The Corkless Mind

Tag: olive oil

  • 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. 

  • Roasted Vine Tomato and Goat’s Cheese Tart.

    Roasted Vine Tomato and Goat’s Cheese Tart.


    I love tomatoes! I can easily eat a whole raw one with a pinch of salt and a sprinkle of white pepper. If my esophagus didn’t loathe me for it I would consume copious amounts! I saw the most stunning vine tomatoes in store yesterday and knew that I had to play around with them in the kitchen. I roasted the tomatoes in Balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and a good pinch of sea salt for about 20 mins to macerate and caramelize. As a new found friend recently said, “life’s too short to be making your own pastry” I purchased store bought pastry. I love this particular variation of butter puff pastry, the results are light, buttery and a bit flakey too. I oiled the tart tin with a tiny amount of oil and lined with parchment paper and placed the pastry inside,that I cut to size for the round tin. Brush with eggwash and assemble with the tomatoes and goat’s cheese and drizzle with the left over balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a pinch or two of sea salt flakes. 

    Place in a pre-heated oven on 180 degrees C for 10 minutes and leave to cool on a wire rack. 


    This past Sunday I attended a food photography workshop hosted by professional and renowned food photographer, Hein van Tonder from The Heinstirred blog, Francois Pistorius also a professional photographer and Isabella Niehaus a renowned stylist. I picked up so many nifty tricks and tools of the trade, I can’t wait to experiment and hopefully showcase everything I have learnt! To give you a little behind the scenes sneak peak I will be doing a full post on the workshop later in the week. So keep your eyes glued to Off Beet Blog 🙂 

    I took the above photos just before 12:00 today. I love the warmth of the red vine tomatoes against the crisp green micro herbs. I love a good colour contrast! 

    This week I’m on a prop and background sourcing mission, and with no such luck! I think I need to venture out to Cape Town soon! 

  • Unusual Suspects: Kale

    Unusual Suspects: Kale

    With the recent craze, Kale has had its fair share of shine and praise with its abundance of health benefits. I thought it a good idea to see what all the fuss was about. Kale is a member of the Brassica family, which includes Cauliflower, Broccoli and Cabbage. Like Parsely, Kale has two types Curly and flat leaf. Just one cup of raw Kale, has about 3 grams of protein and 2.5 grams of fibre. To make it easier to go down, I usually put half a cup of raw kale in a smoothie cup and blitz in my super NutriBullet. 

    I massaged the kale with extra virgin olive oil, Sumac and smoked Paprika. Honestly, I was expecting the superfood to instantly transform into scrummy crisps that I can’t keep my hands off, alas this is not the case (for me at least) I added extra smoked Paprika, flaked sea salt to taste and a few pinches of some authentic Sumac. Yet it still tasted of, well, Kale. As healthy as it may be, I simply loathe the taste of it. 


    But I will let you decide whether you like the crisps or not. I found the recipe off of Taste Australia. As always, I deviated from the original and added the Sumac. The link is above. Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear if anyone loved the crisps. 


    The Sumac I purchased from a quaint little delicatessen called The Olive Branch, situated in Kloof street lifestyle shopping centre, walk passed it and you’ll certainly miss it. It’s a hole in a wall but it is incredibly beautiful inside evoking an old world charm with that special welcoming feel too. I certainly recommend when in Cape Town, or like me, you’re constantly on the hunt for weird and wonderful delicatessens then you absolutely must visit this gem! 
    *Nutritional information sourced from WebMD*