Marinated fish with root vegetable mash

This recipe is by Hope Malau.

4 hake fillets

MARINADE PASTE
15 ml coriander seeds
2 ml cumin seeds
5 ml ground cinnamon
5 ml ground cloves
5 ml black peppercorns
2 ml cardamom seeds
5 ml turmeric
10 ml dried chilli flakes
8 garlic cloves
10 ml dark brown sugar
15 ml lemon juice
30 ml chopped fresh ginger
30 ml oil

VEGETABLE MASH
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
3 madumbe, peeled and diced
2 turnips, peeled and diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
80 ml cream
2 garlic cloves
30 ml butter
salt and pepper

TO SERVE
30 g broccoli, cooked

Put the fish in a flat, non-metal dish.

Marinade paste: In a hot, dry pan over a medium heat, toast the coriander seeds and cumin seeds until aromatic. Tip into a spice grinder and add the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, turmeric and chilli flakes. Grind to a fine powder.

In a food processor blitz the spice mix with the garlic, sugar, lemon juice, ginger and oil to a smooth paste.
Cover the fish in the paste and marinate while preparing the mash.
Vegetable mash: Put the diced vegetables in a pot filled with water and slowly bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until soft.
Drain and add the cream, garlic and butter. Mash to a smooth, lump-free consistency and season with salt and pepper.
Pan-fry the fish for 5-8 minute on each side.
To serve: Spoon the mash onto plates, top with the fish and serve with the broccoli.

Oreo Cheesecake

Everyone loves cheesecake. This one caught my eye. YUMMY!!

76 g Oreo cookies, divided60 g butter, melted250 g cream cheese, softened200 ml caster sugar5 ml vanilla essence250 ml cream, lightly whiskedextra Oreo cookies to decorate (optional)

Grease a 20 cm cake baking tin.
Chop 12 of the divided cookies coarsely and set aside.
Finely crush the rest of the cookies in a blender or with a rolling pin, mix in the butter and press onto bottom of the prepared baking tin. Chill in the fridge while preparing the filling.
Use an electric beater to beat the cream cheese, caster sugar and vanilla essence in a large bowl until smooth. Gently stir in the cream and chopped cookies and spread onto the chilled crust.
Chill in the fridge for 4 hours or until firm. Decorate with extra cookies if you like.

Peppermint Mousse

Found this recipe in the You Magazine. Always a nice dessert for guests over the weekend for the chocolate freak!

250 ml milk
2 egg yolks
80 ml caster sugar
100 g dark chocolate
250 ml cream
1 Peppermint Crisp bar, grated
15 ml gelatin, sponged in 45 ml water

Heat the milk in a saucepan to just below boiling point.
Whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar. Add a little of the hot milk then add everything to the remaining milk in the saucepan.
Heat while stirring continuously until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until melted, cover with clingfilm and leave to cool.
Whip the cream until stiff and fold in the chocolate custard and grated Peppermint Crisp.
Microwave the sponged gelatin for a few seconds until just melted. Fold into the chocolate mixture, spoon into glasses and chill until set. Serve with extra whipped cream and Peppermint Crisp.

Mini crumpets/flapjacks - 5/5 platter ideas

5/5:
These are great. They can be served different ways. My mom used to make them all the time and we've have it with Cheddar/Gouda cheese and jam or syrup. YUMMY stuff!

500ml cake flour
50ml sugar
15ml baking powder
pinch salt
2 eggs
375ml milk
50ml melted butter or margarine

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and make a well in the center. 
Beat together the eggs and milk and add to the dry ingredients. 
Mix with a whisk to form a smooth batter. 
Do not over-mix. Mix in the melted butter or margarine. 
Allow the batter to stand for at least 5 minutes.

Heat a shallow to heavy-based saucepan or griddle to moderately hot.
Use a gravy spoon with 15-25ml capacity and drop spoonful of the batter, well apart to allow for spreading, on the hot surface. (You can make smaller if you wish)
Adjust the consistency of the batter by adding a little extra milk if the crumpets are too thick. 
Cook the crumpets over moderate heat until bubbles appear on the surface and start to "pop" or break. 
Turn over with a spatula and cook until golden brown on both sides.
Place on a cooling rack and cover with a cloth to prevent crumpets from drying out. 
Stack and pin with a toothpick with preferred filling

Topping/filling options

Creamy bacon topping (recipe below)
Cream cheese and biltong
Chicken mayonnaise 
Banana slices or mashed banana (cinnamon or nutmeg sprinkled on - optional)
Nutella or similar sweet nutty or chocolate spread
Blue cheese and marmalade
Grated cheddar/gouda cheese and apricot/peach jam
Strawberries and cream

Use your imagination and go crazy. 

Creamy bacon topping

2 x rashes of bacon, chopped into small strips
1 finely chopped shallot
Half a leek, finely chopped,
Nob of butter
30ml cream cheese
Small handful chopped fresh chives

Just fry the shallot and leeks in the butter and when they are soft add the chopped bacon and saute until it starts to turn golden. Add the cream cheese and turn off the heat and just stir until it is all mixed in. 

Truffles - 4/5 platter ideas

4/5:
This recipe makes about 24 pieces and will take about 30 minutes to complete. Always a winner

500g dark chocolate, chopped (bitter, sweet or half half, however you prefer)
250ml cream
10ml vanilla extract/essence. 
cocoa powder or chopped nuts to coat
60ml brandy (optional)

Place the chocolate in a bowl.In a small saucepan bring the cream to a simmer. Pour over the chocolate, add the vanilla extract/essence and brandy and allow to stand for a few minutes then stir until smooth.
Allow to cool, then chill in the fridge for 1 hour.Line a baking sheet with baking paper.Use a teaspoon to scoop out balls of the ganache. Roll quickly in your hands to shape into smooth balls and transfer to the baking sheet. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.Roll in cocoa powder or chopped nuts and serve or store in the fridge.

Stuffed peppadew - 3/5 platter ideas

3/5:
Peppadews, founded in South Africa, are amazing to use. They're sweet while giving a little bit of a bite... They look super pretty on a plate. This idea is thanks for my friend Anna-Marie... For my international readers, they might be known as Piquanté. I assume they're very similar to sweet pickled cherry peppers, which you should stem and seed before use.

Easy stuffed Peppadew

Peppadew peppers
Feta cheese, cut into cubes

Remove peppadew from the liquid and drain.
Stuff with a cube of feta cheese.

Peppadew Peppers stuffed with Feta, Garlic, and Chives (makes 16)

Peppadew peppers

50g block feta cheese, crumbled

60ml cottage cheese

2 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane

15ml chopped fresh chives, plus extra for garnish

pinch of salt

freshly ground black pepper

Extra-Virgin olive oil

Remove the peppers from the jar and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.  

In the bowl of a small food processor, process the feta, cottage cheese, and garlic until the mixture is smooth and creamy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and process again.  Remove the mixture to a small bowl.  Stir in the chives and season with salt and pepper.  Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag and evenly fill each pepper.  Transfer the filled peppers to a plate and garnish with chopped fresh chives and drizzle with olive oil.

Cherry/bacon wraps - 2/5 platter ideas

2/5:
So there are a few ways to make these... I LOVE them!!! Quick and easy and delicious. 

Salami Wrapped Cherries

Glazed cherries
Salami
Toothpicks

Wrap the salami around the cherry, sticking it with a toothpick and cutting the salami off either side. Repeat until all the cherries are done. A salami slice should accommodate 3 cherries. 

Alternatively, wrap cherry in bacon, place in a pan, and bake in the oven at 180 deg C until bacon is cooked through as you desire it.

Bacon Wrapped Cherries with marinade

Bacon of choice
Glazed cherries
1/4 cup honey
15ml brown sugar
5ml cinnamon
toothpicks

Gently wrap bacon around the cherry starting with the cut edge first. 
Pin with a toothpick
Cut bacon to size on either side of cherry.Repeat this process until all cherries are done.
Mix honey, cinnamon, & brown sugar in small container and set aside
Place toothpicks on braai/grill and cook thoroughly on one side (about 2 minutes.)
Flip cherries and baste tops completely with the honey mixture. Turn over (very hot so be careful)
By the time you've basted the other side, the bottom sides should be just about ready to flip and baste with honey mixture.
After basting, let cook for another minute or so. be careful not to burn them though.
Serve hot off the braai/grill

Amazing ribs - 1/5 platter ideas

1/5:
So the next few recipes I'll be posting are for the entertainer. I love having people over and often prepare some of my favourites and make platters. This does take time but I LOVE it...

Cooking time: 1-2 hours
1.5kg short ribs (beef or pork)
salt and pepper
chopped fresh parsley

MARINADE

80 ml tomato sauce
60 ml chutney
45 ml soft brown sugar
30 ml Worcester sauce
Lemon juice (about 60 ml)
grated zest of 1 large lemon

MARINADE 
Mix the tomato sauce, chutney, brown sugar, Worcester sauce and the lemon juice and zest and pour over  the ribs. Make sure the sides of the ribs are coated with marinade.

Marinate overnight or for at least 2 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 160 °C and grease a large roasting pan with oil.
Season the ribs and place them in a glass bowl.
Place the ribs in the prepared roasting pan and bake for 1 hour or until cooked and the marinade is sticky.
Brush the ribs with the marinade occasionally while they bake.
Garnish with fresh parsley.
Serve with mashed potatoes and grilled tomatoes.

To prepare the ribs in a Weber braai: 
Grease the grid lightly with oil. Place the ribs on the grid so that they are not directly over coals and cover with the lid.
Brush the ribs often with marinade and turn them regularly.

Banana Salad

So... This is just a salad that someone somewhere in my life randomly made at a braai. I have no idea who originally came up with it, but my Aunt Lynn-Dee used to make it all the time. It's SUPER easy. And EVERYONE loves it.

2kg banana
Condensed milk and Mayonnaise 1:1
1 Flake chocolate, crumbled/ half a slab of milk chocolate, grated
Lemon Juice

Slice bananas into a bowl. 
Sprinkle fairly with lemon juice. This stops it from going black when making way in advance before serving.
Mix in mayo/condensed milk mixture. (For 2kg banana, I use about 2/3 tin condensed milk to same amount of mayo)
Mix in chocolate bits

As there you go!!
An amazing salad :)

Alternatively, add ±5ml mild curry powder instead of chocolate.