There’s nothing more satisfying than earmarking recipes, but when it comes down to planning the week’s meals they often seem a distant memory on a shelf very far away from the couch. Use these tips to sort and store your recipes: 

Haul out your pile of MyKitchen magazines that have collected over time. Go through them and earmark the ones that you want to make again, or could imagine preparing in the future.  

You can either scan the recipes and create a digital recipe book or stick with paper. Photocopy or tear out the pages and slip them into a flip file. You get to see both sides of the page easily plus you can wipe off any oil marks, sauce splatters or flour. If you like, paste them into an A4 spiral notebook to make a recipe scrapbook.  

If you want to make your cookbook kid-friendly, consider laminating the pages. This means your kid can work with the sturdy (and waterproof) recipe page easily, and it will still be it intact at the end of the day. Use a whiteboard marker to make notes to help them.  

Keep a pen and notepad nearby when you’re cooking. Jot down any grand ideas or successful experiments or substitutions for next time. Just remember to add them to the relevant recipe later.  

If you’ve made a recipe for the first time, give it a review. Write down what you liked about the recipe, what occasion it would be perfect for, or even what you didn’t like. That way you can evolve the recipe when you make it again.  

Categorise your recipes based on the type of meal, the main ingredient, method or even the cooking time.  

Consider using colourful sticky flags to divide the recipes. Next time you need supper inspiration, you can easily find the recipe you need. Once you’ve accumulated enough content, adding section dividers to your cookbook will also save time when you’re looking for a specific recipe.  

Add to your cookbook collection  

Thrive – Nicci Robertson Nutritionist

Nicci Robertson starts her recipe book by acknowledging that although eating should be one of life’s pleasures, it isn’t always that way for many people. Using her own personal experience, she guides readers through 80 recipes that are healthy, but which totally ‘break the diet rules’. – R380  

The complete Chinese takeaway cookbook – Kwoklyn Wan

Celebrated British chef Kwoklyn Wan has gathered 200 of his dishes into this, his complete round-up of recipes collected during a lifetime of cooking in Chinese kitchens. To top it off, he has thrown in easy explanations and foolproof tips and tricks. – R520  

Let’s Cook – Siba Mtongana

In this true family affair, Siba invites kids to take charge and develop skills in the kitchen. The easy, delicious and instructional recipes range from lunchbox staples to yummy snacks – with a little help from mom and dad, of course! – R290  

Our Italian Legacy of love – Chiara Viljoen, Ryan Viljoen and Luciana Treccani

In this book, the brother-and-sister duo behind Joburg’s Café del Sol have generously shared classic dishes handed down by their ‘mamma’ and ‘nonna’. – R400  

Onwards – Karen Dudley

A heartfelt story of how life changed for Cape Town chef Karen Dudley after the pandemic shuttered her much-loved restaurant, The Kitchen. She details how she rediscovered food and flavours and connected with her community again during such a turbulent time. – R360   

Waste not, want not

Butter is expensive on a good day, so stash the wrappers in the freezer for when you need just a little bit. Use them to grease a cake tin, or place over bakes as they come out of the oven to add gloss.  

Otherwise, spread them over potatoes, corn or other veggies as they go into the oven – the butter will drip down, plus the cover will protect it from direct heat. Once clean, use the wrappers to bundle up leftovers or to separate layers of patties, cookies or even veggies.  

Other Need To Know Skills  

GARLIC CLOVES 
Peel garlic faster by pressing down on the clove with the flat side of a knife. This will break it and loosen the skin.  

CHILLIES 
Make seeding easier by rolling the whole chilli between your fingers to loosen the seeds inside. Cut off the stem, push the seeds out and use chilli as needed.  

APPLES 
Keep a bowl of ice water with a squeeze of lemon close by when you slice, grate or peel apples. Add them to the lemon water to prevent them from oxidising and browning.  

YEAST 
Revive old yeast by letting it stand in sugar and milk for 5 minutes. It’s still active if it bubbles. Take care to make the milk lukewarm – too hot and it will kill the yeast. 

Words by Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photography: Adobestock 

The post DIY: A Family-Affair Recipe Book appeared first on MyKitchen.

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.

The post Christine Capendale’s Chocolate And Cherry Cake appeared first on MyKitchen.

If you are as obsessed with pesto as we are (because who isn’t, right?), then you will be as delighted as we were to find out that foodie royale, Pesto Princess has released a downloadable recipe eBook that can be conveniently stored on your computer, tablet or phone for on the go meal inspiration.

By Roxy Greeff

With lovely recipes including speedy pasta with rocket pesto, the ultimate veggie burger (our personal favourite), a chimichurri chicken flattie and incredible lamb chops with Greek pesto, there will be something for every taste and dietary requirement.

‘We hope they inspire spontaneous get-togethers with friends, balmy evenings spent eating under the stars, and picnic beneath shady trees,’ says Pesto Princess creative director, Kathleen Quillinan.

Each page is also printable (but don’t forget to print sparingly) and Pesto Princess encourages you to try any or all of their recipes and share a photo with them on Facebook (Pesto Princess) or Instagram (@pesto_princess) using the hashtag #PestoPrincess to stand a chance to win a summer pesto hamper. You can cook as much as you like (and enter as many times, of course) until the competition closes on the 15 March 2017. Download the recipe book here.

The post Pesto Princess launches an amazing summer recipe book, and it’s free! appeared first on MyKitchen.