Cake stand, In Good Company, cupcake wrappers and flowers  Wespack, rice paper

hearts Nicolette @ Pick n’ Pay

Table cloth: 3 metres of striped material from Chamdor, bunting In Good Company

Lychee Jelly, Pick n’ Pay brand, pink and white twine In Good Company

Marshmallows dipped in chocolate and sprinkles, straws In Good Company

LPS cake http://sweetexpressions.co.za/

The turn in weather, especially the disappearance of the sun, which always makes autumn seem more gloomy, evoked cravings of something warm and hearty for lunch, instead of the cold protein shake I have been having every day.

I felt like a comforting meal but also something low GI and nutritious as I am trying to shed my post baby weight.

The problem was the chocolate and orange cake I baked for the visitors popping in to see the baby and I ended up having a gorgeous slimming soup (sans the crème fraiche) followed by a slice of moist cake dripping with ganache.

Cake aside, the soup is also so delicious, it hardly requires a creamy topping or bread on the side. You could dollop some Greek yoghurt and black pepper on top if serving this for guests, but the soup itself is complete as a satiating dish.

Peas go particularly well with mint or pecorino, so feel free to adapt the recipe to suite your taste. You may also use frozen peas and a regular potato instead of a sweet potato.

Fresh pea and baby marrow soup with crème fraiche and basil (serves 4)
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced
I punnet baby marrow roughly sliced (around 350g)
3 cups strong chicken stock (I used 3 cups water and 3 tablespoons Ina Paarman chicken stock but you could follow the measurements if you prefer a less salty soup)
1 packet Woolies fresh peas (280g)
Small handful of fresh basil
Crème Fraiche and black pepper to serve

1. Fry the onion in a little olive oil for 2 minutes then add the baby marrow, sweet potato, peas and stock
2. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer until the potato is soft (about 12-15 minutes)
3. Blend soup with basil until smooth and then serve with a dollop of crème fraiche and black pepper

Oh My Gosh! I forgot how zesty and luscious this recipe is. With only 3 ingredients and about 10 minutes of prepping and cooking time, I should be making it far more often, but like most of my old course recipes, I do forget about these old gems.

It tastes like the condensed milky filling of a lemon meringue pie, except these sweet zesty velvety puddings are served in little pots or espresso cups.

Make sure you have a spoon that fits into your shot glasses before setting.

I like to serve these plain but you could add a mini meringue, a dollop of cream or a twist of candied lemon peel to garnish.

Lemon Posset (Makes about 8 shot glasses)

450ml cream
125g castor sugar
60ml/ ¼ fresh cup lemon juice

1. Combine cream and castor sugar in a pot and bring to boil while stirring.
2. Reduce heat and bubble for 3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add lemon juice.
4. Pour into a jug and allow to cool, stirring every now and then to avoid a skin forming on top
5. Pour into shot glasses and chill for a few hours.

Woolworth’s ruined the friendship when they discontinued their pastry shell bases.

Combining them with both sweet and savoury fillings was so effortless I added them to a new course only to find out Woolworth’s would no longer be stocking the shells.

Thankfully the timing coincided with my foody friend Lisa Brink discovering a really quick and easy but amazing, no-bake-blind savoury pastry alternative and I was able to go ahead with the tarts, without scaring off the non-bakers and busy moms.

My choice of tart was the most delicious caramelised garlic filling (a slightly tweaked Ottolengi recipe below) but I ended up adding a butternut and goats cheese filling for the non-garlic lovers (most who were converted after tasting the garlic tart anyway).

Using the same pastry and custard, I have made various fillings, most recently two variations for my vegetarian cousin who came for dinner last night.

A black and porcini mushroom filling with caramelised onion as well as an orange sweet potato, sun-dried tomato and feta filling (below) worked beautifully with the parmesan pastry.

I have also added smoked salmon and parmesan, topping the tarts with slivers of salmon and fresh dill for my sister’s baby shower.

Make any size tart-large, individual or even fill a casserole dish-just adjust the baking time as indicated. The custard is not eggy, more creamy, so some large tarts may ooze a little if sliced from the oven.

PARMESAN PASTRY
2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon castor sugar
1/3 cup parmesan
150g cold butter, diced
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk

1. Process flour, sugar, Parmesan and butter until it resembles breadcrumbs
2. Add the egg and milk and process until the dough just comes together in a log
3. Remove the log, roll out a bit more with your hands, to resemble a thick sausage and slice into pieces
4. Place the pieces in the desired dish and press together with your fingers, covering the entire base of the pie dish/tart pan
5. Refrigerate half an hour before proceeding
6. Remove pie from fridge, prick with a fork and bake for about 15-20 minutes at 180˚C for a large tart or 10-15 minutes for a small tart
7. Fill as desired and then top with the basic cream mix
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 180 ˚C for a large tart, 15-20 minutes for a small tart or until the top is golden brown and the centre not too wobbly.

CUSTARD
Combine the following:
1cup cream
½ tub crème fraîche
3 egg yolks

FILLINGS:

CARAMELISED GARLIC FILLING
4 onions, thinly sliced
¼ Punnet fresh thyme-about 2 TBS of the leaves
2 Bags Woolies giant garlic (4 giant garlic heads)

1. Place the peeled garlic cloves in a sauce pan, cover well with boiling water and cook for about 25-30 minutes or until tender
2. Pan-fry the onions for 10-15 minutes, adding a teaspoon of sugar just before the cooking process so that they are nicely caramelised. Add the thyme. Remove onions but keep the pan
3. Drain the water from the softened cloves, place the pan back on the heat with a little oil and add the cloves
4. Add the balsamic vinegar and reduce for a minute or two.
5. Remove from heat when the cloves are coated with a dark caramel sauce, at this stage you may add more balsamic vinegar if needed.
6. Place the onions into the pre-cooked shell and top with the cloves and then custard and bake

ROASTED BUTTERNUT AND GOATS CHEESE FILLING
2 onions thinly sliced
350g (or more) butternut, cubed according to the size of the tart
¼ Punnet fresh thyme-about 2 tablespoons of the leaves
1 -2 Rounds (80g each) Woolies goat’s cheese (Crottin with the rind, not the cream cheese log)
Olive oil

1. Drizzle the butternut with a bit of olive oil and roast at 180 ˚C for about 30-40 minutes or until cooked
2. Pan fry the onions for 10-15 minutes, adding a teaspoon of sugar just before the cooking process so that they are nicely caramelised. Add the thyme.
3. Slice the goats cheese into 6 (or 12) slices
4. Fill the pre-cooked shell with the onions and then the butternut, add the custard and then top with the goat’s cheese and bake.

OTHER FILLINGS AND IDEAS

Fill your tart with absolutely anything using the custard recipe as well as caramelised onions as the base. Here are some ideas.
1. Fry 3 onions as the base and top with mushrooms. Use 1 large or 2 small punnets of brown or black mushrooms with about half a cup of porcini mushrooms (rehydrated in water). To Serve shave parmesan on top.
2. Omit the caramelised onion base and fry some chopped spring onions instead. Flake cooked salmon or chopped smoked salmon and with some chopped and fried. Add some parmesan to the custard. To serve add a slither of smoked salmon and garnish with fresh dill
3. Add cooked asparagus and hydrated sun dried tomato to the caramelised onion base
4. Roast, blister and peel peppers, slice and add to the tart with chunks of Philadelphia cheese
5. Make a caramelised onion base with 4 onions and add blue cheese. Garnish with roasted walnuts
6. Use leftovers for a mid-week meal; shredded chicken, roast vegetables, olives, tomatoes, even scrape out the onion marmalade jar in the fridge and dollop around the tart.

Because it melts quickly-especially when trying to use heated utensils to serve-there is NO way this “scoops” so don’t even attempt to get a ball from this or even place it near a cone-you are better off with a sharp knife.

In fact trying to photograph this was a nightmare.

I would suggest one of the following:
1) Freezing it in a small silicone bread mould or small cake tin and unmoulding and slicing it to serve. You only need a small amount; it is very rich and I would serve this with caramelised banana or apple crepes, or with a small square or wedge alongside a berry salad or a hot pudding.
2) Alternatively freeze in individual teeny ramekins or espresso cups. Small jam jars would also work well and would add a really interesting addition to a dessert plate

At this stage you are probably wondering why I bothered blogging this recipe….

Because everybody who tested the ice cream, had seconds and made strange noises and grunts when popping it into their mouths.
There is not a trace of an icicle and it is possibly “perfection” as far as ice cream texture goes; smooth and velvety (besides the almost instant melting).
So in short, it’s delicious and quick and easy to make, but not practical to plate with any panache…

Frozen chocolate cream
1 tin condensed milk
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup double thick cream (I used the entire 250ml Woolies tub)
170 grams good quality dark chocolate (I used 70% buttons from Baking Bitz)
¼ cup (25 grams) Nomu or dutch cocoa powder
2 tablespoons freshly-brewed espresso
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
A pinch of fine sea salt
5 teaspoons mazeina
2 tablespoons cold water

1. In a pot combine condensed milk, milk and cream and whisk until just starting to boil.
2. Take off the heat and add the chocolate, cocoa powder, espresso, vanilla extract and salt.
3. Whisk until the chocolate melts and the cocoa powder is completely dissolved.
4. Mix mazeina and cold water in a bowl until completely dissolved, add to the ice cream base and place back on the heat, whisking until thickened.
5. Allow to cool to room temperature, then mix it to remove any skin and place in the fridge for a few hours to chill. Check if it needs another stir, then freeze it
6. Ensure you have covered the ice cream well-I used an air- tight container though it was impractical to serve from.

I included this salad on my Chocolate and Orange course, in a very chilly month of July 2010 and it was aptly named red winter slaw. As long as papaya and red cabbage are available it can be made anytime as it is rather delicious with seafood like salmon and makes a refreshing summer starter or braai salad.

It’s a tweaked Ottolenghi recipe and I have excluded savoy cabbage leaves, mango, fresh chilli and lemon grass so as to simplify the ingredients (as well as adding fresh orange to the dressing, to fit in with my theme).

While the salad is “tweakable” ensure you don’t leave out the hero of the dish-the caramelised macadamia nuts. Ready- purchased caramelised nuts would be fine, but nothing could come close to the sweet, salty, spicy warm ready-caramelised macadamias.

When I demonstrated the salad I made extra caramelised nuts and served them in little bowls for the ladies to snack on as they queued to dish up their meal and I just stepped back and watched the delight on their faces and listened for the “ooohs” and “aaahhhs”…..

Red cabbage salad with caramelised macadamia nuts, papaya & orange and maple dressing (10)
1/2 large or 1 small Red cabbage, finely shredded
1 papaya, cubed or sliced
10g mint (1/2 Woolies punnet) chopped
15g coriander (1/2 Woolies punnet) chopped

Dressing
1/2 cup  lime juice (bottled)
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons soya sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 orange
60ml Olive oil

Caramelised macadamia nuts
1 cup macadamia nuts
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
½ teaspoon salt
1. To make the dressing place lime juice, maple and soy in a small saucepan and boil for about 5 minutes or until reduced and syrupy. Remove from heat, add the oil and squeeze in orange juice (start with ½ an orange) until a good consistency has been obtained. Set aside
2. To make the caramelised macadamias place the nuts in a pan and dry roast for a few minutes, stirring until they are toasted on all sides. Add the butter and when melted add the sugar, chilli and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir constantly for about a minute until the sugar is dissolved into a brown caramel.
3. Place the nuts on a no-n stick mat and when cool, chop roughly
4. Assemble salad by mixing all the salad ingredients, nuts and dressing and toss

This salad can be made a day or 2 in advance-just leave out the papaya and nuts and add those fresh.

It’s a bit rude to exploit friend’s gifts on my blog but this is certainly not the first time so let me just apologise and move on.

The cupcakes and boxes looked so special, I could not help photographing them to share before I delivered them to the twins celebrating their birthday tomorrow.

They are Valentine themed boxes, but can be used for any feminine occasion as they are too pink and gorgeous for words.

Order online from www.ingoodcompany.co.za or pop into their shop in Parkhurst and fill them with Vanilla or Red Velvet Cupcakes (just search the blog page for recipes).

I belong to a dinner club known as the Bookless Club, and I hosted the first dinner party of the year. Since February is the month of love and scorching temperatures, I chose the theme “Love Shack” which incorporated a kitsch  island style feel.

I decided on the dessert after tasting the dish at Paputzi’s (a coffee shop) in Linden. It’s a crème brûlée without the brûlée, and is instead layered between crisp sheets of phyllo pastry.

It has to be made a day in advance and would therefor never make it as a course recipe and so I decided to share it with you as it’s simply OUTSTANDING.

Being lazy and impatient (not to mention very hot and pregnant) I made a cheat custard which requires no baking and a water bath, so the result is a slightly heavier crème but absolutely delicious never-the-less. Feel free to use your favourite recipe but bake the custard in a dish instead of individual ramekins.

Phyllo Pastry filled with Vanilla cream, served with island fruit and butterscotch sauce

Quick Vanilla Crème 

12 egg yolks
1 litre cream
10 ml vanilla extract
½ cup caster sugar

• Combine egg yolks, cream, vanilla and castor sugar in a pot, heating slowly and stirring consistently for about 20 minutes.
• When the mixture thickens and starts to split, remove and pour the mixture in a blender (in 2-3 batches) and blitz till smooth
• Pour into a bowl and refrigerate overnight

Phyllo pastry discs
6-8 sheets phyllo
Melted Butter
Brown sugar

• Brush a sheet of phyllo pastry with butter and then sprinkle about a heaped dessert spoon of sugar onto the sheet. Repeat with another 2-3 sheets
• Cut pastry into about 12 squares and place on a baking tray lined with a non-stick mat
• Repeat with the remaining pastry.
• Bake at 180 ˚C for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Make these discs 4 days in advance, provided they are kept in an airtight container.

To serve
Dollop the vanilla cream in-between 2 squares of pastry

Serve with fruit ( I used strawberries, blueberries and raspberries) drizzled with butterscotch sauce (see White pear tarte tatin recipe) and dust the dessert with icing sugar

Stoned fruit are abundant and if you shop at Carreira shopping centre on Republic road, very reasonably priced, where you are able to pick up a boxes of peaches, nectarines and apricots from only R30.

I have been making apricot chicken, poached nectarines with Greek yoghurt and honey and now a peach tart, which caught my attention because it uses white peaches.

There is nothing like the smell and taste of a fresh juicy ripe yellow peach but whenever I poach or roast them, they remind me of KOO tinned peaches, while white peaches not so.

I also find that white peaches are easy to poach and skin, and are much easier to halve and de-pip.

You can use a large muffin pan (the 6 hole) or 4 x 10cm round moulds.

This recipe was dainty, not overly sweet and that’s just not me so I made extra butterscotch sauce.

If you are going to make butterscotch sauce you could always cook the peaches in the sauce and not bother with the caramel, just watch that it does not burn.

Butterscotch sauce
½ tub (125ml) cream
100g butter (use the guidelines on the butter wrapping, you do not need to weigh)
½ cup tightly packed soft dark brown sugar

Place ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until the sugar is reduced and the sauce thickened

White Peach Tarte Tatin

For the caramel
125ml sugar
80ml honey
100g butter
Juice of a lemon

For the tart
4-6 ripe white peaches peeled
1 roll ready made puff pastry

• To make the caramel, combine the sugar and honey in a saucepan and heat without stirring until the sugar is melted and turns the colour of tea.
• Add the butter and lemon juice and pour the caramel into the muffin pan or moulds.
• Halve the peaches, remove the stone and then slice the peaches and place on top of the caramel.
• Cut discs from the pastry to fit the size pan-if using a tart mould (I use the actual mould to cut circles).
• Place a piece of pastry on top of the peaches and bake at 200 ˚C for about 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Rest for a few minutes before turning over the tarts. If you are using a muffin pan-just use a spoon.

Serve warm from the oven with vanilla ice-cream and butterscotch sauce