These custard slices are just as scrumptious without the crumble or white chocolate, so leave them out if you prefer! 

Rooibos and vanilla custard slices

Makes 6 (8x6cm rectangles) 

Ingredients

400g puff pastry, defrosted

For the rooibos custard 

3 cups (750ml) milk, warmed
2 Rooibos tea bags
¾ cup (170g) caster sugar
5 Tbsp (50g) cornflour
6 egg yolks, room temperature
⅓ cup (80g) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

For the cinnamon crumble

½ cup (75g) flour
⅓ cup (67g) brown sugar
7 Tbsp (105g) butter, room temperature
1 heaped tsp (6ml) ground cinnamon

To assemble 

80g white chocolate, melted

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 200ºC. 
2. Roll puff pastry to 3mm thick. Cut pastry into two 20x20cm squares. Prick all over with a fork.  
3. Line a tray with baking paper. Place one pastry square on top, then cover with a second sheet of baking paper. (If you have another baking tray, do the same with the second pastry square, otherwise bake one at a time).  
4. Cover both evenly with dried rice or beans to weigh it down.  
5. Bake pastries for 20 minutes, then remove beans and paper and bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden-brown.  
6. For the rooibos custard, warm milk and tea bags in a pot over high heat until steaming hot. Remove from the heat, stir well to release tea and set aside for 15 minutes to infuse. 
7. Return to stove and heat until steaming hot and set aside again for 10 minutes to infuse some more. Remove and discard the tea bags. 
8. Whisk together sugar, cornflour and egg yolks in a bowl until smooth.  
9. Slowly add ¼ cup of the warm milk infusion to the egg mixture in a steady stream while continuously whisking. (This tempers the eggs, preventing them from overheating and scrambling.)  
10. Add remaining milk infusion in a steady steam while whisking. 
11. Pour mixture back into the pot over medium heat and add the butter.  
12. Cook mixture over medium-high heat, stirring continuously, for about 5-8 minutes or until thickened and smooth. Lower heat as needed to avoid vigorous bubbling.   
13. Set a glass bowl and fine mesh sieve on a work surface. Strain custard to remove any lumps.  
14. Line a cake tin bottom and sides with foil.  
15. Place one pastry sheet into the tin, pour over custard and smooth with a spatula to level.  
16. Gently press the second pastry square onto the custard.  
17. Cover entire tin with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to set.  
18. To make the crumble, preheat oven to 200°C.  
19. Using your fingertips, rub crumble ingredients into a rough crumb. 
20. Sprinkle onto a baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Cool. 
21. Remove custard slice from tray and gently slice 6 squares using a bread knife.  
22. Lather melted chocolate on top of squares and sprinkle with crumble topping.  
23. Serve immediately with a cup of Rooibos tea. 

Pastry not playing ball? 

What happens if your pastry squares shrink, becoming smaller than the tin size? Before adding the custard, pull the tin foil lining away from the sides of the tin and up in line with where the base pastry square stops. Insert a small container or object to neatly take up the empty space left on the sides of the tin. This way, the tinfoil will lean against the containers as you pour in the custard, keeping the custard compact and in line with the pastry. Top with the second pastry square and cover as above.   

Recipes: Sjaan van der Ploeg and Fresh Living Magazine
Photographs: Zhann Solomons and Fresh Living Magazine

Also read: Rooibos-pear frangipane tart

The post Rooibos and vanilla custard slices appeared first on MyKitchen.

Bay leaf | Slightly lemony and bitter, used more for its aroma than taste

Generally sold dried. Indian bay leaves have a more cinnamony flavour than European ones, but the two can be interchanged.

Cayenne pepper | Mild aroma, fiery taste

Lets you add a fairly precise amount of heat to your food, as opposed to chillies, which may vary in strength.

Cinnamon | Woody, aromatic and sweet

Available as sticks (actually curls of papery bark) or ground. Pairs well with dried fruit, making it ideal for dishes such as bobotie.

Cardamom | Green cardamom is light, sweet, and fragrant; black cardamom is intense and smoky

Can be used as whole pods, seeds or powder (made from the green kind). Green pods are popular in desserts; black is much stronger.

Nutmeg & mace |Mace is the outer coating of nutmeg; both are subtly sweet

Nutmeg is usually sold ground, but grating your own will give a much better flavour. Other than curries, it’s great in hot drinks.

Cloves |Strong medicinal flavour, with recognisable notes of anise

An important part of mixes such as garam masala. Use sparingly as it’s very strong.

Turmeric | Pungent and earthy, used mainly for colour

Generally available ground. The fresh root has a stronger taste.

Cumin | Smoky and fragrant

One of the most commonly used Indian spices (with coriander). Toast and grind the tiny seeds for best flavour, but watch out, as they burn easily.

Coriander| Aromatic and citrusy

A totally different flavour to the fresh herb. Dry-roast and grind the small round seeds

Mustard | Smoky, nutty and pungent

Yellow seeds are common in European cooking, black seeds in Indian. Powders and sauces are made from ground seeds.

Curry leaf | Subtle flavour, citrusy scent

Unrelated to curry powder. Small shiny green leaves are best used fresh, but dried will do.

Photography: : HMimages.co.za
Words: Staff Writer

These awesome baking hacks will ensure that you never make any failed cakes, egg-shell cookies or burnt scones ever again!

The post An essential guide to curry spices appeared first on MyKitchen.

What could be more South African than a booze-filled creamy drink? We upgraded this classic Don Pedros with some frozen yoghurt and fresh ingredients. No Amarula at home? Simply leave it out for a booze-free milkshake!

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 20 min

INGREDIENTS
For the drizzle
3 tsp melted coconut oil
1½ tsp melted honey
1½ tbsp cocoa powder
30 g dark chocolate, melted
½ tsp vanilla essence
For the Don Pedros
1 L vanilla frozen yoghurt
⅔  cup plain yoghurt
⅓  cup Amarula Cream
Pinch cinnamon
15 g dark chocolate, grated

METHOD
For the drizzle
1. Whisk together the oil, honey and cocoa powder.
2. Slowly whisk in the melted chocolate, until fully incorporated.
3. Gently stir in the vanilla.
For the Don Pedros
1. Add the yoghurts and Amarula to a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Swirl the drizzle into the insides of 4 chilled glasses. Pour in the yoghurt mixture.
3. Sprinkle with cinnamon and grated chocolate.

Recipe & styling: Kate Turner
Photography: K-Leigh Siebritz // HMimages.co.za

These double-thick strawberry milkshakes are another healthy sweet treat!

The post Frozen yoghurt Don Pedros with choc-cinnamon drizzle appeared first on MyKitchen.

Take your tastebuds on a journey to South America with these caramel-filled churro cupcakes with star toppings, perfect for entertaining.

Makes 12 // COOKING TIME 1 hour

Ingredients
For the buttercream icing
250 g butter, at room temperature
500 g icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp milk
For the stars
50 g sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp butter
1 flour tortilla, cut into star shapes
For the churro cupcakes
½ cup butter, at room temperature
¾ cup caster sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¾ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
200 g tin caramel

Method
For the buttercream icing
1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl with an electric beater, until light and fluffy.
For the star toppings
1. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
2. Warm the butter in a pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the tortilla stars and fry until golden, turning over halfway.
3. Immediately coat the tortilla stars in the cinnamon sugar when you remove them from the pan.
4. Set aside on a cooling rack.
For the churro cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a muffin tray with cupcake cases.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then beat in the eggs.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients.
4. Mix thoroughly with an electric beater, but do not over-mix.
5. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Set aside and to cool completely.
6. When the cupcakes are cooled, cut out the centres with a knife and fill with the caramel. Pipe icing on to each cupcake and decorate with a star.

Recipe & styling: Diane Heierli
Photography: Christoph Heierli

The post Caramel-filled churro cupcakes topped with sugar-cinnamon stars appeared first on MyKitchen.

When things get snacky, it’s time to whip up a batch of these blueberry, cinnamon, vanilla and yoghurt granola bars for a healthy treat!

MAKES 10 // COOKING TIME 30 min

INGREDIENTS
For the granola bars
2 cups plain muesli
½ cup raw oats
½ cup blueberries
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
90 ml raw honey
For the yoghurt drizzle
80 g white chocolate
½ cup plain yoghurt
½ tsp vanilla essence (or seeds from ½ vanilla pod)

METHOD
For the granola bars
1. Preheat oven to 160°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place all of the granola bar ingredients into a mixing bowl and combine well.
3. Transfer the mixture to the baking tray. Press down on the granola mixture until it’s about ½ cm in thickness, making sure it’s evenly spread out.
4. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until lightly golden.
5. Remove from the oven, and leave to cool and set.
For the yoghurt drizzle
1. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler.
2. Add the yoghurt and vanilla essence and mix together to form a yoghurt ganache. Set aside.
3. Transfer the cooled granola mixture on to a cutting board and cut into 6 cm bars.
4. Drizzle with the vanilla yoghurt ganache, and serve.

Recipe & styling: Luisa Farelo
Photography: Kendall-Leigh Nash // HMimages.co.za

The post Blueberry, cinnamon, vanilla and yoghurt granola bars appeared first on MyKitchen.

We have been loving sweetly-filled surprise-centre baked goods lately, and these pumpkin muffins are sure to do down a treat!

INGREDIENTS
For the muffins
1.5 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup pumpkin puree
For the filling
1 tin Caramel Treat
1 tsp cinnamon

METHOD
For the muffins
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a muffin tray with muffin liners.
2. Sift all the flour, spices, baking powder and bicarb together and mix well to ensure all the spices are evenly dispersed.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.
4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, until smooth and fully incorporated.
5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared liners and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
6. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, before starting with the filling.
For the filling
1. Combine the Caramel Treat with the cinnamon and transfer to a piping bag with a fine nozzle attached.
2. Plunge the nozzle into the top of each muffin and pipe full with cinnamon-caramel.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Andreas Eiselen

The post Pumpkin muffins with cinnamon-caramel filling appeared first on MyKitchen.