The Corkless Mind

Category: desserts

  • Spiced date and pecan nut pudding

    Spiced date and pecan nut pudding

    This gorgeous dessert is straight out of this month’s issue of PnP’s Freshliving magazine, and oh what a decadent treat it is for the cold days that are still ahead!

    I don’t get to shoot much these days, it however feels amazing to be back behind the lens and it feels like second nature to me. There is no better reminder of your passion than to constantly put it to practice. This I am glad I made the time for. We all need reminders of what we love doing or what we are good at when times are turbulent.

    This dessert is a spectacular as a hearty addition to any Sunday lunch or dinner for that matter. I love that the flavour reminds me of Cinnabon, especially with the caramel sauce I added, crushed pecan nuts and subtle notes of cinnamon. Eat with caution should certainly be the caveat that should accompany this dessert.

    I wanted to serve this dessert with a molten, salty, dripping caramel sauce to complement the nutty sweet flavours of this pud. I improvised and made a smokey salted buttermilk butterscotch sauce to drench the pud with. Butter being the key in this recipe 🙂 butter indeed does make everything taste so much better!



    Spiced Date and Pecan nut pudding with a salted buttermilk butterscotch sauce. 



    Ingredients:
    – 150g Medjool dates

    – 100g Butter, melted.

    – 250ml Milk

    – 2 free-range eggs

    – 8ml vanilla extract

    – 125g caster sugar

    – 3ml salt

    – 300g self-raising flour

    – 50g pecan nuts, chopped

    – 10ml cinnamon

    – 5ml ground ginger

    – 5ml ground cardamom

    – 250ml sugar

    – 310ml boiling water

    – 60ml sherry or clemengold mandarin juice (I used a combination of both)

    – Smokey salted buttermilk butterscotch sauce to serve.
    Method:

    Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly grease any dish. I used a Bundt mold.

    Whisk eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Using my NutriBullet or you could use any other blender, blitz half of the dates together with the melted butter until a paste-like consistency is achieved. Roughly chop the rest of dates, I did this for extra texture in the pud. Add this to the date paste.

    Add the date mixture, milk, vanilla extract to the egg mixture. Combine the flour, salt, nuts and spices together then fold into the egg mixture.

    Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin or dish, sprinkle over brown sugar evenly over the batter.
    To make the topping: 

    Mix together the water and sherry/mandarin or orange juice, pour over the back of a spoon to cover the pudding. Bake the pudding for 35 minutes or until just cooked. Serve with cream and the salted buttermilk butterscotch sauce drizzled over.

  • Olive oil, lime and coconut biscotti. 

    Olive oil, lime and coconut biscotti. 

    It’s been a while since I’ve baked anything, I find the process of baking quite calming and sort of a temporary escape from the real world in exchange for that a realm of whimsy and wonder. Now if only I could escape washing the dishes after the mess that ensues… With my olive oil purchase from Babylonstoren from the Olive workshop, thought I should do something a little out of the ordinary, instead to just use it primarily for cooking and drizzling over salads and luxurious homemade pastas. Whilst flipping through a stack of food magazines early this week, frantically searching for inspiration, I happily stumbled across a recipe for olive oil biscotti, and with zeal recreated the recipe with my own take and improvised here and there. This recipe is for an advertisement for the S.A Olive association, featured in the Fresh Living magazine. 

    The recipe is adapted from the recipe as mentioned above, and thus used as a guideline. I added dried cranberries, cashew nuts, coconut flakes, the zest and juice of two limes, this I find works complementary with the grassy peppery notes of the extra virgin olive oil. 

    Olive oil,lime and coconut biscotti. 


    Ingredients    : 
    1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 

    250g sugar 

    330g cake flour 

    2 free-range eggs 

    1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 

    1 tbsp vanilla paste 

    1/2 cup dried cranberries 

    100g cashew nuts roughly chopped 

    50g coconut flakes roughly chopped 

    Zest and juice of 2 limes 

    A pinch of sea salt flakes 

    Method    : 
    Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. In a bowl or standmixer beat the oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla paste together. In a different bowl combine the flour and bicarbonate of soda and whisk till combined. Stir into the egg mixture to form a heavy dough. Divide the dough into two, form each piece into a log/roll, as long as your baking tray lengthways. Press down to a 13mm thickness. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Once cooled, slice the logs into 13mm slices. Place the slices cut side up and bake for a further 5-10 minutes on either side. Serve with a freshly brewed espresso. 

  • Affogato and chocolate muffins with a coffee sugar

    Affogato and chocolate muffins with a coffee sugar


    This is another amazing recipe from Delicious Australia, and was said that it was inspired by a three ingredient dessert bread recipe by the revered Matt Preston. He is someone I look up to, aspiring to be as great a food writer as he is, with so many of the greats like the late A.A Gill being the ultimate food writer for me. 
    This recipe can also be found in the latest issue of delicious Australia. Do yourself a favour, subscribe to their magazine. It’s like Christmas every single month, for me there’s nothing better than being gifted premium food articles and aspirational food writing and of course mouth watering food photography that visually inspires me to recreate those spectacular shots.


    I added my own little twist to the recipe with the addition of dark chocolate and coffee liqueur. My sister and her soon to be husband gifted my partner and I a bottle of locally produced Beaver creek  coffee liqueur that I cracked open and used in the batter for that extra kick of coffee.

    Affogato and chocolate muffins in a coffee sugar: 

    Ingredients: 

    300g self-raising flour, sifted

    750ml vanilla ice cream, softened

    165ml canola/sunflower oil 

    1 free-range egg, lightly beaten 

    150g caster sugar 

    3 teaspoons of instant coffee granules, crushed

    2 tablespoons of coffee liqueur 

    100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped. 

    Method: 
    Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. 

    Sift the self-raising flour in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the softened ice cream, egg and oil till combined. Add this to the flour and fold gently till just incorporated. Add the coffee liqueur and chopped chocolate and gently fold again to combine slightly. Pour into a muffin tray and bake for 20 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. To make the coffee sugar coating, lightly crush the coffee granules in a pestle and mortar and add to the caster sugar, and taking each muffin and dipping into the sugar mix until coated on the top and/or sides if you will. Serve with your favourite espresso or coffee liqueur. 

  • Roasted pumpkin infused yoghurt

    Roasted pumpkin infused yoghurt

    Pumpkin epitomizes Autumn in the comforting warm taste and colour lending it’s beautifully sweet flavour to just about anything I can think of to add it to. Which brings me to these gorgeous yoghurts that I am beyond obsessed with, pumpkin and cinnamon double cream yoghurts that I have recently considered an indulgent treat. The flavour of the pumpkin surprisingly enough shines through but not overpowering with a soft hint of cinnamon of course to complement the pumpkin. However, these store bought yoghurts are quite pricey, and find I prefer making my own when I have the time. I had some leftover pumpkin and decided to make a pumpkin pie recipe from renowned and local chef Bertus Basson’s new cookbook ‘Homegrown’ which is featured in this month’s Woolworths Taste issue. 


    Pumpkin infused yoghurt 
    Ingredients: 
    250g Pumpkin (cubed) 

    300g Plain yoghurt 

    2 T maple syrup 

    1 tsp cinnamon 
    Method: 

    Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Place the cubed pumpkin in a roasting dish, drizzle with the maple syrup and add the cinnamon. Roast for 20-25 minutes until fully macerated. Set aside to cool. In a blender, or in my case my NutriBullet, add the pumpkin and blitz till smooth, then add the yoghurt with another dusting of cinnamon if you like, and blitz till smooth. Serve as a snack or with your morning granola. 


    If you want you could add some pears to the roasting tray along with the pumpkin, or what ever you like that is in season. Im in love with these gorgeous autumnal pears and couldn’t resist adding the pears to the photos. They’re super sweet and crunchy, usually I roast them with a little honey and serve with a few slices of Brie or Camembert as an indulgent snack. 

  • Grilled strawberries and cream.

    Grilled strawberries and cream.

    There’s something so unmistakably classic about the combination of strawberries and cream, that will always transcend food trends. That to me is the very definition of classic food. Inspired by the breathtaking food photography and styling in the March issue of delicious Australia, I couldn’t resist recreating this recipe at home. This recipe is by chef Matt Wilkinson for the March issue of delicious. 
    Like many others scrambling to the stores to indulge in the last little bit of summer produce available before its all vanished off of shelves for a good couple of months and before regret sets in that I didn’t attempt this gorgeous recipe, I knew I had to give it a go! 
    Grilled strawberries with cream and meringue shards. 
    Ingredients:
    – 250g strawberries

    – 1 tsp of olive oil 

    – Black pepper to taste

    – A few basil leaves to garnish 

    – Vanilla ice cream to serve

    – 2 egg whites 

    – 120g castor sugar 
    Method: 

    Preheat oven to 95 degrees C. Starting on the meringue shards first, in a stand mixer or with an electric beater, beat the egg whites until soft peaks have formed. Gradually adding the sugar a little at a time, whilst the mixer is on. Beat until stiff and glossy. On a parchment lined/silpat lined baking tray spread the meringue thinly on the baking tray, and bake for 40 minutes. Break into shards and set aside. 
    Coat the strawberries in olive oil and a little freshly ground black pepper. On a high heat, sear the strawberries until black grill lines are visible (take care to space the strawberries apart) 
    Serve with the meringue shards, a scoop or two of ice cream, basil leaves and freshly ground black pepper. 

  • Sweet potato, maple and pecan nut waffles.

    Sweet potato, maple and pecan nut waffles.

    Autumn is a special and magical time of year, the transition from light crisp summery food and weather to a comforting warmth of stews and chunky knits, I find totally irresistible as any winter/autumn baby would! There’s something so satisfying about hearing the crunch of leaves under your feet and feeling the crispness of the cold wind against your face. 
    As you can tell I’m pretty excited for Autumn and the imminent(hopefully rainy) Winter to come! I might have mentioned before that, the Western Cape of South Africa is currently experiencing the worst drought yet, The City of Cape Town has implemented very strict water restrictions to curb the rather high water usage. Currently our dam levels are at a dismal 23% , I urge you to please use water sparingly if you live nearby, and to be smart about how you use water. At the moment my plants are getting watered by my recycled dish water, so I’m expecting a rather soapy tasting fennel, basil and mint 🙂 
    This recipe is a take on a conventional waffle with a twist of course! Having finally purchased an electric waffle machine, the temptation was too much to not put it to immediate use. 
    Sweet potato, maple and pecan waffles. 
    Ingredients: 
    -210g of cake flour 

    -15ml baking powder

    -15ml castor sugar 

    -15ml maple syrup (plus a little extra for roasting the sweet potato) 

    -300ml milk 

    -2 eggs separated 

    -50g melted butter 

    -1 sweet potato cut into chunks 

    -pinch of cinnamon 

    -100g of pecan nuts roughly chopped 
    Method: 

    For the waffle mix, sift the dry ingredients into a bowl then add the sugar. 

    Whisk the milk, the two egg yolks and melted butter together. Add to the dry ingredients, mixing until a smooth consistency is achieved. 

    Beat the egg whites to a soft peak consistency and add folding it into the mixture. Let stand for 30 minutes. 
    Whilst the waffle mix is resting, in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C, cut the sweet potato into chunks and place into a roasting dish and drizzle with maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon. Place into the oven for 25 minutes until soft and caramelized. Once the waffle mix is done resting. Switch the waffle machine on, then add the cooled down sweet potato chunks( I mashed mine to be able to get them adequately into the waffle mix) add the maple syrup and chopped pecan nuts and gently fold into the batter. Using a ice cream scoop! spoon the batter into each side of the waffle machine, for 3-5 minutes until golden brown or according to the waffle machine instructions. Serve with pecan nuts and ice cream.