A Christmas treat – Spiced Cinnamon Shortbread

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baking, Cape Town, Chefs & Cooks, Christmas Biscuits, Christmas Gifts, Clifton Kitchen - Cooking thorugh the seasons, food blog, Food Writing, recipe, shortbread, Spices

The flavour and fragrance of this shortbread is just so ‘Christmassy’ and I love to have tins of it in the pantry; some pieces beautifully packed for little home-made gifts and some for sharing with friends who pop in over the festive season. What’s more it is very easy to make. 

Serves 8

Ingredients

2 cups cake flour

¼ cup caster sugar

2 tbsp. corn flour

¼ tsp. cinnamon powder

A pinch of Allspice powder

Pinch of salt

250g unsalted butter, slightly softened

Extra caster sugar for sprinkling once baked

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Method

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until the ingredients are combined and just coming together. It is important to not over-process. If you don’t have a food processor, work the mixture lightly with your hands until combined.

Press the mixture as evenly as possible into a 20cm round pie dish and smooth the top. Using a fork, prick the dough evenly all over.

Place the shortbread in a preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until it turns a light golden brown.

Remove from the oven and slice into serving portions then sprinkle with some caster sugar while still hot. Leave to cool before serving.

spice options

ground star anise; ground dried ginger; ground cardamom, ground cloves

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Succulent Gourmet Burgers

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Cape Town, Chefs, Cook Books, Cooks, food blog, Food styling, gluten free, Hamburger, meat patties, Photography, Quick meals, recipe, Travel, Writing

This evening’s un-planned meal is for three people, of which one is gluten Intolerant. Although I’m making hamburgers, I will serve them without the usual bun. Instead I opt to serve the burger on a bed of chilli and garlic peas.

Succulent Gourmet Burgers – Served on a bed of Chilli & Garlic Peas

For these burgers I have selected equal quantities of lamb, pork and beef, which I asked the butcher to mince for me. The texture I prefer is a coarse rather than fine mince.

serves 6

Ingredients

1 kg ground mince of your choice

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Salt to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

3-4 medium tomatoes, sliced

3 onions sliced

2 table spoons olive oil

500 g peas

1 chilli finely diced

1 clove of garlic finely diced

15ml butter

Method

Prepare the dressing

Place the mince in a bowl and add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Using your hands work the mince and seasoning together until combined. Form into 6 patties of about 2cm thick.

Heat a large skillet, add the olive oil and when hot add the sliced onions. Cook until golden and slightly charred on the edges. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Wipe the skillet with a paper towel and place back on the heat, when hot add the hamburgers. Cook them, turning once, pressing down with a spatula until done to the way you like them.

While the meat is cooking start the peas. Melt the butter in a pan; add the garlic and chilli and sauté for about ½ a minute. Add the peas and gently cook together for about 4-5 minutes.

Dressing Ingredients

185 ml good quality mayonnaise

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons milk

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

To make the dressing: put the mayonnaise in a bowl, whisk in the Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice, and a little salt and pepper. Then gradually whisk in the milk to make a thin sauce that just coats the back of the spoon. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

To serve

Place the peas in the centre of the plate, top with the burger, some onion and a few slices of tomato. Drizzle over some dressing.

Optional

Instead of serving the peas whole they can be roughly mashed.

Christmas Temptation

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Buttery biscuits, chocolate, Christmas Biscuits, Cocoa, Cook Books, currents, Festive season, food blog, Food Writing, lemon zest, Life, News, Photography, raisins, recipes, Spices, travel Writing, Vanilla essence

Buttery Christmas Biscuits

It’s a nice quiet day and a perfect time to quickly put a batch of cookie dough together which I will keep in the freezer to ensure that fresh cookies are always available when friends pop in over the next few days. It’s a nice, simple recipe which can be embellished simply by adding nuts, currents, raisins, cocoa, bits of chocolate, essence, lemon rind and spices. And of course it stores well in the freezer.

As it is the festive season it is also nice to wrap the biscuits in either cellophane paper tied with a pretty bow, or packed into a pretty box and hand them out as little Christmas gifts.

Ingredients

250 g butter

125 g icing sugar

1 egg

350 g plain whole flour

Method

Cut the butter into small pieces, place in a food processor together with all the other ingredients. Process until the dough comes together in a ball around the blade.

Roll the dough into a long sausage shape, wrap in baking paper and refrigerate for 2 hours. Once the dough has chilled, cut the dough into thin slices. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200C for 6-8 minutes.

Remove biscuits from oven and cool on wire rack, then store in an airtight biscuit tin.

Note: when adding essence, cocoa or spice, add together with all the ingredients prior to processing.

To add nuts, chocolate, zest, raisins or currants; do this by gently kneading the ingredients into the dough prior to rolling into a sausage shape.

What’s In Season For October

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Blogging, Blogging News, Books, Chefs, Clifton Kitchen, Cooks, food, food and drink, food blog, Fruit, Life, organic, Organic foods, Organic markets, Photography, recipes, Seasonal food, Travel, Vegetables, Writing

Walking around the organic market on Saturday was so tempting and thought provoking, I could have bought so many lovely things but there is only so much one can eat before what you buy starts to spoil.

Spring and summer can be seen everywhere in the wonderful selection of fruit and vegetables on display. Beautiful fresh broad beans piled high on shelves, super fresh, bright pale green, and sweet tasting. When selecting broad beans I like to choose the smaller ones with pods that are heavy for their size and unblemished. Although their season is brief, they can be frozen as raw beans quite successfully. But why bother, just enjoy them for the short time in which they are available. I sometimes enjoy serving them raw, tossed with flakes of good quality salt, extra virgin olive oil and a few shavings of pecorino. Nice with a glass of wine served as a little appetizer just before dinner.

My favourite handy food is Avocado, high in natural healthy oil content, protein, minerals and vitamins. Many varieties are available throughout the year, but the Hass is currently at its peak. It has a yellow creamy flesh and a nutty subtle flavour. I enjoy avocado cut into squares, dressed with finely diced chilli, lime juice, coriander leaves and a good splash of fish sauce. Sometimes I add a little crab or cooked chicken. On other occasions I dress avocado with mirin, pickled ginger, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and a few drops of toasted sesame oil. Delicious!

Also in season are:

Fruit:

Pineapples, strawberries, cumquats, grapefruit, lemons, mangoes, oranges, papaya

Vegetables:

artichokes, Asian greens, asparagus, broccoli, capsicum, cucumbers, garlic, lettuce, onions, peas, silver beat, spinach

Ten Weeks To Christmas- Some Gift Ideas For You

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Blogging, Books, Cape Town, Christmas, Clifton Kitchen, Flavoured Mayonnaise, food and drink, food blog, Gifts, Life, Mayonnaise, News, Photography, recipes, Travel, Writing

In ten weeks time it will be Christmas. For some people finding the perfect gift can be quite stressful and with the world’s financial affairs being in a mess and affecting most people to some degree, this Christmas could become a shopping nightmare. But here is a way to keep the spirit and enjoyment of Christmas alive and be frugal and considerate at the same time.

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing some of my food gift ideas that have always been well received. They will be easy to make, packaged in a novel way and at the same time be special and very useful.

I recycle beautiful food containers and bottles throughout the year, keeping them for my food gifts. If you have been doing the same you will I’m sure have a whole host of lovey or unusual containers in which to serve and present this home-made mayonnaise gift.

How to Make Mayonnaise & Combine Various Flavours

Homemade mayonnaise tastes wonderful, is easy to make and is fresher and brighter than anything you can buy. This recipe is quick and easy, and you can flavour it however you please.

Makes 300 ml

Ingredients

2 egg yolks

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. white wine vinegar

250 ml sunflower oil

2 tsp. lemon juice

Method

Place egg yolk, mustard, vinegar and a pinch of salt in a blender or food processor. Blend together with the machine switched to the lowest speed.

With the machine still running and using the feed tube in the lid, drizzle in the oil in a steady slow stream until the mayonnaise is thick and emulsified.

Add the lemon juice and blend briefly, then adjust the seasoning to taste.

Pour in the oil drop by drop to begin with, whisking all the time. Ass the sauce begins to thicken start adding the oil in a steady stream, whisking continuously to keep the emulsion stable.

When all the oil has been incorporated and the mayonnaise has reached a nice thick consistency, stir in the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning to taste.

Add flavours

When to add the flavouring ingredients

Garlic mayonnaise

add 2 minced cloves of garlic cloves together with the egg yolk, mustard and vinegar.

Red-Pepper Mayonnaise

add 2-3 tablespoons chopped roasted red pepper, patted dry, and 2 minced garlic cloves together with the egg yolk, mustard and vinegar .

Herb Mayonnaise

once all the oil has been incorporated, fold in finely chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, or chives.

Caesar Mayonnaise

add 2 finely chopped anchovy fillets and 60 ml grated Parmesan together with the egg yolk, mustard and vinegar.

Tartar Mayonnaise

after incorporating the oil, stir in 2 tablespoons chopped cornichons and 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion.

Note:

Mayonnaise can be successfully made in a blender or food processor, but always make at least 300ml as small amounts will not blend properly.

The mayonnaise will keep for one week in the refrigerator.

For the gift presentation

Place the mayonnaise in whatever beautiful, recycled jar or cleverly found ceramic jar you have in your cupboard.

Take a square of clear cellophane paper, place the jar in the middle of the paper and draw up all the corners of the cellophane and tie at the top with some natural raffia.

Print out the recipe, gently role it up, secure with a rubber band, wrap some raffia around the band to hide it and attach the recipe to the outside of your gift.

Who Has Snatched Our Spring Weather?

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Blogging, Books, Butternut, Cape Town, Coriander, food blog, ingredients, Life, News, Photography, recipes, Soups, Travel, Vegetarian, Writing

It seems to me the ever lengthening finger of winter is determined to hang in and because Clifton Kitchen is within a good spitting distance of the Atlantic sea, the chill in the air is seemingly a few degrees cooler than areas further up the mountain and therefor felt more keenly.

I need something warm and soothing on this evening’s menu. In the vegetable larder is a rather handsome looking butternut which should do quite nicely for what I have in mind; a gorgeous velvety smooth butternut soup – with just a hint of spice.

Velvety Smooth and Slightly Spiced Butternut Soup

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

20 ml olive oil

500 g butternut roughly diced

1 large onion, roughly chopped

15 ml grated fresh ginger

1 medium sized chilli, chopped

5 ml salt

2 litres stock; vegetable or chicken

A small bunch of Fresh coriander stalks (save the leaves for the garnish)

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Garnish

Croutons

Diced tomato

Fresh coriander leaves

Method

For the soup; heat the oil in a large pot, add the butternut and onion and sweat for about 5 minutes, taking care not to burn the onions. Add the remaining ingredients except the pepper, and gently bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until butternut is soft, about 20 minutes. Blend to a smooth puree. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

For the croutons you will need 4-6 slices white bread, crusts removed, cut into 1 cm cubes and 50 g butter. Melt the butter in a frying pan and gently fry the croutons until golden brown. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

Serve the soup in bowls, top with a sprinkling of coriander, diced tomato and croutons

Spicy Carrot & Cilantro Soup–the perfect winter dish

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Books, Bushmanskloof Wilderness Retreat, Cape Town, Carrot and Cilantro soup, Cederberg, Cilantro, Curry, food blog, Life, News, onion, Organic cuisine, recipes, Soup, Travel, Writing

A perfect combination of carrot, cilantro and coriander, spiked with a little bit of curry powder, ideal for the cold Cape weather.

I’m using up what’s in the fridge for this evenings dinner, as I leave early tomorrow morning to enjoy a blissful getaway at the Bushmanskloof wilderness retreat nestled at the foothills of the Cederberg mountains which is about 270km from Cape Town. Malaria and predator free, the reserve is a natural playground for those who want to reconnect with themselves and the essence of life, with wide open plains, mystical rock formations, crystal clear water falls, and an abundance of flora and fauna. Exclusive and totally private, with 16 rooms and suites, this Natural Heritage Site is also home to many exceptional displays of San rock art.

I look forward to enjoying Bushmanskloof’s delicious organic cuisine as well as the breath-taking dining venues while I do absolutely nothing but inhale the beauty and succumb to the peace, quiet and tranquillity of this internationally recognised and award winning Relais & Châteaux venue.

But back to my menu. My first course for this evening, and well suited to the weather is this perfect combination of carrot, cilantro and coriander soup, spiked with a little bit of curry powder.

Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

500 g carrots, roughly sliced

1 small onion, chopped

2 medium floury potatoes roughly chopped

1 tsp. (10ml) coriander seeds crushed

1 tsp. curry powder or leaf masala

1/2  tsp. salt

1/4  tsp. black pepper

700 ml vegetable stock

1 bunch fresh Cilantro roughly chopped

75 ml cream

A few sprigs of Cilantro for garnish

Method

Put all the prepared vegetables into a pot with the stock, fresh cilantro, leaf masala or curry powder, crushed coriander seeds and salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes until all the vegetables are very tender. Remove the lid and cool slightly.

Transfer the soup to a blender/or food processor or use a hand held blender and process until smooth. Return to the pot and re heat. Stir in the cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.

Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh cilantro.