Taste-and-Treats on the West Coast

Zimtsterne – Swiss Christmas Cookies December 14, 2023 in   Uncategorized No Comments » Its this time of the year again that we all remember certain things from our childhood. For me it was always the incredible smells of my Granny who was Swiss baking mountains of Christmas cookies for 4 weeks before the actual day. My most favourite was always the Zimtsterne ( Cinnamon Stars) which I still bake today to give away as presents to family and friends. Ingredients for approximately 50 cookies (depending on the size of a single cookie): 3 fresh egg whites 1 pinch of salt 250 g icing sugar sugar 1½ tbsp cinnamon ½ tbsp kirsch or lemon juice 350 g ground almonds Preparation: Stir white of egg and salt in a bowl until it is real stiff. Add icing sugar, stir until ingredients are evenly distributed. Put ½ cup aside for the icing. Add cinnamon, kirsch (or lemon juice) and almonds, knead to a soft dough. Roll out dough on a flat surface (it should be slightly covered with sugar), approximate...

It strawberry season again and perfect to enjoy a glamorous French Strawberry tart... I have always had problems making this delicious melt in the mouth pastry that is called pate sablee ( translated into sand pastry).. Think I have now perfected it and  will share it here. Pate Sablee 150 g butter 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp icing sugar Sift icing sugar Mix at low speed and combine 1 egg yolk and 1 hard boiled egg yolk grated mix into batter add 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 cup and 3/4 cake flour Take out 2 tbsp flour and replace with 2 tbsp corn starch Sift the flour   1/4 tsp salt Mix only until it is well blended Then wrap dough into cling wrap and chill Roll out dough with floured  rolling pin into 1/8 inch thickness     and larger than the     18 inch pastry tin you are going to use. You can trim the pastry using your rolling pin over the top of the tin. Make holes     in the pastry with a fork     and chill for about ½ hour. Bake at 175 de...

Last Saturday was the annual Moonstruck charity event on 4th Beach Clifton. What a great event and thank goodness we went early and found a lekker spot against the rocks as it ended up being 36 000 people on that beach. The concert was organised by Radio 702 and one of the performers was Vivky Samson who finished her set with her signature song that makes every expat overseas homesick with a dose of "wet eyes" - My African Dream - brings goosebumps every time I hear it. No vino allowed unfortunately but we all brought some nice munchies. One of my friends had Coronation Chicken. I must say it was the first time I ate this really nice way of using up day-old chicken as with me having done my apprenticeship in a German kitchen,  there was definitely no coronation :):):):).... We had something similar and called it Hawaiian Chicken Salad.. So here goes with the South African version of Coronation Chicken: Ingredients: 2 either freshly cooked or day-old chicken brea...

My sister lives in Brussels and this is one of her favourite meals for lunch and she kindly passed her recipe on to me. The combination of beef and chorizo works so well and gives the whole meal a bit of a zing which I love. ( I am not too fond of those extreme hot sort of dishes which most South Africans love so much). Having received one of those amazing Smoking Shed hampers last Sunday at the Food Bloggers Indaba, I also added a spoon of smoked bell pepper to the soup part of the dish.. and it made it WOW ..:) J MEATBALLS 1/2 lb   lean ground beef 1/2 lb   chorizo sausage , casing removed  1   egg , beaten 2   garlic cloves , minced 1/2   carrot , grated 1/2 cup   cooked rice 1/2 cup   coriander , chopped 1/2 teaspoon   salt 1/4 teaspoon   pepper 1 teaspoon   ground cumin ALBONDIGAS SOUP 6 cups   chicken stock  1/2 cup   onion, chopped 3 stalks ...

I just read Pink's fab blog  showing Beetroot sprouts.. pink sprouts look so amazing.. and as we all know just how healthy sprouts are..  little nosey me went off on a tangent and found them ! You can buy every kind of sprout online from a place in PE at very reasonable prices http://www.sproutingseeds.co.za am soooooooo  exited as  lets face it  nothing could be more healthy that  fresh sprouts !!! so go for it...  and their prices are discounted by 5% until tomorrow ( opening offer) have a great weekend all xoxo GLOSSARY OF SEEDS Here is alphabetical quick-link list of all of the seeds available from Umuthi Sprouting Seeds with brief descriptions. Just a Reminder: All of the sprouting seeds are suitable for planting in the vegetable garden as well.  Adzuki Beans (Organic) for Sprouts   have a distinctive sweet, nutty flavour, ideal for stir fries and veggie burgers. Alfalfa Sprouting Seeds , kno...

It was only in the last couple of months that I have started to use beetroot in my recipes. This deeply red vegetable had always been relegated to opening a jar of pickled beetroot, and then I only ever opened one of those jars because the man in my house loves this stuff. I just could never get my head around it. However ...........  I then discovered roasted beetroot ( very yummy with creme fraiche and some balsamic glaze) and I was hooked !  so here in my pursuit of different ways of creating summer salads that are "skinny" is the Raw beetroot ! :) How to: Peel and grate about 4 beetroot Grate 2 large carrots Add 1 handful dried cranberries Add 1 handful pine nuts Add 1 handful sprouted chickpeas Mix:  Juice of 1 lemon 1 tbsp tamarind paste 2 to 3 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp soya sauce That's all..  It is a wonderful fresh tasting salad that can be eaten right away and even tastes nice the following day. ( Perfect for lunch boxes to take to the off...

Being a Granny to a 2 year old has certain duties attached to it... one of them is the making of a birthday cake! I love birthday cakes, especially those that don’t come from some shop but are homemade. So there I was last week with the task to produce a “beach cake”.. as Connor and his family live next to the beach it was definitely the way to go. I am fortunate enough to live in Cape Town where we have a shop that just does baking stuff and equipment! ( Baking Tin in Claremont). Having scoured the shop for anything beachy I started the elimination of my chocolate recipes in the many books lining my shelves. I decided on the absolute yummiest one I could find which is David Lebowitz. This recipe comes out of his wonderful book called “The Sweet Life in Paris” and can be bought here from Amazon.com. For the beach cake: 250 g bittersweet or semisweet chocolate ( I used half & half) 8 tbsp ( 120 g) unsalted butter 1/3 cup ( 65 g) sugar 4 large eggs at room temperature sepa...

Pork Fillet is a low fat meat . Combined with herbs and spices and roasted in the oven it makes a very delectable meal. I have one of those small Romertopf clay pots which can do this sort of meal perfectly well. The way I did it last night was as follows: 2 tbsp olive oil into the pot mixed with Nomu pork rub ( about 1 heaped tbsp). Rub the porkfillet with this all over. In the space left over in the dish I cut a bunch of vegies, using yellow pepper, baby onions, tomato and courgette, as well a a few self=sprouted chickpeas for the crunch :):) I also love adding cut up cucumber and celery as these are what the diet people call "free  vegies" ... and for anyone who thinks that cucumber does not do well cooked..... Its Delicious ! I then sprinkled roast veg herb mixture over the vegies and another dash of olive oil. Into the oven at 180 deg C for about 45 minutes, leaving the lid off for the last 15 minutes.

Beetroot Mousse December 7, 2011 in Uncategorized 2 Comments » Tags: beetroot , mousse , verrine Last night I hosted another dinner for 14 Americans and as a couple of them were vegetarians I did not do my normal “fishy” sort of starter. I am currently reading loads of recipes on verrines from books a friend of mine lent me… Oh so many incredible variations are there and all are easy to make and delicious. What appeals to me particularly is that the quantities are small, basically just a taste and not any more these huge quantities of food from yesteryear… Look at these awesome colours !! Ingredients: (for about 10 smallish glasses/portions) 1 pkt Beetroot ( about 8 pieces) 1 tub Creme Fraiche 1 tub Cream Cheese Juice of 1 lemon Salt & pepper Boil the beetroot the night before. Peel and cut into quarters. In liquidizer mix beetroot, creme fraiche and cream cheese to a smooth consistency. Add lemon, salt and pepper… and that’s it ! Let is go very cold in th...

Pizza at Home December 3, 2011 in Uncategorized No Comments » A couple of months ago my son was asked by an old friend of mine to do a promotional dvd for his new Earthfire pizza oven that is now also available at Yuppie Chef . They decided that my home is the right place to film it and many hours and many pizzas later I was hooked and bought this amazing contraption and have never bought a pizza again from anywhere else!… It is so easy and quick and I think the best and cheapest fun way to entertain during this time of the darn recession !!! So today is another one of those days that boys have invited their mates to come and “do” pizzas. I agreed to make the tomato base with those lovely fresh herbs from my garden and also supplied the pizza topping for the Dessert Pizza : Ingredients for Dessert Pizza: Sliced banana ; pieces of Camambert, chopped walnuts, dabs of sweet chilli sauce, NOMU chocolate sprinkles :) totally awesome ! To see just how easy it is to ...

What a week it has been..   rather bizarre..  but a good thing has come of it and that is that I am finally in the very very near future moving back to my home to Hout Bay. So excited that I could platz ! So here for a healthy weekend snack the recipe of Raw Hummus I have been given by a friend. Just made it for a friend's birthday party tomorrow and it tastes amazing..  Very fresh and definitely more healthy than the one made with cooked chickpeas. I am going to try a different version as well next week maybe with added cucumber.. we'll see and I shall let you know how it works! INGREDIENTS • 1 cup dry chickpeas • 2 tablespoons ground sesame seeds (tahini) • 1½ teaspoon salt/pepper • 1 lemons, juiced • ½ cup olive oil • 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed or to taste • ¾ cup water • 2½ tsp (or to taste) paprika • ½ cup fresh basil • ½ cup parsley • Chives to taste DIRECTIONS 1. Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. In the morning dr...

Yes I know...  its been 3 months of silence... ! so very sorry !  Now I have moved home back to Hout Bay and am ready to tackle the world of blogging once more in a big way ! Also joined SureSlim again and even better am going 3 times a week to water arobics ! so 2011 will definitely be the year of health and happiness ! So looking forward to Sunday at the food bloggers conference in Monkey Valley which is really just around the corner from me. Seeing that these coming weeks / months will be more on the skinny food side here is an amazing recipe for a dressing that i found and tried out: Tapenade Dressing This super-easy dressing will make even the most boring of lettuces taste amazing, but it would also be great on arugula, spinach, for just about any salad green.  Garnish with toasted pine nuts, tomatoes, and feta cheese or hard boiled eggs ( for the protein)  for a more substantial salad.  Grilled or marinated vegetables would most certainly be a...

I love Iced Tea but don't want to buy the commercial stuff that is full of sugar. So I make my own..  at a fraction of the price and a whole lot healthier as well. In fact I make and drink about 2 to 3 liters a day as when it is not so hot I don't really like to drink water and also if the hunger pangs hit  before another meal is due..  this is the perfect alternative to circumvent the fridge !   HOW TO: In a BIG jug add 4 tea bags Rooibos and 1 teabag Mint Tea 3 to 5 slices of fresh ginger 1 table spoon of Advantage ( aspartame free sweetener) juice of 2 lemons Add boiling water and let the tea bags sit until the tea has gone cold and then store in fridge.  If its cold and raining :):)  its also delicious  when you drink it hot !

On Sunday I had family for lunch and decided to make something I had not made before and it turned out amazing. Weather was still yukkie in Stellenbosch ( where on earth is the sun????!!) I had some pork fillet and some bacon  in the fridge and bought a pkt of thin not so fatty beef sausage. First went to pick some strongish branches of rosemary , took the leaves off, leaving just the top ones on. Then scraped the bark and cut the end to a point .... making the perfect kebab sticks. Alternating bacon, sausage and pork fillet the threaded the kebabs.   Into a baking dish a gluck of olive oil and a good sprinkle of Ina Paarman's Rosemary & Olive spice all over the meat. Oven at 180 deg C for about 30 minutes. Turn the Kebabs over halfway through. I had made earlier on some polenta the following way:   2 cups water 1 cup milk 1 cup polenta Heat the water/ milk mix and add the cup of polenta. Stir the same way you would be doing the local "pap". When it has...

Clearing out the deep freeze I found a 1/4 pkt Woolies prawns. It was one of those days when I really did not feel like cooking as Tony was up in East London. So I made this Fritata with my new Creusier frying pan  :) ( so chuffed with it !!!) and it goes like this: For 1 person "on diet" Defrost prawns ( quantity "as you like it") Chop a small handful parsley Grated rind of 1 lemon 1/2 tsp chilli flakes 2 eggs heat oven to 180 deg C In a very hot frying pan (metal handles!) quickly fry prawns with parsley, lemon rind and chilli. Beat the eggs and stir underneath the prawns ( distribute prawns evenly) Frying pan with goodies into the oven and leave to bake and puff up for about 3 minutes. Take out and eat before the whole thing collapses with a big green mixed salad. Note that if you make this for more people it obviously needs to spend more time in the oven :):)

Its that time of the year again..  My  green fig tree is laden with fruit. Unfortunately its not one of those kid of figs that have the juice inside, no its a fig purely created for making preserves. So here I go again. My first batch is 4kg which should make lots of nice pressies for family and friends. What will be different this year is that thanks to Pink the figs that turned brownish last year when cooked.. this year they have turned out in their natural glorious GREEN ! The magic potion she remembered from her gran was Vitrioel  which my man from the chemist told me is Copper Sulphate (reminding me of when your hair used to turn green in the swimming pool) 2 kg firm, ripe green figs ( leave the short stem on) 2 tbsp slaked lime 3.5 ltr cold water 2.5kg sugar 1 stick cinnamon lemon juice of about 3 to 4 large lemons (I left the pips in for a bit of pectin) Knife tip of copper sulphate to add during the boiling in order to keep the fig colour green Cut a cross ...

For some reason I have not really ever used Ricotta before. I came across this recipe of baked Ricotta and as its very low in fat, decided it would make the perfect lunch. As I do a lot of times.. I read a recipe and then do "my own thing" w r t flavours. Hence I am not giving exact measurements here..  just guidelines. In a bowl  I crumbled the Ricotta and added the following: 2 tbsp chopped chives 1 tbsp Woolies Italien herb mix 1 tbsp tamarind paste dash of olive oil Salt & pepper Slightly oil a ramekin and push the Ricotta mixture into it. Bake at 180 deg C for 25 minutes. Arrange your favourite salad ingredients on a plate, carefully turn out the baked Ricotta ( ooops mine crumbled a bit) and lightly season salad and Ricotta with Olive oil and  good balsamic. I really liked the taste of the Ricotta together with a salad and will definitely do it again. I guess one can even become more creative as to the herbs and spices one is using when mixing the Ricotta....

Having eaten this wonderful Thai inspired salad last Saturday at the Stellenbosch Slow Food Market, I went and got all the ingredients this morning and made a similar salad for lunch today. I read this recipe first at the  Rawlicious recipe book. Its a whole bunch of grating here..  but definitely worthwhile the effort The quantities  given here is enough to invite 4  people for a lekka lunch :) 2 c red cabbage grated 2 c green cabbage grated 2 c carrots grated 2 c courgettes grated 1 med red onion (chopped) 4 spring onions sliced 1 c loosely packed coriander handful cashews handful roasted nu-seeds 2 Tbsp sesame seeds (should have been black ones, but didn't have) Thai Salad Dressing  The following goes into your blender: 1 red pepper 1 c olive oil ( I used 1/2 cup) 1 heaped tsp chilli flakes Juice of 1 lemon 3 tbsp rice vinegar 3 tbsp tamarind paste 3 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp honey ( I used Advantage artificial sweetener) 3 garlic cloves 3 cm fresh ginger 1...

Am not sure the exact way to translate a Flammkuechli,  which is a sort of very thin  pizza covered traditionally with creme fraiche, bacon and onions. Its the typical pub type of food in Southern Germany and the Alsace (where I originate from ). I have seen them done here at the Stellenbosch Saturday food market in a slightly different way with rocket and Parma ham which is also delicious..  If you have a pizza tray on your Weber it is also perfect for a quick snack when doing a braai 250 g flour 3 Tsp Canola oil 150 ml water Salt   200 g Crème fraîche 150 ml  Sour Crème   Sprinkle of Nutmeg 150 g Bacon sliced into small pieces 450 g  thinnly sliced Onions Some chopped chives Baking paper Heat oven to 250 deg C Mix flour, oil, water and salt to a smooth dough ( must not be sticky) and roll out to the size of your baking tray not thicker than 2mm. ( you will get about 3  out of the amount of mix) Line the baking tray...

Its nearly been a week this going on hopefully the very last strict no cheat diet. It was easy, yes really easy. No hunger at all ( guess cause my brain is in the right place :) . They say that the first 4 weeks is the hardest of re-adjustments. Well ...  I am trying to make it as attractive as I possibly can by having lots of choices and different flavours and this seems to be the key to success. Last night I a lot of different vegies, layed them out in my bamboo steamer ( also added some cucumber which is a "free" vegie and I absolutely adore as a cooked one especially sprinkled with some fresh Dill). Total weight of all these vegies in the pic below was 150 g. Then I seared 150 g of  salmon smeared with a bit of crushed ginger  and covered with roasted sesame seeds and lemon juice. Added a few preserved chilli and lemon pieces and chucked in for good measure some fresh peas ( just for colour). And you know what??????  It tased devine ! Steamed vegie...