An Elegant and Easy Tart or Dessert

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Almond, Apricot, baking, Book, Clifton Kitchen, Cook Books, Dartois, Entertainment, food, Food Blogs, Jam, Kate Abbott, Life, Lifestyle, News, Photography, Photos, recipes, Travel, travel Writing, Writing

Apricot and Almond Jam Dartois

This easy recipe is named after a well-known French vaudeville artist François-Victor-Armand Dartois de Bourneville who lived in the 1700s. It is made from 2 layers of puff pastry which have either a sweet or savoury filling. This jam and apricot Dartois is quick to make and ideal for unexpected guests.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 packet frozen puff pastry – defrosted

400g apricot jam

200g sliced almonds

Icing sugar

250 ml double Cream

Half a lemon

Method

Defrost the pastry

Preheat the oven to 200C degrees

Mix the sliced almonds into the jam. Open the pastry and gently roll on a floured surface to provide two equal portions of either round or rectangle shape pastry. Place one portion of pastry on a non-stick baking tray and spread the surface with the jam and almond mixture leaving a thumb’s width border all round.

Lightly wet the pastry border and place the other rectangle of pastry over the jam and almond mixture, seal the 2 portions of pastry carefully together.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Remove Dartois from oven and dust lightly with icing sugar put back in oven and cook a further 5 minutes until sugar has lightly caramelised. Serve with lemon cream.

Lemon cream

Squeeze the juice from half a lemon. Add the juice slowly to the cream and beat in well. Put in a serving bowl and place in fridge to chill until ready to serve.

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Long Distance Tea for Two

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baking, Blog, Books, Cape Town, Clifton Kitchen, Devonshire Honey Cake, Entertainment, food, Hi tea, honey, Lifestyle, Photography, Photos, recipes, tea, Travel, travel Writing, Writing

My long distance correspondent Harold Boardman sent me this delicious recipe for an easy to make cake. It is wonderfully moist, fragrant with honey and just perfect for a chilly afternoon tea, or if you prefer, serve it warm with some custard and you have a lovely dessert.

The cakes flavour can be mild or strong depending on the type of honey you use for the final glaze.

Hi Kate,

I may have mentioned I don’t do baking but this recipe is so simple I had a go earlier with average results!! In the hands of an expert like your good self it will probably taste excellent – hope you try it and mention it in your blog !!

Harold.

Thank you Harold, I love the cake and I am enjoying it with my tea.

Devonshire Honey Cake

Ingredients

250g clear honey, plus about 2 tbsp. extra to glaze

225g unsalted butter

100g dark muscovado sugar

3 large eggs beaten

300g self-raising flour

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C/gas 3/or fan oven fan 140C.

Butter and line a 20cm round loose bottomed cake tin.

Cut the butter into pieces and drop into a medium pan with the honey and sugar. Melt slowly over a low heat. When the mixture looks quite liquid, increase the heat under the pan and boil for about one minute. Leave to cool for 15-20 minutes, to prevent the eggs cooking when they are mixed in.

Beat the eggs into the melted honey mixture using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour into a large bowl and pour in the egg and honey mixture, beating until you have a smooth, quite runny batter.

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 50 minutes-1 hour until the cake is well-risen, golden brown and springs back when pressed. A skewer pushed into the centre of the cake should come out clean.

Turn the cake out on a wire rack. Warm 2 tablespoons honey in a small pan and brush over the top of the cake to give a sticky glaze, then leave to cool. Keeps for 4-5 days wrapped, in an airtight tin.

Olive, Onion & Thyme Quiche served with Marinated Tomatoes

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Blogging, Books, Books for Cooks, Cape Town, Cape Town Cooks, Emmenthal, Entertaining, Entertainment, Food Blogs, Food Writing, Gruyère, Life, Marinated Tomatoes, News, olives, onions, Photography, Quiche, recipes, Thyme, Travel

There is an ancient pleasing flavour to olives, a flavour as old as God. There will be three of us for supper this evening and I’m making a quiche with an olive twist, serving with it the marinated tomatoes that I made yesterday.

As I prepare the final touches to the table, the smell of roses, mingled with Jasmine, light, fruity and romantic, wafts in through the open doors. Although a lovely evening, its chilly breeze makes it impossible to eat among all this billowing, fragrant chaos as I would have liked to. It’s time to close the doors against the chill and bring warmth into the room before everyone arrives.

For this recipe you can use bought, pre-made pastry which makes the quiche quick and easy to do. For accompaniments serve a nice mixed salad or a mixture of steamed broccoli and spinach dressed with vinaigrette, or just sliced tomatoes with onions.

 

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Short crust Pastry:

225 g plain white flour

Tiny pinch of salt

110 g butter

Water or beaten organic egg mixed with a little water

Ingredients

For the filling:

150 g olives, pitted and chopped half

200 ml cream

3 eggs

2 onions, sliced

15 ml finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

80 g grated Gruyère or Emmenthal cheese

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp. olive oil

Method for pastry

Start with the pastry. Sift the flour into a large bowl with a pinch of salt. Cut the butter into cubes and rub into the flour with your fingertips, until mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Add just enough water or egg and water mix to bring the pastry together. Do this using a fork or a knife.

Collect the pastry into a ball with your hands. Cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Roll pastry to fit a suitable baking container, cover with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake blind in a preheated  oven at 180C for about 12 minutes, the pastry should be a light golden colour. Remove and leave to cool while you prepare the filling.

Method for filling

Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté onions gently until golden in colour.

In a bowl gently mix together the onion, olives, thyme, grated cheese, lemon zest, the beaten eggs, cream, and seasoning.

Pour the mixture into pastry case. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C until the filling sets , approximately 35-40 minutes.

Serve with salad of choice.

It’s Almost Time to Bring the Patio Umbrellas out of Storage

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Basmati Rice, Blogging, Books, Books for Cooks, Cape Town, Chillies, Cooks, Eggs Soy sauce, Entertaining, Entertainment, farm fresh eggs, food and drink, Food Blogs, Food Writing, In Season, News, organic, Peanut oil, PhotographyLife, Prawns, recipes, Sesame oil, Spring, Spring onions, Travel, Writing

I wake an hour earlier than usual, to a light filled bedroom, not the usual overcast, dark days of the past few weeks. It’s going to be a sunny, breezy day, but temperature wise still cold enough to warrant warm clothing.

I cannot help but welcome the change in weather with open arms; I notice the lizard sprawled on the sunlit flagstones and wonder if it’s almost time to bring the patio umbrellas out of storage.

The afternoon cools dramatically and a chilly breeze blows in through the kitchen where I sip aromatic coffee while planning the evening meal. There will be three of us for supper and I want something that is quick to prepare yet feels like a special treat. I have some lovely fresh prawns, chillies, fresh coriander and farm fresh organic eggs, perfect for a dish of spicy prawn and scrambled eggs, dressed with soy and sesame infused sauce, served together with a bowl of basmati rice.

This is a delightful main course, simple yet full on flavour, perfect for a lunch or supper dish. It’s one I enjoy and so too the friends I have shared it with. To ring the changes I sometimes replace the prawns with firm fish, scallops or pork.

Spicy Prawn Scrambled Eggs Dressed with Soy & Sesame infused Sauce

Serves 3-4 people

Ingredients

4 – 5 eggs

60 ml peanut or other vegetable oil

600 g prawns, peeled and cleaned

3-4 spring onions finely chopped with some of the green part included

Dried chilli flakes

Sprinkle of salt 

Sauce Dressing

80 ml light soy sauce

2 tsp. white sugar

4-6 drops sesame oil

80 ml water

Accompaniment

Basmati Rice

Garnish

Chopped green parts of spring onion

Method

While the rice is almost cooked start making the sauce. Put all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to the boil then remove from the heat.

Break eggs in a bowl and whisk lightly for a few seconds, add the tiniest bit of salt and pepper. Season the prawns with chilli flakes. 

Heat a wok or a frying pan until almost smoking then add half the oil, leave to heat through for a few seconds then add the prawns and cook until almost done. Remove prawns and wipe wok with some paper towels. Put wok back on the heat, add the balance of the oil, add the egg mixture and stir fry until just beginning to set. At this point add the prawns and the chopped spring onions and gently toss together for a few more seconds to combine.

Remove from the heat and transfer the egg and prawns to a plate and pour over the warm sauce sprinkle over some chopped green parts of spring onion and serve with Basmati rice.

Note: when adding salt to season the ingredients prior to cooking, do so sparingly and  keep in mind the saltiness of the soy sauce in the dressing.

A delicious soupçon at the end of a meal

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Blogging News, Books, Cape Town Cooks, Chefs, Christmas, Crème de menthe, Entertaining, Entertainment, Food Blogs, Food Writing, home made chocolates, Life, Peppermint creams, Photography, recipes, Travel, truffles, Writing

Sometimes instead of dessert I will instead serve these beautiful peppermint creams at the end of a meal with either coffee, tea or a night cap of choice. You can of course make a dessert as well, it is entirely up to you. I love these easy to make peppermint creams as do my friends who have enjoyed them often. Served displayed on a beautiful platter, makes them the best treat imagined.

Peppermint Creams

Ingredients

Makes about 40

125 g unsalted butter

75 g icing sugar, sifted

15-20 ml crème de menthe

500 g dark chocolate finely chopped, ( good quality, 60-70% cocoa solids)

Method

Place butter in a bowl and beat with electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy which should take about 4-5 minutes. Beat in one third of the icing sugar and half the crème de menthe, beat well to combine. Add half of remaining icing sugar and remaining crème de menthe, and beat well to combine, and then beat in the last of the  remaining icing sugar. Refrigerate for about 30-40 minutes or until the mixture is a workable consistency. Take heaped teaspoons of mixture and form into mounds and place the mounds  on a tray lined with baking paper. Freeze until firm but not frozen solid, about 15 minutes should do it.

Melt chocolate in heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Dip the creamed mounds one at a time into the melted chocolate, shake off excess, and then gently roll in cocoa. Place the peppermint creams on tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate until firm. This should take about 40 minutes. Store the peppermint creams in fridge in an airtight container.

Where Have All The Good Eggs Gone…?

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Bacon, Black Pepper, Breakfast, Brunch, Cape Town, Chefs, cooking, Country Living, Egg yolk, eggs, Eggs Benedict, Entertainment, Food and Wine, Food Blogs, Gourmet, Hollandaise sauce, Muffin (English), Poached egg, recipe, S.A. Food Blogs, Salt, Vinegar

Trying to find really fresh eggs is becoming as scarce as hens’ teeth. The eggs on offer are usually more than a week old, the whites runny and the yolk flattened. A fresh egg should have a rounded plump yolk, the white should have a thick gelatinous layer that clings all-round the yolk, followed by a thinner outer layer. After one week the yolk is flatter and the two separate textures of white are not quite so visible.

I am yet to be satisfied with the disappointing supply of eggs which the local supermarkets are selling; they are old and miserable in every way, literally falling apart as you crack the egg open. There is absolutely no visible difference between the two white textures in fact the whites are runny, barely able to hold the now very flat yolk, in most cases actually falling away from the egg yolk.

It is impossible to poach stale eggs, so when these gorgeously fresh beauties arrived from a good organic, free ranging happy chicken source, I could not resist and made this treat of deliciously oozing poached eggs on toast with a fancy name.

Eggs Benedict served with Bacon on Toasted Muffin

Serves 1

Ingredients

For the sauce

30 ml white wine vinegar

1 bay leaf

75 g butter

1 extra large egg yolk

1 tsp. lemon juice

Salt

Other ingredients

1-2 eggs

2 rashers of back bacon

1 English muffin split in half

Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

In a small pan simmer the vinegar with the Bay leaf until the vinegar is reduced by half, remove the bay leaf and leave the vinegar to cool. Melt the butter but do not boil, and leave to cool to blood heat.

A hand held blender is best for such a small quantity; place the egg yolk, lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a suitable bowl and blend until frothy, pour in the butter in a steady stream alternating with the vinegar until both are incorporated, and a thick creamy sauce has formed. Adjust the seasoning.

Grill the bacon, soft poach the eggs in a pan of simmering water, and toast the muffin.

To assemble

Place the bacon onto the toasted muffin, top with the well-drained poached egg and drizzle with some Hollandaise sauce, season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy the moment, I did.

A bitterly cold day-Delicate moreish little balls of meat & A good bottle of wine

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Cheese, Chefs, Cooks, Entertainment, food and drink, Food Blogs, Herbs, ingredients, Meatballs, Mince, Pancetta, Parmesan, Pork, S.A. Food Blogs, Tomato sauce, Veal, wine

Busy day and it is bitterly cold, I have barely ten minutes before the butcher closes. Dashing in I join the end of a long queue, but at least it gives me time to cast my eye over the long display counter to pick out what I want. I want something that can simmer and putter its way to perfect tenderness. The veal and pork mince conjures up images of delicate meat balls cooking slowly in a rich, mouth mopping tomato sauce; I ask the butcher to provide me with a fine mince of equal proportions of both veal and pork. I head for home and the welcome warmth of the kitchen, to quickly prepare the meal and then to sit back and enjoy the company of good friends for an hour in front of the warmth of the fire while the food slowly takes care of itself as it gently bubbles away, releasing the most gorgeous mouth watering fragrance into the air as it cooks.

Veal & Pork Meatballs

These are the most delicate, moreish little balls of meat that will have you licking your fingers and mopping the juices until nothing but a clean plate is left. A perfect dish for family and good friends.

Serves 4

Ingredients

250 g minced veal

250 g minced pork

1 large egg

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

60 g grated Parmesan cheese

1 slice of day old bread, soaked in a little milk, then squeezed dry

60 g finely diced pancetta

Sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

The Cooking sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion finely diced

2 tablespoons tomato puree

½ tsp. castor sugar

Water, sufficient

Method

Place all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix together gently but thoroughly. Shape into 12 even size balls, and then flatten slightly into oval shapes about 1 cm thick.

Place the olive oil in a heated pan and gently fry the meatballs until well browned on each side and then transfer to a casserole or suitable ovenproof dish.

In the same frying pan add the onion, tomato puree, sugar and 100ml water, stir well and cook for about 5-10 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Pour the sauce over the meatballs, add some water, the water should almost cover them. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour.

You can serve the saucy meatballs with ribbon pasta, rice or just hunks of crisp bread.

Mushroom & Aubergine Galette Served With a Crisp Salad

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Aabergine, Cheese, Chefs, eggs, Entertainment, food and drink, Food Blogs, free range, Galette, Herbs, Lifestyle, Mushroom, organic, Produce, puff pastry, recipe, S.A. Food Blogs, Salads, Spices, Yoghurt

Everyone that I have served this Galette to has requested the recipe. What I like is that I can prep everything ahead of time and when ready to bake, quickly assemble the Galette in a bout 5-10 minutes and pop it into the oven for about 40 minutes, leaving me free to enjoy the company of my guests for most of the evening. As a side dish I toss together some baby gem lettuce, onion, chopped tomato, and sprinkle over some olive oil and splash with some vinegar then season with salt and pepper. It’s a perfect evening meal.

I use frozen puff pastry for this Galette; it is one of my handy stock items, I always have a few rolls in the deep freeze.

Serves 4 as a light meal

Ingredients

Ready-made puff pastry

250 g mixed mushrooms, thickly sliced

350 g Aubergines cut into small dice

2 tablespoons oil

1 onion finely diced

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

½ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. ground cayenne

½ tsp. paprika

1 log soft goats cheese (120gm approximately)

110 g thick Greek yoghurt

50 g Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated

1 tablespoon each fresh thyme, oregano leaves, roughly chopped

Small handful of parsley roughly chopped

2 eggs lightly beaten

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

30 g butter

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method

Heat the oven to 180∘C

Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface, to about 3mm thick and into a round shape of about 30 cm diameter, it does not need to be perfect. Place pastry on an oven tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes to rest.

Heat a large frying pan on the stove and ‘dry fry’ the mushrooms for about 10 minutes, this method adds flavour and evaporates the excess moisture,  cook until lightly golden, season with salt and pepper, sauté for a few more minutes till all the moisture is cooked off. Set aside in a bowl.

Dry fry the aubergines for about 10 minutes, season with salt and pepper add some of the oil and cook for a further 10 minutes; remove and add to the bowl with the mushrooms.

In the same pan add the balance of the oil, add the onions and sauté until translucent and slightly golden, add the garlic and dry spices and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add to the mushrooms and aubergines. Mix in the soft goats’ cheese, yoghurt, herbs, lemon rind, egg and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture in an even layer over the pastry, leaving a 3cm border.

Melt the butter, remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Drizzle over the mixture and sprinkle with the gruyere cheese. Fold in the pastry edges, pleating as you go.

Bake at 180∘C for about 40 minutes, the pastry should be crisp and golden