new blog under construction

Im besides myself with excitement about my blog rennovation and relocation and dying to do some posts….hopefully in the next day or so

white chocolate and green tea fudge

white chocolate and green tea fudge

This is scarily good.  I fell in love with the recipe the minute I clapped eyes on it. The white chocolate and cream are at the forefront of this recipe.

Ok I love green tea. I forced myself to love green tea, it didn’t come naturally.  It took me about 48 cups before I started liking it and then about another 34 before I started loving it.  Now I cannot start my day without a mug. Persevere is all I am going to say on the matter, it’s definitely an acquired taste.

I also love white chocolate, which yes I know is not really chocolate, but it conjures up some childhood memories of me stealing my sisters stored up Easter eggs (I had eaten all of mine on the day of course). I love the palette clinging creamyness of it.

 So now there is a recipe that combines both.  How exciting is this?

 I have failed miserably with sugar work in the past (nougat and marshmallows), and haven’t really made fudge before, but with my sucrometre in my armoury, off I went.

 You will need:

•  2 cups sugar
• 1 ½ cups cream
• 2 Tbsp liquid glucose
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp green tea powder
• 100gm white chocolate

 You may, like me, be asking yourself WTH is green tea powder?  So I consulted with Lynn from ‘Main Ingredient’ to find out whether it is in fact just green tea in a powder format. And it seems it is.  So I ground up 3 tea bags (I used Eve’s) in my stone pestle and mortar. 

Mmmm I’m thinking of a few more exciting applications. 

I suppose you could just leave it out, it wouldn’t interfere with the integrity of this recipe.   

This is how you make it:

• Grease or line about a 20cm x 20cm tin / container, depending how thick you want the fudge to be
•  Put all the ingredients in a pot a bring to the boil
• When its boiling allow it to carry on boiling over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally for about 40 minutes and until it reaches 118 C on a sugar thermometer (this is the ‘fudge’ stage)
• Take it off the heat and carry on stirring until it cools

I needed to dash to the airport and was making it in a cast iron pot, so actually dipped it in a bowl of cold water (with a bowl inside it to rest on), which helped cool it down a bit more quickly.

As the fudgification starts happening, it gets thicker and more difficult to stir.

When its luke warm, beat it vigorously until the sheen becomes matt in appearance.

It also gets to the point where it starts hardening and setting on the sides of the pot, and then it reaches a stage where you know its time to tip it into a lined or greased container.

Smooth it out and store in the fridge to set and then cut into squares.

smooth and creamy

have it with a cup of tea

 This has the X factor all over it and is definitely going to impress.

Pack off a stash in a cellophane bag with ribbon as a nice little gift for the next DP.

friday’s food porn: clementines

preserved clementines: photographer - Libby Edwards

photographer: Libby Edwards styling: me

giovanni’s: possibly the best deli and food shop in south africa

Giovannis - food shop heaven

There are times when dedication and passion to food is so apparant it’s almost tangible. This is what you pick up every time you walk into Giovannis in Green Point.

This amazing food shop and deli is always bustling and you never have to wait long for a friendly staff member to help you.  The owners are always around, with more smiles, and more help. It’s simply a pleasure to shop there.

For me its like a mini trip to Europe, and I love wondering around checking all the beautiful products on offer, wishing I was a gazillionaire and could just pick up a bottle of Veuve or Dom on a whim, to wash down my Serrano ham and Gorgonzola with. Sigh!

Its essentially food retail nirvana.

The shop is very compact and products are arranged and merchandised neatly in categories.  If you dig deep you will find some hidden treasures like Zwyer caviar @ R9950 for 125gms in the coolest nifty black ‘pearl’ packaging. The sturgeons that produce this caviar swim around in a pristine Uruguay habitat (yes this is in the Southern Hemisphere). They are farmed with words like: sustainability, traceability and responsibilty which we love when it comes to our food. You need to check out the website, mermaids and all.  It’s so impressive, and the photography so stunning, you will be reaching for your wallet going …’hell its only R80 a gram’.  Giovannis is the only retailer to stock this product.

a fridge dedicated to imported duck products and caviar --and a bit of clever cross merchandising of Moet, DP and Veuve - of course

Check out the Zwyer Caviar website, its insane.

You will find this alongside other lesser roe and delectable goodies at Giovannis.

another little gem, bottarga di tonna, aka dried tuna roe to sprinkle over pasta or add to a sauce

a delicious array of prepared meals if you are in a hurry

 Choose your bread and filling for a custom made sandwich on the go.

eat in or takeaway - damn I wish I drank coffee

then there is the chocolate section

a little bit of fresh produce and lots of hanging panettone

you can get cherry diet coke (not my cuppa) or dr pepper

the coffee and tea department

a plethora of olive oils and vinegars

some fantastic ready made goodies for parties or picnics

italian liqueurs

a really great selection of wine

and then just for the final temptation as you leave the shop, an impressive stock of imported confectionary, like dark and white kit kat, polo mints, dime bars and rieses peanut butter cups

Giovannis Deli World, 103 Main Road, Green Point

Tel: 021 434 6893

roast chicken and avo vietnamese rolls:with an anchovy-spring onion mayo dressing

chicken, avo and salad rolls - great for a picnic or portable lunch

Vietnamese rice rolls are so versatile, I thought I would experiment away from the typical Asian flavours, and was thrilled that they worked out so well.

I had wanted to do a kind of ‘roast chicken caesar salad wrap thing’, but  due to a few ingredient availability issues, they evolved into these.

You can add anything you like, but this is what I did before I got rolling:

• I shredded some chicken off a ready roasted Woolies (free-range) bird
• cut up a few strips of avo (in season—- halla-loo-lia)
• cut a few thin batons of cucumber (julienne)
• ripped off a few cos lettuce leaves, cut in half and overlapped

I made a little dressing as follows: (and spread about a teaspoon over the overlapped 2 leaf halves)

• Mayo/sour cream/ yoghurt/ spring onion /anchovy/ black pepper 

I chopped a few anchovies (the caesar salad vibe) and spring onions very finely and added this to a concoction of about 2 tablespoons each mayonnaise, sour cream and greek yoghurt. I happened to have the sour cream and greek yoghurt on hand, but only mayo or sour cream or yoghurt would work.  I added a dash of Maldon and lots of freshly ground black pepper (hilarious around the whole misprint in Australia ‘black people’ vs ‘black pepper)

Soak the rice paper rounds for a few seconds in boiling water.  The hotter the water, the quicker the softening. Then place the soft rice paper on a flattened out and dampened tea towel. They can be a bit sticky, but just gently pull apart and after a few goes you become a pro.

Wrap them up like this:

the chicken and avo parcels ready to be wrapped

place the lettuce and chicken on the softened rice paper towards the bottom and in the middle

flap over the sides

flap over the bottom flap and then hold the parcel tightly and roll up to the top

Right, so easy and delicious with a bit of X factor.  I reckon a few of these tucked into a picnic with a lovely chilled bottle of bubbly would seal the deal.  There really should be no reason why I don’t have a boyfriend.

Vietnamese chicken and avo rolls

beefcakes: a pink burger bar

beefcakes burger bar

It’s a pink restaurant, on the pink strip which does a really good burger. 

the pink interior

Its kind of an all American diner and has a downstairs dance floor which opens up at 21.30 with only eighties and nineties music (with lyrics), so your evening can evolve into a bit of a party if you so wish. Abba, Kylie, you get the vibe.  There is a plastic fun fair, roundabout horse with pole on the stage, which brings out the exhibitionist in the most demur. 

We went there on Saturday night for a friend’s birthday party and had quite a blast. 

pink times at beefcakes

 You can have your burger with skinny fries or wedges and a plethora of toppings and a side order of big, fat juicy beer battered fried onion rings. Starting price R49 – and going up to around R69 for a more gourmet offering. You can have it in Chicken, Beef, lamb, Ostrich or Veg. 

There are fantastic salads like ‘Ripped Roman” and ‘Buff Biltong”. 

There are milkshakes like peanut butter and choc brownie and even a creme soda float. 

There are desserts like cheesecake, waffles and homemade apple pie (does it get better than this?). 

Sandwiches, wraps, chilli poppers and nachos – the whole bang shoot. 

The wine list was a bit limited and they had run out of the only ‘cheap and cheerful’ sauv blanc, so in the end the evening added up a bit. 

Then there was the birthday girls ‘body shot’ (drinking a Jagermeister from between the deep crevaces of a very hot man’s 6 pack – nice!). 

this is definitely one way to drink a jagermeister

 A good burger is right up there in my favourite food category and Beefcakes gets  a solid nod of approval from me. Next time I go there I am so ordering ‘Buffy the Hamburger Slayer”: bacon, cheese, caramelised onion, avo and mushroom sauce 

Beefcakes Burger Bar: 40 Somerset Road, Green Point, 021 425 9019

party time

pad thai with prawns

pad thai with prawns

It’s a stalwart in my eating repertoire and crave it like I crave pizza if I havent eaten it in a while.  Its comfort food at its best, so simple, but yet quite often it can be all wrong and a bit bland.

I have always wanted to make it, but felt a bit intimidated, so last week off I went in search of the best pad thai recipe and found it on Pims fabulous food blog, chez pim.  It’s a 101 of pad thai and an education on wok seasoning all rolled into one.  I’m going to tell you how I made it and then you can look at her post (it’s very long), but well worth the read should pad thai be an important enough dish for you to master.

I modified her version slightly as she suggests and made the sauce as per my own taste.  I went to Mainland China (Chinese shop in Claremont) to get the supplies including tamarind paste, hauled down my wok and got busy.

The main thing is to get all the ingredients lined up and ready as it takes a few very fast, action packed minutes to make. I used a proper wok (thinner metal, instant heat) on gas (is there any other way?).

pad thai sauce:

Here you need the sweet, salty, spicy and sour and comes in the following 4 ingredients

• palm sugar – sweet
• fish sauce – salty
• tamarind paste – sour
• chilli powder- spicy (I used chilli flakes)

Pim recommends equal parts palm sugar, fish sauce to tamarind paste and then chilli powder to your taste preference.  I find tamarind incredibly intense (it can wreak havoc on your digestive system) so I used much less.  I made a sauce with 1/2 cup fish sauce, 1/2 cup palm sugar (about 2 sugar cakes) and then a heaped tablespoon of tamarind.  Sprinkle some chilli, taste, adjust seasoning etc. keep the sauce warm on the side to add to the pad thai.

Now that I have got up close and personal with the ingredients, pad thai is in no way, shape, fashion or form a ‘healthier’ option.  There I was living under a nice false illusion that it was a better choice. It’s a double whammy very high sugar and fat content. damn!

I soaked the rice noodles in hot water for about 5 minutes until very al dente.  Rinse under cold water to stop the absorbtion and then drizzle over some oil, like you would with pasta in order to keep the noodles separate otherwise they stick together and clump in the wok.

Pim suggests cooking smaller volumes in the wok ie: one portion at a time which makes sense.

I used the following ingredients per portion:

• about 6 prawns, deshelled and deveined (I like to leave the head on as I find the cooked brain juice adds to the overall flavour and is rather delicious to eat).  You could also use chicken or tofu for a veggie option. 
• 1 garlic clove – crushed
• a small handful of mung bean sprouts
• a small handful of chopped spring onions (Pims recipe includes Chinese chives, but these are not readily available)
• 1 egg
• chopped / ground up roasted peanuts or cashew
• wedge of lime for squirting on at the end
• I sprinkled over coriander which is not in the recipe  but I love it

ok how to make:

Heat a good splash (about 3 – 4 tablespoons) of oil in the wok until it’s just starting to smoke.  Add the garlic and then the prawns and toss around. You could add a dash of the sauce. When the prawns are cooked on both sides and they are pink, take about a cup of noodles (handful) and add to the wok, tossing about to separate.  Add a ladle of sauce and stir fry.  I then added the spring onions and sprouts. Make some space in the middle and break the egg and stir through. Toss around a bit more and then serve up on a plate.  Sprinkle over nuts and coriander and spritz with lime juice. 

This recipe tastes very authentic and is full of flavour.  One very big tick for me.  I’m super chuffed but also sad that it is going to be a bit more of a rarer treat for me from now on.

Check out this blog for more details and the source recipe: chez pim

a delicious treat

fridays food porn: apple tart tartin

caramelised apple tart tartin

vanilla snap biscuits: a delicious little cookie

a pile of vanilla snap biscuits

These are easy to make and so nice and snappy to the bite. Its a Donna Hay recipe from “Modern Classics 2” 

recipe: 

• 185gms butter
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• icing sugar to dust

How to make: 

• Preheat the oven to 180 c
• In a food processor mix the butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth
• Add the flour, egg and egg yolk and process until the mixture forms a soft dough
• Take the dough out the processor and knead slightly bringing it together in ball and wrap it in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes
• Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface or between 2 sheets of baking paper until about ½ cm / 5mm thick
• Cut the dough into approximately 7cm rounds
• Place the dough rounds on a baking sheet that has been lined with baking paper or silicone baking sheets
• Bake for 10 – 12 minutes until golden brown 

Remove the biscuits carefully from the baking tray and allow them to cool on a wire cooling rack as they have a tendency to carry over cooking and could turn too brown once removed from the oven (I generally cool all biscuits on a cooling rack).  

When cooled, dust them with some icing sugar or decorate as desired. 

cooling on a rack

the first orange on my tree

my first ripe orange on my tree - a beautiful sight

My first orange is nearly ready to be picked.  Its so exciting to watch them change colour as we move towards winter.

Freshly squeezed orange juice coming up.