Baked Chinese New Year Cake

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

•             2 tablespoons shredded, sweetened coconut

•             4 large eggs

•             1 pound (500g) sweet rice flour (about 3 cups)

•             3 cups whole milk

•             2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

•             3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for coating the baking dish

•             1 teaspoon coconut extract

•             1/4 teaspoon fine salt

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 

Heat the oven to 350°F/180C and arrange a rack in the middle.

 

Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with butter; set aside.

 

Place the coconut in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until toasted and golden brown in color, about 5 minutes; set aside.

 

Place the eggs in a large bowl and lightly beat to break up the yolks.

 

Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes.

 

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for 25 minutes.

 

Sprinkle with the toasted coconut, rotate the dish, and bake until the edges are just starting to brown and the top is just set (a bubble may form, but it will flatten as the cake cools), about 20 to 25 minutes more.

 

Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes before serving.

 

Wrap leftovers tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

 

Chow

 

BILTONG FRITTATA

 

 

Bestandele

 

10 ml Margarien

1 klein uitjie

Halwe klein soetrissie ontpit en in blokkies gesny

4 groot eiers

30 ml melk

50g biltong in baie dun skyfies gesny

50g fetakaas gekrummel

Vars pietersielie

 

 

Instruksies

Smelt margarien in pan en roerbraai di ui en soetrissie tot deurskynend. 

Klits eiers en melk tot net gemeng en giet oor die uie en soetrissie. 

Vou die kante van die eiermengsel stadig met 'n spaan na die middel totdat die mengsel begin stol en strooi dan die biltong fetakaas en gekapte pietersielie bo oor. 

Plaas die frittata vir 'n paar min onder die rooster element totdat dit mooi verbuin het en heeltemal gestol het. 

(Indien jy dit ni in die oond wil plaas ni kan jy dit van die hitte verwyder en vir 'n paar min bedek met 'n deksel of foelie totdat die bokant gestol is.

 

Cape pickled fish (Kaapse kerrievis)

 

 

 

There are many recipes for this flavoursome dish, most of which tend to use lots of vinegar and curry. In this recipe, Marietjie reduced the vinegar and curry. The result is milder, but it's still got lots of zing.

 

Ingredients

 

•             500 gram firm, white fish fillets (see notes below)

•             1 large onion (or 2 small onions), sliced

•             1 teaspoon mild curry powder

•             1 teaspoon turmeric

•             1/2 teaspoon ginger

•             1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

•             2 bay or lemon leaves

•             1/3 cup wine vinegar

•             1/3 cup water

•             2 tablespoons brown sugar

•             2 teaspoons corn flour

•             Salt and black pepper to season

 

 

Method

 

1.            Lightly season the fish with salt before baking for 15 to 20 minutes at 180°C, until cooked through.

2.            Cut the fish fillets into smaller portions.

3.            Heat a little oil in a pan or saucepan, add onion and fry until they start to soften.

4.            Add curry powder, turmeric, ginger and coriander and stir through.

5.            Add vinegar and water and bring to a simmer. Add sugar and stir until dissolved

6.            Season with ground pepper and salt to taste.

7.            Combine the cornflour with a little water into a paste and stir into sauce.

8.            Allow the sauce to simmer gently, while stirring, until it has thickened.

9.            Let the sauce cool down.

10.          Pack the fish fillets in layers in an airtight container, covering each layer with sauce.

11.          Cover and allow to marinade in the fridge for at least 48 hours before eating.

 

Serve with freshly baked wholemeal bread and green salad.

 

 

Notes:

 

What fish to use: it should be firm and white.

 

In South Africa that would be geelbek, kabeljou or yellow tail (geelstert), or in New Zealand, tarakihi or hoki.

 

If you would like to try the full-strength recipe: increase the vinegar and water from 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup each.

Leap year pudding

 

 

Serves 6

 

Ingredients

 

• 1/3 cup butter (75 gram butter)

• 1/2 cup (125 ml) sugar

• 2 jumbo eggs (or 3 smaller eggs), separated

• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla (optional)

• 1 cup (250 ml) flour

• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon / 1 ml salt

• 1/3 cup (85 ml) milk

• 1/4 cup apricot jam (approximately)

• 1 cup (250 ml) milk (to use in second half of baking process)

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) castor sugar

 

 

Method

 

1. Pre-heat oven to 180ºC

2. Cream the slightly softened butter, sugar and egg yolks together until it is light and fluffy. Mix optional vanilla into the mixture.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into the butter and sugar mixture and add 1/3 cup (85 ml) of milk and combine.

4. Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 180ºC (until baked through and a skewer comes out clean).

5. While the cake is baking, whisk the egg whites while adding castor sugar bit by bit, until you have turned it into a meringue mixture.

6. Remove the pudding from the oven, but do not switch the oven off yet.

7. Spread the jam over the cake to cover it lightly. Pour the 1 cup (250 ml) of milk over the pudding, and the cover with the meringue mixture.

8. Return to oven and bake about 20 minutes, until the meringue starts to darken.

Serve warm.

 

Asian minced pork salad

 

 

Serves:                 2

Prep time:           15 minutes

Cooking time:    15 minutes

 

Ingredients:

 

400 g pork mince

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 T grated ginger

4 red onions, sliced

½ chopped tomato

1 red chilli

3 T chopped mint

2 T chopped coriander

1 t fish sauce

 

Cooking instructions:

 

Fry pork mince, garlic and grated ginger until golden and fragrant.

 

Mix with sliced red onions, chopped tomato, red chilli, chopped mint, chopped coriander, fish sauce and a splash of lemon juice and serve.

 

CARDAMOM AND WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE ON A LAVENDER CRUST

 

 

Serves:                 1 cheesecake

Prep time:           20 minutes

Cooking time:    3 hours

 

Ingredients:

 

1 packet of Tennis biscuits, crumbled

50 g butter

2 T lavender flowers, chopped (optional)

 

For the filling

 

800 g cream cheese

300 g créme fraîche

180 g caser sugar

40 g cake flour

4 free-range eggs

1 t ground cardamom

200 g white chocolate, melted

To garnish

toasted pistachio nuts

lavender flowers

 

Cooking instructions:

 

Preheat oven to 180ºC and line and spray a 30-cm springform cake tin.

 

To make the crust, combine all the ingredients together and press onto the base of your tin.

 

Make sure to press down to cover the entire surface evenly, using the bottom of a straight-sided glass to assist you in getting into the corners.

 

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes until golden. Leave to cool.

 

Reduce the oven temperature to 140ºC.

 

For the filling, whizz all the ingredients, except for the chocolate, in a food processor until smooth.

 

Slowly pour in the white chocolate and whizz until combined.

 

Pour the mixture onto the cooled crust, and bake in a bain-marie for 3 hours until set but still wobbly at the center (the filling will set completely as it cools down).

 

Remove the cake from the water bath and leave to cool on a cooling rack.

 

Use a warm knife to loosen the edges before un-moulding the cake.

 

Garnish with fresh lavender blossoms and pistachios.

 

Pineapple Crush Fridge Tart

 

Ingredients

 

2 packets of passionfruit jelly (as substitute for pineapple jelly)

4 tablespoons of passionfruit pulp, optional

1 3/4 cup (450 ml) boiling water

1 x 250 gram packet of Tennis biscuits

1 x 450 gram tin of crushed pineapple, in juice

1 x 375 gram tin of evaporated milk, chilled

1 x 397 gram tin of condensed milk, chilled

 

Directions

 

Dissolve jelly in water and let it chill in fridge until it has the consistency of egg white, but not set yet.

Line biscuits in a 260 mm x 260 mm tart dish.

Spoon crushed pineapple over biscuits and then pour remaining juice from tin over it.

Whisk the evaporated milk and condensed milk together.

Add jelly and whisk lightly.

Pour over biscuits.

Set in fridge for two hours

If you used passionfruit jelly, spread 4 tablespoons of passionfruit pulp over the tart before serving.