Sweet Potato Skins

Grilled cheese and bacon bits on creamy sweet potatoes - need I say more? 

Sweet Potato Skins

Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients: 

500 g yellow flesh sweet potatoes (choose smaller sized sweet potatoes)
30 ml (2 T) canola oil
30 ml (2 T) Huletts Treacle Sugar
125 ml (½ cup) sour cream
salt and black pepper, to taste
50 g (± ½ cup) mature cheddar cheese, grated
125 g bacon pieces, fried until crispy
spring onions, sliced

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Rinse and dry the sweet potatoes. Toss in oil to coat.
Place on the baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with Huletts Treacle Sugar and bake for a further 20 - 30 minutes (until soft). Set aside to cool.
Once cooled, slice sweet potatoes in half lengthways.
Scoop out the flesh of the sweet potatoes to make a hollow, leaving the skin intact.
Mix the sweet potato with the sour cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Fill the sweet potato hollows with the sour cream mixture and sprinkle with cheese.
Place under the grill for 8 - 10 minutes or until the cheese begins to melt.
Garnish with bacon pieces and spring onions. Serve hot.

Baked Orange Pudding

I love using seasonal fruit in my cooking, and this warm dessert is just perfect for cold winter nights using seasonal oranges. Experiment with different types of citrus like clementines, naartjies and grapefruit or use other dried fruit like dates or cranberries. 

Baked Orange Pudding

Serves 8

Ingredients:

For the Base:
125 g butter, softened
260 g Huletts SunSweet Brown Sugar
4 extra large eggs, separated
115 g self-raising flour
125 ml (½ cup) milk
zest of 1 orange

For the Syrup:
50 g butter
125 ml (½ cup) freshly squeezed orange juice
50 g (¼ cup) Huletts White Sugar
15 ml (1 T) orange zest
30 ml (2 T) Huletts Maple Syrup
raisins, to serve (optional)

Method:

For the Base:
Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease 8 ramekins.
Cream the butter and Huletts SunSweet Brown Sugar together.
Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Fold the self-raising flour and milk alternately into the sugar mixture. Add the orange zest.
Beat the egg whites to soft peak stage and fold into the mixture.
Spoon the mixture into the ramekins.
Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until puffy and golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

For the Syrup:
Place the butter, orange juice, Huletts White Sugar and orange zest in a heavy base saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil.
Add the Huletts Maple Syrup and allow to boil for ± 5 minutes to thicken slightly.
As soon as the puddings are baked, remove from the oven and immediately pour the hot syrup over until saturated. Prick puddings with a skewer to assist with absorption of the syrup.
Serve warm, garnished with raisins.

Chia Seed Pudding

I love this as a breakfast or a dessert. Healthy and delicious, make it ahead for an impressive dessert at a winter luncheon. 

Chia Seed Pudding
Serves 2

Ingredients:
125 ml (½ cup) chia seeds
400 ml (1 can) coconut milk
5 ml (1 t) vanilla extract
2 - 3 Huletts EquiSweet sachets of your choice
Fresh fruit and nuts, to serve (we’ve used figs and pistachio nuts)

Alternative Method Ingredients:
125 ml (½ cup) sago
400 ml (1 can) coconut milk
5 ml (1 t) vanilla extract
2 - 3 Huletts EquiSweet sachets of your choice
Fresh fruit and nuts to serve

Method:
Mix all the ingredients together; making sure the chia seeds are well incorporated into the coconut milk.
Divide the mixture between 2-3 serving glasses and refrigerate overnight.
Serve chilled or at room temperature topped with fresh fruit and nuts.

Alternative Method:
Bring one cup of water to the boil, add the sago and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat, cover and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
Drain the sago.
Mix the sago, coconut milk, vanilla extract and EquiSweet together.
Divide the mixture between 2 - 3 serving glasses and refrigerate overnight.
Serve chilled or at room temperature topped with fresh fruit and nuts.

Osso Buco with Gremolata

Winter has arrived in South Africa! That means we can snuggle up in front of the fire place, drink red wine and eat warming slow cooked meals. Rich and hearty, Osso Buco is an Italian stew that literally means 'bone with a hole', referring to the marrow hole in the shank bones. Prepare this over a weekend to share with friends and family.

Osso Buco with Gremolata
Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the Osso Buco:
60 ml (¼ cup) flour
Salt and black pepper, to taste
± 1,5 kg veal or beef shanks, crosscut
30 ml (2 T) olive oil
30 ml (2 T) butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
4 celery stalks, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
250 ml (1 cup) dry white wine
1 x 410 g tin chopped tomatoes
2 T (30 ml) tomato paste
30 ml (2 T) Huletts SunSweet Brown Sugar
500 ml (2 cups) beef stock

For the Gremolata:
1 bunch fresh parsley
1 lemon, zest and juice
30 ml (2 T) capers
2 anchovy fillets
quinoa and steamed seasonal vegetables, to serve (optional)

Method:

For the Osso Buco:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Put the flour in a plastic bag and season well with salt and black pepper.
Add the meat to the bag and shake until all the pieces are lightly covered with flour.
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy based oven proof pot (with a lid).
Brown the meat in batches until lightly browned ±10 minutes.
Remove from the pot and set aside.
Add the butter (and extra olive oil if needed) to the pot and add the onion, carrot and celery.
Place over a low heat for 5 – 10 minutes until they start to soften and the onion is translucent.
Increase the heat slightly and add the garlic, frying for 2 – 3 minutes until soft and fragrant.
Deglaze the pot with the white wine, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release the flavours.
Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, Huletts SunSweet Brown Sugar and beef stock.
Return the meat to the pot, cover with the lid and place in the oven.
Cook (covered) for 2 – 3 hours, checking every now and again and adding hot water if needed.
Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving.

To make the gremolata:
By hand or in a food processor, combine all the ingredients and chop finely until well combined.
Serve osso buco with quinoa and steamed vegetables on the side, topped with dollops of gremolata.

Carrot, Ginger & Lime Smoothie

With days getting colder and nights getting longer it seems like our bodies just need an extra kick of vitamins and flu-fighting ingredients - and that's exactly what this smoothie gives you. I like to add a teaspoon or two cayenne pepper for extra kick.

Carrot, Ginger & Lime Smoothie
Serves 1

Ingredients
250 ml (1 cup) carrot juice (buy ready-made if you don’t have a juicer)
1 Huletts EquiSweet sachet of your choice
30 ml (2 T) fresh ginger, grated
30 ml (2 T) fresh lime juice

5 - 10 ml (1 - 2 t) cayenne pepper (Optional)

Method
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blitz until well combined.
Add a splash of water, if needed.
Serve immediately.

Tip, serve with a few cubes of ice if you prefer it colder. 

Churro Cups

The husband and I just came back from a wonderful trip to South America, and churros filled with creamy sweet 'Dulce de leche' were one of our favourite indulgences while strolling on the Copacabana in Rio ;) Here is my version of the traditional churro - you can fill the cup with practically anything! It's a little bit of effort, but totally delish. 

Churro Cups
Makes about 18

Ingredients
120 g butter
30 ml (2 T) Huletts White Sugar
250 ml (1 cup) water
1 ml (pinch) salt
250 ml (1 cup) bread flour
5 ml (1 t) vanilla essence
3 extra large eggs
sunflower oil, for deep frying

Cinnamon sugar:
15 ml (1 T) ground cinnamon
105 g (½ cup) Huletts Castor Sugar

To serve:
250 g (1 packet) Huletts Chocolate Flavoured Icing
1 liter vanilla ice cream or flavour of your choice

Method
You will need 3 x 12 hole mini muffin trays.
Turn the muffin trays upside down. Using cooking spray, spray every other mould to make them non-stick. Set aside.
Place the butter, Huletts White Sugar, water and salt in a medium -sized saucepan over medium heat, while stirring with a wooden spoon until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
Add the flour to the butter mixture a little at a time, while stirring, until well combined and a buttery dough has formed.
Remove from the heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes.
Add the vanilla essence.
Add the eggs one at time, stirring well after each addition, until well incorporated into the dough and smooth.
Scoop the dough into a piping bag and pipe cup shapes around the greased moulds, starting from the bottom up.
Freeze trays overnight (or for at least for 4 hours) to allow the dough to solidify.
Fill a deep fryer with vegetable oil and heat to 190°C.
Remove the churro cups from the cupcake molds and fry in batches (frozen, straight from the freezer), drain on paper towels.

For the Cinnamon sugar:
In a deep bowl, mix the cinnamon and Huletts Castor Sugar together.

To serve:
Prepare the Huletts Chocolate Flavoured Icing as per the packet instructions.
Coat the warm churro cups with the cinnamon sugar.
Serve the churro bowls filled with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of Huletts Chocolate Flavoured Icing.

Spiced Fruit Pinwheels

Spiced Fruit Pinwheels
Makes 8

Ingredients
1 roll (400 g) readymade puff pastry, defrosted
60 ml (¼ cup) Huletts Molasses, heated in the microwave
50 g (¼ cup) raisins, chopped
50 g (¼ cup) cranberries, chopped
60 ml (¼ cup) pecan nuts, chopped
10 ml (2 t) mixed spice
5 ml (1 t) ground cinnamon
15 ml (1 T) Huletts Castor Sugar

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Carefully un-roll the defrosted pastry, leaving the plastic wrap underneath.
Using a flexible spatula, spread the heated Huletts Molasses over the puff pastry.
Sprinkle the raisins, cranberries and pecan nuts over the pastry.
Dust with the mixed spice and cinnamon.
Using the plastic wrap, roll the pastry lengthways to form a log (not too tight as the pastry still needs to rise).
Dampen the edge of the inside of the pastry with water or milk and gently seal the roll.
Trim the edges with a sharp knife.
Cut in half, then in ¼’s then in 1/8’s.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and spray with cooking spray.
Gently shape the pinwheels back into rounds and arrange on the baking tray, about 4 cm apart. Sprinkle the tops of the pinwheels with Huletts Castor Sugar.
Bake for 15 - 18 minutes until golden brown and puffy.
Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a cooling rack.
Serve hot or at room temperature.