CIDER CHICKEN WITH APPLES
Serves 4
10ml dried thyme
salt and pepper
4 chicken breast fillets
30ml olive oil
2 red apples, cored and sliced into wedges
1 red onion, sliced into wedges
30ml flour
330ml dry cider
250ml dried cranberries
Combine half the thyme with some salt and pepper and rub into the chicken fillets. Heat the oil and fry the chicken until nicely browned. Remove and set aside.
Add the apples and onions to the pan and fry for two minutes. Sprinkle over the flour. Add the remaining thyme, cider and cranberries and bring to a simmer.
Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Serve with rice or mashed potato.
PORK ROAST WITH PEARS
Serves 6
15ml chopped garlic
grated rind of 1 lemon
10ml ground coriander
15ml fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper
250ml verjuice
1kg smoked pork loin roast
10 pitted prunes
2 red onions, sliced into wedges
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
160ml chicken stock
3 – 4pears, quartered and cored
Combine the garlic, lemon rind, coriander, thyme, seasoning and verjuice and mix. Put the pork into a non-metallic dish, add the prunes, pour over the verjuice and leave to marinate for a few hours or overnight.
Remove the pork and place it in a roasting pan. Add the marinade and prunes as well as the onions, carrots and stock. Roast at 180°C for an hour. Remove from the oven, add the pears and return to the oven for another 30 minutes until pears are soft. Remove and rest the meat, covered with foil, for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the vegetables and prunes and the pan juices.
CHOCOLATE PEAR CAKE
Serves 4
250g butter, softened
250ml castor sugar
4 eggs
10ml vanilla essence
400ml flour
10ml baking powder
125ml cocoa powder
80ml buttermilk
2 pears, peeled, cored and diced
50g skinned hazelnuts, chopped
Icing
100g dark chocolate
60ml cream
extra hazelnuts for decorating
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla essence.
Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa and add to the creamed mixture.
Add the buttermilk and mix to form a thick batter.
Fold in the pears and hazelnuts. Spoon the mixture into a well-greased 23cm ring pan and bake at 180°C for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Remove and cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out.
When cool, pour over the chocolate icing and decorate with extra hazelnuts.
ICING: In a bowl, combine chocolate and cream and melt in the microwave on 50 percent power for two minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly.
BAKED APPLE PUDDING
Serves 6
3 small apples, peeled and cored
30ml lemon juice
castor sugar, for sprinkling
150g butter, softened
125ml castor sugar
2 eggs
5ml vanilla essence
375ml self-raising flour
80ml milk
125ml toasted desiccated coconut
custard for serving
Cut an apple in half. Slice each half into wedges and place them into a ramekin. Do the same with the remaining apples. Add a little lemon juice to each apple and sprinkle each with some castor sugar. To prepare the batter, cream the butter and 125ml castor sugar well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
Mix in the flour and milk and, lastly, mix in the coconut. Divide the mixture between the apple-filled ramekins and bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes until the batter is cooked.
Remove and serve with custard.
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Angela Day, Saturday Star