Sweet onion and blue cheese tart

Sweet onion and blue cheese tart

300g puff pastry

2 handfuls baby onions

100ml olive oil

2 sprigs thyme

½ head garlic lightly crushed (or two teaspoons crushed garlic)

100g butter

60ml sugar

Equal quantities blue cheese and cream cheese to serve

Pre heat oven to 180. Place the onions onto a baking tray lined with foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Top with thyme, garlic and season. Place another layer on top and seal tightly. Cook for 20-30 minutes until almost soft. Peel the onions once they are cooler.

In a pan, melt the butter and add the onions and sugar, caramelize until lightly browned.

Roll out pastry to a 5cm thickness and cut into a shape (square or round). Place onions on top of the pastry, leaving a rim around the edges. Top with thyme.

Bake until well risen for 15-20 minutes. Serve hot with a spoonful of the blue cheese/cream cheese mix.

Idwala Panacotta

Idwala Panacotta

7g gelatine

60ml cold milk

540ml cream

60g icing sugar

½ tsp caramel essence

Grease with butter, 6 moulds. Place the gelatine and cold milk in a small bowl and let this mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. Combine the cream and icing sugar in a saucepan and bring it to a boil, stirring to dissolve the icing sugar. Once the cream is very hot remove from the heat and stir in the gelatine and caramel. Stir until the gelatine is completely dissolved. If necessary, return the saucepan to a very low heat and stir to dissolve the particles.

Pour the cream into the prepared moulds and place in the refrigerator to chill for 4 hours or until set.

To unmould: dip the moulds into hot water for a few seconds and then invert the Panna Cotta onto a plate. Serve with fresh fruit and fruit coulis.

Idwala's traditional Bobotie

Bobotie is a popular South African dish prepared in the Cape Malay style. 

 

1 kg beef mince

1 onion, finely chopped

50g butter

5ml turmeric

15ml curry powder

2 slices of bread with crusts removed

125ml milk

1 green apple, grated

1 carrot, grated

15ml vinegar

30ml apricot jam

60ml fruit chutney

5ml garlic

3 bay leaves

Topping

1 egg

125ml milk

In a heavy based pan, melt the butter and fry the onions until soft. Add the mince and stir regularly until brown and crumbly. Add turmeric and curry powder and fry with the mince.

Allow the bread to soak in the milk until it becomes soggy. Mix together the apple, carrot, vinegar, jam, chutney and garlic. Add the bread and the mixture to the mince. Return to the heat, add the bay leaves and allow to cook for 20 minutes. 

Mix the egg and milk together. Transfer the bobotie meat to a oven-proof dish. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the meat and bake in a pre-heated oven for 30minutes or until the topping is set.

Yellow rice – cook rice as normal, but add 5ml turmeric for colour.

Optional – just before serving, mix in toasted crushed almonds for texture and flavour

On a side dish serve sambals – coconut, chutney and banana slices. 

Enjoy!

Traditionally bobotie is served with yellow rice but that's optional. Enjoy with a chilled glass of white wine. 

Recipe - Almond Crusted Chicken Breast

Almond Crusted Chicken Breast 

Serves 4 
40ml cooking oil
4x chicken breast
120g flaked almonds
20ml Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
12x Mushrooms
250ml cream
40ml white wine vinegar

Preheat the oven to 180degrees. Have a baking tray ready
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Seal the chicken in oil (brown on each side - quickly)
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Chop mushrooms finely.Heat cream and vinegar in a saucepan. Add the mushrooms and simmer for 10mi
Place the sealed chicken fillets on the baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with mustard and almonds. Return to oven for about 8 min.
Spoon the sauce over the chicken breasts and serve with vegetables and coucous.

South African recipe - Sosaties on the Coals!

 

This month’s recipe if for delicious venison cooked over the grill under the open skies – just how we like to do it here in South Africa. If you can’t get venison then use beef or lamb cube. Contact Morgan direct if you want a recipe for chicken Sosatie – morgan@idwalalodge.com.

Sosaties are a traditional South African entrée. The word is Cape Malay in origin, but is commonly used in Afrikaans. Sosaties are translated locally as “Kebabs” but are not to be confused with the more well known “Shish Kebabs”. We don’t wrap our kebabs in a pita, served with salad!

Venison (or beef) steak Sosaties:
 
800g Venison steak (kudu, impala or eland or beef)
100ml fruit chutney (in South Africa we love Mrs Balls)
50 ml soya sauce
100ml red wine(you can omit the red wine and use cola for tenderising)
few sprigs fresh rosemary and thyme
4 garlic cloves – roughly chopped
1x tablespoon coriander seeds
1x teaspoon cumin powder
2x yellow peppers (or green or red, but yellow compliments venison best)

(optional – small pickling onions, sliced thick)
15cm satay sticks
 
serves 4 people [2 skewers each]

Light the fire or start of the gas on your gas cooker – it all depends on how you like your braai (bbq).

This recipe can be cooked just as easily in a pan or under the grill. But we cannot be held responsible for the results!

Cut the meat into 2cm x 2cm cubes. Slice the pepper into even squares, also 2cm x 2cm.
Blend the chutney, soya sauce and red wine. Add the fresh herbs, the garlic and the spices. .
Add the meat and peppers to the marinade mixture and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. If you are using beef or lamb, you can shorten the time to 8 hours.
Skewer the meat onto the satay sticks alternating with a pepper slice. If you would like to add the onion, alternate the onion between the peppers and meat.
Plan on about 100g per skewer or as many cubes as it takes to fill the skewer. Prepare two skewers per person.
Cover the skewers in left over marinade. 
Braai for approximately 8mins or as per taste. Brush with leftover marinade.
Remember that venison becomes tough once cooked past medium and we recommend preparing only to medium rare. If using beef or lamb, cook until required doneness.

Venison contains no fat or cholestoral and is a healthier alternative to beef or lamb. You can also use ostrich as a leaner option.

Serve with traditional braai items such as potato salad, butternut cooked over the coals, fresh bread and good company.

Idwala Spicy Biscuits - as Christmas Tree decorations

These biscuits are a great treat at Idwala and here we have adapted them for Christmas!

Yield 55 biscuits depending on size

250g butter

625ml brown sugar

2 extra large eggs

5 x 250ml cake flour

20ml baking powder

30ml cinnamon

15ml ground ginger

3 bicarbonate of soda

Preheat the oven to 160°. Grease one baking tray.

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one by one and beat lightly after each addition. Continue to beat until the mixture is light and creamy.

In a separate bowl, sift together the cake flour, the baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger and bicarbonate of soda.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter, sugar and egg mixture. Mix well. If the batter is a little dry, add a small amount of water. The dough should be firm and not sticky.

Roll out to 3mm thick and cut out the shape of your choice, using a cookie cutter.

Place the biscuits on the baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes. The biscuits will be light brown underneath, but will be soft when they come out the oven. They harden as they cool so be careful not to take them out too late.

For the newsleeter, we used the elephant shape and decorated the biscuits with green royal icing and a silver ball for the eye. If you want to use the biscuits as decoration make them slightly thicker. When the biscuits are still warm, use a skewer stick to make a hole. You can use ribbon to hang the biscuits form the tree.