Spiced chocolate chip cookies

These cookies are a happy-maker at the best and the worst of times; with just a hint of cayenne and cinnamon cutting the chocolaty gooeyness they are the perfect, between, during, after, just before anytime treat.

Spiced chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients: (makes 20)
125g butter (at room temp)
150g sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp Robertsons cinnamon
1/2 tsp Robertsons cayenne pepper
150g Flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
80g chopped white chocolate
80g chopped dark chocolate

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Grease and line 2 large baking trays.
Beat the butter and sugar with an electric beater until light and thick, add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
Sift the dry ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients as well as the chocolate and fold together until you have a thick cookie dough.
Spoon dollops of the cookie dough into your palms, roll into balls about the size of large marbles and place on the baking sheets at least 5 centimetres apart as they will spread as they bake. Bake in the oven for 8-9 minutes - they should still be slightly gooey in the middle when you take them out of the oven. Allow to cool slightly before taking off the baking paper transferring to a wire wrack to cool completely.

Simple Artichoke, lemon and thyme pasta

This recipe is dedicated to Gianni - CEO/owner Mastrantonio - what a man. I interviewed him for an article the other day and was mesmerized by his ability to talk about food: his muse. He uses words like olive oil to coat and dress his imagery, I could have listened to him all day.

He is a complex man with a simple food ideology: good food comes from good ingredients, simple is always best. I left with a warm heart having met someone who not only loves his job, but lives his job...I also left with a massive can of artichokes - thank you Gianni.

Simple Artichoke, lemon and thyme pasta

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

1 really stale bread roll (roughly cut into cubes)

zest of 1 lemon

6 sprigs thyme

3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)

4 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Tagliatelli (enough for 2)

½ cup cream

juice of 1 lemon

6 tinned artichokes (quartered)

Method:

Fry cubed bread, zest, garlic and thyme in olive oil with a dash of salt and pepper until bread is crisp. Set aside.

Boil pasta until al dente, drain, but keep in the hot pot.

Pour in cream and squeeze over lemon and toss to coat.

Stir through artichokes and, just before serving, stir through 2/3 of the crisp bread and zest.

Spoon onto plates and finish with remaining bread and zest.

Pear and Frangipane tart with Amarula Custard

I think this picture says my 1000 words; it's everything about this little number that I want you to know.

Pear and Frangipane tart with Amarula custard

I don't think people use pears enough in desserts, but they are a firm favourite of mine. The pear and frangipane tart is by no means an original idea - this is just my cheeky take on the original idea. It is important to get large, juicy ripe pairs and to have a delicate hand when making this recipe, all the flavours are delicate and the poaching, pastry making and putting together require some love and time. But then again I think all good food needs that.

Ingredients: (serves 6-8)

Pastry:
100g butter
200g flour
1 tbsp castor sugar
90 ml cold water

Pears (to poach):
4 large pears (pealed, cored and halved)
3 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla pod (deseeded)

frangipane filling:
75g butter (at room temp)
100g castor sugar
2 eggs (at room temp)
100g  PnP blanched almonds (blended until powder)

Chocolate leaves: (if you want to)
80g dark chocolate
non-poisonous leave to paint i.e. lemon leaves

Amarula Custard:
2 eggs
3 tbsp cornflour
2 cups milk
1 cup amarula

Method:
For the pastry:
Pop the butter, flour and sugar into a food processor and blitz until the texture resembles bread crumbs. Add the water whilst blitzing again until the pastry comes together and forms and a rough ball. Dust a working surface with flour, turn out, bring together and roll into a ball. Cover with cling film and rest in the fridge for 20 min. Meanwhile:
Preheat the oven to 180*C

For the pears:
Scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod
Bring the sugar, water and vanilla seeds up to the boil and pop the pears into a sauce pan, cover and simmer for 12 minutes until the pears are just tender. Remove from the poaching liquid and set aside to cool.
(At this point, if you want to go the extra mile, you can reduce the vanilla and sugar water until it becomes a thick syrup to glaze the pears.)
Roll the pastry to fit into a loose bottomed tart tin in the shape of your choice (I used a rectangular one). Grease the tin and press the pastry into the tin so that the edges overlap slightly. Prick the pastry and blind bake for 1o minutes, then remove covering and bake for a further 8 minutes until pastry is beginning to lightly brown on the edges. Set aside to cool.

For the frangipane filling:
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, add the eggs one at a time until well combined. Add the blitzed almonds and flour and fold through. spread evenly through the bottom of the tart case and top with the cooled pears. Baste pears with a little sugar syrup. Baked for 25-30 minutes, until set and starting to brown. Remove and set aside to cool.

To make the chocolate leaves:
Simply melt the chocolate and paint a thick layer of chocolate on the back of each leaf. Allow to set on a plate, leaf-side down. Once set, carefully peal off the chocolate and set aside until needed

To make the custard:
Mix together the milk, flour and eggs in a heavy-based saucepan and whisk over medium heat until thickened (enough to coat the back of a spoon), add the Amarula and continue whisking until thickened.
Serve generous slices of the tart with spoonfuls of custard and decorate with chocolate leaves.

Avocado cake with lime and cream cheese icing

When I think 'avocado' I think guacamole, salsa, tortillas, spicy goodness. I don't think cake. This time I thought cake, and it makes sense; you often describe avocados at 'buttery' in texture - in fact they make the perfect substitute, only they are much better for you. Not that I am knocking butter, I LOVE butter, but you know what I mean. The avocado gives this cake a little bit of the x-factor, the flavour is delicate and creamy and when complimented with the thwack of lime and cream cheese icing, it's a recipe that will wow any discerning-dorris or grumpy-gertrude.

Avocado cake with lime and cream cheese icing

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 cup ripe avocado (about 1 ½ avocados)

2 cups self raising flour

For icing:

Juice and zest of 1 lime

3 ½ cups icing sugar (depending on size of lime you might need a little more/less)

1 tbsp cream cheese

100g pistachios to garnish

Method:

Preheat oven to 180*C and grease a loaf tin.

Beat eggs and sugar together with an electric beater until light, fluffy and doubled in volume. (This is very important and may take up to 6 minutes)

Mash/blend/beat avocado well so that it is smooth and silky.

Sift the flour and add together with the avocado. Fold through gently, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure none of the avocado goodness is left behind.

Pour into the loaf tin, even out the surface and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes. (Insert a skewer/knife into the centre and if it comes out clean, then the cake is done.)

Allow to cool completely before taking out of the loaf tin and icing.

For the icing:

Mix together the icing sugar, zest, juice and cream cheese until you have a firm but smooth icing.

Use a knife to smear onto the top of the cake and sprinkle over pistachios.