The Corkless Mind

Category: Food

  • 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.

  • White flesh Nectarine.

    White flesh Nectarine.

    Nectarines are one of many of Summer’s amazing bounty that it has to offer. 
    I always miss seasonal summer fruits when it’s out of season and long for all things tropical and sweet in the wet winter months. Nectarines are basically peaches without all the fuzz. This luscious fruit’s name means ‘of or like nectar’ because of its sweet taste. 

    This week I made nectarines the focal point of both dishes, and am I glad I did! Woolworths stocks the most tastiest nectarines, my favourite is the white flesh ones. They’re super juicy and so sweet. It’s just a no brainer to use these beauties in every dish imagined. I made two dishes for this post, a nectarine, feta and tomato salad and little nectarine puddings. 
    Nectarine, tomato and feta salad: 
    Ingredients: 
    – Two nectarines 

    – Handful of Cherry tomatoes 

    – A few chunks of feta 

    – Two tablespoons of Pumpkin seeds 

    – Basil leaves to garnish 

    – Olive oil to dress the salad 

    – Pinch of salt to season

    -Egyptian dukkah to sprinkle over

    Method: 

    Slice the nectarines as you wish and break up the feta into chunks and add to the plate. Half the cherry tomatoes and add to the plate. Lightly toast the pumpkin seeds and set aside. Add the basil, and scatter over the pumpkin seeds, season with a pinch of salt, the dukkah and dress with olive oil.

    Nectarine pudding: 
    Ingredients: 
    – Three nectarines 

    – 175g softened butter 

    – 175g castor sugar 

    – 175g self-raising flour

    – 3 free range eggs 

    – Fresh custard to serve. 
    Method: 

    Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Slice the nectarines into thin slices and place on the bottom of a greased muffin pan. In a bowl, beat together the softened butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. In a different bowl, whisk the eggs and add gradually to the butter sugar mixture with some of the flour to stop from curdling. Once all of the egg mixture has been added fold through the rest of the flour. Using a big spoon(I used my ice cream scoop) take a spoonful of batter and place into each hole of the muffin tin. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until a skewer inserted some out clean. Serve with fresh custard and a dusting of icing sugar of you will. 

    This recipe for the pudding is adapted from Delicious UKI’m going on a little holiday this week, and while I don’t really want to pack away my styling kit and shutdown my wordpress interface, I think I am in need of fresh sea breeze, sand between my toes and different scenery kind of downtime, if you know what I mean. I’ll be back again next week, refreshed and inspired. 

    Happy feasting! 

    Dominique x

  • Egyptian dukkah roasted veg.

    Egyptian dukkah roasted veg.

    The advent of a new year brings in the possibility of change, renewal and hope. I’m not on a diet of any sort nor am I going vegan/vegetarian (and no I am not swooping my day job to become a philosopher) But I’m trying to incorporate more vegetables/plants in my lifestyle. I adore Egyptian dukkah, it has the perfect balance of spice and nuttiness to spruce up any one-pan roast, salad or roast vegetables. 

    I made  Egyptian dukkah roasted cauliflower florets and chickpeas with a creamy avocado and yoghurt dressing, served with crunchy radishes, fragrant mint and sweet pomegranate rubies. The recipe is from Donna Hay.What I love about this dish is that it’s everything but boring, the roasted cauliflower florets, lends a nuttiness to the dish together with the crunchy chickpeas which takes the texture of the dish to another level. The creamy avocado and yoghurt dressing is the perfect addition to the dish, it adds freshness and texture too. 

    The carrots were roasted in the oven drizzled with locally sourced honey, cumin seeds, olive oil and of course the dukkah, next time I’ll add some orange zest and juice to the dish to give it that extra zest. I roasted the rainbow carrots for 20 minutes on 180 degrees C. Sprinkled with more dukkah and made a dressing of two tablespoons of Greek yoghurt, one tablespoon of tahini, one tablespoon of lemon juice, olive oil(about half a tablespoon) and salt to taste. 

    I drizzled this gorgeous dressing over the carrots to serve with a few pomegranate rubies and a few sprigs of mint to garnish. Inspired by the above roasted cauliflower and chickpeas recipe from Donna Hay, I developed the roasted carrot recipe with the same flavours in mind. There are so many other vegetables you could use and make it your own with your own twist. More importantly have fun! 

    Happy feasting! 

    Dominique x

  • Aubergine fries with a honey balsamic drizzle.

    Aubergine fries with a honey balsamic drizzle.

    I’ve recently started to  broaden my food magazine perusing to international territory, reading online is one thing but I’m a sucker for good old paging through an actual book/magazine. Yes, I know not very Eco-friendly, but I’m tradionalist at heart! Sadly, we don’t have much of a wide selection of food magazines here in South Africa, so because I scour Delicious Australia’s site on a weekly basis, I spotted the UK version and rushed home to immediately page through it( I do love the smell of fresh magazines) I am quite proud of our food mag scene in S.A but there are so many fresh ideas in the international ones  I am so excited to try out all before reading the entire magazine, my excitement seems to get the better of me sometimes… 

    This recipe comes straight out of the September issue of Delicious UK, chosen and submitted by a reader, she described the fries as ‘light, crisp, but not greasy’. 

    Ingredients: 

    • 3 medium aubergines/eggplants sliced into batons
    • 1Tbsp of Salt
    • 1 medium free-range egg
    • 250ml iced water
    • 90g plain flour
    • 1/2 tsp baking powder
    • 1 litre sunflower/canola oil for deep frying
    • Balsamic glaze to drizzle 

    Method: 

    Place aubergines batons in a colander and sprinkle over salt.set over a bowl, then place in a fridge for 1-2 hours so the aubergines can release some of their juices and firm up. When ready, lay out on a kitchen towel/paper, and blot firmly and rub to remove excess salt, then set aside.For the batter, whisk the egg and iced water until frothy. Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt, then slowly add the egg mixture in a thin stream into the flour, whisking to combine. Immediately stop whisking when combined.Heat the oil in a deep large pan, the oil should be approximately 180 degrees Celsius, reduce heat to keep at this temperature. In batches, dip the batons in the batter, and with a slotted spoon lift out to place gently in the oil(always away from you) and fry for 4-5 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper. Serve with balsamic glaze, or like me, you can mix a little balsamic vinegar with honey and drizzle over the fries. As an extra special touch I finely grated Grana Padano Parmesan cheese over the fries, because why not, right? 

    These fries are life-changing, and such a great substitute to potato fries. The crunch on these fries are incredible, the flavour is that of a natural umami coupled with a sweet twist! I’m hooked! And definitely making these  for when I have friends or family over. 

    Let’s all make Meat-free Monday’s exciting again! 

    Dominique x

  • Off the Beeten track – Riebeeck Kasteel.

    Off the Beeten track – Riebeeck Kasteel.

    My partner and I decided to take a trip and stay over in Riebeeck Kasteel, all before he is completely encumbered with pain and medication from an operation which will see him flat in bed for the next two weeks.The spontaneity of his idea to retreat to unknown territory was quickly met with Google searches of where to stay, research and much enthusiasm to explore and venture out into relatively uncharted territory. 
    The Riebeeck valley, located on the slopes of its own mountain, surrounds olive groves and vineyards. The Riebeeck valley is the place to be in November where the annual olive expo is held at the Olive boutique. 

    We paid a very brief visit to Riebeek Kasteel and sister town Riebeek West in the beginning of the year, at the time our main attraction was the infamous coffee spot and roastery, unbeknown to us, there’s an entire town to explore and walk about. Based on a rather brief but pleasant experience, we proceeded to book our accommodation there and plan a day out. We stayed overnight at the hospitable and cozy Royal Hotel. 

    Having driven only an hour away from Durbanville, Just outside of Cape Town, which is where we live. Upon arrival in the quaint yet buzzing town, we immediately set out for the advertised Village market in Riebeeck West, we had seen a post about the market in the week leading up to our visit. I am a frequent market goer, I just cannot resist a good local market. The market is held on the first Saturday of every month from 09:00 am to 13:00pm. The market is quite small and feature’s local stalls showcasing locality of produce, handmade crafts to tasty samoosas and a local business selling their own bottled mission olives in brine and their very own olive oil. The atmosphere is that of a small town, where everybody knows each other.

    The photo taken above is of Les and Fiona Hellmann of Kasteel Kat olive products, their passion for their local products is quite contagious. I think it’s really imperative we support our local producers and buy local and seasonal ingredients. Now what to do with the jar of olives I purchased from them, beside eat the entire jar? Make olive bread of course! (More on that later)

    Back in Riebeeck Kasteel, we made a point of taking a walk through most of the town’s hub, to my surprise there was a artisanal deli on almost every corner. My favourite was Crisp, known as the “biggest little market”, with lots of seasonal fruit and vegetables and of course speciality pantry staples like saffron in a cute little tin or arborio rice in rice burlap bag sort of material. I’m a sucker for packaging, can you tell?!

    We went back to our favourite little coffee spot, Beans about coffee. To say My boyfriend is something of a serious coffee fiend, is quite an understatement. His eyes lit up when we saw a new coffee arrival announcement on the chalk board (specifically Mexican coffee). 
    For a really decent cup of coffee , a really refreshing freshly squeezed juice and a decadent slice of cake, Beans about Coffee is the place to go! 

    The evening, started off with complementary cake and coffee/tea for hotel guests, we sat in front of a crackling comforting fire enjoying the far too indulgent chocolate cheesecake with coffee. After supper, we had retreated back to the hotel and enjoyed (possibly) the most tastiest Gin&Tonic we’ve ever had! The gin used was a fynbos infused one.The fragrant tipples were served in cognac glasses with seasonal berries such as gooseberries,strawberries  and with a slice of zesty lime. I think they may be on to something here…the full experience( yes, it was an experience :)) of the citrusy notes and fynbos flavours married perfectly in the glass.We thoroughly enjoyed our stay with the Royal Hotel, their old world charm and incredibly warm hospitality is what really sealed the deal. 

    I look forward to sharing more of my travels with you soon, like ‘unusual suspects’ this too will be an occasional series of posts together with my regular scheduled posts. 

    Happy traveling, exploring and eating! x
    **Disclaimer: this post was not sponsored in any way. All costs of our trip and purchases my partner and I paid for. Promoting of the town and the local producers in this post is done with a bona fide intention**

  • Deconstructed lime meringue.

    Deconstructed lime meringue.

    I took it upon myself to recreate a classic and also critically deconstruct it. This in essence is the very teaching and philosophy of Massimo Bottura, celebrating nostalgia but asking questions. I made a deconstructed lime meringue dessert with crushed ginger cookies as the base, and a lime meringue ginger cookie sandwich(think ice cream sandwich style, but way better). So with my fat pants on and guilty conscience happily abandoned at the door (this is a judgement free zone) so please feel free to recreate this dessert and even top it and take it to another level of indulgence! 
    I made the speediest and tastiest lime curd just over a week ago, and it’s been sitting on the shelf of my fridge in a sealed jar staring at me asking me to eat it. To be honest it had me at hello! The lime curd was made in the microwave recipe found on Food52. The rest of the recipe for the desserts I have developed. I simply crushed ginger biscuits and drizzled with a little ginger syrup(a sweet twist) I then filled the glass with the lime curd and topped off with the whipped meringue and blowtorched to get the desired toastyness. Any excuse to use my awesome little blowtorch! 

    For the cookie sandwich, assemble the curd between the biscuits, gently press together and smooth out edges if oozing out, then top with the meringue and toast with the blowtorch. I think I had way too much fun doing this! 


    The photos were taken just before noon again, I find I take less photos these days when shooting for one post, as I find that I don’t need to take hundreds of photos to get that good batch of photos like I used to do. This must mean I am improving slowly 🙂  I’m super excited to share next week’s posts and photos with you! It’s going to be super chilled 🙂 that’s about all I’m letting you know for now. 

    This post was collated whilst listening to the incomparable David Bowie. Specifically the song ‘Heroes’. 

    Happy Heritage day everyone! xo