TIP: If you don’t have a blowtorch, preheat the grill of your oven to the highest setting and place the creams directly underneath the element for 1 minute or until caramelised.
Split and scrape the vanilla bean, reserving the pod. Place the cream, vanilla pod and seeds in a small saucepan and heat gently over low heat. Remove from the heat and set aside to infuse for at least 1 hour or even better, refrigerate overnight.
Return the pan to the heat and heat until barely simmering. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until creamy. Pour the hot cream mixture carefully into the egg yolk mixture, while whisking. Strain into 6 ramekins.
Preheat the oven to 140°C and place a roasting tray half filled with water inside. When the water starts steaming, add the ramekins (ensure the water level reaches the same level as the custard layer in the ramekin) and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the custard jiggles like jelly. Remove from the hot water and cool at room temperature before setting in the fridge. To serve, sprinkle a thin layer of granulated sugar over each ramekin then tip off the excess. Wipe the edge clean with a damp cloth, then caramelise with a blow torch until golden. Serve immediately.
This trifle is a riff on the classic peach melba combination of peaches, raspberries and vanilla ice cream that I just adore! It makes the most of summer fruits and puts them on a pedestal at your Christmas celebration. The layers of jelly, soft billowy whipped custard and crushed amaretti are a texture explosion! Just don’t skip the vanilla bean in the custard – it is a special occasion, after all!
Prepare the raspberry jelly according to package instructions and pour it in a 2l trifle dish. Refrigerate to set.
Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds and place in a medium pot along with the bean and the creams. Place over medium heat and heat to a gentle simmer. Place the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl and whisk to combine. Gradually whisk in the hot cream mixture until combined. Return the mixture to the saucepan and stir over low heat for 2–3 minutes or until thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside to cool, cover and refrigerate until needed.
Combine the 125g raspberries, icing sugar and lemon juice together and blend until smooth. Pass through a sieve and set aside.
When ready to assemble, use an electric mixer to whisk the whipping cream to soft peaks. Halve, pit and slice the peaches.
To assemble: Remove the set jelly in the trifle dish from the fridge, top it with the raspberry sauce and evenly spread over the jelly. Top with ⅔ of the amaretti biscuits, pressing them against the edge of the dish so they form a row. Fill the centre with the rest of the amaretti – you can crush them with your hands if you like. Layer half the whipped custard over the amaretti. Halve the remaining 200g raspberries and place them in a row, cut-side pressed against the glass. Scatter the rest of the raspberries and half the peaches in the centre. Finish off with the rest of the whipped custard, sliced peaches, the rest of the amaretti and a few raspberries. Finish with a few mint sprigs and serve immediately.
These dark, decadent cookies are soft on the inside with crunchy edges and the silky ganache filling adds luscious richness. You can add a shot of your favourite liqueur (or coffee) to the ganache for something special.
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Cream the butter and caster sugar in a mixer with a paddle attachment until light and creamy – about 8 minutes.
Add the vanilla, egg yolk and half of the cooled dark chocolate. Then add the flour and cocoa to form a soft dough. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place on 2 large lined baking trays. Use your thumb or the back of a measuring spoon to press an indent in the middle of each cookie. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
In the meantime, place the chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream to just below boiling point and pour over the chocolate and butter. Allow to stand for a few minutes then whisk until smooth.
Drop or pipe spoonfuls of the ganache into the middle of the cookies.
These tahini chocolate truffles have an halva-like centre which is not too sweet. The base can easily be changed to create a variety of flavours – swop the tahini for almond butter, peanut butter or any other nut butter.
In a medium bowl, stir together the milk powder and icing sugar. Add the tahini and knead until smooth (the mixture will start out dry and crumbly and then get smoother). Use a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop to to divide the mixture into balls. Roll until smooth and set aside on a sheet of baking paper. Roll the truffles in cocoa powder. Decorate the truffles with gold leaf.
Ma’amoul are filled butter cookies traditionally made with semolina flour. They are usually filled with dates and walnuts but it got us thinking; what else could we fill them with? Presenting Dark chocolate and date, White chocolate and pistachio and Citrus Blossom and Almond ma’amoul!
Don’t be put off by the ma’amoul moulds, these can easily be made without them, alternatively you can purchase them HERE.
Ma’amoul are filled butter cookies traditionally made with semolina flour. They are usually filled with dates and walnuts but it got us thinking; what else could we fill them with? Presenting Dark chocolate and date, White chocolate and pistachio and Citrus Blossom and Almond ma’amoul!
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy – about 8-10 minutes. Add the cornstarch and cake flour and mix until a soft dough forms.
To make each filling, place the ingredients in a food processor and blend until a rough paste forms. Repeat with the remaining two fillings and set aside.
Divide the dough into 36 pieces and roll into balls weighing approx. 20g each. With your thumb make a dent in each dough and fill with 1 tsp or 8g of filling and top with approx. 5g of dough to seal. Close and roll into a ball again.
Dust ma’amoul moulds with icing sugar or cornstarch (if using) and press the dough into the mould firmly. Alternatively, flatten the dough ball slightly and make some marks with a fork in a decorative way so as to identify each flavour with a different pattern.
Place on a lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden around the edges. Allow to cool thoroughly.Note: If you’d prefer to make just one type of filling, triple the filling recipe.
Ever since we tried honey cake on a trip to the UAE, along with the rest of Dubai, we have become OBSESSED with it! The cake requires a little effort but it is beyond worth it. Layers of caramelly honey biscuit (obviously featuring the Senqu River Pistachio Blossom Honey available from our shop) are sandwiched together with sour cream. It’s rich, buttery, not too sweet and very reminiscent of Biscoff.
This very rare honey is sourced from bees pollinating South Africa’s only pistachio orchard. The lighter honey is from the beginning of the season, and the darker honey is towards the end of the season. It has a clean, unctuous flavour that makes it delicious in this Russian Honey cake!
RUSSIAN HONEY CAKE
Prep time: 2 hours plus overnight refrigerating
Cook time: 1 hour
Makes a tall 15cm diameter cake that feeds 16 people
Place the sugar, honey and butter in a bowl over a pot of gently simmering water. Stir until melted and hot to the touch. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and gradually add this to the hot sugar mixture, while whisking continuously. Stir the mixture until it thickens slightly – about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the bicarbonate of soda. Mix well then add the flour and salt. The dough should be very soft and sticky. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Cut 14 pieces of wax or baking paper. Divide the dough into 14 pieces (80g each) and roll each piece to 1mm thin and 15 cm wide between the layers of paper. We found a tortilla press was especially useful for this! Cut each disc into a circle using a small plate or cake tin base. Bake the discs of dough at 180C for 12 minutes or until dark golden brown and crisp. Allow to cool completely.
Whisk the sour cream, cream, sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks. Place a 15cm diameter cake ring on a cake board and line it with acetate. Place a disc of cake on the bottom and begin layering with 90g of cream for each layer. The final cake will have 10 layers and you should have 4 leftover. Refrigerate the cake overnight so the biscuits can soften and absorb the cream. Place the leftover biscuits in a blender and blend until fine. Unmould the cake and place it in a large baking tray with sides. Sift over the biscuit crumbs and gently pat the crumbs onto the side of the cake. Refrigerate if not serving straight away.
