Decadent Desserts

Decadent Desserts

I have always had a sweet tooth, but my food issues always kept me from completely indulging in my favourite treats. When indulging in your favourite  dessert  treat,  remember to always keep the portions small . If you deprive yourself of the things you love, you’ll end up over indulging and guilt ridden. If you have a sweet tooth like me, remember that having a little bit of what you love once a week or on special occasions, is good for the soul. So be good to yourself and try some of these easy to make, decadent desserts.

Malva Pudding

My favourite winter pudding..i love the sticky toffee sauce that makes this dessert gooey and delicious. A real indulgent and decadent pudding.

Serves 4

You’ll need:

200ml    Castor sugar

2              large eggs

1              Tablespoon Apricot jam

200g       Cake flour

1              teaspoon bicarbonate soda

½             teaspoon salt

1              Tablespoon butter (a generous spoonful)

1              tsp. vinegar

80ml       Milk

SAUCE INGREDIENTS

200ml    Cup fresh cream

105g       Butter

155g       Sugar

80ml       Hot water

1              teaspoon vanilla essence  

Here’s how:

·         Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

·         Beat or whisk the sugar and eggs, until thick and lemon colored. Then, add the apricot jam and mix thoroughly.

·         Mix together the flour, bicarb and salt.

·         Melt the butter (do not boil!) and add the vinegar.

·          Add butter mixture, as well as the milk, to the egg mixture,

·         Add the flour, salt and bicarb mixture . Beat well.

·         Pour into an oven-proof dish, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

·         In a pot, melt together the ingredients for the sauce.

·         When the cake is halfway baked, take it out of oven. Make holes in cake and pour the sauce over the pudding. Return to the oven and cook for a further 15 mins

·         Serve warm with custard or ice-cream

Crème Brulee

This is the simplest crème brulee recipe I have ever tried. It is fool-proof and will work out everytime.

Serves 4

You’ll need:

4              Egg yolks

40ml       Castor sugar

1              Teaspoon Vanilla essence

250ml     Whipping Cream

Castor Sugar to sprinkle on top

Here’s how:

·         Preheat oven to 180C

·         Beat egg yolks and sugar until pale

·         Add vanilla essence

·         Add cream into the egg mixture and whisk until well mixed.

·         Pour mixture into ramekins.

·         Pour cold water, halfway  into an oven proof dish

·         Place ramekins into the oven proof dish

·         Bake the mixture for 40mins

·         Take ramekins out and let them cool for 20mins

·         After they have cooled, cling wrap them and place in fridge for 2hrs or overnight

·         Before serving, sprinkle castor sugar over each ramekin and caramelize with torch or under a hot grill until the sugar caramelize.

·         Remove from oven and serve.

·         OR  melt sugar in a pan on a stovetop

·         Pour melted sugar on top of ramekins and leave to harden

·         Serve  immediately

Strawberries and Cream

It is so easy to put together this delicious and decadent strawberry dessert. The strawberries in this  recipe can be substituted with any fruit that is in season.

Serves 4

You’ll need:

400g       Strawberries

275ml   Whipping cream

4              Medium  ready-made meringues, broken into small pieces

Here’s how:

·         Slice strawberries roughly and place in a bowl

·         Whisk the cream until thick with small peaks

·         Pour the thick cream into the strawberries and mix

·         Add most of the broken meringue and mix lightly

·         Scoop the strawberry mixture into serving bowls and top with remaining meringue

·         Chill n the fridge for 5minutes and serve chilled.

quick meals

My affair with food landed me a spot on one of hottest breakfast radio shows in South Africa. Every Friday morning I get to share this passion for food with people all over Gauteng on KayaFM, 180 with Bob. I have known Bob Mabena for years, and he is one of the most engaging radio personalities I know. When the opportunity came for me to be on his show, I grabbed it without thinking twice. It is always a pleasure doing this show, as I get to engage with different people and get to solve different kitchen nightmares weekly

On Last week’s show we spoke about quick and easy weekday meals.  These meals are quick, healthy and won’t break the bank. The following recipes are easy and can be made by anyone, even novice cooks.

Beef stir-fry

Stir-frying is simple, healthy and the cooking process takes just a few minutes. A good stir-fry should be crunchy and full of flavor, not slimy and overcooked. Make sure that the pan is very hot before adding the oil to start stir-frying. When you have added everything to the pan, pour half a cup of water and cover, this steaming process helps to retain moisture and nutrients.

You’ll need:

Serves 2

1 teaspoon Garlic (crushed)

1 teaspoon Ginger (grated)

1 Red chilli chopped ( optional)

250g  Sirloin steak, cut into strips

½ tablespoon Olive oil

1 Red pepper, sliced

1 small handful broccoli

1 small handful baby corn, cut into 3

1 teaspoon Paprika

2 tablespoons Soya sauce

Here’s how:

·          Mix garlic, ginger, chilli, paprika and beef together, set aside to marinade for 5minutes

·          Heat a large frying pan and add oil

·          Add beef mixture and fry on high heat for 3-4 minutes until beef  has browned

·          Add peppers, broccoli, baby corn and cook for a further 3mins

·          Add soya sauce and cook for a further 3mins and serve with noodles or rice 

PRAWN CURRY

This is my favourite prawn curry recipe. The coconut milk gives the curry a very rich creamy texture.I used to serve this at my restaurant and it was always a hit.

You’ll need:

1 tablespoon Olive oil

1 Onion, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic

1 teaspoon ginger, grated

1 green chilli, chopped

½ cup coconut milk

½ cup canned tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoon Curry paste

1 handful fresh coriander, chopped

Salt, to season

400g Prawns, deveined

Here’s how:

·          Heat oil and add onion until soft, add garlic and ginger.

·          Add curry paste, chilli  and cook for 2mins

·          Add tomatoes and brown sugar, cook for 5mins

·          Add coconut milk and cook for a further 3mins

·          Add Prawns and cook for 5minutes until prawns turn pink, season with salt to taste

·          Add chopped coriander and serve with rice or Couscous

CHICKEN WITH LEMON VEGETABLES

You’ll need:

½  Chicken , cut into pieces

1 Red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks

1 Onion, cut into wedges

2 Potatoes, cut into wedges

Small handful green beans

1 small Lemon, sliced

3 tablespoons Olive oil

1 teaspoon Paprika

1 teaspoon rosemary

Salt to taste

Here’s how:

·          Preheat oven to 220C

·          Season chicken with salt

·          Heat oil in a pan and brown chicken on each side ( 2mins each side) remove and set aside

·          Place vegetables and lemon into roasting tray, rub with olive oil

·          Combine paprika, rosemary and salt together.

·          Scatter this seasoning over the chicken, lemon and vegetables and toss together

·          Roast for 40mins until the chicken is thoroughly cooked through

·          Serve with Couscous

SAVOURY COUSCOUS

You’ll need:

1 cup Couscous

½  Onion

1 teaspoon garlic

1 Cup vegetable stock

1 teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon curry paste

Handful fresh coriander, chopped

 

Here’s how:

·          In a bowl mix couscous, vegetable stock and oil. Cover with cling wrap and leave for 5mins

·          In a pan, heat oil and fry onion, garlic and curry paste

·          Cook until onion is soft.

·          Fluff out couscous with a fork and add onion mixture

·          Mix all ingredients together and add fresh coriander

·          Serve with baked chicken