Angela Day
If you haven’t yet decided on a gift for Mother’s Day, a beautifully styled and photographed recipe book will make the ideal gift and be sure to find a favourite spot in any mother’s kitchen.
Cape Town-based food stylist Sam Linsell has a natural flair for making her recipes look mouth-watering and this comes through strongly in her cookbook Sweet.
She is the author of the award-winning blog Drizzle & Dip, which has given her plenty of practice and material for the book – which is filled with inspiring recipes and illustrations.
I really like the way the book is divided into chapters themed around some of her favourite ingredients. Vanilla, caramel, chocolate, fruit and a chapter called “more sweet” for recipes not fitting into the latter chapters. What’s not to love?
Many of the recipes in the book are old classics, but Sam adds inspired twists, taking them to gourmet heights.
Basic vanilla biscuits are filled with a hidden chocolate centre, French toast is doused with Bailey’s liqueur, and the caramel chocolate sauce infused with rosemary and salt is inspired and truly delicious. White chocolate and rooibos tea fudge is another example of the quirky twist she puts on recipes.
From easy everyday recipes, like the quick scones with preserved figs, to a show-stopping berry meringue roulade, there is a sweet treat for every occasion in this book.
Sweet will definitely be my “go to” recipe book when I need inspiration and ideas for sweet treats to serve my family and friends.
Here are four recipes I tested:
ORANGE CAKE WITH ORANGE BUTTER CREAM
Makes 1 cake
250g butter
250g castor sugar
4 large free-range eggs
Zest of 2 oranges
5ml vanilla extract
280g self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
150ml milk
BUTTERCREAM ICING
390g icing sugar
100g butter, room temperature
5ml orange zest
45ml fresh orange juice
Freshly peeled orange zest, for decorating
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Grease and line two 22-23cm cake tins with baking paper.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and castor sugar for3 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, ensuring that each is fully incorporated before the next addition.
Add the orange zest and vanilla.
Continue to whip until mixture is light and fluffy.
Sift the flour and salt and add to the creamed butter alternately with the milk. Don’t overmix.
Divide the cake between the 2 tins and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tins before removing. Ice with buttercream icing.
ICING: Put the buttercream icing ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until pale and fluffy.
Use a third of the icing to sandwich the two cake layers together and the remainder to ice the top and sides.
Decorate with zested orange peel.
SPICY SALTED CARAMEL POPCORN
Makes 10-12 cups
125g corn kernels
10ml coconut oil
5ml ground cumin
5ml ground cinnamon
3ml paprika
5ml salt
2ml bicarbonate of soda
150g butter
200g sugar
30ml golden syrup
5ml vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 120°C.
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Make the popcorn.
Transfer to a large deep bowl. Mix all the spices and bicarbonate of soda together.
In a heavy-based pot bring the butter, sugar and syrup to the boil.
Continue to letit bubble, stirring continuously, until the mixture turns golden brown and reaches the hard crack stage at 150°C on a sugar thermometer.
Add the vanilla and spice mix and stir vigorously for a few seconds, then remove from the heat.
Pour the hot caramel over the popcorn and toss to coat.
Spread the caramel-covered popcorn evenly on the prepared baking tray and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and toss to ensure it’s evenly coated.
Return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, remove, toss again and leave to cool.
Once cool, break it up and store in an airtight container.
QUICK SCONES WITH PRESERVED FIGS
Makes 8
250g self-raising flour
a pinch of salt
10ml baking powder
60g butter, chilled
80g preserved figs, drained and chopped
1 large egg
90ml buttermilk, plus extra for brushing
Preheat oven to 220°C.
Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Put the flour, salt and baking powder into the bowl of a food processor and briefly process.
Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and mix in the chopped figs.
Lightly beat the egg with the buttermilk, then add this to the crumb mixture, mixing lightly until it starts to form a dough.
Tip onto a floured surface and pat into a circle about 3cm thick.
Using a very sharp knife dusted with flour, cut the dough into eight triangles.
Place the scones on the prepared baking tray and brush the tops (but not the sides) with buttermilk.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
Leave to cool on a cooling rack or serve while still warm with lots of butter.
CHOCOLATE WAFFLES WITH BOURBON BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE
Makes 6-8
WAFFLES
210g flour
60ml quality cocoa powder
10ml baking powder
3ml salt
30ml castor sugar
5ml vanilla extract
2 large eggs, separated
450ml milk
125ml sunflower oil
BOURBON BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE
60g butter
200g brown sugar
250ml cream
5ml vanilla extract
30ml bourbon
a pinch of sea salt flakes
WAFFLES: Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. In another bowl, combine all the wet ingredients, except the egg whites, and lightly whisk.
Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and lightly mix until you have a batter.
Gently fold in the beaten egg whites until just combined.
Heat a waffle iron and grease with non-stick cooking spray.
Cook the waffles until golden and done. Serve with the butterscotch sauce.
SAUCE: Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the sugar and allow this to cook for about 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
The sugar should be mostly dissolved and an amber colour. Add the cream and vanilla and stir continuously as the bubbles subside.
Continue to cook over a low heat for a few minutes. Remove and stir in the bourbon and salt.
Name: Sweet
Author: Sam Linsell
Publishers: Struik Lifestyle
Price: R250
The Star