Brown Butter Pancakes with No-Churn Chestnut Ice Cream

Brown Butter Pancakes with No-Churn Chestnut Ice Cream

by | May 17, 2017 | 0 comments

brown butter pancakes

There’s no better way to celebrate Autumn than with hot, crispy-edged brown butter pancakes and chestnuts!  I’m sure you can feel it… The chill in the air, the leaves crunching under your feet and the sense that everything is ready to go to sleep. Autumn is my absolute favourite time of the year. Snuggly jerseys, copious cups of tea, ridiculous amounts of butter and fluffy socks. There’s also the promise of the Newlands forest floor being covered in mushrooms ready to be plucked – which is, to be honest, my only form of winter exercise. But while I was a tad too early for porcini, on my last forage I stumbled upon chestnuts – loads and loads of chestnuts.

brown butter pancakes

They instantly reminded me of my trip of Italy a few years ago, where standing on a street corner in Venice, freezing cold, I scoffed two paper bags of chestnuts that had been toasted right in front of me over a fire made in a tin can. Casual for Italians, a revelation to me – mostly because my first taste of chestnuts as a child, had been a disaster. My dad had come home one day with an entire bag of prickly green balls and announced triumphantly that we would be toasting them! While much excitement ensued, our enthusiasm didn’t make up for the apparent lack of knowledge of just how to cook them – my mom threw them into the oven with the hard brown shell still on and so we all bit into teeth-breakingly hard nuts. If only Google was around then!

Chestnuts

After that trip to Italy, where I realised that the shell had to be scored with a kiss (an X) before going into the oven, so that the chestnuts split open while roasting, releasing the creamy, sweet nut inside – I was hooked! After roasting you can turn them into a puree which is amazing on pavlovas, in between cakes, cookies or in this deliciously creamy ice cream. I’ve paired it with my favourite Autumn dessert, brown butter pancakes. Another revelation of frying ‘plain’ pancakes in brown butter to make the edges go all crispy (the best bit!). If you can’t find fresh chestnuts, use the tinned chestnut puree which you can find at most delis or online here. Otherwise, simply swap it out for any nut butter – think pecan, almond or cashew. And don’t skip the spiced caramelised nuts – they absolutely make the dish!

Brown butter pancakes

BROWN BUTTER PANCAKES WITH CHESTNUT ICE CREAM AND SPICED PECANS

Serves 4

 

BROWN BUTTER PANCAKES

100g salted butter

125g cake flour

pinch of salt

2 large eggs

250ml milk

 

ICE CREAM

3 cups (750ml) cream

1 cup (250ml) milk

1/2 cup (125ml) icing sugar, sifted

100g tinned sweetened chestnut puree

 

SPICED PECANS

100g pecan nuts

1/4 cup (60ml) brown sugar

1 tsp (5ml) ground cinnamon

 

To make the brown butter pancakes, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling every now and then, until the butter froths and starts turning brown. It is ready when it smells like toasted nuts. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk the eggs and milk and whisk into the dry ingredients. Add 2 tablespoons of the brown butter. Allow the batter to stand for 30 minutes. Heat a non-stick frying pan and brush with the brown butter, pour a 1/4 cup of batter into the hot pan and swirl to coat.  When the edges begin to lift, flip over and cook the other side until brown. Repeat with the remaining batter and brown butter.

To make the ice cream, whisk the cream, milk, sugar and chestnut puree together in a large jug. Divide the mixture into two large ziplock bags and seal well. Lay the bags flat and freeze until firm. Break the frozen cream mixture into junks and place it in a blender of food processor – process until the mixture forms a soft serve consistency. Quickly pour into a freezer proof container and freeze until firm.

To make the nuts, place the sugar in a small saucepan or frying pan with 1 tbsp water and heat until golden and caramelised. Add the pecan nuts and stir to coat. Add the cinnamon and keep stirring until the sugar starts crystallizing (you can speed the process up by adding a teaspoonful of brown sugar), once the nuts are coated well, spread onto a lined baking sheet to cool.

Serve the pancakes with a scoop of chestnut ice cream and a sprinkling of the spiced nuts.

 

 

 

TIP Make your own sweetened chestnut puree by roasting 200g shell-on chestnuts; to do this, score an ‘X’ into the flat side of the chestnut and place them on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 240C for 10 minutes. Allow to cool then peel off the hard shell. Place the chestnuts into a saucepan with 2 cups milk, 1 tsp vanilla (if desired) and simmer until the chestnuts are soft. Add 1/2 cup more milk, 1/4 cup sugar and stir to dissolve. Place the mixture into a food processor and blend until smooth. Strain through a sieve and bottle in sterilized jars to store.

Dessert First: Chocolate Fondue

Dessert First: Chocolate Fondue

by | Aug 8, 2016 | 0 comments

Okay, be honest, who of you look at the dessert menu before you order anything? All of you? *Phew* thank goodness, you do it too!  I don’t need to tell you that dessert is the best part of any meal – not only because, well, duh. But also because it’s the last thing you eat, it can make or break a good meal, right? There are way too many restaurants in South Africa that just don’t get this! So, because I believe that life is too short NOT to order dessert (my biggest fear in life is being hit by a bus and thinking, damn I should’ve had that extra scoop of ice cream!) I’m starting a brand new series on the blog. Introducing… Dessert First! This is where I will be featuring all the places that get pudding right – the places that you can go to for a sweet fix because, although I’m obsessed with baking, something the quickest way to sort out a craving is by getting in your car and driving to it!

Dipping things in chocolate is a favourite past-time of mine – you could say I’m an expert in it. So much so that my 13th birthday party was a chocolate fondue midnight feast (which I think my mother still has nightmares about) – good times, good times. Anyway, so when I found out the One & Only Hotel is offering chocolate fondues in winter I just new I had to go and show off my skills – I’m an overachiever like that. Their new pastry chef, Kyle Hickman has put his spin on the chocolate fondue by mixing dark and milk chocolate (two chocolate’s are always better than one, I say!) and adding a dash of orange zest which ramps up the flavour, cuts the richness and basically means you can eat more than you normally would! Yay! Obviously, there are all sorts of delicious things to dunk in it – there’s cranberry nougat, biscotti, the cutest little marshmallow knots, brownie bites and hot churros rolled in cinnamon sugar and when you’re finished with the dunking, you can just grab a spoon. The staff were very good at hiding their outrage when I did this.  At R155 for two people including two (very generous *hic* glasses of Amarula, I think that’s pretty good value for a chocolate coma that should last the rest of the week!

For those of you who like a dessert challenge, they also have INSANE hot chocolate’s – you know, just incase all that other chocolate wasn’t enough – there’s Spiced Dark or Caramel White hot chocolate served with those epic cinnamon churros (R60) and you can also add a tot or two of local brandy, if your heart desires. Which mine always does.

Got any places you want me to feature or try out? Sharing is caring, people so let me know in the comments below!

 

 

Disclaimer: This isn’t a sponsored post, however I was invited to indulge in as much chocolate as I like, free of charge. Yes, I have the best job ever!

Coconut and Lemon Curd Crumble

Coconut and Lemon Curd Crumble

by | Aug 1, 2016 | 4 comments

#SPONSORED

Some of you, will make lemonade, but me? When life gives me lemons, I make PUDDING. Although, if I’m really honest with myself (and you), life didn’t give me lemons last week, I sort of, kind of, took them. My floral stylist friend Matanna would call it ‘Gorilla Foraging’ (which is, like, very trendy right now) but I know better than to dress something up and give it a fancy name. In simple words, it’s called stealing. Yes, when nobody was looking (at least I hope nobody was!), I snuck into my neighbour’s front yard and knicked a few lemons. Their tree has been groaning with citrus for the past few weeks, the ground littered with plump zingy lemons rotting away – going unused. Wasted. Every time I drive past, my heart ached with longing to save them. It just had to be done, nay, it was my duty!

So when life gave me lemons (just run with it, people!), I obviously made dessert – there is so much poetic clout in that sentence I can’t even deal. See, dessert even turns me into a poet! I adore lemons, along with butter, salt, a jar of Nutella , chocolate, and coffee, lemons are among the ingredients that are ALWAYS in my kitchen. Always. They bring so much brightness and cheer to winter – and the fact they’re packed with Vitamin C, well that just makes them (and anything they’re in) healthy.

All my favourite pudding recipes are magical and this one is no exception – it splits into two layers in the oven; a smooth, creamy, tangy, lemon curd at the bottom and a light, spongy pudding at the top. Sprinkle over some crunchy coconut crumble and you’re a scoop of ice cream away from lemon heaven. As if by some kind of sweet fate, the caster sugar that this silky smooth pud cries out for, just happens to be the same colour as it’s inspiration; Natura Golden Caster Sugar. It’s fine texture means it dissolves quickly ensuring a velvety texture, and it’s unrefined, natural bronze colour adds heaps of flavour. Just like a lemon without it’s zest, sugar with all it’s colour stripped from it, sadly, doesn’t taste like much so make sure you get the sugar with all the tasty parts still in it!

Now, excuse me while I go and fight the flu by eating this pudding.

Coconut and Lemon Curd Crumble

Recipe adapted from Curtis Stone

Serves 4

 

Coconut Crumble

110g cake flour

85g Natura Golden Caster Sugar

110g butter, melted

90g desiccated coconut

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

 

Lemon Curd Pudding

220g + 110g 85g Natura Golden Caster Sugar

Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon

4 eggs, separated

90g butter, melted

70g cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

300ml coconut milk

125ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

 

Vanilla ice cream, to serve

 

Preheat the oven to 180C. Make the crumble by combining all the ingredients together. Spread on a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool. To make the pudding, butter a 25cm pudding bowl or casserole dish with butter. In a mixing bowl, rub 220g of the sugar and the lemon zest together with your fingertips to release the oils from the zest – it should be very fragrant. Add the egg yolks and beat with an electric whisk until light and creamy. Add the melted butter, sifted cake flour and baking powder to form a batter then mix in the coconut milk and lemon juice. Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form then gradually add the remaining 110g caster sugar to form a glossy meringue. Whisk half the meringue into the lemon curd mixture then fold the rest in gently. Pour into the prepared dish and place inside a larger roasting tin. Fill the roasting tin with boiling water so it comes halfway up the sides of the dish then bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the top just sets. Sprinkle over the coconut crumble and allow to cool in the bain marie for 5 minutes before serving with ice cream.

 

Disclaimer: This post has been created in collaboration with Natura Sugars, however, I only work with brands I think are awesome and that I actually use myself.

Self-Saucing Gooey Chocolate Marshmallow Puddings

Self-Saucing Gooey Chocolate Marshmallow Puddings

by | Jun 2, 2016 | 0 comments

CHOCOLATE PUDDING | #SPONSORED CONTENT

Chocolate pudding meets s’mores in this baked dessert that magically splits into a lightly spongy pudding with a chocolate sauce at the bottom. Self-saucing puddings are like the Harry Potter of the pudding world – it’s always so magical making them and as a kid I was always absolutely transfixed when my mom would pour hot water over the top of the pudding batter before putting it into the oven. I thought she was absolutely nuts, but then she’d tell me to wait for the magic to unfold so I’d sit in front of the oven on the kitchen floor and watch how the sauce and pudding swopped places in the oven! Now, I’m typing this and realizing that my mother probably just wanted 15 minutes to herself and me sitting in front of the oven watching a pudding rise was 15 minutes of pure heavenly silence! Hmmm.. I’m going to remember that trick one day!

Our family cookbook is filled with self-saucing puddings – there’s a ginger pud dubbed ‘Family pudding’ that’s spicy and golden and just incredible with custard! Then there’s a tropical pudding made using ideal milk as the sauce and tin of that insanely kitsch tropical fruit mix – it’s allure for me comes from the fact that we were never allowed to eat it because it was always on it’s way to my parent’s bible study group. And then there’s this chocolate pudding. The recipe is not a family one but was rather given to me by a dear friend as a gift when I turned 16. It was one of the many recipes in the now infamous ‘Katelyn’s Favouriteistest Favourite Flopproof Recipe Cookbook – Made with love by all her friends’ (SIC). It’s one of those puddings that you can crave at 8pm after dinner and be eating it by 8.30pm – because, I know you all have those moments too! You can make this as indulgent or simple as you like – add more chocolate, a shot of espresso, some caramel but whatever you do, don’t skimp on the Natura Dark Muscovado Sugar – it’s what makes this chocolate pudding so sticky and moist and gives it a deep dark flavour which takes it to a whole other level! Also, the Muscovado sugar is unrefined, Non GMO and non-irradiated which are a lot of fancy words which basically mean it’s much better for you and when it comes to chocolate pudding, I don’t need much to be persuaded into going back for seconds!

P.S. If your chocolate craving is a 911 situation and 8.30pm is too far away, this chocolate pudding can also be cooked in the microwave for 2 minutes on full-power although you won’t get that crusty top when you plunge your spoon through the gooey toasted marshmallow…

Self-Saucing Gooey Marshmallow Chocolate Puddings

Serves 4

 

100g cake flour

3 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

¼ cup (40g) Natura Dark Muscovado Sugar

3/4 cup milk

40g butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

100g The Kate Tin Dark Baking Chocolate

1 packet white marshmallows

 

Sauce:

½ cup (90g) Natura Dark Muscovado Sugar

1 tbsp The Kate Tin Cocoa Powder

1 cup boiling water

 

To make the chocolate pudding, preheat oven to 180°C (fan-forced) or 200°C (conventional). Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add the milk, butter, egg and vanilla and mix well to combine. Fold through the chopped chocolate. Spoon into 4 x 1 cup-capacity oven-proof dishes and place on a baking tray. Place the extra sugar and remaining cocoa in a bowl and mix to combine. Sprinkle over the puddings and pour over the water. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops of the chocolate puddings are firm, risen and springy but the centre should still be a bit squishy underneath then place the marshmallows on top and bake for another 3-5 minutes until golden.

TIP For Mocha pudding, simply replace the boiling water with freshly brewed coffee.

Disclaimer: This post has been created in collaboration with Natura Sugars, however, I only work with brands I think are awesome and that I actually use myself.
WATCH HOW TO MAKE THE RECIPE FOR THIS CHOCOLATE PUDDING HERE:
Sticky Toffee Pudding with Dates

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Dates

by | Jul 2, 2015 | 0 comments

There’s nothing fancy or frilly about a baked pudding. It’s plain and simple but there is something deeply satisfying and supremely indulgent about a sticky pudding complete with pools of sticky toffee sauce and of course,  a good glug of piping hot custard. Something else which always accompanies a baked pudding, is a big spoonful of nostalgia. And this one, if it’s even possible, comes with an extra dose – because the recipe is over 60 years old.
When my great aunt Gwen passed away recently, I was given a great gift; 3 large falling-apart boxes filled with her love of recipe hoarding and all sorts of vintage kitchen paraphernalia. There were pages upon pages of recipes – not in a book or file but just stacks of cuttings torn out of magazines, from the back of soup packets and old shopping lists, some even quickly jotted down on the back of a church hymn booklet. But it was amongst these droves of recipes, that I discovered a few real gems.
And this recipe is one of them.
Cape Times Newspaper – Wednesday, June 16, 1954
 Margaret Pollitt writes: ‘One of the biggest problems of winter menu-planning is how to ring the changes with the sweet course – those sturdy summer standbys, ice cream, jellies and fruit salads, are of no use now to the mother whose children crave a big helping of pudding after the main course has been polished off.’
I cropped out the advert for corsetry services in the bottom right, although, in hindsight, that advert placement was very good!

Amongst recipes for pancakes (Margaret advises budding cooks that ‘tossing pancakes only comes with experience!’- you’ve been warned.), hot orange pudding, steamed sago pudding and roly poly, a date pud caught my attention. And it would be perfection when baked in my vintage pudding bowl (side note: how beautiful is this?!)

As a child I never appreciated puddings; I wanted to be a pastry chef and the simplicity of a baked pudding was completely lost on me. I only yearned to make the complicated, intricate desserts I saw in my cheffy cookbooks and magazines. My young imagination extended so much further than a quick-mix sponge drowned in thick UltraMel custard. How times have changed. Now… it’s the very thing I crave when the weather turns wet and grim. Perhaps that’s what makes pudding so universally soothing and rich in nostalgia. The fragrance of a baking pudding takes me back to Sunday afternoon lunches where we had to endure the delicious smell all the way through lunch. Torture. Followed by sheer bliss.

1954 Sticky Toffee Date Pudding

Serves 6-8

 

250g dried, pitted dates

250ml (1 cup) hot water

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

250g cake flour

250g butter

1 tsp (5ml) baking powder

2 large eggs

100g (1/2 cup) brown sugar

100g toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped

Soaking syrup:

60g butter

1 cup sugar

11/2 cups milk

2-3 tbsp sweet sherry (optional, or add 1 tsp vanilla)

Preheat the oven to 180C, fan-forced 160C. Grease 12 small dariole moulds or ramekins or a large 26 x 16 baking dish. Place the dates in a medium bowl and pour over the hot water. Sprinkle over the bicarbonate of soda and allow to stand for 30-45 minutes or until very soft. Place the softened dates (and the water) in a food processor with the rest of the pudding ingredients (except the nuts) and blend until smooth and combined. Stir in the nuts then pour into greased individual moulds or one large dish. For small puddings, bake for 10-15 minutes and large pudding, 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. In the meantime, make the syrup; place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Keep hot. Pour the hot syrup over the puddings as soon as they come out the oven. Serve immediately with salted caramel sauce (recipe below), vanilla custard or thick cream.

Salted Caramel Sauce

Makes 500ml

 

1 (395g) tin condensed milk

250ml (1 cup) cream

3 tbsp (45ml) brown sugar (like Demerara or Muscovado)

Pinch of good-quality salt (I used local Oryx desert salt)

Place the condensed milk, cream and sugar in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer, stirring constantly until golden brown. Allow to cool, then sprinkle in the sea salt.