RECIPE: Avocado ice-cream

I am possibly the HUGEST avocado fan on the planet... especially the Fuerte varietal. The best part about it is they are pretty much available all year round, with specials like 3 for R10 at Rodgers Fruiterers, who wouldn't be a permanently stoked avo fan? Just one avo provides a source of monounsaturated fat and omega-3fatty acids, antioxidants, including Vitamin E, fiber, Vitamin K and folate and many essential minerals including potassium, thiamin, iron, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium and manganese and zero cholesterol!

Soft and buttery scooped with a spoon is the best way to go for me - with a dash of sriratcha for a bit of a kick, a squirt of lime juice and a crush of garlicy hummm, in salad, on pizza, in a smoothie... so why not put it in ice-cream? I PROMISE you will be pleasantly surprised by this creamy, almost guilt-free treat!

Supplemented photos from: http://www.laventel.com/, http://www.yuppiechef.co.za/, http://www.tastespotting.com/features/avocado-smoothie-recipe

Avocado ice-cream

adapted from two peas and their pod 

Makes 1 litre

Ingredients: 

3 medium ripe avocados

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cream (i like the double tick one from Woolies)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Pinch of salt

Slice open the avocados, remove the pits, and scoop out the flesh. Put the avocados in a bar blender/ food processor/ stick blender. Add the sugar, sour cream, cream, lime juice, and salt. Blitz until smooth.

I churned mine in my sorbetiere then in the freezer for a firmer texture - if you don't have a sorbetiere/ ice-cream machine,just put it in the freezer and give it a stir periodically to break up the ice crystals. 

 This ice-cream would go well with a citrus tart, something chocolatey, dollop on a summer gazpacho - endless possiblities.

RECIPE: beetroot and carrot cake with coconut cream chantilly

Carrot cake has never really been my bag, usually it barely comes close to that beautiful natural sweet nutty flavour of carrots and often it's overloaded with sugar. I find myself wondering if there are in fact carrots in there at all! Anyway... I had a ton of beetroot and carrot salad leftovers that could NOT go waste and naturally, carrot cake is the answer. This has certainly changed my opinion!

Beetroot and carrot cake with coconut cream chantilly
adapted from A-Z of Vegetarian Cooking in South Africa

Ingredients:
500ml/2 cup Flour (1 cup wholewheat and 1 cup white flour)
10ml baking powder
bit of cinnamon
bit less nutmeg
pinch of ground allspice
2 eggs, seperated
75ml oil
125ml honey/ 150ml treacle sugar
75ml milk/ water
10ml vanilla essance
rind of 2 grated oranges
500ml grated carrot (or half carrot, half beetroot).

*Nutty Carrotcake: Add 50ml  chopped nuts and 50ml of seedless rasins to the basic batter.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. In a large mixing bowl, combinel the dry ingredients. In a seperate mixing bowl combine all the wet ingredients (except for the egg whites) then add the grated carrot and beetroot. Stir into the dry ingredients and mix well. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold carefully into the batter. Place batter into a well greased baking tin. Bake for 45min - 1hour or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Chantilly ingredients:
half tin of Coconut cream
500ml icing sugar
desicated coconut/ coconut flakes

Whisk the coconut cream and sifted icing sugar until smooth. Place it in the refrigerator or deep-freeze until firm. Then pour over the cake and sprinkle with coconut.

When I made this, I got a little over-excited about eating it... I ended up pouring the chantilly over the cake while it was still warm which immidiately melted it - still tasted AWESOME though!

RECIPE: Jammy thumbprint biscuits

There is nothing better than tea and biscuits on a Sunday afternoon... and that jammy goodness adds such decadance!  With Christmas coming up, pop them in a glass jar with a ribbon as a  tastey gift! They are so quick and easy to make....

Jammy Thumbprint biscuits
makes about 30

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 cups flour
 jam (I used half lemon marmalade and half rasberrylicious)

First, leave the butter out to soften to room temperature. Preheat oven to 175C/ 350F.
Cream the vanilla into the butter. Then add the icing sugar and cream it in too. Once it is well mixed, add the flour a little at a time and mix in. Stir until the dough has a smooth consistency.

Roll the dough into little balls. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet about two inches apart. Press your thumb into the center of each cookie, squishing it a bit and making a little well in the middle. (Do not press all the way through the ball, though!) Spoon a dab of  jam into each thumbprint.
 
Bake on for 15 minutes, or until just barely starting to brown at the edges. Let cool on the pan for a minute, then transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature. They will keep if you store them in an airtight container.

RECIPE: Marshmallow Cupcakes

When it comes to baking, cupcakes take the cake!

So for my sister's 15th birthday I made mouth-watering marbled marshmallowy cupicakes!

This is my FAVOURITE flop-proof cupcake recipe - the best starter to ANY variation...

Marshmallow Cupcakes

adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery

Makes 12 big ones

Ingredients:

120g/1 cup cake flour

140g/ 3/4 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3 Tbs softened butter

120ml/ 1/2 cup full cream milk

1 large egg

1/4  tsp vanilla extract

12 marshmallows

250g/ 2 cups icing sugar

5 Tbs softened butter 

2 Tbs full cream milk
drop of vanilla extract
12 marshmallows
 

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F. Put flour, sugar, baking powder and butter into a mixing bowl (add 1/4 cup cocoa powder for chocolate cupcakes). Using a handheld electric whisk on slow speed until combined (I used my Kenwood food processor with dough blade attachment). Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated. 

Whisk the egg, vanilla extract and remaining milk together in a seperate bowl, then pour it into the flour mixture and continue to beating until smooth. Place a marshmallow in each cupcake case and then spoon in the mixture until two-thirds full. Bake for 20-25 min or until golden. Leave cupcakes to cool.

For the frosting, beat the sugar and butter in a bowl until mixed well. Add the milk and vanilla extract. Once incorporated, whisk untill light and fluffy. Chop up the marshmallows and mix them in. Spoon the frosting mixture onto the cupcakes and sprinkle with coloured sugar or edible glitter.

RECIPE: Strawberry Pavlova

I absolutely ADORE Pavlova! Crunchy on the outside, chewey towards the middle and then, BAM that lucious cloud-like centre... laden with whipped cream and fresh tart strawberries, nothing comes close to its splendour.  

Strawberry Pavlova

adapted from Mary Berry's Best Desserts

Serves 8

Ingredients:

3 large egg whites

175g/ 3/4 cup caster sugar

1tsp white wine vinegar

1tsp cornflour

800g strawberries 

250ml double/ whipping cream  

 

Turn on the oven to 150C/300F. Cover a large baking tray with greaseproof paper (you may want to grease the paper with the tiniest smudge of oil or butter - mine was a little determined to stay on the tray).

In a large bowl, with electric mixer onfull speed, (I used my Kenwood food processor with whisk attachment) beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar a tablespoon at a time, allowing it to mix fully before the next addition. In a cup, blend the vinegar with the cornflour and whisk into the egg whites along with the last spoonful of sugar. 

Spread the meringue mixture onto the baking tray in one big circle or 8 little dollops. Try build up the sides a little higher than the centre (I spread 2/3 of the mixture, then piped the remaining 1/3 into little peaks along the edges). Put the tray in the centre of the oven and reduce the heat to 140C/275F. Bake for 1 hour, or 45 min for the small ones. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once completely cooled, top with whipped cream and freshly sliced strawberries.

This one is definately a WINNER for me! 

It looks like a Million Dollars yet relys on such simple ingredients.

What to do with leftover egg yolks:

Yolks will keep, covered, in the fridge for three days. If unbroken, gently cover the yolk with cold water to prevent the surface of the yolk from coagulating.

You can make:

* Custard

* Zabaglione

* Creme brulee

* Lemon curd

* Mayonaise