How to make white sauce aka Bechamel

White sauce also known as bechamel is widely used as a base for most sauces and in other dishes like lasagne. Here is the recipe, you may double it depending on how much you need.

You will need: 

• 50g butter
• 50g flour
• 500ml Milk

 What to do: 

1.     Milk may be first infused with onion cloute. Allow to cool.

2.       Prepare a blond roux using the butter and flour over medium heat.

3.       Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously until boiling point is reached.

4.       Simmer  for approximately for 5-10 minutes hour.

Peri Peri chicken livers

What you need:

Defrosted chicken livers

Onions cut julienne

Mixed papers (RED, YELLOW, GREEN) cut julienne

Crushed garlic

2tbs Tomato sauce

2tbs Sweet chilli sauce

1tbs Worster sauce

Dash of water (to lighten the sauce)

Crushed Chillies

Salt and pepper

Mixed herbs

Chicken Spice

4 tbs Cooking oil

 

What to do

·         In a frying pan heat 2 tbs of oil, season the chicken livers with salt and pepper, chicken spice and mixed herbs.

·         Once the oil is hot enough brown the chicken livers for about 30 seconds on each side, set them apart.

·         On the same pan add the remaining cooking oil, fry the onions and peppers along with the crushed chillies and garlic, stir fry for about 7mins on medium heat.

·         Add sauces and cook for a further 5 minutes, add chicken livers and cook until they are sof but still juicy not grey and over cooked.

·         Can be enjoyed with toasted bread, rice or pa.

Chocolate Mousse

 

 

You will need:

250g Albany cooking chocolate

45ml Water

62ml Sugar

5ml Vanilla essence

4 Egg whites

250ml Fresh cream

Cream for garnish

30ml Cocoa

10ml Nescafe coffee

15ml Gelatine slaked in 83ml water

15ml Brandy, optional

What to do:

·         In double boiler melt the chocolate with water, sugar , Nescafe, vanilla and cocoa.

·         Remove the top part of the double boiler and melt the gelatine over the boiling water in the bottom half.

·         Beat the egg yolks into the chocolate the quickly beat in the melted gelatine and brandy.

·         Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry. In another bowl, beat the cream until it is nice and fluffy.

·         Fold the egg whites in to the chocolate mixture, being careful to keep it nice and light.

·         Finally , fold the whipped cream into the mixture when it is cool enough not to melt the cream.

·         Pour into individual moulds. This mousse can be frozen or refrigirated.

Vanilla cheese Cake

 

You will need:

75g butter

250g tennis biscuits

2tbsp soft light brown sugar

800g cream cheese

1 lemon

1 Vanilla pod/ 1tsp vanilla essence

800ml fridge cold double cream

75g icing sugar

 

What to do:

·         Put butter in a large pan over low heat and leave to melt. Place biscuits in a plastic food bag, seal it bash them with a rolling pin to be fine crumbs. Or you could blitz them in a food processor if you have one.

·         Tip the crushed biscuits into the now-melted butter add the soft light sugar and mix well, then evenly squidge the mixture into the bottom of the cake tin, really packing it in tightly by pressing it down with your hand or the back of a spoon.   Place in the fridge to firm up while you make the topping.

·         Put the cream cheese in a large bowl and finely grate the zest over, mix in vanilla the mix will loosen slightly.

·         Pour the double cram into a large bowl and sift in the icing sugar. Whisk it, by hand or hand held electric whisk, to almost the same consistency as the cream cheese, just a little looser.

·         Tip the cream into the cream cheese mixture and mix everything gently, with as few stirs as possible.  Tip it onto the biscuit base and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula.

·         Cover with cling film and put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes until just set. If done in the fridge it will take about 4hours to set.

·         Remove from fridge 10 minutes before serving but do not leave too long as it will go soft.

·         Garnish with mint leaves/strawberries/lemon zest, and enjoy.

Deep Fried Ice cream....

I came across this lovely dessert recipe on the web...I would love to try it out. Sure you would  See the video on https://youtu.be/GKDi6cunUTg  

What you need:
- Vanilla Ice-cream

- Boudoir Biscuits

- Tennis Biscuits

- Nuttikrust Biscuits

- Eggs

- Oil

What to do:

1. By using an ice-cream spoon make round ice-cream scoops. Try get them as perfectly round as possible. 

2. Crush the Bakers biscuit of your choice and roll ice-cream ball in crushed biscuit until ice-cream is completely covered in your choice of Bakers biscuit. 

3. Place ice-cream in freezer for at least 40 minutes.

4. Take ice-cream out of freezer and roll ice-cream in egg wash and then add another layer of your choice of Bakers biscuits. 

5. Place ice-cream into freezer again and freeze until solid.

6. Pre-heat oil in pot until you can see oil lines appear. 

7. Deep fry Ice-cream for 5-8 seconds until golden brown. 

8. Take out and serve immediately after frying. 

*Serving Suggestion – Place ice-cream on a bed of juicy strawberries and pour sweet chocolate sauce over you SA styled Deep fried ice cream.

Braai menu 2 - the meat

Honey and mustard chicken breasts

You will need:

• 1/2 cup whole grain mustard
• 1/2 cup honey
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1tbs crushed garlic
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

What to do

• Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl
• Pour over Chicken cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30-45 minutes at room temperature
• Braai on medium coals for 6-7 minutes per side or until chicken is done, do not over cook chicken as it will dry up.

Beef and peppers kebabs

What you need:

•          beef sirloin steaks, cut into 4cm  cube pieces
•         ¼ cup olive oil
•          1tbs Worcestershire sauce
•          2 garlic cloves, minced
•         1 tbs rosemary
•          Robot peppers, cut into 4cm pieces
•          Onions cut into 4cm chunks
•          salt and ground pepper
•          wooden and metal skewers
• 
  

What to do:

•         In a medium bowl, combine beef, 1/4 cup olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and rosemary, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours (or up to overnight).
•          On wooden or silver metal skewers thread beef, peppers and onion alternating them.
•          Brush the remaining marinade on the meat before placing on braai, turn kebabs occasionally until beef is cooked and vegetables are tender for about 12 minutes.

Love to cook?

Cooking for some is a daily duty, for some it is a passion.
Some wish upon a star to once in a while cook at least that
one gourmet meal for their family. Maybe you just want to dust up on you natural skills and need a little guidance? MAybe you have a helper who just always overcooks the vegetables until grey and you need her coached? Who says you cannot do that?

Available to you is an awesome service that will create in you a chef,
or just give that chef in you a wake up. I offer one on 
one cooking classes at the comfort of your home. Non formal, fun, interactive and lets your creative side come out.

Contact me for more details: 

charmainemokoena@yahoo.com

079 777 3797 (between 08h00-18h00)

Something Sweet...did i hear you say Malva?

What you will need:

• 1 cup flour 
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp bicarbonate of Soda
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 100g butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2tbs apricot jam
• 1tbs white vinegar
• SAUCE:
• 1 cup milk
• 50g butter
• 1/2 sugar

What to do:

• Preheat oven at 160 degrees Celsius.
• Grease a deep baking pan.
• sieve dry ingredients together
• mix we ingredients in one bowl then mix dry and wet together, avoid over mixing as it will make the end product non fluffy and heavy.
• Pour the mixture into the baking tray.
• BAke for 40 Minutes at 160 degrees celsius

The sauce

• On the stove in a pot melt butter add sugar then the mil; simmer sauce ingredients for about 10 minutes.
• Pour over sponge once it is baked and serve hot with either custard or ice cream

Braai Menu 1 - The starch...

Braai menu

We love to braai and variety is a great way to keep meal times exciting, here are a few changes or additions that  you can make for a braai with a difference moving away from the normal pap, sheba and meat.

Vegetables are a great source of nutrients and vitamins why not replace your pap or starch with the following:

•          Herbed baby potatoes
•          Corn on the cob

Herbed Baby potatoes

You will need:

•          Baby potatoes (with skin)
•          Crushed garlic and ginger
•          Thyme
•          Parsley
•          Black pepper and salt
•          Water
•          Skewers

What to do:

1.    Place the baby potatoes in a pot with water and salt
2.    Over medium heat boil potatoes until they are tender but not overcooked.
3.    Strain water out and let potatoes cool down, prick the a few holes on the   potatoes
4.   In a mixing bowl mix cooking oil, crushed garlic, thyme, parsley and black pepper
5. Marinade the potatoes in this mixture for about 20 minutes
6. Before braaing , stick potatoes on skewers
7.  Place over braai, turning them every 2 minutes per side, use the remaining marinade to baste/ brush on the potatoes while they are on the braai
8. Once the potato skins  are a little brown and crispy your potatoes are ready

Corn on the cob

You will need:

•         Sweet corn on the cob (leaves removed)
•          Butter, softened
•          Chopped fresh parsley
•          Crushed chilli
•          Pepper
•          Foil to cover the corn with

What to do:

1. Heat the butter then add the pepper, fresh parsley and crushed chilli
2. Rinse corn under cold water and toss it in half of the marinade, then wrap individually in foil
3. Grill on the braai for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender, turning occassionally
4. While the corn is still hot, remove from the foil and spead each cob with the remainder of the butter mixture
5. serve corn with your braai meat

Because in Mzansi we do not BBQ

Our Heritage day has turned into a "braai" day...during this lovely day in September when we celebrate who we are as South Africans we just enjoy that day by sharing a braai with friends and family.  Nothing beats good company with good food. The Americans call a BBQ or Grill in South Africa we call it a braai. Our love for meat and good food makes us who we are , I guess maybe that's why Heritage day is now known as braai day.

This Friday in Mpumalanga Province frequency 104.1 FM (BCR FM) catch me sharing new ideas for braaing. Let's move from the traditional wors, beef, pap and chakalaka braai a bit and experiment with other ideas like adding veggies onto the braai stand, yes I did say veggies. Let me not spoil the fun, recipes will be up on Friday 11 March 2015 and I will be giving you some visual stimulation an how to make these yummy dishes.

Catch me between 9-12 on air.

Yours in good food,
Charmz