Mini Quiches

I've used this recipe to make mini ones, baked in a muffin pan. LOVED it!! The crust should be sufficient for ±24 tartlets while each of the fillings only make 12.

Savoury crust:
250ml cake flour
1ml salt
2.5ml baking powder
80ml butter or margarine (room temperature)
125ml finely grated cheese (optional)
1 egg
few drops of water if necessary

Place all the ingredients for the crust in a bowl and mix until evenly combined to form a soft pastry.
Grease a muffin pans with margarine and press the pastry evenly into the dish, thinning it out in the corners and shaping with the fingertips to make a neat edge.
Refrigerate.

or

Tartlet Pastry
500ml cake flour
15ml baking powder
3ml salt
280ml butter or margarine
25ml blended white vinegar (750ml spirit vinegar, 750ml grape vinegar, 250ml water)
2 eggs
additional cake flour for rolling out

Rub the butter into the dry ingredients and add the vinegar and eggs, beaten together. Mix unto the dough holds. Knead until smooth. Add a little additional flour if the dough is too soft. Press the dough into a ball, cover and refrigerate while preparing the filling.

Filling:
30ml butter or margarine
50ml cake flour
250ml milk
1 egg
seasoning to taste
variable ingredients (See different ones below)

Melt together the butter or margarine and flour over a moderate heat and add the milk and egg mixture. Beat with a whisk until a smooth, thick sauce is obtained. Remove from heat. 
Beat the egg. 
Return to the saucepan.
Stir in the Variable ingredients, season to taste and set aside to cool.

Variable ingredient 1: Spinach tartlets
200ml finely chopped fresh raw spinach
125ml (50g) finely diced feta, emmenthal, mozzarella, cheddar or similar cheese (I prefer Feta)
30ml chopped spring onion or onion
75ml coarsely chopped ham or chopped cooked bacon or sliced sauteed mushrooms (optional)
salt and black pepper

Stir-fry the spinach in the oil and butter or margarine until almost dry. Add the spring onion and stir-fry for a further few minutes. Allow to cool.
Add diced cheese, optional ingredients if used and seasoning to taste. 

Variable ingredient 2: Mushroom tartlets
250ml sliced mushrooms
50ml chopped onion
10ml butter or margarine
1ml dried origanum
15ml white wine

Saute the mushrooms and onion in the butter or margarine until just tender. add the origanum and wine and simmer for a few minutes.

Assembling and baking the tartlets:

Divide the filling between the lined cups, sprinkle with the seasoning specified for each variation and bake at 180deg C for about ±20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling becomes fully and firm. Serve hot, warm, at room temperate or cold.

Other variations could include Vegetable tartlets, cheese tartlets, tuna or asparagus tartlets... go crazy

Lamb and Vegetable Casserole

As an alternative to my Lamb Shank I posted before, this a more posh version. I've made it twice. It's just as nice although it takes quite a bit more prep and effort.

Serves 8
50ml/g margarine
1kg lamb shank, cut into pieces
2 large onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 medium carrots, scraped and sliced
4 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
200g mushrooms, sliced
250g baby marrows, sliced
250g green beans, trimmed / peas
1ml dry rosemary
2ml marjoram
salt and pepper to taste
1pkt Royco tomato soup
100ml water
Parsley, chopped for garnish

Preheat the oven at 160degrees C. Heat the margarine and brown the shanks. Place in a casserole dish.
Saute onions and garlic until onion is soft.
Add vegetables and seasoning.
Mix soup powder with water and add the vegetables and bring to boil.
Pour over meat, cover and cook for 2 hours.
Sprinkle with parsley.
Serve with rice or mashed potato.

French Toast Roll-ups

I just had to share!!! What a fun find!!! Thanks to Chantel for sharing the picture.

Ingredients

8 slices white sandwich bread

softened cream cheese, diced strawberries, or Nutella

2 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon

butter, for greasing the pan

Instructions

Cut the crust from each slice of bread and flatten it out with a rolling pin.

Place about 1-2 teaspoons of your chosen filling 1 inch from one end of the bread in a strip. Roll the bread up tightly and repeat with the remaining pieces of bread. I really like cream cheese with diced strawberries as one combination and Nutella with diced strawberries as another combination.
In a shallow bowl whisk the eggs and milk until well combined.
In a separate shallow bowl mix the sugar with the cinnamon.
Heat a skillet set over medium heat and melt a tablespoon of butter.
Dip each bread roll in the egg mixture coating well and then place them in the pan seam side down. Cook in batches until golden brown, turning them to cook and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add butter to the pan as needed.

1. Add cooked rolls immediately from the pan to the cinnamon sugar and roll until completely covered in sugar. You can serve with syrup for dipping but I think they're perfectly good all by themselves.

*Recipe found on http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

Broccoli Salad

So I'm always posting oven dishes and so I've decided to share this one. You might know it, but I had my first experience with it about 2 years ago at my friend Anna-Marie's house and it was amazing. 

2 heads Broccoli
10ml Olive oil
125g diced bacon
1 Onion - diced
500g button mushroom - siced or diced, as desired
Plain Yogurt - Greek or otherwise
Mayonnaise
Nuts of choice - cut into tiny pieces
Feta cheese
Apple - optional
Raisins - optional


Boil Broccoli until al dente (still firm). Drain and place one side
Fry onion, mushroom and bacon.
Mix with broccoli.
Add nuts. 
Add cheese.
Mix in 1:1 ratio of yogurt and mayonnaise.
Serve

Easy. Delicious.

Chocolate Brownies

So obviously I see this recipe and decide it's too good not to share!!

10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 cold large eggs
1/2 cup cake flour
2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 180°C. 
Line the bottom and sides of an 20cm square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.
Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. 
Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. 
Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.
Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. 
Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. 
When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. 
Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the centre emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes.
Let cool completely on a rack.
Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. 
Cut into 16 or 25 squares.BY ANICA MARTIN

Apple and Banana Crumble

Here's an easy, fun recipe to enjoy with friends.

Ingredients:
250ml cake flour
75g butter/margarine
5ml baking powder
75ml castor sugar/brown sugar
5ml cinnamon
100ml chopped nuts
1x 410g can unsweetened pie apples
3 bananas sliced

Garnish:
Sliced fresh apples dipped in lemon juice
Fresh cream

Rub margarine or butter into flour. 
Add baking powder and castor sugar.
Place apples and bananas into a glass dish and sprinkle with cinnamon and nuts.
Sprinkle crumble mixture over and microwave on High in a NATIONAL microwave oven for 8 - 10 minutes. 
Serve hot with cream or custard. 
Garnish with sliced apples.

Hearty Stew

Beef shin slowly stewed in a tasty red-wine sauce is the perfect meal for cold winter evenings. Sylvia Jays of Durbanville says she often uses brisket to make the dish, and oxtail if she's feeling particularly flush.

Serves 4-6400g small pickling onions

4 cloves garlic, crushed
1kg beef shins
salt and freshly ground black pepper
50ml cake flour
5ml paprika
5ml origanum
250ml hot beef stock
65g tomato paste
25ml soft brown sugar
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
180ml red wine
250ml sour cream
finely chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 160deg C (325deg F).
Saute the onion and garlic in a little oil until glossy.
Transfer to an ovenproof dish and set aside.
Season the shins with salt and pepper.
Combine the flour, paprika, origanum and roll the shins in the mixture. Reserve the remaining flour mixture.
Score the fatty edges of the shins with a sharp knife to prevent them from curling during cooking.

Brown on both sides in the oil in the pan.
Reduce the heat and add the brown sugar and seasonings.
Add the red wine and simmer for a few minutes.
Turn into the ovenproof dish, cover and bake for one and a half hours or until the meat is tender. Pour the cause into a saucepan and add the sour cream. Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens slightly or use the remaining cake flour mixture to thicken it.
Pour the sauce over the meat, sprinkle with parsley and serve with mashed potato, peas and carrots.

Serves 4-6