South Africa’s much-loved Christine Capendale shares her kitchen secrets in this wonderful baking book as well as a delicious chocolate and cherry cake.

With a collection of more than 80 inspiring recipes for both beginners and experienced bakers, Christine Capendale’s Baking for Profit and Pleasure is one of the most exciting local cookbook launches of this year. With classic recipes along with some that are also gluten-free, vegan and low-sugar, Christine ensures that her book has something for everybody.

Since Covid and the rise of social media platforms such as TikTok, a number of home cooks were discovering that they had a passion for baking, with many trying to start a business with their talents. In this book, Christine speaks to those who are interested in making money through food, and offers advice on how to bake for profit – from choosing the right equipment, packaging and branding to offering advice on calculating costs and profits. Whether you’re baking for profit or pure pleasure, Christine covers everything you could need. Recipes range from cakes and savoury platters to tray bakes and of course, classic South African bakes. My favourites include the cheesecake caramel brownies, her key lime pie and the beautiful Vietnamese coffee cake.She also has interesting recipes such as a sesame and tahini ice-cream cookie sandwich and the Fraisier cake, which I simply cannot wait to try.  

Decadent chocolate and cherry cake
MAKES 1 cake

For the chocolate cake
Cocoa powder 80 g
Dark chocolate, chopped 160 g 
Strong, hot coffee 1 cup
Cake flour 275 g
Bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp
Baking powder 2 tsp
Salt ½ tsp
Butter 325 g
Caster sugar 100 g
Dark brown sugar 200 g
Eggs 6
Plain yoghurt 170 g 

For the cherry compote
Tin cherries, pitted and chopped 2 × 425 g reserve 100 ml liquid
Caster sugar 100 g
Finely grated rind of lemon ½
Almond essence 1 ml
Cherry liqueur (optional) 45 ml 

For the whipped cream
Whipping cream 750 ml
Icing sugar 60 g 

For the layering and decorating
Chocolate, grated 100 g
Chocolate shards, for decorating
Fresh cherries, for decorating
Cocoa powder, for dusting

For the chocolate cake
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease two 20-cm cake tins well and dust them liberally with cocoa powder.
2. Combine the chocolate andcocoa in a bowl and pour overthe hot coffee. Stir to combineand melt the chocolate.
3. In another bowl, sift togetherthe flour, bicarbonate of soda,baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4. Beat together the butter andsugars until light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after every addition.
6. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the eggs, then add the dry ingredients and yoghurt. Mix wellto make a smooth batter.
7. Divide the batter between thecake tins and bake for 25–30 minutes until cooked. Cool completely.

For the cherry compote
1. Combine all the ingredients andthe 100 ml reserved liquid, in a small pot on low heat and stir to dissolvethe sugar.
2. Simmer for 5 minutes, then scoop out 45 ml of the liquid and combineit with the liqueur (if using). Set aside for brushing.
3. Continue to simmer the cherry compote until it starts to thicken slightly. Cool completely.

For the whipped cream
1. Place the bowl and beaters ofyour mixer in the freezer, so that they are very cold.
2. Whip the cream and icing sugar to stiff peak stage.

For the layering and decorating
1. Cut the cakes in half horizontally and brush each cake layer with the cherry liqueur syrup, if using.
2. Stack the cake layers, spreading the cherry compote, cream and some grated chocolate between the layers.
3. Top the cake with a layer of cream or chocolate ganache, scrape the sides (optional) and place in the refrigerator until ice cold.
4. Decorate with the chocolate shards, cherries and a dusting of cocoa powder.
Tip: Fresh long-stem cherries are only available for a few months in summer. I used long-stemmed maraschino cherries, wrapped in
gold leaf (available throughout the year).

Baker, fashionista and My Sweet Life author, Faaiza Omar shares her delicious passionfruit pavlova layer cake with us. It is PHENOMENAL.

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Melissa Delport is a powerhouse woman who truly embraced her career with open arms and trusted  the process. We were so excited to catch up with her

Tell us about your career journey thus far.
So I initially studied make-up artistry once I left school. I then went on to study photography and was adamant I would be in the fashion industry once I moved to Cape Town. I worked at a modelling agency, wanted to be a fashion photographer and I could do the make-up, so I thought it would be ideal for me. It was okay for a while, but my career didn’t take off and move the way that I wanted it to. With a nudge from my partner, I ended up entering MasterChef South Africa Season 3 and made it to the boot-camp stage.

While I didn’t make it further, that felt like it changed my course.After the show, a friend asked if I knew of any food photographers, and I thought of giving it a go myself. I showed these images to an old colleague of mine and her reaction was more than enough to make me start photographing food as my career instead. She asked me to build her a portfolio within a month and would represent me if I did. Needless to say, I worked my behind off to pull that together.

It seemed that things started snowballing after that – my food blog The Truffle Journal began as well and my food career seemed to be moving in a positive direction. With all this experience I was gathering, I decided to email a publisher and put together my first recipe book: WHOLE. I am such a big believer in synchronicity and listening to where the universe takes you, so although this has been a radical path, it wasn’t really planned. I followed my nose and trusted that what unfolded for me was meant for me.

You speak about food with such passion. Have you always known that you wanted to work with food?
No. I grew up in a family that were serious home cooks. My family is about the food and we would come together for the food. My grandmother is a major source of inspiration and a big reason I am the creative that I am. She taught me to express myself in life, which was huge for me as a creative. I could bake a chocolate cake from scratch at the age of 8 because that was what we did as a family. We cooked, we baked, we ate and this common thread of food was always consistent in my life.

I enjoyed it and always kept at it. While working on my fashion photography career at the time, the change happened with the MasterChef South Africamoment. During the exit interview, they ask you what is next, and I thought maybe photographing food would be a good step from me. Things kind of rolled from there and before I knew it, food became my full-time career.

What does a typical day in the life of Melissa look like?
I generally try and get to bed at a reasonable time. I believe in honouring your sleep – it’s really important because it ultimately affects your health at the end of the day. I also wake up at a fairly reasonable time: I am not a very early bird, and I like to leave my mornings until 10 am for exercise.

It’s my time to get into my body, wake up and move around, and follow it up with a yummy breakfast. Then it’s straight into my coaching: Depending on how many clients I have for the day, it could go until lunchtime or even the late afternoon. If I have a private chef project or an upcoming retreat for the next day, I will have to go into the preparation of the food needed for that day. Late afternoons are generally reserved for my admin and digital work, so that would include emails and putting together content for my social media just to name a few.

Evenings are my downtime: I love to create in the kitchen and I’m big about rituals, so I’ll light my candles, dim my lights, put on my music, and then start cooking. Food is something that brings me a lot of joy, so I like to slow down and really connect with it. I use this creative time to play around with recipes and ingredients, and just spend time connecting with my partner as well.

Out of the many hats you wear, which one has been the most challenging?
I would say probably the coaching. Initially when I started coaching, I thought it would be more of me teaching people to eat more fruits and vegetables, which it is and I do. But more importantly, it’s also about dealing with your deepest wounding because that is what actually drives your food decisions. It can get quite draining, but at the same time completely rewarding. There is a lot of duality in it for me because I honour the fact that I have been chosen to hold space for people, and that they trust me to do so.

How are you feeling with the success of HEAL?
Well, to start, HEALhas been nominated as the best in the world for the Gourmand Cookbook Awards this year for the finals in the health and nutrition category, which I am so appreciative of. I got this book deal in 2019 initially, and I was about to go into production for shooting in early 2020 when Covid-19 hit. This put us behind by six weeks and made me a bit apprehensive as to how the book would do, seeing the pandemic affect every industry.

After seeing how the book has done since we launched, I feel incredibly blessed. It’s been really wonderful to see it being so well received and now that it has been nominated for this award, it feels kind of surreal. Even if HEALdoesn’t win, just to be acknowledged on the opposite side of the world gives me goosebumps. The book was written from my heart, so to share something so vulnerable and openly with everyone is quite nerve-racking, but I’m blessed with its success. I feel like the luckiest human in the world, to be honest.

Any advice for young, ambitious individuals trying to stay motivated?
I heard this statement really early on in my career and it’s something that still sticks with me till today. It was through a podcast I think, but simply put, they said: ‘to be relentless.’ Be relentless in what you want, in whatever shape or form that is. If you don’t know what you want, be relentless in finding out what it is by trying and doing everything. Be relentless with what sets your soul on fire; don’t stop until you find it. The world needs more people that are truly lit up and truly enjoy what it is they do.

Words by Yashna Balwanth
Photography: Courtesy Images

No need to struggle with broken bits of eggshells, stinging eyes as you chop an onion or the hassle of peeling ginger. We’ve revealed a few of our top cooking hacks to make life a little easier!

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Growing up in Namibia, where the land is parched and the sand dunes burnt red, it’s no surprise that chef David Higgs brought the heat to Joburg’s culinary scene. His Marble is all about food cooked on an open flame

Cooking with fire takes us back to a time when our evolving ancestors had only begun to tinker with the intricacies of putting freshly hunted protein over the flames, inadvertently discovering the myriad ways in which this magical heat source affected the taste of our food. Every South African knows that braaiing is more art than science, and that cooking over coals – with an open flame – can be risky. There’s always that hint of a thrill, thanks to the unpredictability of working with a heat source that’s alive, with temperatures that aren’t controlled by buttons and knobs, and knowing that turning the meat at precisely the right time is as important as getting its distance from the flames spot-on. 

Cooking this way – braaiing, essentially – also connects us with something primal, something that both our DNA and our senses recognise from our early days as a species of hunters that discovered fire and then stumbled upon its magical ability to transform the flavour, texture and palatability of what we brought back to the cave. That primal connection is brought on by the smell of smoke and powerful waft of cooking meat, the crackle and shimmer of open flames, and the heat emanating from the hearth. While cooking this way is a ritual that’s stood the test of time, braaiing’s also deeply ingrained in South Africa’s culinary culture. And most of us can claim at least one special braai memory.

For David Higgs, it’s back to the Namibian coast, where he caught his first fish, a galjoen. His mother prepared it for cooking and he braaied it himself. ‘I caught it, cooked it and ate it all by myself,’ he recalls. ‘I’m still like that with my food. I hate sharing.’ But getting a taste of David’s food is easy enough – all you have to do is simply order from the menu at Marble, his booming restaurant situated in Rosebank, Joburg.

Having previously helmed two of the country’s top restaurants – Rust en Vrede and Five Hundred at The Saxon – David has regularly been referred to as the country’s top chef, and has long associations with fine dining. But Marble, he says, is as much about reconnecting with his roots as it is about actually tapping into a form of cooking that is distinctly South African. 

Centre stage at Marble is a state-of-the-art restaurant-capacity grill made by Michigan-based Grillworks, which has become a piece of cult technology among chefs prepared to pay dearly for what is surely the most sophisticated braai on the planet. ‘It works on pulleys that respond very quickly and are easy to work with,’ says David, ‘and it’s easy to adjust the levels of the grills. In the centre of this is a large smoker and there’s a rotisserie, so the options are endless. Essentially, it’s a braai. There’s no cheating or trying to recreate some-thing. It is what it is – a big, open fire.’ 

And at this fire, he and his cheffing team put on quite a show. ‘Open-fire cooking is an art form. It’s about the show and the performance,’ says David of the undeniable element of drama that comes off the back of roaring flames and working in a room that’s always at a sweat-inducing temperature. David believes that cooking on an open fire connects us with an ancient, primitive, primordial human practice.

What keeps us coming back is the element of shared experience – and the incomparable flavours, of course. Just try to resist a piece of wors straight off the fire. ‘Fish on the fire is always my favourite,’ he adds, ‘or a lovely thin lamb sausage that you eat right off the fire.’ A braai tip from David: only turn sausage once. Make the flip when you can feel, with the back of your hand, the topside of the meat warming. 

David has brought the braai indoors and added his magic touch to elevate the basic backyard experience into something suitable for a high-calibre restaurant. ‘The attraction to fine dining is in the past, so I’ve moved away from it,’ he says. ‘My feeling is that when people come here, they want something a bit different; an all-round experience and they want to see value for money.

That being said, this doesn’t mean you can’t be a little bit fancy in what you’re doing.’ While the menu is refined, there’s something for everyone. ‘Order what jumps at you, but if you want to try something unusual, octopus on the fire is amazing,’ David advises. There is also a wood-fired oven for slow-cooking big cuts of meat and a pizza oven that produces impeccable bread and veggies, too.

And, of course, now there’s The Pantry, Marble’s side hustle which has recently taken Joburg by storm. It’s a kind of one-stop petrol station forecourt stop with everything you need for the home table: ready-made meals, fresh produce, baked goods, quality wine – and it’s open round-the-clock. When he’s not cooking up a storm, you’ll find him feeding his soul from his bicycle saddle. As for this flame-seeker’s best dining spot away from Marble: Why, David braais at home, of course! 

Photography: Courtesy Images

Chef, cookbook author and food influencer Zanele van Zyl is here to inspire you to cook, eat and create beautiful food

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Chef, cookbook author and food influencer Zanele van Zyl is here to inspire you to cook better, eat better and create beautiful food 

This month, Zanele van Zyl is gracing our cover and we couldn’t be more excited. With a passion for cooking, teaching and sharing good food, Zanele is a powerhouse of note and a true inspiration to anyone who wants to start a career in food. We  caught up with her to find out more about what makes her tick. 

First things first, what does food mean to you?
Food is comfort! I believe that food is not just something you eat – it’s a love language, it’s about how you express yourself to people and the people that you love.

You have so many wonderful collaborations and recipes that you’re working on. How do you stay inspired to create new and exciting recipes? 
I honestly just inspire myself to do more and better. My entire brand is all about food and creativity, so I constantly push myself to create beautiful, tasty dishes. When I go to bed at night, I reflect on what I did that day to make my brand stand out. I try to make one to two dishes a day and retest them to make sure that they work. I am lucky in the sense that I do this for a living, so I can push and inspire myself to do better with every recipe that I create. 

Do you have any advice for people who don’t feel comfortable cooking or baking, but want to get into it and improve their skills in the kitchen?
I always say that you should start with what you have. There seems to be this idea that cooking and baking is daunting – it’s really not! Just don’t think too much about it and use whatever you have available to you in your pantry, freezer or fridge –it’s as easy as that. I don’t believe that you have to go to the most expensive supermarket to create a special dish. If you use what you have, you’ll make your life so much easier!

That’s such good advice! Do you have a staple that’s always in your pantry or fridge that helps you whip up something incredible at any given time?
I always have dried and canned ingredients such as rice and pasta. I also keep olive oil on hand, along with tomato paste. I love the hue of tomato paste and the way it changes the colour of food! I love my spices and the oneI always buy in Durban is the Mother-in-law spice, along with cumin. I like the taste of it and how it changes the flavour of the dish you are cooking.  

What do you always reach for when grocery shopping?
Rocket! I always make sure to grab a bunch – I love the flavour so much! I also get cumin, garlic, olive oil, and make sure to get butternut, potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms and some chicken and lamb – I can eat lamb the whole week [laughs].  

Your favourite ingredients are inspired by Italian cuisine, which makes me wonder – what do you cook for comfort?
Comfort food for me is always a biryani or a soup! 

That is so interesting to hear! I haven’t ever met anyone who said that biryani was comfort food for them. Is there any particular reason why?
I love Indian cuisine so much. If the weather is gloomy, then you can find me in the kitchen making a lamb curry or chicken biryani. The taste, the spices… it all just comes together so nicely.

If you were to host your ideal dinner party, who would you have at the dinner table?
Definitely [the late] Mam’ Dorah Sithole! I know that I always say that my husband inspired me to love cooking but honestly, I used to love watching MasterChef South Africa and Siphokazi Mdlankomo always stood out to me. She was a domestic worker and when I used to watch the way she cooked, and her style of cooking, I constantly wondered about where she learnt all these techniques! She really inspired me to become a chef and I wanted to learn how to cook because of her. She is the person who sent me to culinary school. 

So let’s say your ideal dinner guest has arrived. Will you be cooking? If so, what will be on the menu?
I always cook and prep myself. I never hire or buy anything – I want to cook every single item from the starter and main to the dessert and drinks. I make it all myself because when my guest arrives, I will be entertaining them. I am definitely cooking a butter chicken curry with roti and sambals. I like making things that are simple, so I’d serve it with a panna cotta. Food doesn’t have to be something that is expensive or takes a long time to prepare. I like food that is cooked in under 20 minutes.  

Tell us about your earliest food memory?
Growing up in the village, we were six sisters at home, and mymom would make us rotate with regards to when we would cook. Every day we would come home from school and fetch water, along with wood for the fire, before we could cook. I would cook bread, pap or even a stew made with a pumpkin from the garden. All of the food was simple, and it was so heart-warming to create a dish made with what you have – this philosophy deeply impacts the way I cook today. 

Is there anything that you don’t enjoy cooking or eating? 
The only thing that I really don’t like is sushi. I’ve tried it at five-star restaurants but I’ve never enjoyed it. I cooked it once for culinary school and at some point I made it on a live, but I can’t eat raw sea-food. I tried the deep-fried sushi and it was okay, but I wouldn’t have it again. 

What has been the highlight of your career thus far?
Definitely when my cookbook (Cooking with Zanele Volume 2: Find Joy In Cooking.) won the award for Cookbook of the Year at the 2021 Luxe Restaurant Awards. This was so heart-warming for me because my books are self-published, and there is a lot of work that goes into it. It was so good to hear that my hard work paid off. 

How did the lockdown affect you and your family’s food and overall cooking routine?
Because everyone was home and wanted to eat, I feel like we chefs did really well. We worked so hard and I feel like the community grew so well over lockdown. Food is just a lifestyle – everyone wants to eat good-looking food and food that is tasty. 

What is your go-to meal when you don’t know what to cook?
Chicken always saves the day! I just pan-fry my chicken fillet with garlic, mushrooms, onion, thyme and fresh cream. It’s as simple as that – you’ve got a quick and delicious dinner! I serve it with veggies, rice or mashed potatoes – as long as it’s something that’s very easy to cook. 

Do you have any tips for parents with fussy kids?
Kids always want to eat pretty food. They don’t like vegetables, but if you serve it in a nice way, then they’ll eat it. I never had trouble with my daughter because I always made sure to present her food in a beautiful manner. 

What’s your favourite street food?
It is definitely bunny chow, but it has to be lamb curry!

What has been your best food experience?
My mom’s food! She cooks a meal that we call ‘seven colours’ and ithas beetroot, pumpkin, salads, rice and chicken curry. This is the food that always comforts me. 

Words by Fatima Saib

If you feel like cooking isn’t for you, or you just get super flustered in the kitchen, these 5 simple hacks will help you!

The post The Wonderful Zanele van Zyl appeared first on MyKitchen.

This spicy calamari pasta may look simple, and it only takes about 20 minutes to make, but the flavour combinations are complex and perfectly balanced.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 20 mins

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
15g basil, chopped, a few leaves reserved to garnish
¼ tsp chilli flakes
Salt and black pepper
500 g calamari tubes, cut into rings
410 g tin chopped tomatoes
¼ cup capers
1 tbsp sugar
400 g linguine, cooked as per packet instructions
Parmesan, grated, to serve

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, chopped basil and chilli. Season and fry for 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the calamari, reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, until tender.
3. Add the tinned tomatoes, capers and sugar, and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Toss the spicy calamari with the pasta, season with pepper and garnish with extra basil leaves. Serve with Parmesan.

If you’re struggling to decide on what to make for dinner then this quick and delicious pasta puttanesca recipe has your name on it. You’re also likely to have many of these ingredients in your pantry.

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Start the new year by finding fun and new ways to use staple cooking tools for a kitchen refresh with these must-haves from @home. Plus, MyKitchen magazine readers get an exclusive discount when buying selected editor’s choice products online when using the voucher code in your latest copy of MK. 

1. Sieve with Black Handle
Want lump-free gravy every time? Just strain it through this for a silky smooth sauce.

2. Victorinox Black Veg Peeler
Use your veggie peeler to easily remove those pesky seeds from bell peppers and chillies.

3. Four-sided Square Grater with Storage Container
Whenever you’re baking with butter, grate it up before beating it with your dry ingredients to prevent them from flying everywhere.

4. Baccarat Marble Pestle and Mortar
Make the best guacamole ever by mashing up your ingredients with one of these.

5. Inspire Silicone Muffin Pan
Crack an egg into each hole and fill with spinach and grated cheese. Bake until set for healthy egg muffins.

6. Ciroa Black Whisk
Instead of a wooden spoon or spatula,  use a whisk to scramble your eggs for a fluffier texture.

Shop all products at @home and home.co.za. 

The post It’s time for a kitchen basics refresh with @home appeared first on MyKitchen.