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Salted Caramel and JAZZ™ Apple Baklava

Salted Caramel and JAZZ™ Apple Baklava

by | Jun 4, 2019 | 2 comments

This Salted Caramel and JAZZ™ Apple Baklava has flaky, buttery layers of phyllo pastry with a filling of tangy JAZZ™ Apple, spices and is doused in salted caramel sauce. 

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They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? So by default, this baklava is… good for you! We’ll just ignore the lashings of butter, caramelised white chocolate and salted caramel soaking syrup then, shall we? It will be our little secret.

Until the team over at  JAZZ™ apples sent me a big box full of these crunchy apples, I’d actually never tasted them (shock, horror!) An apple is an apple, right? Wrong. I can’t believe just how delicious JAZZ™ apples are! They are definitely now my favourite – sweet and juicy but with a slight tang to them. It’s this sweet-tangy combo which makes them perfect for desserts and baking! Thanks to the farmer who had the bright idea to combine Royal Gala and Braeburn apple varieties to create the  JAZZ™ apple!

Inspired by this winning combo, I created a spin on baklava which is loaded with cooked JAZZ™ apple,  toasted almonds, my FAVE caramelised white chocolate and instead of drenching the crunchy cigars in honey, I doused them in a salted caramel sauce which makes them not-too-sweet and utterly moreish. A topping of chopped JAZZ™ apples gives a bright freshness, juiciness and cuts through any sweetness. A big old scoop of vanilla ice cream is all that’s standing between me and ugly-eating this on the couch in my slippers (which I may or may not be currently doing!). 

 

Salted Caramel and JAZZ™ Apple Baklava
Yields 24
Print
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
50 min
Total Time
2 hr
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
50 min
Total Time
2 hr
0 calories
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
0g
Yields
24
Amount Per Serving
Calories 0
Calories from Fat 0
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0g
0%
Saturated Fat 0g
0%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 0mg
0%
Total Carbohydrates 0g
0%
Dietary Fiber 0g
0%
Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin A
0%
Vitamin C
0%
Calcium
0%
Iron
0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Does this look wrong?
Baklava Rolls
  1. 800g (12) JAZZ™ Apples, peeled and chopped finely
  2. 2 lemons, juiced
  3. 15ml (1 tbsp) ground cinnamon
  4. 5ml (1 tsp) ground nutmeg
  5. 2,5ml (½ tsp) ground cloves
  6. 600g (6 cups) whole almonds
  7. 180g caramelised white chocolate, plus extra to serve*
  8. 10ml (2 tsp) salt
  9. 24 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed (2 x packs)
  10. 200g unsalted butter, melted
Salted Caramel Sauce
  1. 375g golden caster sugar
  2. 150g honey
  3. 125g salted butter
  4. 15ml (1 tbsp) sea salt flakes
To Serve
  1. 100g pistachios shelled and roasted
  2. 3 JAZZ™ apples, extra, cubed
Instructions
  1. For the filling, place a medium pot over high heat and combine the apple, lemon juice and spices together. Lower the heat and allow the apples to cook down, stirring every now and then, for 10 minutes or until the apples have softened slightly. Gently mash the apple mixture, leaving a few chunks.
  2. In a food processor, blitz the almonds until finely chopped.
  3. Transfer the almonds into a large bowl, stir in the caramelised white chocolate and cooked apple. Set aside for 30 minutes or until completely cooled.
  4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
  5. Grease a 35cm x 25cm baking dish.
  6. To roll the cigars, slice the phyllo sheets in half and place ½ a phyllo sheet on a clean counter with the long edge parallel to you. Brush the surface with melted butter. Spoon a ¼ cup of the nut mixture in a sausage shape about 3cm away from the edge of the pastry.
  7. Fold both sides of the pastry over the filling and roll up tightly to enclose.
  8. Place the baklava rolls in the prepared baking dish, generously brushing the tops with extra butter.
  9. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden and crisp.
  10. To make the salted caramel sauce, combine the sugar, honey and ½ cup (125ml) water in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved then bring to a gentle simmer, swirling occasionally for about 8 minutes or until amber in colour. Whisk in the butter, a cube at a time, until all the butter has melted in. Swirl in the sea salt flakes. Remove from heat and set aside.
  11. Once the baklava is golden, pour all of the salted caramel sauce over.
  12. Serve with chopped pistachios, cubed JAZZ Apples and a drizzle of extra caramelised white chocolate.
  13. *TIP Use white chocolate, if desired
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calories
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fat
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protein
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The Kate Tin https://thekatetin.com/

Dessert First: Coco Safar

Dessert First: Coco Safar

by | Mar 6, 2018 | 4 comments

‘A journey beyond ordinary’ is is not exactly what you’d expect when you glide down the escalators of the Artem Centre (previously known as The Adelphi Centre) in Sea Point but it’s exactly what you get when you find yourself immersed in dessert wonderland! In fact, it felt like I was in Paris, or New York – not Sea Point! The fact that we now have a pastry and dessert spot in Cape Town that is world-class, makes my heart and taste buds so happy (my waistline, not so much! ) especially because Coco Safar is not just about dessert, there is so much to explore…

The pastry counter is JAW-DROPPING! I have not yet seen pastry skills of this calibre in South Africa. And guys, I eat a LOT of dessert. From the Salted Caramel Dome (my absolute favourite) which is filled with caramel mousse, candied pecans and buttery shortbread, to White Chocolate Passion Green Tea, every single dessert is meticulously piped and presented (not just a pile of crumbs on a plate with a quenelle of ice cream – hands up who is tired of this restaurant dessert trend?!). These desserts have TECHNIQUE. The prices are reasonable too when you consider all of the above – and the fact that, when you sit down, the dessert is served fully plated with ice cream, sauce and the works. It’s Paris quality without the Paris price tag.

This chocolate creation had me closing my eyes in bliss. Chocolate mousse, orange blossom ganache and crunchy biscuit all lived up to it’s name of ‘Chocolate Decadent’ although not too much so. As all good desserts should be, this one was thoughtfully created, not too sweet and beautifully presented.

There’s a chocolate studio that creates pretty little chocolate jewels. The bon bons come in white chocolate with  lemon meringue, green rooibos and raspberry pistachio flavours, milk chocolate filled with banana salted caramel, or coffee cardamom and for the dark chocolate fans (hello!), there’s mint crisp, passionfruit ginger or gianduja hazelnut. The chocolatier’s workspace is thoughtfully encased in glass so you can watch her work her chocolatey magic while sipping your cappuccino. At the moment, they use an imported chocolate brand but hopefully they’ll switch to one of our amazing locally made bean-to-bar chocolates soon! And speaking of coffee…

Their capsule emporium has a large range of some of the best coffee in the world, popped into a coffee pod. And it’s not just any coffee pod either – it’s The World’s First home compostable coffee capsule. I don’t know about you, but for me that solves one of my biggest pet peeves about coffee pods. Another world first is their Spirit Idrocompresso espresso machine with lever technology which was exclusively made in Holland by Kees van der Westen for Coco Safar. If you are a coffee snob, or have one in your life, this will be love at first sight.

If you’re more of a tea lover, they have a botanical microbrewery. Red Rooibos, Green Rooibos, Coffee-Citrus and Rooibos- infused Tonic are all poured like a draft, on tap and my FAVOURITE part is that you can order it as a float  with a scoop of gourmet gelato in flavours like balsamic vinegar, black pepper or earl grey.

So next time you’re looking at plane tickets to Paris to do a pastry tour and our Randela doesn’t get you that far, consider a trip to Coco Safar instead!  Got a pastry/dessert spot you think I should know about? Drop the deets in a comment below and I’ll give it a visit – it’s a tough job! 😉

COCO SAFAR

Address: 277 Main Road Sea Point, Cape Town
Contact: 021 433 0490
Website: www.cocosafar.com

Peppermint Crisp Tart Éclairs

Peppermint Crisp Tart Éclairs

by | Sep 16, 2017 | 0 comments

Eclairs, meet peppermint crisp tart. I think you'll get along quite nicely! In fact, I know you will because I tasted you (over and over again - just to be sure!) and you were delicious!


It wouldn't be Heritage Day without me doing a twist on our classic South African dessert, peppermint crisp tart. Those layers of whipped cream, caramel, mint chocolate and coconut tennis biscuits seem to set every South African's heart a-flutter. Mine included!  It's why I've done so many twists on it! Let's count 'em:

Caramel Peppermint Crisp Ice Cream Cake

Peppermint Crisp Hot Chocolate

Caramel Peppermint Crisp Ice Cream Sandwiches

Caramel Peppermint Crisp Cake

Chocolate Peppermint Crisp Fridge Bars

Caramel Peppermint Crisp Mousse Cake

Chocolate Peppermint Crisp Fridge Tart

Peppermint Crisp Tart Milkshakes

I've worked really hard to perfect my eclair recipe over the years and I've discovered the secret to getting that even shape that lines pastry shop windows is to rest the piped pastries before baking them - it makes so much sense! All that gluten you've worked up causes them to go wonky if you bake them straight away - just genius. I wish I remember where I'd read that handy little tip so I could thank the person. The crunchy caramel top is a must - it gives the illusion that the eclairs are coated in peppermint crisp caramel and gives a lovely crack when you bite into them. Just heavenly!  And if you're really feeling creative, make your own tinned caramel - even if it's just to eat it out the tin!

PEPPERMINT CRISP TART ECLAIRS

Makes 12

 

110g cake flour

80g salted butter, cut into small blocks

1 cup (250ml) water

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

 

Filling

1 can (400g) tinned caramel or make your own

500ml fresh cream

3g gelatine leaves

400g Peppermint Crisp chocolate bars, crushed

 

200g white sugar

Mini tennis biscuits, to decorate

 

To make the eclairs, sift the flour and salt together. Heat the butter and water until just melted then bring to a rolling boil. Immediately remove from the heat and add all the flour at once. Mix until a smooth dough forms, place back on the heat and cook for about 1 minute or until the pastry pulls away from the sides of the pot. Allow to cool completely. Beat the eggs into the pastry a little at a time until smooth, shiny and of a piping consistency. Place the pastry in a piping bag fitted with a large fluted nozzle. Pipe long tubes of dough about 10 cm long onto a lined baking tray. Allow the eclairs to stand for 1 hour, for the gluten to relax. Bake at 200 degrees celsius (180 degrees fan-forced) for about 15 - 20 minutes or until puffed up and golden. Turn off oven, remove the puffs, pierce each with a skewer to allow steam to escape and immediately return to the oven to dry out for 15 minutes.

Make the filling by placing the tinned caramel in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Beat the cream until stiff peaks then fold into the caramel. Bloom the gelatin leaves by soaking them in cold water until completely soft. Squeeze out the water, place in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds until just melted. Whisk into the caramel filling mix along with ¾ of the peppermint crisp and place in a piping bag fitted with a large plain tip.

To assemble, make three small holes in the bottom of each éclair using a plain tip piping nozzle then pipe the filling into each hole. To make the topping, place the white sugar in a saucepan over medium heat with 1 tbsp water and bring to the boil. Allow to caramelize until golden brown then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Dip the tops of the eclairs in the caramel then immediately crumble over the tennis biscuits and remaining peppermint crisp. Repeat with the remaining eclairs. Serve on the same day.

 

Cheat’s Christmas Almond Croissants

Cheat’s Christmas Almond Croissants

by | Dec 21, 2015 | 1 comment

Imagine waking up to the warm smell of baked buttery, sugary, spicy goodness wafting from your oven on Christmas morning? It can be a reality, people! I'm not saying you have to make croissants from scratch - heck, ain't nobody can't time for that! But fancying up some store-bought croissants, stuffing them with festive spiced fruit mince (also store-bought) and a generous helping of almond frangipane filling can turn plain, ordinary croissants into something rather special for Christmas breakfast!

Almond croissants are any bakery's darkest secret. I learnt to make them in the ridiculous hours of the morning when I was interning at a French patisserie in my high school years. You know how you fork out a small fortune for an almond croissant? Well, sorry folks, but actually, these almond pastries are made using YESTERDAY'S croissants - jip, all the croissants that weren't sold yesterday? The stale pastries are dipped in a sugar syrup, stuffed with an almond filling and rebaked to become today's deliciousness. Oh the shock and the horror! Actually, it's a pretty darn clever way of using leftovers and one that now, thanks to me, is no longer a secret (the things I do for you guys!).

Lucky for you,  you won't have to wake up at 3am to make them! Smile and bat your eyelashes at the baker at your supermarket to give you some stale croissants (or use leftover one's - although I struggle to fathom in what universe someone would have leftover pastries) then dip and fill them, cover and refrigerate til morning. When you wake up, pop them in the oven and by the time you've opened up all your Christmas gifts, your house will smell like a French bakery. Oh and I give you full permission to pretend as though you made them from scratch - just don't tell a French pastry chef I spilled the beans!

Christmas Fruit Mince Almond Croissants

Makes 6-8

250g sugar

250ml water

6-8 stale, day-old croissants

165g butter

160g icing sugar

2 eggs

200g ground almonds

20g corn starch

8 tbsp store-bought Christmas fruit mince, to spread

Flaked almonds, to garnish

Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat until dissolved completely then bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Set aside.Make the almond by creaming the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time beating well in between each. Add the ground almonds and corn starch and mix until combined. Place in a piping bag. Cut a 5-7cm pocket into each croissant then dip into the warm syrup briefly. Remove from the syrup, spread a layer of fruit mince inside then pipe in some almond filling. Pipe a little of the almond filling on top and sprinkle with almonds. Place on a lined baking tray then repeat with the remaining croissants. It's at this point where you can cover and refrigerate the croissants until the next morning when you're ready to bake them. Bake at 170 degrees Celcius for 15-20 minutes until golden and crispy. Allow to cool slightly then serve warm, dusted with icing sugar.

Caramel Puff Pastry Cream Horns

Caramel Puff Pastry Cream Horns

by | Jul 30, 2015 | 0 comments

I remember the first time I had to make puff pastry at chef school. Actually, I'm surprised I remember it - what with our brains blocking out horrific events and all.  No other pastry has a more appropriate name than puff;  you spend what feels like hours just hanging around waiting (for the butter to chill in the fridge), and then there's lots of huffing and puffing as you frantically roll and fold that pastry before that same butter melts. Then the waiting. Then the puffing. And repeat. I mean, it's just a nightmare, and probably the only time butter is annoying. Ever. But, you only have to make puff pastry once to come to the same conclusion I did:

Life is too short to make your own puff pastry.

Let's add a star thingy to that statement and include phyllo pastry in there too, shall we? Don't even bother trying to make your own paper-thin phyllo pastry. It will end in tears. And tears. Gosh, English is weird.  But I digress, back to puff pastry. The pastry that won the butter lottery.  I've had this old box of cream horn moulds for ages which I was given by my Great Aunt and have been desperately wanting to bake a batch. Except, are they still a thing?

Whatever happened to cream horns? They seem terribly out of date these days, but why? Whoever is doing the PR for them, is doing a shoddy job. Doughnuts - still trendy. Pavlova - still trendy. Tarts - still trendy. How can puff pastry and whipped cream be OLD-FASHIONED?! Well, I'm resurrecting them. With a boozy caramel cream that will knock your socks off. I reckon a tiramisu filling (the one I used in my Tiramisu eclairs ) would be mind-blowing too. And before you tell me you need cream horn moulds, you don't - simply cover ice cream cones in foil. The only thing difficult about making these, is figuring out how to eat them gracefully.

Caramel Cream Horns

Makes 10-12

 

1 x 400g packet ready-made puff pastry

Milk, for brushing

White sugar, for sprinkling

1/2 cup (125ml) cream

2 tsp (10ml) almond liqueuer (optional)

1 tsp (5ml) caster sugar

1/2 tin (200g) caramel or dulce de leche (do I need to tell you what to do with the other half)

Icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat your oven to 200C (or 180C fan-forced) and grease or line a large baking sheet. Spray your cream horn moulds with cooking spray (if you don't have, simply wrap ice cream cones in foil and spray the outside). Start by unrolling the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. No need to roll it out with a rolling pin, it's just the right thickness for the cream horns. Less work - yay! Cut 1cm strips lengthwise from the puff pastry then starting at the tip of the horn, wrap the pastry around, making sure it overlaps slightly. Brush a little milk on the end to make sure it sticks then place it on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with more milk and sprinkle with sugar. Repeat until all the puff pastry is finished. Bake the horns for 20-25 minutes or until they're a lovely golden brown. Remove from the baking tray (or the sugar will make them stick) and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

Make the filling by whipping the cream with the liqueuer and sugar until thick then place in a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Whisk the caramel in a bowl until smooth. Fill the horns with a little (or a lot of) caramel then pipe the whipped cream on top - do this just before serving so they stay nice and crunchy. Don't forget the dusting of icing sugar!

Chocolate Éclairs with Tiramisu Filling

Chocolate Éclairs with Tiramisu Filling

by | Aug 15, 2013 | 0 comments

Baking captured my heart from a very young age and I can remember sitting on the floor in front of the oven watching the cupcakes steadily rise. It fascinated me and you'll still sometimes find me sitting and peering through my oven door! There is something just so enchanting about combining a few ingredients and then watching the sticky batter magically rise into a perfectly fluffy cake. Choux pastry is the most miraculous of all; with no baking powder or yeast, a gooey, tacky dough miraculously inflates to form a pastry so light and airy that it threatens to float right off your fork. It's hard to believe that choux pastry uses nothing but steam to rise to the occasion! I've given my good ol' chocolate éclair recipe a modern touch here and filled the little puffs with a tiramisu filling; lashings of whipped cream, rich mascarpone, a shot of espresso and a hint of vanilla. Tiramisu seems like such an appropriate match to these chocolate éclairs - and not just because the word means 'pick-me-up'!

Tiramisu chocolate éclairs

Makes 24

 

Choux Pastry:

1 cup cake flour

pinch salt

80g butter, cut into small blocks

1 cup water

4 eggs, lightly beaten

 

For chocolate éclairs:

200g The Kate Tin Dark BakIng Chocolate, melted

½ cup cream, whipped

½ cup mascarpone cheese, softened

1 shot espresso coffee

½ tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp caster sugar

The Kate Tin Cocoa Powder, for dusting

 

Sift the flour and salt together. Heat the butter and water until just melted then bring to a rolling boil. Immediately remove from the heat and add all the flour at once. Mix until a smooth dough forms, place back on the heat and cook for about 1 minute or until the pastry pulls away from the sides of the pot. Allow to cool completely. Beat the eggs into the pastry a little at a time until smooth, shiny and of a piping consistency. Place the pastry in a piping bag fitted with a large fluted nozzle. It is now ready to be used as desired.For éclairs, pipe long tubes of dough about 10 cm long. Bake at 200˚C for about 15 - 20 minutes or until puffed up and golden. Turn off oven, remove the puffs, pierce each with a skewer to allow steam to escape and immediately return to the oven to dry out for 15 minutes. To assemble chocolate éclairs, dip the tops in melted chocolate and allow to set. Whip the cream until stiff before folding in the mascarpone, espresso, vanilla and sugar. Place in a piping bag and fill the éclairs. Dust with cocoa powder, if desired.

 

 

 

 

TIPS: 

* it is very important to beat the egg in a little at a time into the completely cooled dough

* sprinkle a little extra water on the tray before baking – the extra steam helps the pastry rise even more, making it lighter.

* don’t be tempted to open the oven and take a peak or your pastries may run out of puff!

STORAGE

* unfilled choux pastries can be stored in an airtight container for no more than 2 days – just pop them into the oven for a few minutes to crisp them up again.