The Gastronomic Delights thread

[DavyH]

Thanks @Intuthu Kagesi for the title suggestion!

Recipes, pics, cooking tips all welcome. Bonus points for making dinner taste like your ADV (or, indeed, making your ADV taste like dinner).

I'll kick off:

Christmas dinner was the hot topic that led to the creation of this thread. With turkey being removed from Woolworths shelves, the range of traditional meals has shrunk somewhat. Gammon - which is only the uncooked form - being the most likely. It's better than that bag of sawdust and sinew that passes as an edible bird in any event.

Couldn't be simpler. Give the gammon a quick rinse and chuck it in a pot. Add a 1 1/2l bottle of Coke or similar cola drink (or two bottles if it's a giant ham). Top up with water, add a few peppercorns and a couple of bayleaves. Bring to the boil, reduce to a low simmer for 20 min per 450g and a further 20 min at the end.

I've tried all sorts of boiling liquids and fizzy cola seems to keep the ham moister with a sweet edge that goes so well with pork.

Glaze if you must, but sticking a fully cooked piece of meat in an oven always strikes me as being counterintuitive. I stopped doing it years ago.

Top tip: hit the stores on Boxing Day for half-price gammon. We usually have some in the freezer until at least Easter.

 

[Stranger]

Nice one

Take six sausages and take the meat out of the skins. Mix with stuffing mix from Woolies and add in some honey. Wrap in foil like a xmas cracker and put in the Weber. I usually do my Gammon in the Weber and use a tin foil tray with water and aromatics. Later open the cracker and let the top brown.

Much better than stuffing it in the Turkey

 

[Intuthu Kagesi]

Sounds yummy
I do something similar, only that I use an acidic fruit juice, laced with treacle sugar to boil the gammon in, followed by the classic apricot jam, glace cherries and pineapple glaze done under a grill

As for the turkey ... and stuffing ... most people make a classic sage and onion stuffing, however by adding pecan nuts and pork sausage meat, you move it into another dimension, and ... I cook the turkey slooooooooooowly ... typically over some 10 hours,(dependant on weight), at 100 -120 deg C, using a large "horse syringe", and needle to suck up all the juices in the bottom of the pan and inject them back into the meat every hour or so ... with the final 5 mins spent under the grill

 

[Intuthu Kagesi]

Tart sized Reese's Peanut Butter Cup / A Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Tart

INGREDIENTS
For the peanut butter mousse
100 g cream cheese
140 g peanut butter
50 g castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
180 ml heavy cream, lightly whipped

For the milk chocolate ganache
90 g milk chocolate
70 g dark bittersweet chocolate
80 ml heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Sweet Peanut Butter Cookie Tart Crust
70 g All-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/16 teaspoon salt (erm … that’s one pinch)
55 g packed light brown sugar
25 g castor sugar
6 g unsalted butter cold, cut into cubes
135 g smooth peanut butter preferably at room temperature
1 small egg (whisk the egg lightly before adding)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Make the Tart Crust
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. In a mixing bowl, beat the sugars until well mixed. Add the softened butter and peanut butter and beat for several minutes on medium-high speed until very smooth and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl. Reduce sped to low and gradually beat in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Scrape the dough into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight

Press the dough evenly into the tart pan. (It is a little more challenging, but faster and neater to roll the dough out between sheets of plastic wrap to about 1/8 inch thickness. Remove one piece of plastic, invert the dough into the tart pan, and gently ease the edge of the dough inside the pan so that the sharp top surface does not cut it off.) Use a piece of plastic wrap to gently and evenly press the dough into the pan, pressing it against the sides. If the dough softens and sticks, refrigerate it until the plastic wrap doesn’t stick. If the dough tears, simply press it together or use the scraps to press into any empty areas.

Cover the tart pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 week

Bake the tart shell, (without weights), for +-10 mins in a preheated 180°C oven. It will puff at first and then settle down toward the end of baking. The sides will be soft but spring back when touched gently with a finger. Cool on a wire rack

Make the peanut butter mousse
In the bowl of a standing mixer, with a whisk beater, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar just until the mixture is uniform in colour. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla. Beat in 1/4 cup of the whipped cream just until it is incorporated.

With a large rubber spatula, fold in the rest of the whipped cream, mixing until the mixture is well blended but still airy.

Scrape the mousse into the sweet peanut butter cookie tart crust and smooth the surface so that it is level. Refrigerate the tart while preparing the ganache.

Make the ganache topping
Break the milk and bittersweet chocolates into several pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor fit with the metal blade. Process until the chocolate is very finely ground.

Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat or in a heatproof glass measure in the microwave. With the food processor’s motor running, pour the hot cream through the feed tube into the chocolate mixture. Process until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice, about 15 seconds. Add the vanilla and pulse a few times to incorporate it. Dump the ganache to a bowl. Cool to room temperature.

Assemble the tart
Pour the ganache over the peanut butter mousse in a circular motion, being careful so that it does not land too heavily in any one spot and cause a depression in the mousse. Using a small metal spatula, spread the ganache to the edges of the pastry, then spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of the tart. Refrigerate the tart for at least 2 hours to set, or up to 5 days. (You can wrap the tart well and freeze it for up to 3 months.)

EDIT:
@ivc_mixer ... Think you could you mix up a flavour to emulate this?

 

[DavyH]

Nice one

Take six sausages and take the meat out of the skins. Mix with stuffing mix from Woolies and add in some honey. Wrap in foil like a xmas cracker and put in the Weber. I usually do my Gammon in the Weber and use a tin foil tray with water and aromatics. Later open the cracker and let the top brown.

Much better than stuffing it in the Turkey

Now this looks good... Definitely giving it a bash.

 

[Stranger]

Brussels sprouts, bloody awful when just boiled ..... but

halve them, toss them in a little oil and garlic butter and either air fry them or on a tray in the oven. When done and still piping hot , cover with grated cheese. I like white cheddar. Bloody marvelous.

 

[Quintusson]

Tart sized Reese's Peanut Butter Cup / A Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Tart
View attachment 244152
INGREDIENTS
For the peanut butter mousse
100 g cream cheese
140 g peanut butter
50 g castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
180 ml heavy cream, lightly whipped

For the milk chocolate ganache
90 g milk chocolate
70 g dark bittersweet chocolate
80 ml heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Sweet Peanut Butter Cookie Tart Crust
70 g All-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/16 teaspoon salt (erm … that’s one pinch)
55 g packed light brown sugar
25 g castor sugar
6 g unsalted butter cold, cut into cubes
135 g smooth peanut butter preferably at room temperature
1 small egg (whisk the egg lightly before adding)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Make the Tart Crust
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. In a mixing bowl, beat the sugars until well mixed. Add the softened butter and peanut butter and beat for several minutes on medium-high speed until very smooth and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl. Reduce sped to low and gradually beat in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Scrape the dough into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight

Press the dough evenly into the tart pan. (It is a little more challenging, but faster and neater to roll the dough out between sheets of plastic wrap to about 1/8 inch thickness. Remove one piece of plastic, invert the dough into the tart pan, and gently ease the edge of the dough inside the pan so that the sharp top surface does not cut it off.) Use a piece of plastic wrap to gently and evenly press the dough into the pan, pressing it against the sides. If the dough softens and sticks, refrigerate it until the plastic wrap doesn’t stick. If the dough tears, simply press it together or use the scraps to press into any empty areas.

Cover the tart pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 week

Bake the tart shell, (without weights), for +-10 mins in a preheated 180°C oven. It will puff at first and then settle down toward the end of baking. The sides will be soft but spring back when touched gently with a finger. Cool on a wire rack

Make the peanut butter mousse
In the bowl of a standing mixer, with a whisk beater, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar just until the mixture is uniform in colour. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla. Beat in 1/4 cup of the whipped cream just until it is incorporated.

With a large rubber spatula, fold in the rest of the whipped cream, mixing until the mixture is well blended but still airy.

Scrape the mousse into the sweet peanut butter cookie tart crust and smooth the surface so that it is level. Refrigerate the tart while preparing the ganache.

Make the ganache topping
Break the milk and bittersweet chocolates into several pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor fit with the metal blade. Process until the chocolate is very finely ground.

Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat or in a heatproof glass measure in the microwave. With the food processor’s motor running, pour the hot cream through the feed tube into the chocolate mixture. Process until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice, about 15 seconds. Add the vanilla and pulse a few times to incorporate it. Dump the ganache to a bowl. Cool to room temperature.

Assemble the tart
Pour the ganache over the peanut butter mousse in a circular motion, being careful so that it does not land too heavily in any one spot and cause a depression in the mousse. Using a small metal spatula, spread the ganache to the edges of the pastry, then spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of the tart. Refrigerate the tart for at least 2 hours to set, or up to 5 days. (You can wrap the tart well and freeze it for up to 3 months.)

EDIT:
@ivc_mixer ... Think you could you mix up a flavour to emulate this?

For some funny reason I never got this tag. Very interesting. Will definitely give the recipe and try and see what I can do juice-wise as well

 

[Quintusson]

Cheeky Chocolate Mousse

I had to look this one up in my recipe book as I have not made it in a very long time.
Ingredients:
125gr dark chocolate (I've tried Lindt, but it's just too bitter, I prefer Cadbury's Bournville)
3 medium size eggs (or 2 extra large)
10gr butter (not margarine, for the love of all things holy, not margarine)
125ml double cream
30gr sugar (Recipe calls for castor sugar but I'm not that fancy so I use brown sugar)
1-2tsp Douwe Egberts coffee OR 1 tot KWV brandy (you can probably add both but I've always made two batches, one with each)

Slowly melt the chocolate in a pan, stirring constantly. Do not hasten this as you do not want it to burn.
Separate the egg whites and yellows and beat the egg whites with the sugar until it forms soft peaks (not hard)
Beat the cream also into soft peaks (not with your fists, on both these; if you're going to use brandy, whip the cream a bit more)
Folds the egg yolks (yellow) into the cream (don't just toss it in and beat it, add it slowly)
Add the cream and yolk mix to the melted chocolate bit by bit and mix while doing so
Add the coffee or brandy to the mixture
Fold the egg white mixture into the chocolate cream mixture - very important that it needs to be folded in and not just add and stir as you will then have a big bowl of liquid chocolate
Put in smaller bowls and put it in the fridge for a few hours to set

I don't garnish with mint leaves or such stuff to make it look pretty, I'm not a restaurant. For me the proof is (quite literally) in the pudding. A bit of whipped cream (those from the cans with the nozzles) on top is quite nice though, but not too much.

 

[Stranger]

Take one bottle of Amereto
/ into 3
Stuff bottle with any chocolate you like
Stand in a bowl of hot water
Pour into shot glasses

Give to women only stand back and do the tongue judging.

 

[Quintusson]

If you have not tried this in your coffee, you're missing out! Suki French Vanilla Sweetener. This stuff is seriously delicious! Not like the Canderel Vanilla where you have to add like 4 bags to get a slight hint of vanilla (and by then your coffee is WAY too sweet as well, especially for someone who drinks half a spoon of sugar). Just bought another 6 boxes (yes, six, as I am petrified I might run out) from KosherWorld (online order via email: orders@kosherworld.co.za, R60 a box). They also have a caramel and a hazelnut variant and then the normal sweetener as well. Tried the hazelnut and caramel and they're very good as well but I prefer this one. As for the plain sweetener, no idea as I prefer erythritol. And as it's a xylitol blend, it's diabetic friendly, score!

Do yourself a favour, try this!

 

[Intuthu Kagesi]

If you have not tried this in your coffee, you're missing out! Suki French Vanilla Sweetener. This stuff is seriously delicious! Not like the Canderel Vanilla where you have to add like 4 bags to get a slight hint of vanilla (and by then your coffee is WAY too sweet as well, especially for someone who drinks half a spoon of sugar). Just bought another 6 boxes (yes, six, as I am petrified I might run out) from KosherWorld (online order via email: orders@kosherworld.co.za, R60 a box). They also have a caramel and a hazelnut variant and then the normal sweetener as well. Tried the hazelnut and caramel and they're very good as well but I prefer this one. As for the plain sweetener, no idea as I prefer erythritol. And as it's a xylitol blend, it's diabetic friendly, score!

Do yourself a favour, try this!

View attachment 254886

After reading your post, decided to try adding a single drop of caramel concentrate to a cappuccino ... and suddenly the ol' Clyrolinx flavour bottles make sense

 

[DarthBranMuffin]

Egg, cheese & chicken vienna muffins... breakfast is served!

 

[Intuthu Kagesi]

Egg, cheese & chicken vienna muffins... breakfast is served!

View attachment 260901

Lemon Meringue, Pecan Pie and Sourdough bread on this side

 

[DarthBranMuffin]

Breakfast..... scrambled egg, chicken vienna, tomato and cheese filled, pan fried quesadillas...

 

[Rob Fisher]

Marrow Bones on toast for the win!

 

[DavyH]

Marrow Bones on toast for the win!
View attachment 266984

Sheer hedonism! Your cardiologist must love you!

Also, I'm jealous...

 

[Intuthu Kagesi]

 

[Intuthu Kagesi]

OLD FASHIONED ROMANY CREAMS (Before Bakers got shnoep with the Dairy and Coconut)

Ingredients
500 grams of butter @ room temperature
1 cup of caster sugar
1/4 cup of icing sugar
1/4 cup of oil, (or butter for "richer" biscuits)
1 egg
1 tablespoon of vanilla essence
4 cups of cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
125 grams of cocoa powder
2 cups of medium desiccated coconut .
500 grams Cadbury's Milk Chocolate, melted in a bowl in a microwave for 1 - 2 minutes.

Method
In a large bowl w with electric mixer, butter, oil, icing sugar and caster sugar till light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes . Next , add the egg and vanilla essence and mix for a minute - now add all the dry ingredients and mix by hand to form a soft dough. Cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Roll out dough on a well floured surface and ensure that your rolling pin is floured as well or simply place some cling film or wax paper over dough and roll out . Take a fork and run lightly over dough , scraping to form the "rugged" look . Cut out shapes

with 1 1/2"cookie cutter and place on a baking sheet, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes .

When cooled turn the biscuits up side down , so if you baked 50 biscuits , only turn around 25 biscuits . Allow the melted chocolate to cool down for 10 to 15 minutes. Spoon the chocolate on top of the biscuit and wait for the chocolate to half set a bit before lightly placing the top biscuit . Press gently .

Allow Chocolate to set and pack away in a air tight container till ready to devour

Tip - Make a strawberry infused Romany Cream biscuit by adding Strawberry Lindt chocolate

 

[Viper_SA]

Made this today:




My very first ever try at making my own chilli sauce, and I love Jamie, so here it is...

 

[Hooked]

Made this today:




My very first ever try at making my own chilli sauce, and I love Jamie, so here it is...

View attachment 282088

@Viper_SA Wish you lived near me!!

 

[Viper_SA]

@Viper_SA Wish you lived near me!!

Forgot to mention I used Jalepenos as my chillies. The rest are exactly the same.

 

[Viper_SA]

Coming along nicely.... Can't wait