Mint Chocolate Bars

Ingredients:

0.5 cup butter

0.5 cup white sugar

0.25 cup plus 2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1.5 tsp mint extract

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

0.25 cup cocoa

0.5 tsp baking soda

2 bars Cadbury mint chocolate

dusting of powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325F, and pre grease 8x8" baking pan.

Cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar using a hand mixer. When properly integrated, add in the vanilla, egg, and mint extract. Combine.

In a separate bowl whisk together the cocoa, flour, baking soda.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix. Pour into the baking pan.

Cut the chocolate into 2cm x 2cm pieces, and press into the batter at the center of each piece. Crush remaining chocolate into slivers and sprinkle on top.


Bake for about 25-30 mins (careful not to overcook), and remove. Allow to cool, then cut into 9 squares. Once completely cool, dust with icing sugar.

Mango Chili Chicken Skewers

Ingredients:
3 not-quite-ripe mangos
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 limes
3 tbsps olive oil
0.25 cups lime fresh squeezed lime juice
lime zest from 1 lime
1 tsp chili powder
0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
0.5 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar

Peel the mangoes and cut them into cubes. Do the same with the chicken. No need to peel first.

Wilde Oscar says: Keep in mind that when cooked the mangoes will become a bit soft and likely slide off your skewers if you cut them too small, or if they're too ripe. Go with the pale firm ones, not like the ones in the pictures. A bit of crunch goes a long way.

In a bowl, mix the olive oil, lime juice, zest, chili powder, cayenne, salt and sugar. Add the chicken and mangoes and mix well. Allow to marinate in the fridge for several hours, possibly overnight. If you find the chicken lacking a kick, it's likely because you havent allowed the pieces to marinate long enough.

When ready, grab some skewers and throw the pieces on, alternating.

Heat up your barbeque to medium heat and place the skewers on. You should only have to flip once, cooking for about 6 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Works better if you can close the lid on the BBQ.

Wilde Oscar says: if you have some pitas lying around, throw them onto the grill and serve with tzatziki sauce. hmm- latin america meets greece, meets iran. globalization. yum.

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients


For the Cake:


0.5 cup shortening
1-2 tbsp butter
1.5 cups sugar
2 eggs
2.5 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 30 ml bottle red food coloring
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar


For the Frosting:

250 g pack cream cheese

250 g Mascarpone cheese

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup icing sugar, sifted

1.5 cups heavy whipping cream

Start with the ingredients for the cake. Grease and flour two 9 inch pans and set aside.


Using a hand mixer or processor, cream together the shortening, butter and sugar. Add in eggs one at a time, and mix well.


Sift the flour two to three times. Add into the cake mix, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix continuously until fully integrated. Add in the vanilla extract.


In a separate bowl, mix the cocoa and food colouring. Add the full 30 ml bottle, then add 30mls water. Whisk until smooth.


Mix colouring/cocoa mix into red velvet cake batter until fully integrated.


In a separate bowl, mix the vinegar and baking soda. At this point, it'll fizzle and react. Once the baking soda has dissolved, fold into the cake batter. Separate the cake batter into the two lined cake pans, and slide into an oven preheated to 350F degrees.


Bake for ~25 mins. Insert a toothpick into center. If it comes out clean, cakes are ready. Remove from pans and allow to cool.


For the Frosting:


Using a hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and mascarpone until smooth. Add in the vanilla and icing sugar slowly until smooth. Use a whisk to mix the cream in. If necessary add more sugar until the right thickness is achieved for frosting. Place in fridge for at least an hour until fully cooled.


Layering:


Wilde Oscar says: If the two cakes are not perfectly flat, you may want to use a knife to even the tops and smooth out any imperfections, otherwise the layered cake may end up looking like the leaning tower of pisa.



Place the first cake on serving platter, and add a thick layer of frosting on top (~3/4 cm thick). Place the second cake on top. Liberally add icing along edges and sides. Garnish with shredded chocolate.

Rasberry Peach Cobbler

Wilde Oscar says: It's been said that both vanilla and cinnamon act as natural aphrodisiacs- this dessert has them both. Should the two of you happen to find yourself with a kid in nine months time, perhaps you'll consider naming him Oscar. 


Ingredients

For the pastry:
225 grams unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

For the filling:
5-8 peaches, skinned (or nectarines or white nectarines)
2 large hand fulls raspberries
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the Icing:
1 cup icing sugar
2-3 tbsps cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Use a mixer to mix the butter and sugar. When creamed, add in one egg at a time and mix on low. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts. Add in the flour and salt and mix until dough is light and fluffy.

Peel the peaches and slice them thinly. In a bowl, mix with the cinnamon and brown sugar until peaches are coated. Add in the raspberries and mix gently so you don't completely mush them.

Wilde Oscar says: Be creative- if you've got white nectarines or strawberries or anything else that would go in well, feel free to mix them in. Whatever fresh fruit is in season, go for it.

Use a 9x13 inch baking pan lined with cooking spray. Add about 60% of the pastry mix and spread evenly across the bottom of the pan. Spread the filling on top making sure the raspberries and peaches are distributed evenly throughout the pan. Use the remaining bit of dough to cover the filling in splotches. Sprinkle brown sugar on top and place in an oven preheated at 180C. Allow to cook for 30-35 mins until golden brown on top.

Meanwhile, whisk together the ingredients for the icing. When the cobbler is cooked, remove from oven and drizzle half the icing mix on while still hot. Allow to cool. Slice into bars and add the remaining icing on top. Add more icing sugar to the mix if necessary for a thicker consistency.