Milkshakes {Steri Stumpie}

Steri Stumpie, my favourite flavoured milk!

It's a great post exercise drink... apparently the ratio of protein and carbs is just right for recovery.

But even better, today I'm making some milkshakes with the steri stumpies.  It's a great idea... and everyone can choose what flavour they want {anything from strawberry, chocolate, bubblegum, vanilla, cream soda and much more}... easy and seriously yummy!

What you need: {per serving}
1/2 steri stumpie
2 scoops vanilla ice-cream

In a blender, combine the steri stumpie and ice-cream, and blend till smooth.

Pour into glasses and serve.

That easy, and the best milkshake!

Styling and recipe: Denise {ilovethisandthat}
Photography: Angelique Smith

Cremora Tart {no bake}

This is a very easy recipe, and takes about 20min to make and half hour to an hour to set.  All the ingredients you can keep for a while so the perfect tart for those unexpected guests. :-) This is my grandmothers "flop free all ingredients in the home" tart when we pop in.  She uses fridge water though... but all other recipes other than her's use hot water :-) {which makes more sense for the powder to dissolve better}  she is 83 years old, so we'll excuse her ;-) which ever you prefer they both work! {the rest of the recipe is hers though}

2 cups Cremora powder {coffee creamer}

1 cup Hot water

1 {200g} packet Tennis Biscuits 

100 g Butter

1 {385g} can condensed milk

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Mix the Cremora powder and the water together till well mixed and leave to cool in the fridge.

Crush the biscuits and mix well with the butter to form a crumble mixture {I find it easiest to put the biscuits in a bag and crush them using a wooden spoon}.

Line a pie dish {or individual containers} with the crumb mixture and place in the refrigerator.  

Remove the Cremora mixture from the fridge and add the condensed milk and mix well.

Now slowly add the lemon juice and mix well {you will see that this thickens the whole mixture}.

Remove the Pie dish from the fridge and pour over the Cremora mixture.  

Allow it to refrigerate for about a hour before serving.

Top with some biscuit crumbs, lemon rind or leave as is.

It can be served as a dessert or as a tart with tea.

biscuit fudge {zebra fudge}

I remember making these as a child when we had to take something for "cake sales".  They are quick, easy and yummy, but not recommended for those on a dieet ;-)

What you need:
1 packet (200g) Marie Biscuits
250g Butter {or margarine}
1 packet {500g} icing sugar, sifted
75ml {5 T} cocoa powder, sifted
1 egg whisked
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Grease a baking sheet or square bowl with butter, margarine or non stick spray

Crush the biscuits with a rolling pin into small pieces, not crums :-) {best work by putting it in a carrybag and rolling a few times lightly with a rolling pin, but you can also use your hands to just crush them}

Melt the butter in a deep saucepan and add the sifted icing sugar and cocoa powder. Stir over medium heat until smooth.

Rapidly wisk in the egg, and the vanilla essence.

Remove saucepan from the heat and stir in the biscuits.

Spoon into prepared baking sheet and leave to cool for atleast 2 hours.

When firm, cut into squares and store in fridge.

Makes about 40 squares

tiramisu...

My first tiramisu I made a few weeks ago for a dinner party, but if I have to say so myself it wasn't the tastiest tiramisu I have tasted. It wasn't sweet enough, the biscuits were soaked too much, and the recipe used filter coffee and not espresso and it tasted watery.  

So, like I am, I've experimented with the recipe and come up with my own easy but yummy tiramisu recipe.

What you need:
double espresso
1/2 cup of frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) or marsala
a tablespoon castor sugar and a 1/2 cup of castor sugar
3 eggs separated
500g mascarpone
250 ml double cream, whipped
1 large packet of sponge finger biscuits
200g dark chocolate

Pour the espresso, frangelico and a tablespoon of castor sugar into a bowl and set aside to cool and allow for the sugar to dissolve.

Beat the egg yolks and the remaining sugar in a large bowl till pale and thick.

Add the mascarpone and whipped cream gently until just combined.

Beat the egg whites in a dish until soft peaks form.  Using a metal spoon, fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture.

Now quickly dip the biscuits in the espresso mixture (they must not be soaked) cover the base of the dish with the dipped biscuits.  (Enough for a 20cm x 30cm dish)

Cover biscuits with half mascapone mixture, then a layer of grated chocolate (only half).  Then repeat with a layer of biscuits, cream and end with chocolate layer.

Refrigerate for at least 2 to 4 hours, best is if made the previous day.

For a non-alcoholic option replace the frangelico with orange juice.

Enjoy!!!

portuguese custard tarts

I just love these custard tarts, or better know as Pasteis de nata! 

One of my favourite coffee shops, Vida e makes them... I ate one and just had to try them myself! So I researched a few recipes and combined a few of them.  And even if I have to say somy self, these are good, and maybe even better :-)

This recipe makes about 12 tarts depending on the size of your pans

What you need:

50ml cake flour

200ml sugar

3 egg yolks

1egg

300ml milk

1t lemon rind shavings

Pre-heat the oven to 250°C (or the maximum your oven can go)

• Sift the flour and sugar together
• Lightly beat together the egg yolks and whole egg
• Put the milk and the lemon rind in saucepan and gradually bring to the boil ( when done remove the lemon rind)
• Pour half of the boiling milk over the flour and sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth, then add this mixture to the remaining milk.
• Pour a few spoonfuls of the hot mixture onto the beaten egg and stir well. Then pour the egg into the flour and sugar mixture, stirring constantly until completely mixed. Now the custard is done and your should leave it to cool down for at least a hour or more. 
• While the mixture cools down you can prepare the pastry cases.
• Flatten the puff pastry slightly with a rolling pin and cut out into discs to fit the muffin pan that you are using
• Press the disc into the pan
• Pour the custard into the pastry cases, leaving about a centimetre between the custard and the rim of the pastry
• Bake 8-12 minutes or until the pastry edges start to brown. You should get brown spots on the custard, but if you don’t, don’t worry. 
• Once you have removed the tarts from the oven, let them cool for a few minutes, then remove them from their pans, and place them on a rack to cool. 

Next you need to make a steaming cappuccino and enjoy!

ronella's tim tam's

Ronel, a dear friend of mine introduced me to this way of eating Tim Tams.

Tim Tams is an Australian cookie, manufactured by Arnott's. Consists of two layers of malted biscuits, separated by a chocolate cream filling, and covered in chocolate. You get them in most supermarkets.

To start, you bite tiny corners off your cookie, opposite corners!

You need a cup of steaming coffee. Put the one "bit off corner" in the coffee and the other one in your mouth, now suck till you taste the coffee. You then take the whole cookie and put it in your mouth...FAST! Otherwise the cookie will disintegrate :-)

You will repeat this over and over and over again.... :-)

hot chocolate balls

I know the South-African winter has come to an end, but for those of you in the Northern hemisphere, these are for you for now! :-) They are something different and decadent.

what you need: (this makes about 3 - 4 balls)
160 - 200g (about 2 slabs) chocolate (dark or milk or one of each)
1/2 cup of cream
pinch of salt
teaspoon of vanilla essence
cocoa powder to roll balls in
sticks (optional)

Break the chocolates into small pieces and put in a double boiler.  I use a glass mixing bowl that fits onto a pot, then boil water in the pot and the heat of the water then melts the chocolate.

Add the cream, salt and vanilla essence, and keep on stirring the mixture.  You'll see that the chocolate looks like it doesn't want to melt at first, but keep on stirring and you'll see that it becomes a smooth mixture.

Once everything is melted and well mixed remove from the heat for about 10 min.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for two to three hours, until mixture is smooth and scoopable.

Use a desert spoon and scoop big blobs of the chocolate ganache onto a wax paper lined baking sheet, and place in the freezer for about 15 min.

Roll the balls into circles using your hands, but work fast so that your hands don't melt the mixture. Then roll in the cocoa, and push a ice cream stick in. You can use the ice cream stick to stir the hot chocolate with.

When done cover with plastic to keep or serve immediately with boiling hot milk. When you put the chocolate ball into mug with hot milk, stir until everything is mixed well.

To store them you can freeze the balls till you need them.

Sure you'll enjoy this one!