Dessert
Bernice Griffiths’ orange and honey crème brûlée
Orange and honey
crème brûlée
The combination of zesty orange and warm honey is perfect
for winter. This dessert can be made up to three days in advance, making you
look like an experienced entertainer
·
1 cup cream
·
1 cup full cream milk
·
1 vanilla pod
·
2-3 generous tbsp honey
·
1 large orange
·
6 large egg yolks
In a small saucepan put the cream, milk and seeds scraped
out from the vannilla pod, as well as the empty pod, into the pot. Slowly bring
to the boil. Just before it boils over, remove the pot from the stove top. In a
bowl/jug mix together the egg yolk and honey. Allow the vanilla milk mixture to
cool slightly before pouring it into the eggs and honey, stirring all the while.
Return it to the pot and slowly heat while stirring. Remove the vanilla pod.
Halve the orange and squeeze over the pot to taste. Keep
adding orange juice until desired taste is reached. Let the mixture thicken
slightly by stirring over low heat.
Pour into ramekins or teacups. Place the cups in an
ovenproof dish and pour boiling water halfway up the outsides of the
cups/ramekins and place in the oven at 160oC. Bake for 10-15 minutes
and remove from oven when there is a set layer on top of the mixture. When you
tilt it, the custard should ripple or move a bit from underneath the thickish
milk skin.
Let it cool then place in the fridge for a minimum of 2-3
hours. Remove from the fridge, sprinkle castor sugar on top and caramelise with
a chef’s blow torch or place under the grill in the oven, but watch it
carefully as it will burn very easily.
Sam Linsell’s blueberry orange trifle with mascarpone
cheese
Blueberry orange
trifle with mascarpone cheese
In small individual glasses these make an impressive
looking finale to wow your guests at a dinner party. There are three elements
to create the layers for this dessert: cake, Mascarpone cream and blueberry
sauce
Blueberry sauce (make in advance or allow about half an hour
to cool in the fridge)
·
21/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
·
1/4 cup (60ml) sugar
·
3 tbsp fresh orange juice
Mascarpone cream
·
1 cup Mascarpone cheese
·
1 cup fresh cream zest of one orange
·
1 tbsp icing sugar
·
1 tbsp Cointreau or any orange flavoured liqueur (optional)
·
1 tsp vanilla extract
Put all the ingredients into a pot and place on high heat.
Let it bubble up to a boil for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove
from the heat and allow to cool. If you are in a hurry, chill the mixture in
the fridge until you are ready to assemble.
Slice a small sponge cake into appropriate sizes for the
serving dish of your choice. If you are assembling a large trifle, leave the
cake in whole slices. If you are making this dessert in individual cups, then
cut the cake into small cubes.
Whip the cheese until it is smooth before adding the cream
and whipping the mixture until it thickens to soft peaks. Be careful not to
over beat. Add the zest, sugar, liqueur and vanilla and briefly mix to combine.
To assemble: Layer your dessert starting with the cream
cheese mix, then the cubes of cake, then the blueberry sauce with the juice
(which soaks into the sponge). Repeat this layering until you finish off with a
layer of blueberries on top.
Kobus Van Der Merwe’s silky sago milk with honey,
cinnamon, almonds and rose water
Combine one cup of sago or tapioca with three cups of milk,
half a cup of honey, a cinnamon stick and star anise. Bring to the boil and
simmer slowly until the sago tuens translucent. Add a teaspoon of rose water
and stir through. Remove the cinnamon stick and star anise, and spoon the sago
into four bowls. Top each bowl with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar, flaked
almonds and rose petals. Serve immediately.
