Description:
This recipe isn't mine. It is from Allrecipes.com. I love lemon sorbet any time, but if you have had a rich meal, it is a great way to 'cleanse the palate'.

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 1 Day 1 Hr
READY IN 1 Day 1 Hr 15 Min

Ingredients:
* 1 lemon's peel, finely diced
* 1 cup water
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup lemon juice
* 1/2 cup carbonated mineral water
* 6 strips of lemon zest, for garnish


Directions:
In a saucepan, stir together the diced lemon peel, 1 cup of water and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool.

In a pitcher or bowl, stir together the lemon syrup with peel, lemon juice and mineral water. Pour into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Garnish each serving with a twist of lemon peel.

If you do not have an ice cream maker, you may freeze it in a tall canister. Freeze for 1 1/2 hours. Remove and stir with a whisk. Return to the freezer and stir about once every hour for about 4 hours. The more times you stir, the more air will be incorporated, resulting in a lighter finished product.

Description:
This recipe is quick and easy enough for even the kids to make. In fact, when Tatiana was small, she used to love mushing the dough together (and eating it, I might add).

Ingredients:
Base:
225g butter (8oz)
2 cups flour
1 cup oats
5 tblsp sugar
7ml baking powder (1 mounded teaspoon)
1 tblsp cocoa

Icing:
2 cups icing sugar
1 tblsp cocoa


Directions:
Base:
Knead together and press into a greased 22cm (9 inch) square pan.
Bake at 160°C for 35 minutes. The finished product should not be dark around the edges and should have a barely baked look and a slightly spongy feel.

Icing:
Add hot water little by little and mix well.
Pour over squares while they're still warm, but not hot. If you pour over the squares when they're cool, the icing will separate from the base. Pouring over while the squares are warm allows a little of the icing to be absorbed, causing it to 'bond'.
Leave to set - about 1 hour

Description:
This is probably one of the most South African tea time treats I know. When you're invited somewhere, you take along a milk tart. Most recipes for milk tart are baked. This recipe is my gran's and no baking is required. It came in handy when I had no oven and used to sell to the local home industry. I had many orders for this milk tart.

Ingredients:
Base:
1 pkt Tennis biscuits (they're square coconut cookies)
150g butter (5.29oz)

Filling:
4 cups milk
1 tblsp butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
3 tblsp flour
3 tblsp cornflour

Cinnamon for sprinkling

Directions:
Base:
Melt the butter. Combine with crushed biscuits and press into 2 large tart pans. Chill. Tip: You can crush the biscuits with a pestle and mortar or put it into a strong bag and break it up. I often just put the biscuits a few at a time into the blender. The crumbs need to be course breadcrumb size.

Filling:
Boil milk with butter. In the meantime, in a bowl, mix remaining ingredients into a paste. Add to boiling milk and stir until thick.

Pour into your biscuit bases. I invert a spoon over the base and pour onto that, so that the hot tart mixture doesn't disturb the base. Sprinkle with cinnamon and leave to cool sufficiently to refrigerate.

Description:
This is a Brazilian confection with a Dutch(ish) name. I don't know the origin of the name. My taste buds don't exactly care either ; ) This tart is heavenly! I haven't made this recipe yet, but all the recipes I consulted are virtually identical, so this must be it.

Ingredients:
Base:
200g shortbread biscuit (1 packet shortbread cookies)

Creme:
250g margarine (8.8oz margarine)
200g castor sugar (7oz fine sugar)
4 tablespoons condensed milk
600ml fresh cream, no whey - the watery stuff (1.26 pints)
10 drops vanilla essence

Coating:
200g semi-sweet chocolate (7oz) finely chopped
200g fresh cream, no whey (7oz)
10g margarine (0.35oz)

Decorating:
200g round chocolate coated biscuits

Directions:
For the creme:

Beat margarine and sugar well until white and fluffy.
Add the condensed milk and continue beating.
Add the cream and beat well. Add the vanilla.

For the coating:

Heat the cream making sure not to boil.
Remove from heat and add chocolate and margarine.
Stir well until smooth and the chocolate has melted.

Putting together:

Grease a springform tin (18 cm - 20 cm in diameter x 4 cm in height / 7 - 8 inches in diameter x 1.5 inch height) and dust the inside with sugar. Crush the packet of shortbread and press half into the bottom of the pan. Spread half the creme over the shortbread. Add another layer of biscuit and top with the rest of the creme. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. Remove the springform tin and top the creme with chocolate coating, reserving a little to use to attach the chocolate coated biscuits to the sides. Arrange the chocolate coated biscuits around the tart.

Description:
I love muffin recipes. They're so adaptable! With the recipe in the photo, I substituted the cup of bran for about half a cup of oats, as I was out of bran. I tossed in a scant handful of saltanas as well. The recipe is one of those very forgiving ones. I go a little heavier on the butter for a moister muffin... tastes better the next day too then.

Ingredients:
25g butter (1 heaped tablespoon... possibly 2)
60ml sugar (4 tablespoons)
1 egg, beaten
25ml milk (2 tablespoons)
3 bananas, mashed
250ml bran flakes (1 cup)
250ml flour (1 cup)
5ml cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
5ml bicarb (1 teaspoon baking soda)
2ml salt (a pinch)

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk and bananas. Mix well and add bran. Leave to stand 5 minutes to soften the bran. Sift flour, cinnamon, bicarb and salt together and add to banana mixture. Stir just to moisten flour. Spoon mixture into greased muffin pans and bake a 200°C (392°F) for about 25 minutes. Serve warm with butter.

Description:
This cake was easy enough to make. The frosting was unusual and the texture of the cake was perfect.

In the photo, this single-layer cake is flatter than it should be. I don't have an 8 inch cake pan and made it in a 9 inch.

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk

Glaze:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Grated rind of 1 lemon

Directions:
Heat the oven to 400°F. Lightly coat an 8 inch cake pan and lightly dust with all-purpose flour. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl.

Beat in the butter, one heaping teaspoon at a time, using an electric mixer set on low speed, until the mixture resembles course sand. Beat in the sugar a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture resembles fine damp sand. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla and milk, and beat on medium-high, just until blended. Do not overbeat.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean: 30 - 35 minutes. Cool cake in the pan for 5 minutes. Unmold and cool completely.

Glaze:
Melt the butter over medium-low heat until golden brown. Whisk the sugar, salt, milk, lemon juice, and rind together. Add the melted butter in a stream while whisking until smooth.

Description:
This is what we had for dessert today. It was fantastic! We only have a tiny box freezer (the kind inside the fridge), so it didn't set well, but I'll definitely make it again. I coloured mine minty green and added crushed mint candies and grated chocolate to the mix. To serve, I topped the pie with stiffly beaten cream and more grated chocolate. Decadent enough to be very festive, but refreshing enough not to overwhelm the taste buds after a heavy meal.

*recipe courtesy of EAGLE BRAND® and allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups chocolate wafer cookie or sandwich cookie crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
2 cups heavy cream, whipped
Red food coloring (optional)

Directions:
Combine cookie crumbs and sugar. Add butter; mix well. Press firmly on bottom and part way up sides of wax paper 9-inch springform pan. Chill.
In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on low until fluffy. Gradually beat in EAGLE BRAND®. Stir in extract and food coloring, (optional); mix well. Fold in whipped cream. Pour filling into pan. Cover; freeze 6 hours or until firm. Garnish with topping. Store leftovers covered in freezer.

Description:
Decadent and classy-looking, but oh so easy! This is one special item that requires little effort, but looks and tastes so special. I like to make this over the Christmas/New Year period if we get guests and even if we don't.

Ingredients:
350g chocolate
70ml strong coffee
2 egg yolks (lightly beaten)
60g butter
silver balls for decoration
1 pkt small pleated paper cups

Directions:
Melt 200g of the chocolate. Place aproximately 1 tsp melted chocolate into each pleated paper cup. Swirl to coat bottom and sides of the cup well. Chill.

Melt remaining chocolate and stir in coffee. Beat in egg yolks. Gradually beat in butter. Refrigerate mixture overnight.

Carefully peel paper off chocolate cups. Use a rosette nozzle to pipe mixture into chocolate cups (I don't have one right now, so I just spoon the mixture in and swirl a fork in the top). Refrigerate until set. Decorate with silver balls.

Description:
Cooks note: 5 star! Had no almonds, so sugar was increased to 100g for topping. Used a round 24cm diameter x 2 inch deep pyrex pie dish. We ate the first batch warm... delish! With the added sugar in the topping, the extra icing sugar is not necessary.

Ingredients:
Base:
150g butter
100g castor sugar
grated rind of one lemon
1 large egg, beaten
250g flour

Filling:
4 large eggs
180ml sugar
125ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
12.5ml cornflour
25ml water

Topping:
100g butter
200g flour
50g ground almonds

Directions:
Base:
Cream butter, castor sugar and lemon rind until light and creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually work in flour until mixture forms a firm dough. Press dough into a deep, greased 20 x 20cm square cake tin. Back at 180°C for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Filling:
Whisk eggs and sugar until pale and thick. Gradually beat in lemon juice. Pour into saucepan. Mix cornflour with water and add to mixture. Stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens. Spoon filling evenly over baked crust.

Topping:
Rub butter into flour until mixture resembles course breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar and almonds. sprinkle over filling. Bake at 180°C a further 15 minutes until topping is golden brown. Remove from oven and leave in tin to cool. Sift icing sugar over biscuits. Cut into bars.

Description:
Great for braai's (bbq)

Ingredients:
180ml milk
60g butter
15ml sugar
450g flour
10g instant dry yeast
5ml salt
1 egg, beaten

Garlic filling:
1 egg, beaten
20g butter, softened
100ml chopped parsley
4 cloves garlic, crushed

Directions:
Place the milk, butter and sugar into a pan. Heat, stirring continuously, until the milk is lukewarm and the butter is melted. Remove from heat.
Sift flour into mixing bowl. Add yeast and salt. Pour in milk mixture and egg. Using dough hooks, knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to prove in a warm place until double in size.

In the meantime, combine parsley and garlic in a blender until finely chopped. Add the butter and three quarters of the egg. Blend until smooth.
When the dough has proven, place it on a floured board and knock the dough back. Roll out dough into a 20 x 20cm rectangle.
Brush with a little beaten egg reserved from filling. Spread the filling over the dough and roll up like a swiss roll.
Place into a 25 x 10cm greased loaf dish with the join facing down. Cover with plastic wrap.
Prove until the dough reaches the top of the dish. Brush with a little melted butter.
Bake at 200°C for 20 - 30 minutes.

Ingredients:
2 cups lukewarm water
1 tblsp olive oil
1 tblsp sugar
1 tblsp salt
2 packages dry yeast
1 tblsp origanum
5.5 - 6 cups flour

Directions:
Dissolve yeast in water. Stir in olive oil, salt, sugar, origanum. Gradually stir in flour. Dough should be medium stiffness. Knead for 5 minutes. Add more flour if dough sticks. Place in greased pan. Let rise until double. Punch down and divide into 3 long, flat loaves. Place on a biscuit tin and slash tops of loaves. Let rise again until double. Brush with water and bake at 204°C for 40 minutes.

Description:
Tried and tested. My personal recipe

Ingredients:
1kg flour
12.5ml salt
25ml sugar
50ml oil
10g instant dry yeast
500ml warm water

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl to form a rough dough. Knead thorougly until smooth. Grease bowl with oil and place ball of dough in bowl. Brush top of dough with oil. Cover and leave to rise. Knead again to even out texture. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Roll each piece out with a rolling pin to the length of the bread tin and twice its width. Use 23cm tins. Roll dough up tightly and place into greased 23cm tins, placing the seam at the bottom. Brush surface with oil and leave to rise in a warm place. The dough must rise over the top of the tins. Sprinkle the tops of the loaves with flour or glaze with beaten egg and bake at 210°C for 45 minutes. When baked, the loaf should sound hollow when tapped.

Variations:

1) Pizza: Use half the dough and roll out into pizza. Prepare as usual and bake at 210°C for 10 minutes

2) Farmhouse loaf: Cut a slit in the top of the crust lengthways, sprinkle flour over top of loaf and bake.

3) Crown loaf: Divide dough into 7 equal pieces. Mould into balls and arrange in a 20cm round baking tin. After proving, egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds over. Bake.

4) Cottage loaf: Divide dough in 3/4 and 1/4. Mould each into a ball. Push the handle of a wooden spoon in to make a hole. Make a mushroom shape of the smaller ball and anchor the stem into the hole made in the base. Press the wooden spoon handle through the center of both to join and remove spoon immediately. Prove, glaze and bake.

5) Plaited loaf: Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each into a long sausage. Join in the center and fold each piece over exactly opposite each other or divide dough into 3 pieces and plait in the traditional way. Prove, glaze, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake.

Description:
Cooks note: Family favourite (Ouma's recipe) - no flop

Flavour will improve if stored in a tin for a few days. Unsifted meal or whole wheat meal may be substituted for flour. This recipe works well for muffins too. Just fill each muffin pan until 2/3 full.


Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 - 6 bananas
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add vanilla. Add eggs one by one. Beat well after each addition. Sift dry ingredients and add. Mash bananas and add. Blend well and place in greased ring tin or bread pan. Bake at 180°C (360°F) for 1 hour. Slice, butter and serve.

Description:
Lithuanian recipe: Varðke ádaryti bulviniai pyragëliai
These buns are served with tea.

Ingredients:
10 potatoes, cooked and riced
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons flour
200 g (3/4 cup) dry cottage cheese
1 onion, finely chopped
salt to taste; oil for frying

Directions:
Make a pliable dough with riced potatoes, onion, flour, eggs and salt. Mix all ingredients and knead well. Make flat rounds from potato dough, fill with 1 tablespoon cottage cheese, fold over and form oblong buns. Fry in hot oil until nicely browned.

Description:
Cook's note: Light and fluffy. Serve with strawberry jam and fresh, whipped cream (or clotted cream).

Ingredients:
450g (15oz) self-raising powder (or 450g flour plus aprox. 2tsp baking powder)
75g (1.8oz) butter
50g (1.7oz) castor sugar
2 eggs
250ml milk (8oz)

Directions:
Sift flour into a bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar. Beat eggs and milk together with a fork. Gradually stir into mixture using a knife, adding just enough to mix into a soft dough. Reserve rest for glaze. (Don't make dough too dry. It should feel a bit sticky, but not too difficult to handle.) Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll or pat out until 2cm thick. (Don't knead or crush with a rolling pin. Light handling makes light scones. Don't roll too thinly or the finished scones will be hard and biscuity, not soft and light.) Using a 5cm fluted cutter dipped in flour, stamp out 6 rounds. Knead and reroll trimmings and cut out more scones. Arrange scones on a lightly floured baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining egg and milk mix. Bake at 220°C (428°F) for 10 minutes or until well risen and pale golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack.

Description:
Preparation: 5 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tblsp sunflower oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
175g (I used 1 pkt) smoked, rindless streaky bacon, chopped
2 x 395g (regular sized) cans chopped tomatoes
1 tblsp tomato puree
75g (about a handful) pitted olives
3 tblsp freshly chopped mixed herbs or 1 tblsp dried
225g (half a box/packet) spagetti
freshly grated parmesan cheese to serve

Directions:
Heat oil in a pan, add the garlic and bacon and fry for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato puree, olives, herbs and seasoning. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Meanwhile, cook spagetti in lightly salted boiling water for 8 - 10 minutes until al dente. Drain pasta, return to the pan and stir in the sauce. Transfer to serving plates and top with cheese.

Description:
Cook's note: Firm favourite with all, very more-ish. An easy recipe that makes loads of biscuits if you make them small. Larger biscuits tend to be chewier. This recipe is my one Christmas essential, but we do enjoy it year-round.

Ingredients:
125g soft butter (1 cup)
200ml sugar (1 cup)
1 egg, beaten
50ml syrup (3 1/2 tablespoons)
750ml flour (3 cups)
5ml bicarb. (1 tsp baking soda)
2ml salt (pinch)
5ml ground cinamon (1 tsp)
10ml ground mixed spice (2 tsp)
cloves - I use half a teaspoon of ground cloves in the mix, but this is whole cloves

Directions:
Cream butter, sugar, egg and syrup.
Sift dry ingredients and add.
Mix into a ball, pinch off pieces and place on greased baking sheet.
Bake at 180°C for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
Store in airtight container for a day or two for flavour to develop.

Description:
Cook's note: I've added instructions here to get the lightest, melt-in-the-mouth shortbread. These are a must over the Christmas season

Ingredients:
100g flour
50g cornflour
100g butter
50g castor sugar
extra castor sugar for dusting

Directions:
Sift flour and cornflour. Add butter and sugar. Rub with fingertips until mixture is just beginning to bind together. (Don't overprocess or the mixture will become oily and the shortbread will be hard.) Knead lightly, just until dough forms a smooth ball. (Use fingertips only - the more you handle the dough, the harder and tougher the result.) Flatted hte ball of dough on a baking sheet. Roll out gently using short, sharp strokes to an 18cm circle.. (To get the size perfect, draw a circle on greaseproof paper. Turn, pencil mark down, on your surface. Roll out dough to fit, turning to keep it even.) Transfer round, without paper, to an ungreased baking sheet. Crimp edges. Prick all over with a fork and mark into wedges. (Pricking shortbread stops it bubbling. Mark shortbread so cooked shortbread breaks evenly.) Chill until cold and firm. (Thorough chilling helps to prevent spreading in the oven.) Bake at 180°C for 1 hour until pale biscuit coloured. 5 minutes before end of cooking time, remove shortbread and remark wedges. Dust with castor sugar. Leave on baking sheet for 5 minutes to cool, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Description:
Note: I have not tried these. This is in response to a previous blog of mine.

Cheese rolls (Pão de Queijo) are eaten all over Brazil at breakfast or as a snack. Traditionally, these are made of cassava flour instead of wheat flour. Except for that, these cheese rolls consist of eggs and cheese. If served warm, these rolls are crispy from the outside with soft dough on the inside.

Ingredients:
500 gr (1.1 lb) of fine cassava or sweet manioc flour
1 large cup of milk
4 tablespoons of sunflower oil or soya oil
generous pinch of salt
4 eggs
200 gr (7 oz) of grated hard cheese (like Parmesan)

Directions:
Preheat oven at 180˚C (gas 4-5 or 350°F).

Sieve your cassava or manioc flour if it is not fine. Bring the milk with the oil and the salt to a boil in a pan. Add the cassava or manioc flour while mixing. Allow to cool after it is mixed well. Next, stir in the eggs one by one and then the cheese. Mix well.

Grease your hands with some sunflower oil and form the dough into small balls. Put these in the oven on a non-sticking baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes. The rolls smell nice when ready. To be sure, test for doneness with a fork: if it comes out clean the cheese rolls are ready. Allow to cool sufficiently but serve warm.

Description:
Cook's note: No flop! One of the best comfort desserts for a cold night. Delicious cold the next day too.

Ingredients:
75g self-raising flour - 2.5oz
2 Tblsp cocoa - 2 tablespoons
pinch salt
100g butter - 3oz
100g sugar - 3oz
1/2 tsp vanilla essence - 1/2 teaspoon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1-2 Tblsp milk or rum

Sauce:
100g soft brown sugar - 3oz
2 Tblsp cocoa
300ml boiling water - 10oz

Directions:
Set oven @ 190°C. Grease 1.5L deep dish. Sift flour, cocoa and salt together and set aside. Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add eggs little by little and add 1 Tblsp flour with last of egg. Gradually stir in flour and mix. Add milk. Pour into dish.

Sauce:
Mix sauce and pour over mixture in dish. Bake just above center of oven for 40 minutes.