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Golden Tarte Tatin

February 27, 2017 by TSJC

This is one of those rainy day recipes, relatively easy to make, and a great way of using tart crisp Granny Smith apples so readily available in every super market.   The golden caramel adds loads of character to the apples, and store bought pastry keeps things simple.  I always think a tarte tatin is best eaten fresh, an hour after its come out of the oven, but stolen leftovers at room temperature late at night are almost as delicious (don’t plan on leftovers).  We cooked this recipe as part of our French evening in February at The Cookery and everyone agreed it was a winner if you want more details on our classes take a look HERE.

 

 

Tarte Tatin
8-10 slices

Ingredients
1 sheet puff pastry, large enough to fit chosen pan
plain flour, for dusting
6-8 Granny Smith apples, size dependent
100gms caster sugar
70gms unsalted butter
25gms melted unsalted butter, for brushing

Good quality, store bought, vanilla ice cream, to serve

Directions
Step 1:
Start by rolling your pastry lightly, depending on the thickness until it is about 3mm thick, be careful you should only roll the pastry a little, don’t be tempted to try and fill a 30cm pan with a 15cm piece of pastry.  Now cut a circle the same size as your chosen pan or dish, using a plate as a guide. Prick the pastry all over with a fork, wrap in baking paper or cling wrap and place on a baking sheet in the freezer while preparing the apples.

Step 2:
Heat oven to 170C fan or 180C conventional. Peel, quarter and core the apples.

Step 3:
Put the sugar in a 20cm ovenproof heavy-based frying pan and place on a stove at medium-high heat. Allow the sugar to melt and cook slowly for 5-7 mins until it is a dark amber caramel syrup that’s starting to smoke, then turn off the heat and stir in the 70g cold butter, that has been diced into small cubes.

Step 4:
To assemble the Tarte, arrange the apple quarters around the edge of the dish, rounded-side down or side on, just keep them nice and tight- then fill in the middle in a similar fashion. Gently press with your hands to ensure there are no gaps, be careful the caramel is hot!  Now give the apples a generous brush with the melted butter

Step 5:
Bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 mins, then remove and place the frozen pastry over the apples, it will soften in place quickly, take a little time to tuck the edges in around the edge of the dish.  The cut a few small steam vents before placing the tarte back into the oven.

Step 6:
Bake for 40-45 mins until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.

Step 7:
Allow the tarte to stand at room tempt for at least 45-minutes before carefully running a knife around the edge, and inverting it onto a plate, serve warm or room temperature with the icecream

Delicious and easy to make, sweet caramel apples balanced off by the apples natural sharpness – delicious.

 

 

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Filed Under: Baking, Dinner Party, Fruit, Sweets Tagged With: baking, FRUIT

Cannoli Siciliani – Classically Italian!

September 22, 2014 by TSJC Leave a Comment

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This is one of my all time favourite Italian dessert pastries, crisp and delicate shells filled with a light and perfumed cream studded with tiny golden citrussy bites and dark bitter shavings of good chocolate.  I added some Frangelico to the cream mixture to add a light hazelnut scent and also some of Leafy Greens delicious Organic Vanilla powder.  I usually whip some mascarpone cheese into the ricotta mixture to add a little richness, but if you have a really great creamy ricotta cheese you can leave this out.

The hardest part about making cannoli is rolling the pastry to the required thickness, or rather thinness.  You can do this very carefully by hand, but this is a really special skill.

I use a pasta machine, it does the job quickly and you get all the cannoli perfectly even which means they all fry at the same speed.  If you are planning on filling the cannoli before hand you need to line the fried tubes with some melted chocolate to try and prevent them from getting soggy, but cannoli are best filled and eaten.  To make cannoli you are going to need to get your hands on some cannoli tubes, these varying size stainless steel tubest are used to shape your pastry around, so that they hold the shape when you deep fry them.

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Cannoli Siciliani
Makes 12-24 Tubes

Ingredients
Cannoli Tubes
–  400gms stone ground unbleached flour, plus extra for rolling
–  140ml white wine, plus extra 60ml
–  1 jumbo free range egg yolk
–  40gms castor sugar
–  40gms butter, cold cut into small pieces
–  pinch of fine salt
–  sunflower or other vegetable oil for frying

Cream Filling
–  400gms good fresh ricotta cheese
–  100gms mascarpone cheese
–  2tbsp runny honey
–  40gms finely chopped candied mixed citrus peel
–  60gms drained maraschino cherries, finely chopped
–  3 tbsp Frangelico/Marsala/Cointreau/Amaretto/Orange Juice
–  60gms good dark chocolate, finely chopped

To make the pastry start by sieving the flour and salt into a large bowl.  Now rub the butter into the flour, working quickly and lightly to keep the butter as cold as possible.  Once the butter is rubbed in stir in the castor sugar and then add the egg yolk.  Mix the egg yolk into the flour before adding the wine.  Add about 100ml of the wine, and keep adding the wine extra wine tablespoon at  time making sure you mix well between each addition.  Once the dough has come together add knead it for a few minutes until it is smooth and silky, it should be elastic, not so moist that it sticks to the counter when you kneed the dough, or so dry that it crumbles when you try and knead it.  Once you have finished with the dough wrap it in cling wrap and place it in the fridge to rest for at least 30-minutes or for as few hours.

When you are ready to roll the dough, cut it into 4 pieces.  Keeping the extra dough wrapped while you work with each piece.  Run it through the pasta maker on its thickest setting, dusting with flour as needed.  Repeat this process until you have reduced to around a 6 or 7,  depending on the thickness you like and your specific machine.  I usually make mine around a 7, since I like the pastry really delicate and crunchy.

Now using a martini glass or circle the right size for your steel tubes, start cutting out disks of pastry.  When you wrap them start by placing the tube in the centre of the circle, then fold one side round. wet the edge of the side still on the counter and just roll the tube over it, pressing gently as you do.  This will seal the tubes, and also by wrapping from the centre you will keep the opening of the tubes clear of fried pastry.  I roll, cut, wrap, fry in one long line, so that the pastry goes into the oil as soon as its cooked.  The tubes need to be deep fried in hot clean oil, test the oil by dropping a small piece into it, it should pop to the surface a bubble.  Fry one or two tubes at a time, be warned they brown very quickly so if you stick too many in you might find yourself battling to stop them from burning.  Turn the tubes as they float in the oil so that they brown evenly, I find a set of chopsticks is the easiest way to handle them.  Remove the tubes and lay them against the sides of a colander lined with absorbent paper towel.  This will allow any trapped oil to drain away, as soon as you can, lift the pastry tube carefully into a clean dry dish cloth.  Using one side of the dish cloth, carefully push the steel tube whilst gripping the pastry tube with the other hand gently.  Once some of the tube is exposed, and using the cloth pinch the steel tube and pull it all the way out.  You will master your technique fairly quickly it only takes a few finger burns to learn how to hold the tube,  Plus if you grip too hard the pastry tube will break.

To prepare the cream place all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk till well combined.  Add the filling to a pastry bag and set it aside.  At the last minute pipe the mixture into the tubes, remember the tubes will only stay crisp for about 30-minutes.  If you want to try and fill the tubes earlier, melt some chocolate and brush the inside of the tubes with it.  Once this has gone cold it will form a protective layer between the tube and the cream, but the tubes will still get soggy after a few hours.  To fill the tubes, pipe in from one side till the cream starts to come out then flip the tube and pipe in until it starts to come out that end.  To serve lay the cannoli on a platter and dust well with icing sugar.

 

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Filed Under: Baking, Chocolate, Dinner Party, Sweets Tagged With: baking, Sweet

Rich Choc Walnut Butterscotch Bars

September 17, 2014 by TSJC 1 Comment

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These are those incredible nutty, chewy, sweet and crunchy bars.  Be warned once these are made you will want to way to get them eaten as quickly as possible to avoid completely destroying your diet.  I used organic walnuts in these, but you could use peanuts, hazlenuts or even almonds.   The recipe is really simple its just that there are 3 stages which can be quite time consuming, but the outcome is really well worth the effort.

 

Rich Chocolate Walnut Butterscotch Bars
Makes 12 -24 (Depending on the size you cut)

Ingredients
Biscuit Crust
–  225gms cake flour
–  1/2 tsp baking powder
–  150gms plain milk chocolate
–  115gms unsalted butter
–  50gms muscovado/demerrera sugar
–  30ml finely ground almonds (or finely ground oats)

Butterscotch Filling
–  175gms unsalted butter, cut into chunks
–  115gms raw castor sugar (or regular will do)
–  30ml golden syrup
–  175mls condensed milk
–  150gms whole roasted nuts, walnut/hazelnut/almonds/peanuts

Chocolate Topping
–  250gms chocolate
–  25gms butter

Start by preheating the oven to 160°C.  Grease a 20cm x 20cm baking tray.  Now in a bowl sift together the flour and baking powder.  Now rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.  Melt the chocolate over a pot of barely simmering water.  Rub in the brown sugar and almonds before adding the molten chocolate.  Work it in briefly till it forms a loose dough.

Press the dough into the base of your baking dish, you will not be able to roll it out like a normal dough so just press it in until it is flat and even, prick all over with a fork.  Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until firm.  Set aside to cool in the tin.

Now prepare the butterscotch mixture.  Add all the ingredients, excluding the roasted nuts, to a small heavy based saucepan.  Stir until the butter and sugar have melted.  Now allow to simmer over a low heat until it is a golden colour, be careful to not allow it to cook on too high a heat or you might burn the sugars.  Once it is golden stir in the roasted nuts.  Now spread the mixture evenly over the biscuit base.  Leave to set and cool.

Once the butterscotch mixture has cooled, set a bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, add the chocolate and the butter.  Melt until smooth and silky.  Now spread over the butterscotch mixture and shake the pan to allow the mixture to go smooth.  Depending on the type of nuts you have used you may or may not have a smooth top layer, this is not important.

Allow to cool and then cut into pieces.  I originally cut about 16 large pieces from the tray, however, these are very rich so you might want to cut them into smaller size chunks.

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Filed Under: Baking, Chocolate, Sweets Tagged With: baking, chocolate, KIDS

Gourmet Greek Tiramisu

August 21, 2014 by TSJC Leave a Comment

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I love tiramisu and frankly their is absolutely nothing wrong with the original recipe made using mascarpone, it is rich, luscious and always a winner.  However, I am so in love with the Gourmet Greeks Greek Yoghurt that I had to give it a try using yoghurt instead of mascarpone.  What a treat, it is still as delicious, but a little less rich which means you can eat more!  Now that’s what I call a successful recipe update.

Please note I tried this with 3 other supermarket Full Fat Greek Yoghurts it did not work, I noticed that only a truly drained yoghurt works, even the premium supermarket products may contain vegetable starch to thicken this prevents the tiramisu from setting.

 

Tiramisu
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
–  3 free range eggs, separated whites and yolks
–  1/3 cup castor sugar
–  250gms Gourmet Greek Yoghurt
–  250mls heavy cream, whipped till thick
–  250gm pack of Savoiardi Biscuits
–  2 cups strong coffee
–  ½ cup marsala
–  cocoa powder for dusting

Method
STEP 1:
  Beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick, pale and creamy
STEP 2:  Now gently fold the whipped cream and Greek yoghurt into the egg yolk mixture
STEP 3:  Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold these into the yoghurt & egg yolk mixture, being careful to not knock out too much air
STEP 4:  Using a flat glass dish mix your coffee and marsala
STEP 5:  Quickly dunk the biscuits into the coffee mixture, then place on the base of your serving tray, dunk the biscuits quickly or they will become too soft.
STEP 6:  Pour out a third of your yoghurt cream mixture onto the biscotti, now give a good sprinkle of fine unsweetened cocoa powder
STEP 7:  Top this with another layer of soaked biscuits and some more cocoa powder.  Repeat until ending on a layer of cream and cocoa powder

STEPS TO REMEMBER
CREAM – VOLUME – DUNK – LAYER – DUST

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Filed Under: Baking, Dinner Party, Sweets Tagged With: baking, EASY, Eggs, LOW FAT, Quick

Pistachio, chocolate & date macaroons

June 23, 2014 by TSJC Leave a Comment

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Somewhere between a cup cake, a macaroon, a meringue and a chewy marshmallow lie these perfect little chewy cakes.  I used pistachio in them but they work equally well with almonds or hazelnuts.  The chocolate and dates become a chooey gooey mass and the nuts add loads of crunch, the recipe does call for chocolate and sugar.  You can replace the sugar for honey, and if you are worried about the calories, you could swop out your dark chocolate with a high cocoa content so it has less fats, or you could just add a little less chocolate and add a little more dates and nuts to make up the lost weight.

 

Pistachio, Chocolate & Date Macaroons
Makes 12

Ingredients
3 large free range egg whites, room temperature
60gms caster sugar (35gms clear honey)
125g roughly chopped nuts (pistachio/hazelnut/almond)
125g good quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
125g fresh medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped

 

Start by preheating the oven to 165°C, preferably no fan.  Spray a 12 tin standard size muffin tin with non stick spray and sprinkle a little caster sugar into each cup.  Now, in a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites till soft peaks form, now sieve the castor sugar in and whisk till thick and glossy.  You can use a machine for all of this, but I do it in 5 minutes with a good quality balloon whisk.  If you are using honey, make sure your egg whites are room temperature and that your honey is very runny, otherwise the sugars will not distribute evenly.  DO NOT HEAT THE HONEY to make it runny and then add it still slightly warm to the egg white it will affect your chewy outcome.

Now fold the chopped nuts, dates and chocolate into the mixture.  Spoon it into the cupcakes and bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 minutes.  Then switch off the heat and open the oven door slightly, after 10-minutes remove the tray and then allow the cakes to cool for a further 15-minutes before attempting to remove them.

Eat them just as is, or serve topped with greek yoghurt for dessert.

 

 

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Filed Under: Baking, Sweets Tagged With: baking, chocolate, Quick

Chewy Nougat

April 27, 2014 by TSJC Leave a Comment

CHEWY NOUGAT

Fruit for breakfast, therefore nougat for my mid morning snack, this seems like healthy balance… I can’t stress how a healthy diet is all about balance. I am a huge fan of Italian nougat, but nothing quite beats the delicious crunch of Wedgewood’s almond nougat. Loaded with delicious toasted almonds and with a honey flavoured chew, totally delicious.

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Filed Under: Snacks, Sweets Tagged With: snacks, sweets

The Secret Jozi Chef & The Cookery

Paul Maciel, started well known Jozi restaurant Pronto in 2004, after 12 years Paul sold Pronto and decided to follow his passion for writing and teaching about food with the launch of his blog The Secret Jozi Chef and his cooking school The Cookery. The Cookery and multipurpose kitchen space in Craighall Park.
The venue hosts fun social classes for students during the week as well as interactive chef's table events. The venue is staffed by a team that loves what they do always ensuring a welcoming space. The Cookery is equipped with state of the art Whirlpool and KitchenAid appliances and plenty of room for larger groups to cook.

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Paul Maciel is the Chef Owner, of award winning Italian restaurant Pronto in Johannesburg.

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