Johannesburg - Angela Day shares some very tasty, cheesy recipes to get your through the weekend.
BEETROOT AND GOAT’S CHEESE FRITTERS
Makes about 20
2-3 medium beetroot, about 350g
1 red onion
salt and pepper
250ml self-raising flour
1 egg
125ml milk
150g goat’s cheese
oil, for frying
smoked trout, sliced, for garnish
mustard dressing, for garnish lime wedges, for serving
Scrub the beetroot thoroughly, and then grate coarsely. Peel and grate the onion and add to the beetroot. Season with salt and pepper, and then add the flour.
Whisk the egg and milk and add to beetroot. Mix well. Crumble in the goat’s cheese and mix gently.
Heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan. Carefully drop generous spoonfuls of mixture into the oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until just starting to crisp. Turn and cook the other side.
Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Repeat until all the batter is finished. Divide the smoked trout slices among the fritters. Spoon over some dressing and serve with lime wedges.
THREE CHEESE TRIANGLES
Makes 16
200g ricotta cheese
250ml grated Cheddar cheese
120g feta cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper
60ml chopped fresh mint
2 eggs, beaten
8 sheets of phyllo pastry
80g butter melted
Combine the cheeses, seasoning, mint and eggs and mix well. Place a sheet of phyllo pastry on your work surface. Brush with melted butter. Top with another sheet of pastry. Cut the sheet into four equal strips. Place a spoonful of filling at the base of the strips and fold over diagonally to enclose the filling. Keep folding until you reach the top, brushing with butter as you fold. Place on a baking tray. Repeat with remaining pastry until all the filling has been used. Bake the triangles at 180ºC for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.
Raspberry Ripple CheeseCake
Serves 12-14
150g raspberries
60ml castor sugar
200g packet of digestive biscuits, crushed
100g butter, melted
500g thick cream cheese
385g can of condensed milk
125ml fresh lemon juice
20ml gelatine
60ml water
250ml cream, whipped
Put the raspberries and castor sugar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Mix the crushed biscuits and melted butter together and press into a 24cm spring-form cake pan. Place in the fridge to set.
Beat together the cream cheese, condensed milk and lemon juice until smooth. Sprinkle the gelatine over the water to sponge it, then heat in the microwave for 10 seconds until runny.
Add it to the cream cheese mixture while beating. Fold in the whipped cream and transfer the mixture to the prepared biscuit base. Drizzle over the raspberry sauce and use a spatula to swirl it in.
Refrigerate for four hours, or overnight to set. Top with frosted raspberries to serve.
CHEESY HERB ROLLS WITH BAKED BRIE
Serves 10-12
ROLLS
4x 250ml (4 cups) cake flour
10ml salt
15ml sugar
10g packet of instant yeast
60ml chopped mixed herbs (chives, parsley, dill, thyme)
45ml olive oil
400-500ml warm water
100g Mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes
egg for glazing
sesame seeds
BRIE
1 Brie cheese in a cardboard container
grated lemon rind
grated orange rind
15ml chopped rosemary
30ml white wine
ROLLS: Combine the flour, salt, sugar, yeast and herbs in a bowl. Add the olive oil and enough warm water to make a dough that is soft but not sticky. Knead well until smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in an oiled plastic bag and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Remove and knead gently.
Divide the dough into 24 pieces. Press a cube of cheese into the middle of each and roll into a ball.
Place the empty cardboard holder for the cheese in the middle of the lined baking tray.
Arrange the dough balls around the holder in two rows. Cover and leave to rise for 20 minutes. Brush the balls with beaten egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake at 180°C for 20 minutes. Remove and place the Brie into the holder.
Pierce the cheese with a fork and sprinkle over the rinds, rosemary and wine. Return to the oven and bake until the rolls are golden and the cheese is warm and bubbling. Serve immediately.
ANGELA DAY
l For household queries, recipes and tips, call The Angela Day Helpline at 011 836 7181 from 8.30am to 12.30pm weekdays, or e-mail Janice at [email protected].
l For cooking courses at The Angela Day Kitchen, see www.angeladay.co.za.
l Follow us on Twitter @verveangeladay
l More Angela Day in The Star, Mondays and Thursdays.