TIRAMISU CUPCAKES Cupcake: 1 cup cake flour, sifted 1 tsp slightly heaped baking powder ½ tsp salt 2 XL eggs, separated ¼ cup strong, black coffee 1 tbsp Kahlua or other coffee liqueur (substitute with strong black coffee or coffee essence) ¾ cup white sugar Pinch of salt For sprinkling: Kahlua (or substitute) Mascarpone cream: 4 egg yolks 2 - 4 tbsp caster sugar (to taste) 2 – 4 tbsp Kahlua (or substitute to taste) 460 g Mascarpone (substitute – cream/cottage cheese) Decoration: Dark chocolate to grate and/or chocolate coated coffee bean Preheat oven to 350°F/180 oC. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside. Whip egg yolks with ½ cup sugar till thick & creamy. Gradually add coffee and Kahlua® or substitute, whipping continually. Gradually fold dry ingredients into mixture, using a whisk, set aside. Beat egg whites with salt to form moist peaks & gradually beat in remaining ¼ cup sugar. Continue beating until egg whites are stiff - not dry. Stir 3 tbsp of the whites into yolk mixture, gently fold in remaining whites. Spoon batter into 12-hole muffin pan, filling 2/3 full. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or till tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool. When cupcakes are cool, poke tops with fork a few times & sprinkle tbsp of Kahlua® or substitute over each muffin. Mascarpone cream: Beat egg yolks with sugar till light & fluffy. Beat in Kahlua® or substitute. Gradually add mascarpone, beating continually. Pile cream on cupcakes, decorate with chocolate coated coffee bean and sprinkle with chocolate. Chocolate coated coffee bean: Melt chocolate and cover coffee bean with it, let harden.

EASY PEEZY YOGHURT MUFFINS Serves 8-12 depending on the size of the muffin cases. Prep time 10 mins Cook time 15 mins Ingredients 1 carton flavoured yogurt - raspberry is good 1 carton vegetable oil 3 cartons self raising flour 1 carton caster sugar 3 eggs Method Empty the yoghurt into a bowl. Then use the same yoghurt pot to measure and add: 1 carton of vegetable oil 3 cartons of self raising flour 1 carton of caster sugar Add 3 beaten eggs. Mix well and put into muffin cases. Bake at 140C for about 15 mins or until golden brown. You can also mix in a handful of frozen raspberries/blueberries/blackberries... etc

MUSHROOM PIE Home baked pies are seriously something special. I love the whole process of making the pastry and creating a filling and then the joy of pulling a perfectly cooked and perfectly delicious pie from your very own oven… bliss :) Mushrooms pies are the best vegetarian pies!! Rich, hearty mushrooms cooked with a creamy sauce and encased in soft, melt-in-your-mouth pastry, so awesomely good. This recipe is simple to follow and makes a lovely vegetarian or vegan pie, suitable for entertaining guests on a special occasion or for a great family meal. I used a combination of dried mushrooms that included shiitake, king oyster, black fungus and oyster mushrooms. If you can’t find mixed dried mushrooms simply use dried or fresh shiitake (if you are lucky enough) instead; the richness of mushroom like the shiitake will always add a depth of flavour. Any combination of mushrooms will work a treat, the more the merrier; this recipe included seven different types of mushroom!! Both the pie and pastry can be made either to the vegetarian or vegan recipe, so cook to your preference. Rich, hearty and full of healthy mushroom goodness; treat yourself with this wonderfully delicious vegetarian mushroom pie. Preparation time: 60mins Serves 4-6 for the filling 50g (2oz) assorted dried mushrooms 350g (12oz) button mushrooms, sliced 250g (9oz) Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced 2 tbs olive oil 200g (7oz) baby onions (approx. 5), sliced 3 garlic cloves, diced ½ cup dry white wine 1 stock cube (I used a no-animal-content ‘beef’ stock) 2 tsp cornflour (corn starch) ¼ cup soy cream or natural set yoghurt for the pastry 225g (8oz) flour 115g (4oz) vegan margarine or butter 1 tsp dried thyme ¼ cup cold water 1 tsp black sesame seeds to serve blanched spinach or steamed green veg Place the dried mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and cover with hot water. Allow to soak for 15-30 minutes until tender. Drain reserving liquid, slice the mushrooms and set aside. Combine 1 cup of the reserved liquid with the stock cube and cornflour (cornstarch) until dissolved, set aside. Heat the olive oil in a good sized frypan over a medium heat, add the sliced baby onions and fry for 3-4 minutes until soft, add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the button mushrooms and continue to cook over a medium heat until they start to soften, add the Swiss mushrooms and cook for a further few minuted. Add the sliced assorted mushrooms and bring the heat to high, add the wine and allow to simmer for 1 minute before adding the reserved liquid, stock and cornflour mixture. Turn down the heat to low and let the mushrooms cook over a very gentle heat for 10-15 minutes. Once the mushroom mixture has gentle cooked for 10-15minutes and is reduced, remove from the heat and stir through the soy cream or yoghurt. Check seasoning and add salt if needed and lots of fresh cracked pepper to taste. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 180°C/356°F Rub the margarine or butter together with the sifted flour in a large bowl until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the dried thyme and a pinch of salt, combine. Drop by drop add the cold water until the mixture forms a dough, you may not need all the water. Roll the dough into a smooth ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Grease a 35cm pie dish and set aside. Remove the pastry from the fridge and cut into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Roll the larger ball out on a floured surface large enough to line the base and sides of your pie dish. Lay the pastry into to prepared dish prick with a fork a couple of times and return the dish to the fridge for another 10 minutes. Roll out the remainder of the pastry to form the pie lid. Pour the mushroom filling into the prepared pie crust, trim the edges of the pastry from the dish and top with the pie lid. Seal the edges of the pastry case by gentle pressing drown with a fork or your fingers. Cut a cross in the middle of the pie lid, sprinkle with black sesame seeds and wash with non-dairy milk. Place in the pre-heated oven for 20-25minutes until pastry is golden and pie bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for a few minuted before devouring. Serve with blanched spinach or steamed green veg for a wonderful elegant vegetarian meal.

FIBRE-RICH RUSKS Visited my friend Elma who has the 4 star guest house in Pretoria on Saturday and had some rusks there that blew my mind!! Convinced her to share the recipe. These are really worth while. You won’t be disappointed. FIBRE-RICH RUSKS 500g butter or margarine, melted 500ml buttermilk 2 eggs, whisked 1kg ordinary or bran-enriched self-raising flour 15ml baking powder 375ml soft brown sugar 375ml muesli 250ml oats 250ml coconut 125ml sunflower seeds Pinch salt Preheat the oven to 180ºC and spray two oven pans with non-stick spray. Cool the melted butter slightly before beating in the buttermilk and eggs. Combine all the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture. Stir to mix and turn the mixture into the oven pans, spreading evenly (the batter Fills 1 ½ oven pans) Mark into fingers. Bake for about 30 – 45 minutes or until golden brown and done. Loosen the edges, turn out onto a wire rack and cool. Cut or break the rusks into smaller pieces and dry out at 100ºC. Store in airtight containers. Makes about 90 pieces

KOEKSISTERS The secret of the crisp syrupy outside of koeksisters is that they are taken straight from hot oil and dipped into ice-cold syrup. This seals the syrup outside and leaves the inside dryish in contrast. To make the syrup, mix a liter of sugar, 5 ml cream of tartar, 2.5 ml tartaric acid and 5 ml vanilla essence or grated orange rind or cinnamon, or 1.5 ml ginger with 500 ml of water. Bring mixture to the boil and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes or until syrupy. Set syrup aside to cool. It is advisable to make the syrup first and leave it overnight in the fridge. To make the batter, sift 500 ml flour, 10 ml baking powder and 5 ml salt into a mixing bowl. Cut or rub 70 ml of margarine or butter into the dry ingredients. Beat an egg thoroughly and add it to 80 ml of milk. Add the egg and milk to the flour mixture, handling as little as possible. Put the dough in the fridge for at least one hour. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 4 mm. Cut into strips about 8 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. Cut each strip into three lengthwise, leaving one side uncut. Now plait the three pieces and press ends together firmly. Pre-heat a deep pan and remove syrup from the fridge. The hot fried koeksisters must be dropped into the cold syrup. The syrup will warm up about halfway through, so divide the syrup into two bowls. Deep-fry koeksisters until golden brown, drain for a few seconds on absorbent paper and dip into cold syrup. These are found on just about every Afrikaans family's coffee table and very traditional. They are a bit fiddly to make and do take a bit of time, but well worth the effort. JUST BEWARE - VERY ADDICTIVE!! I enjoy them when they have been in the fridge for a while so that they are ice cold. To keep them crisp store in freezer. Can be eaten straight from freezer.

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