Milktart

Crust

  • 6 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons margarine
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • Pinch of salt

Method
Mix everything together and add milk until consistency is runny enough to spread in pans with a spoon.

Bake at 180 degrees Celcius until light brown.

Filling

  • 12 cups milk
  • 2 cups sugar
  • half teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla esence

Mix all ingredients for the filling together. Place in microwave for about 10 minutes. Stir every now and again.

Mix together:

  • 4 eggs
  • 6 tablespoons corn flour
  • 6 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup milk

Mix together until smooth. Add to milk mixture from above and place in microwave. Stir continuously until consistency is thick enough to pour into crusts. (Approximately another 10 minutes but stir every now and again).

Pour warm fillings into crusts. When cooled down sprinkle cinnamon on top and place in fridge. Serve when cold.

Recipe will make 6 milktarts.

Thai Prawn Soup

Preparation time: 30 min
Cooking time: 40 min

Ingredients

  • 12 prawns
  • 30 ml oil
  • 2.5 litres fish or chicken stock
  • 3 lime or lemon leaves
  • 15 ml butter
  • 250 g button mushrooms, sliced
  • 20 ml fresh ginger, finely chopped
  • 2 lemon grass stems, finely chopped (or 10ml dried lemon grass)
  • 1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
  • 30ml Tom Yum paste (available at good supermarkets and delis)
  • 2 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 400 g coconut milk
  • 45 ml fresh coriander leaves, chopped
  • 30 ml Thai fish sauce
  • 45 ml fresh lime or lemon juice
  • 10 ml brown sugar
  • 1 packet Thai noodles

Method:

    Devein the prawns, remove the heads and shells (don’t throw these away) and keep the tails. Heat the oil in a saucepan and stir-fry the heads and shells until the flavours start to develop. Add the stock and lime or lemon leaves and allow to simmer for 15 minutes
    Heat the butter in a seperate saucepan and fry the mushrooms until soft. Add the ginger, lemon grass and spring onions, as well as the Tom Yum paste. Pour the stock through a sieve and add to the mushrooms in the saucepan. Bring the mixture to the boil.
    Fry the prawns in hot butter in a frying pan and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer the prawns to the soup.
    Add the coconut milk, coriander, fish sauce, lime or lemon juice and brown sugar. Allow to simmer for a few minutes so that the flavours can develop.
    Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package and divide them among four serving bowls. Ladle the soup over the noodles, garnish with fresh coriander and serve.

Roast butternut, sweet pepper and Camembert quiche

Quiche pastry

Ingredients:

  • 100g butter
  • 1 handful fresh lemon thyme leaves
  • 250g flour
  • salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  • Melt the butter in a pan and add the thyme leaves
  • Heat gently, and then remove from the heat
  • Add the flour and seasoning, then mix well to a stiff dough
  • Grease eight small quiche pans and line with the pastry
  • Place in the freezer for 20 minutes, then remove and bake blind for 10 minutes at 180°C
  • Allow to cool

For the egg mixture

Ingredients:

  • 3 free-range eggs
  • 100ml cream
  • 100ml buttermilk
  • 150ml milk

Method:
Mix all the ingredients well. Add more milk if necessary.

For the filling

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe butternut, cubed
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 yellow pepper, chopped
  • freshly ground salt and pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 mature Camembert, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped rocket, flat-leaf parsley, chives and sweet marjoram

Method:

  • Put the butternut and peppers on a baking tray and season to taste
  • Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 200°C for 30 minutes, until soft
  • Place the roasted butternut and peppers onto the pastry in the quiche cases, arrange the Camembert slices on top and gently pour the egg mixture over
  • Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes, until browned
  • Serve garnished with herbs
  • Serves 8

Adding garlic

When a recipe calls for adding oil, garlic and onions to a pan, add the garlic last. This prevents burning and a bitter taste.

Separate eggs

When separating eggs, make sure to crack them into a pristinely clean bowl. Even a small amount of fat prevents the whites from whipping well.

Layer pudding

This pudding is made with instant pudding and is ready in no time.

Ingredients

  • 3 packets (90g each) instant pudding, different flavours such as chocolate, butterscotch and vanilla
  • 1350 litres (3 x 450ml) cold milk
  • 1 packet (200g) Tennis biscuits
  • 250ml cream, stiffly whipped (optional)
  • 1 slab (25g) peppermint crisp

Method

  • Pour the three instant puddings into three separate dishes
  • Add 450ml milk to each and mix the puddings as described on the packets
  • Arrange a layer of Tennis biscuits in a square glass dish
  • Spread the layer of biscuits with one of the instant pudding mixtures and arrange another layer of Tennis biscuits on top
  • Spread with the next instant pudding mixture and top with another layer of Tennis biscuits
  • Spread with the remaining instant pudding mixture and finally top with the stiffly whipped cream
  • Decorate with grated chocolate
  • Chill before serving
  • Serves 6

Carrot Cake

carrot-cake
Ingredients:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 cup oil
  • 2 cups grated carrot
  • 8½ oz (240g drained) tin crushed pineapple
  • 4 eggs

Method:

  • Sift together dry ingredients
  • Add sugar, oil and eggs
  • Mix well
  • Add carrots, pineapple and optional nuts
  • Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 50 minutes