This is for those of you who love both poppy seeds and chocolate! To make this cake first separate 4 eggs and with an electric mixer beat the yolks with 100g (3½ oz) of softened butter and 50g (1¾ oz) of icing sugar until thick and smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 100g of…… Continue reading flourless chocolate poppy seed cake
ginger chicken + vegetable stir-fry
Serve these two simple stir-fries with rice for a quick and delicious meal. This stir-fry was taught to me by a good friend and has only 4 ingredients: fresh ginger, sesame oil, chicken and oyster sauce. Cook shredded ginger briefly in a hot dry wok until fragrant. Next the sesame oil and then the diced chicken. When the chicken is…… Continue reading ginger chicken + vegetable stir-fry
smoked salmon and celeriac pie
I’ve made pies in various pie dishes, but a spring-form cake tin is by far the most successful. For this pie I used Maggie Beer’s wonderful recipe for sour cream pastry although I used light sour cream. You’ll find the recipe here. For the filling, I fried a large sliced onion and 2 diced cloves…… Continue reading smoked salmon and celeriac pie
sour cherry, ricotta, almond and polenta cake
This deliciously moist and buttery cake is neither too sweet nor too heavy to serve as a dessert. You will first need to drain a jar of Morello cherries. Scatter them in a greased and paper-lined spring-form cake tin. In a food processor or mixer combine 1 cup of ricotta cheese, 285 g (10 oz) of almond meal, ¾ of…… Continue reading sour cherry, ricotta, almond and polenta cake
cottage pie
This pie, made with minced beef, might also be described as stockman’s pie. Use lamb and it becomes a shepherd’s pie. Start by cooking the minced beef (600gm) with ½ a teaspoon of salt in a dry hot pan, breaking it up as it cooks and allowing all the moisture to come out. When the liquid…… Continue reading cottage pie
spicy grilled duck breast
This wonderfully aromatic and spicy grilled duck breast, which I served with a tomato rice and grilled asparagus, is based on a recipe from Bobby Flay’s ‘Boy Meets Grill’ . The skin on the duck breast is first lightly scored and then rubbed with a dry spice mix made of the following: 1 tablespoon of Spanish…… Continue reading spicy grilled duck breast
carrot cake
Here’s a wonderfully moist version of an old favourite. To make this cake, prepare 1½ cups of grated carrots and ½ a cup of roughly chopped walnuts. In a bowl combine 2 eggs, 1 cup of caster sugar, ¾ of a cup of vegetable oil, ½ a teaspoon of vanilla, 1 cup of sifted flour, 1 teaspoon of…… Continue reading carrot cake
roasted pumpkin soup
It’s winter here, the perfect time for soup! This one, based on a friend’s recipe, is a delicious deviation from the more usual pumpkin soups. First roast pieces of nice sweet pumpkin and whole onions (coated in a little olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper) in a moderate oven until they are soft.…… Continue reading roasted pumpkin soup
vegetarian curries
Another curry feast, this time vegetarian. This hard-boiled egg curry is adapted from a Reuben Solomon recipe. First, hard-boil 6 eggs and run cold water over them. For the sauce, heat ghee or vegetable oil and gently fry 2 onions, 3 cloves of garlic and a knob of ginger, all finely diced. When soft and starting…… Continue reading vegetarian curries
coconut cake
Wonderfully full of coconut, this was a fitting finish to an asian meal and might just be the easiest cake I’ve ever made! To make it, grab a bowl and add 1 cup of dessicated coconut, 1 cup of self-raising flour (or plain flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder), ¾ of a cup milk (or soy…… Continue reading coconut cake
michelle picker cooks 