The Year of Bread

As this year draws to a close, I look back at all the things I have achieved and I am very happy. I have failed in somethings, but my kitchen is one place that things are going well.

Not only have I got a whole new kitchen, thanks to my wonderfully talented husband, but I have learned so many new skills.

My biggest feat this year was overcoming my fear of bread baking. I am now a fully accomplished yeastie! I love working with dough - it's alive with so many possibilities.

Next year I am planning to do a big cooking project, I am very excited about the planning. I hope to introduce African food in a big way to the rest of the world - adapting and modernizing traditional recipes. Think Julia Child does Africa!

But this year needs to end first and in celebration of the year of bread I bring you this very simple Egg Bread. It is an all purpose white bread, with a wonderfully rich flavour and texture.


Egg Bread
Makes 1 Loaf

1 Whole egg plus 2 egg Yolks
100ml Warm Milk
75ml Warm Water
20ml Milk Powder
1½ Tablespoons of melted butter
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1½ Teaspoons Sugar
500g Bread Flour (or Cake flour for a softer texture)
2½ teaspoons Dry Active Yeast

I use my bread machine for this recipe, but if you do not have a bread machine you can use this technique -

-Combine the ingredients and mix well.

-Knead the dough until smooth and soft.

-Let rise until doubled.

-Punch down, and shape into a loaf.

-Place bread in a greased loaf pan, or on a baking sheet for a round loaf.

-Rise again until doubled.

-Bake, as most bread is baked in a moderate oven, about 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) this is a good temperature to start with.

-Bake for 40 to 50 minutes (this will depend on your oven and the bread itself so be careful here), or until the crust is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Enjoy hot with lots of butter!

All things Nice

This weekend I was rather busy. I had the pleasure to make 2 cakes for friends of mine. One was for a baptism and the other for a girl's 13th birthday.

The birthday cake idea I got from the Ideas magazine - a while ago, I can't remember which issue. It is very simple to do - and very impressive. You ice the cake normally - top and sides and then cut pink and white marshmallows into "petals" and place on the cake. I found I needed to work with damp hands to stop the petals sticking to my fingers. You then use a chocolate Whisper (or Maltese) for the centre of the flower.

The biggest treat for me came on Sunday, while watering my garden, I picked 2 purple figs from my tree. I can not tell you the pleasure I got from eating these sweet juicy gems!

Figs are my most favourite fruit in the world (especially the purple fig) - I just can't afford to buy them, but now that my tree is bearing, I can eat my full and then some! Are you jealous yet?

Keeping it Simple

I love cheese and biscuits - it is one of my all time favourite lunch time meals. I really don't care what cheese (although I am partial to stronger cheeses), or what biscuits (I love Salticrax the best).

Most days it's just a quick plate of biscuits with cheese and I am good to go another 8 rounds, but some days I do take a little care, and use a topping with the cheese. Pepperdews, gherkins (think end of the month), watermelon or fig preserve (think just after pay day) all work really well.


This little topping of pickled onion, not only tastes good, it takes a few minutes prepare, is really easy on the month-end-wallet but most of all, it is so very pretty!

Quick Pickle Onion
1 Red Onion thinly sliced
10ml Red Wine vinegar
5ml Sea Salt Flakes (less if you using table salt)
5ml Sugar

Mix all the ingredients together, check the seasoning to taste (this will vary depending on your preference for sweet, salty or tart)
Level to stand for about 15-30 minutes.
Serve with biscuits.

This pickle is also great with grilled fish.

Bouillabaisse a la Cape Town

If you have been following my blog for a while ( a week would be long enough), you'll know I have been reading Julia Child: A Life by Laura Shapiro.

I am totally inspired to stretch my South African culinary boarders to France. As you read how Julia explains French food, it no longer seems daunting. She said "Once you have mastered a technique, you barely have to look at a recipe again", and this is so true about all cooking.

So I thought I would start with something simple, yet quintessentially French - Bouillabaisse. This dish is a bit of a scared cow in France, each chef claiming their version as the only truly authentic dish. I looked through all my cook books, scoured the Internet and finally came full circle back to Julia's interpretation as the only one I felt confident enough to try. Who better to ask about French food than an American?

I sourced the recipe here. Using as much French flair as I could muster, I ended up only making one change. I used a fresh fennel bulb thinly sliced and added with the leeks and onions, instead of using fennel seeds as instructed.

While the recipe looks long and complicated, it is really very easy and is perfect for entertaining, because everything revolves around the stock, which you can even make a day ahead if you think you will be pressed for time.

I did spend a fair amount of time preparing my fish and seafood, so that everything would be bone free and perfectly portioned. I used the following fish - yellowtail, sole and panga, as this is what I could get at my fish monger, but so long as you follow the "rules" set out in the beginning of the recipe, you can use whatever is local and lekker (nice)! I also included prawns and calamari - again these are ingredients which are easily available and within my price range.

I strained the stock twice - once as instructed and again after I had cooked the fish in it - just to ensure it was perfectly (my new favourite word) clear.

I served this with heaps of French bread and a homemade olive focaccia. My guests and husband loved the meal and I will definitely be making this again soon.

The best way to execute French cooking -
is to get good and loaded and
whack the hell out of a chicken.
Bon appétit.

Can you Chef

A couple of months ago I entered a competition "Can you Chef". I certainly didn't hold out any hope of getting through, so when I got a phone call telling me I had been chosen, I was blown away!

The event was held at the new Cape Quarter centre in Green Point.

The competition was stiff, and in both rounds I found myself up against 2 very confident and organised gentlemen! The format was, you were given a selection of ingredients, and 30 minutes to prepare at least one dish.

In the first round I prepared a Thai chicken green curry and a fillet steak salad. Cooking under pressure is not really something I am not used to, you had to think and cook at the same time - so there was no time for smiling at the camera!

Despite the fact that my curry was a little too hot for the judges (those chillies were hotter than I thought), they still decided I'd done enough to win and so I was through to the finals. My prize, amongst other things, was a new slow cooker - which is fortuitous, because my old one I inherited from my mother, and it's ready for retirement.

Even though I knew what to expect the next day, I still remained nervous. The other finalist, Justin, was not going to be easy to beat - he knew his stuff and the judges loved his food the day before and could not fault it.


I kept it very simple in the second round - fried kingklip with coleslaw, topped with fried capers and a second dish of simple chicken curry. After seeing what Justin had prepared, I didn't think for one minute I could win. I sat there waiting for the judges, and I kept saying - "I wish I had done more"!

To my surprise and delight, I was announced as the winner - and I won the most amazing prizes, the best being a cooking course at Jenny's cook school! I also received a gift voucher from Spar, 2 black truffles, a Crystal wine decanter and a whole bag filled with of the most wonderful goodies from various shops at the Cape Quarter.

All that said - I had a totally wonderful weekend - and I must say a huge thank you to Keith - official chairman of my fan club (okay it wasn't the Oscars, but it was a pretty big deal to me) and Jenny Morris.

Sunday night's supper was scrambled eggs on toast with truffles - not bad for a whip-up meal!