests begging for a jar to take home.  I grew up eating it on sausage rolls at Christmas time, on jacket potatoes, in cheddar sarnies, on pizza, salad...in fact most foodstuffs were simply a vehicle for apple chutney.

However, given I can't let on how to make the apple chutney of my youth for fear of a family backlash, here is a completely delicious alternative that I made over a month ago using left over beetroot and bits and bobs from the larder.  I broke it open yesterday to make a chutney and cheese sandwich - it was completely delicious.  And the great thing about homemade chutney, other than the taste, is that you can lay out shop bought bread, cheese, quiche etc but then if you pop open a jar of homemade chutney everyone thinks you are a culinary genius!

The tarragon would also make it a perfect chutney to serve with cold chicken or even trout. 

Ingredients

180 g shallots finely chopped

250 g raw beetroot coarsely grated

200 ml balsamic vinegar

50 g dark muscavado sugar

70 g gherkins finely chopped

2 tsp dried tarragon

1 tsp orange zest

70 g rasins

1 tsp salt

Method

1. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan...

...bring to the boil and then simmer until the liquid has reduced...

2. Bottle in a sterilised jar (place a very clean jar in a hot oven), cover with a wax disc, label and keep in the larder for a month.  Refrigerate when opened and serve with cheese, in a cold chicken sarnie or with a braai.

Gooseberry and Rosewater Tart. Divine.

My UK-based mother-in-law sent me a couple of rectangular tart tins a few weeks ago (thanks to some bemused visiting friends).  I much prefer making rectangular tarts and quiches - they look more aesthetically pleasing than a circular tart, the slices hold together much more easily (thanks to pastry edges on both sides) and they store so efficiently in the fridge.  

But if you don't have a wonderful mother-in-law to update your kitchen stash use a standard 23 cm circular tin for this recipe.  Also you can leave out the rosewater by replacing it with tap water for the pastry and just omitting it altogether for the filling.  Either way this is a fabulous recipe that takes moments to assemble, and tastes divine with any slightly tart berry (but do taste the berries before using them - I wish mine had been a little more sour).

Ingredients

For the Pastry Case

60 g unsalted butter

150 g plain flour

3-4 tbsp rosewater

For the filling

500 g gooseberries

3 tbsp rosewater

40 g caster sugar

40 g ground almonds

100 ml crème fraiche

2 free range egg yolks

Method

1. Make the pastry case.  Rub the butter into the flour, firstly chopping the two together with a knife and then using the tips of your fingers.  When it resembles breadcrumbs, add enough of the rosewater to bring the mixture together.  Again use a knife to mix in the rosewater and then gather it together with your fingers.   Don’t overwork the mixture.  Wrap the pastry in cling film and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 190C and place a baking sheet in the oven to heat up. Roll out the pastry and use to line a greased tart tin.  I always use a pair of scissors to chop the pastry about an inch from the edges of the tin to allow for shrinkage.  Prick the base all over with a fork and brush with a little of the egg yolk from the filling ingredients. 

Place the shell on the baking tray in the oven for 30 minutes or until just golden.  Remove from the oven and turn down to 180C.  Use a serrated knife to trim the pastry shell edges.

3. Meanwhile mix all the filling ingredients, bar the gooseberries together.  Place the gooseberries in the tart case...

and then pour over the filling.  

Pop the tart back on the baking tray and cook for 40 minutes or until the filling is just set.

Allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing the tart from the tin.