Author: Roodeberg

Ingredients: (serves 8)

500 g fresh strawberries, green tops removed, sliced into chunks

¼ cup (60 ml) sugar

230 g (1 regular tub) cream cheese, plain

½ cup (125 ml), icing sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

1 XL egg, separated (yolk for filling, white for brushing)

1 x 500g sheet/roll frozen puff pastry, thawed

 

For the royal icing:

½ cup (125 ml) icing sugar

2 tablespoons (30 ml) hot water from a recently boiled kettle

 

Method:

1. Cook the strawberries: Place the strawberries and sugar in a saucepan or small pot. Stir, then allow to stand for 5 minutes. Place the saucepan over medium heat and slowly bring to a simmer, cooking the strawberries until soft and syrupy, stirring often. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
2. Make the filling: In a medium size mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, sifted icing sugar, vanilla and egg. Mix with a wire whisk until just combined.

Chef’s tip: Do not overmix – the more you mix, the runnier the mixture will become.

3. Prepare the pastry: Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Unroll the thawed pastry on a lightly floured surface to an even rectangle, facing you as a portrait shape (not landscape) then transfer to the lined baking tray. Spread the cream cheese filling down the centre third of the pastry from top to bottom, followed by the cooked strawberries. Slice the unfilled sides on either side of the pastry into 2-5cm wide strips, flaring out to the left and right. Starting from the top right, “braid” the pastry by folding over a strip of pastry from the right over the filling (slightly diagonally), then a strip from the left, diagonally (to overlap the first), continuing until the filling is fully covered. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg white, then brush the prepared braided pastry with egg wash. Bake in the center rack of the pre-heated oven at 180°C for 25 – 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool while you make the royal icing.

4: For the royal icing:  Mix the icing sugar and hot water in a medium mixing bowl, then drizzle over the cooked Danish.

Serves (6)

Ingredients

Lemon & mint sauce

250ml plain yoghurt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

1 lemon, rind

Salt and black pepper

 

Fish

1 side of white fish, cleaned and scaled (approximately 2,5kg)

4 tablespoons softened butter

2 tablespoons fish spice

2 lemons, halved

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Place the fish on an oiled roasting tray and rub the softened butter all over it. Sprinkle with the fish spice and cover with foil.

Place in the oven and allow to bake for 12 – 15 minutes and then remove the foil. Allow to bake for another 5 minutes or until cooked throughout.

Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients for the yoghurt sauce.

Serve the fish with a generous spoonful of the yoghurt and a fresh salad.

Serve (6)

Ingredients

1-layer store bought chocolate cake

250ml cream

1 tin condensed milk

½ cup lemon juice

1 tin pitted and halved cherries

100g dark chocolate

250g creamed cheese

100ml cherry liqueur

 

Method

Mix the condensed milk, lemon juice and creamed cheese together.

Cut the chocolate cake into small blocks and place a layer on the base of a serving dish or individual glasses.

Sprinkle with cherry liqueur, a spoon of cherries, spoon a layer of the creamed cheese mixture, top with grated dark chocolate and repeat the layers ending with the creamed cheese mixture. Top it off with whipped cream and grated chocolate.

Serves (4)

Ingredients

Pastry

230g butter

½ cup boiling water

2 cups self-raising flour

1 teaspoon sugar

Filling:

4 plums

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 tablespoons sugar

 

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

Pastry

Put all the pastry ingredients into a food processor and blitz until a ball is formed. Wrap the ball of pastry in cling wrap and let it rest in the freezer for 20 min. Roll the pastry out on a surface that has been dusted with flour.

Line 4 individual ramekins out or one large tart tin with the pastry.

Filling

Cut the plums into wedges and cover the pastry with the fresh plums. Sprinkle one tablespoon of sugar and lightly pepper each tart.

 

Bake for 25 minutes.

Serves (4)

Ingredients

8 chicken pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup Dr Charles Niehaus

1 garlic head cut into half

2 lemons halved

Salt and pepper

1 cup frozen cranberries

¼ cup sugar

Rind of 1 lemon

 

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Heat the olive oil in an oven proof pan. Fry the chicken pieces skin down until brown. Turn them over and add the wine, halved lemons, halved garlic, cranberries, sugar and rind of one lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 1 hour.

Makes 30-40 truffles depending on the size you make

Ingredients

400g good-quality dark chocolate

1 cup cream

110g butter

 

Method

Finely chop the chocolate — a serrated knife will do this quickly and efficiently. Transfer the chocolate to a medium bowl.

Heat the cream. Microwave the cream on high until hot but not boiling, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Alternatively, heat the cream over low heat in a small saucepan until it starts to steam. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and set aside for 5 minutes.

Whisk the cream and chocolate together until smooth and shiny.

Pour the ganache into a shallow pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Scoop and roll the truffles. Use a tablespoon or small cookie scoop to portion the ganache into bite size balls. Roll the balls between gloved hands until smooth. Refrigerate for a few minutes before rolling the truffles into the crushed pistachios and place on a plate.

Serves (8)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large brown onions, coarsely chopped

2 celery sticks, trimmed, coarsely chopped

1 large carrot, peeled, coarsely chopped

900g lamb, cut into 3cm pieces

400g can diced tomatoes

1L (4 cups) chicken liquid stock or vegetable liquid stock

400g can brown lentils, rinsed, drained

Fresh coriander to garnish

 

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the celery and carrot. Cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables are light golden.

Add the lamb and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes or until just browned. Add the tomato and stock. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Add the lentils. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the lamb is tender. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with fresh coriander.

Makes 1 tart

Ingredients

20g gelatin

40ml water

1 x 200g coconut biscuits

100g butter

500g Cremora

250ml ice water

2 x 385g tin condensed milk

100g Turkish delight (diced)

1 cup lemon juice

5ml rose water

Fresh berries and fresh roses for garnish

 

Method

Sprinkle the gelatin over the 40ml water, set aside.

Place the biscuits and melted butter into a food processor and mix until the biscuits look like sand. Line a springform cake tin with the biscuit crust and set aside.

Blend the Cremora, ice water, condensed milk at a high speed in an electric mixer until light and fluffy for 5 min. Add the lemon juice and rose water. Mix until smooth. Fold in the Turkish delight.

Heat the gelatin for 30 seconds in the microwave and fold into the mixture. Pour into the prepared cake tin. Let it set in the fridge for 3 hours.

Garnish with fresh berries and fresh roses.

Serves (6)

Ingredients

2,5kg oxtail

Olive oil

2 onions, diced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

A few sprigs of fresh rosemary

4 bay leaves

1 glass of Roodeberg Reserve

1 cup beef stock

Rind of 1 lemon

200g pitted green olive

200g button mushrooms

 

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C

Heat the olive oil and fry the onion until soft. Spoon it out and add the oxtail to the hot pan. Fry until golden brown. Add the cooked onions, garlic, Bay leaves, rosemary, wine, stock and the rind of one lemon.

Put into the oven and bake for 3 – 4 hours, check on it and add extra liquid if necessary. Add the olives and mushrooms and bake for another 1 hour.