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.

Leek Soup

Ingredients

4 stalks of leeks
1.5 chicken boullion cubes
1.5 tbsps flour
2.5-3.5 cups water
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

This is a remarkably simple but damn good soup.

Wash the leeks thoroughly, and slice each stalk lengthwise. Chop them up as best you can, starting from the root- stop when you reach the green part at the top.

Add the butter to a preheated saucepan, and throw on the leeks. Sautee at low heat until cooked through and soft (about 5 mins). Toss into a blender, add the bouillion cubes, and flour to thicken. Add water as necessary for desired consistency. Liquify.

Pour the soup back into a saucepan to reheat. Allow the soup to come to a boil (about 5 mins). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Wilde Oscar says: You can steam potatoes and added them while blending to turn this into a leek and potato soup if that's more your taste.

Orange Almond Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:
0.5 cup sugar
1 tbsp orange zest
0.5 cup butter, softened
1 egg yolk
0.33 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp orange juice
1.25 cups flour
0.5 cup ground almonds
0.25 tsp baking soda
0.25 tsp salt
0.5-0.75 cup chocolate (chopped)


In a bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl use a spatula to cream together the butter, sugar, and orange zest. Mix in the egg yolk, almond extract and orange juice.

Mix the dry ingredients into the bowl with the egg mix and blend until the flour is fully integrated. Add in the chopped chocolate and mix some more until you have an appropriate doughy consistency.

Spoon out 1 tbsp sized servings onto a cooking spray lined baking tin, and place in an oven preheated to 160C. Bake for 10-15 minutes until cookies are lightly golden brown. At this point the cookies will be a bit puffy and non-uniform. Remove from the oven and use a spatula to evenly apply pressure across the surface while the cookies are still hot.

Place on a wire rack to cool. Serve with cold milk.

Salmon en Papillon with Asparagus

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless pieces of fish (salmon in this case though this method is great for a white fish too. Salmon is better seared, white fish steamed)
3-4 small red potatoes
1 lb asparagus
2-3 carrots
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tbsp lemon peel
2 tsps minced garlic
0.5 tsp seasoned salt
0.5 tsp pepper
1 tsp tarragon leaves
1 roll parchment paper
4 lemon slices

Wilde Oscar says: Parchment paper is not the same as wax paper. The former is safe for the oven, the latter will burn your house down 5 alarm style.

Mix the olive oil, terragon, lemon peel, garlic and salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Slice your skinless boneless fish into desired individual serving sizes.

Skin the carrots, and slice them lengthwise so you have strips of the same length as the asparagus.

Cut the potatoes into quarters or sixths (leave the skin on) and steam in a pot of water for a few minutes until halfway cooked.

Tear the parchment paper into 4 large squares, each about 40cm in length.

Fold the parchment paper in half, and place 1/4 of the asparagus and carrot slices onto each sheet. Place the fish on top of the vegetables, and baste liberally with the olive oil mix. Top with lemon slice. Add a few of the steamed potatoes to the parchment.

Wilde Oscar says: the longer you allow the fish to marinate in this mix, the better.  4 hours is ideal, though overnight is even better

Fold the parchment paper carefully along the edges until the packet is fully sealed. Use a knife to cut a few small slits in the top of each packet to allow steam to escape in the cooking process.

Repeat for each of the 3 remaining packets.

Place the 4 sealed packs on a cooking tray, and allow to cook for ~15 mins.

Wilde Oscar says: Instead of using the parchment in the oven method, you can sear the fish on a skillet too- it comes out with a nice lightly brown crust if seared gently. But don't over do it! Fish should never be overcooked. This is actually my preferred method, it comes out with a better colour than the parchment method.

Cookie Topped Brownies

*Heard these have been a hit before. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

For the Brownies:
90 grams bitter sweet chocolate
45 grams unsweetened chocolate
1 stick butter
0.8 cups sugar
2 large eggs
0.25 tsp salt
0.25 tsp vanilla
0.5 cup flour
0.66 cup chopped walnuts

For the Cookie Topping:
0.6 cups flour
0.25 tsp baking soda
0.25 tsp salt
0.75 stick butter
0.5 cup brown sugar
0.33 cup sugar
1 large egg
0.5 tsp vanilla
0.5 cup milk chocolate chips

Make the Brownies:
Preheat the oven at 350C. Chop the two types of chocolate and butter into small chunks and heat in a metal bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until smooth.

In a mixer mix the sugar and eggs until smooth. Add in the vanilla and salt. On a low speed, add in the melted chocolate until integrated. Add in flour and mix gently until incorporated. Fold in walnuts. Pour into small greased baking pan (8x8).

Wilde Oscar says: If you place the brownies in the fridge while you make the cookie dough, you'll be able to ensure the two layers stay separate better.

Prepare cookie dough:
In a bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking powder together.
In the food processor, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add in the egg. Mix and add in the vanilla. Add in the dry ingredients until batter is smooth. Add in chocolate chips.

Remove brownie mix from the fridge and spoon on the chocolate chip mix. Use a spatula to carefully spread the cookie dough smoothly over the whole pan, but be careful not to let the cookie dough mix into the brownie mix. It should sit on top.

Place in oven for ~30-40 mins. To check if cooked, stick with knife- when it comes out clean, you're done. Cut into squares, grab some milk and loosen your belt.

Lemon Cake with Citrus Glaze and Blueberry Sauce

Ingredients

Glaze
1.5 cups icing sugar
0.5 fresh lemon

Cake:
1/3 cup cornmeal
1.5 cups flour
0.75 cups sugar (with the glaze and sauce this cake is quite sweet, you may want to use a bit less sugar here)
3.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
2.5 eggs (yes, 2.5)
1 tablespoon lemon peel
1 tsp vanilla
0.5 cup unsalted butter

Blueberry Sauce:
2 cups blueberry
0.5 cup brown sugar
2 tsps lemon juice
0.5 tsp lemon peel
0.25 tsp salt


In a bowl add about 4 tablespoons of juice from the lemon to the icing sugar and mix. Add as much lemon juice as necessary to get the icing sugar into a nice glaze. But don't add too much- it should be fairly thick and not at all runny- somewhere in between liquid and solid. Set aside.


Mix the dry cake ingredients (cornmeal, salt, flour, baking powder and sugar) in one bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat well. Use a grater to collect the lemon peel (finely shredded), and add one tablespoon to the mix. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, and add the melted butter. Do not beat together vigourously or you'll get lumps. Instead, use a spatula to gently integrate the two.

Pour the batter into a 2" deep circular cake pan of about 9" in diameter. Place in the oven (preheated to 350F). Bake for 20-30 mins until cooked through the center. Be absoloutely certain the center is properly cooked, but do so without burning the sides.

When cooked, gently remove the cake from the pan and place it rightside up on a wire rack. While the cake is still hot, add the glaze to the top. As the glaze melts you should be able to easily spread it around the top of the cake. Some of it will delightfully drip down the sides.

To make the blueberry sauce, add heat a cup of blueberrys to the brown sugar on a saucepan over medium heat. Throw in the salt, lemon juice and lemon peel. In about 5 mins the sugar should dissolve completely and the blueberrys should have softened into a purple mess. Add the other cup of blueberrys and let the mix simmer until you get the desired sauce consistency.

You can cool and reheat the sauce as desired. When ready to serve, pour over individual slice of cake. Some people find the sauce to add a bit too much sugar- the glazed cake is pretty good without the sauce.

Irio [Kenya]

Ingredients

3-4 medium white potatoes
2.5 cups fresh spinach
1 cup cooked sweet corn
0.33 cup peas
0.5 tsp minced garlic
3 tsp butter
salt to taste
a splash of milk

This is a great side straight from Kenya. It's basically the mashed potatoes and vegetables you find sitting next to a steak, all mixed together. With a touch of magic or something. It works beautifully.

Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes, and toss into a saucepan of boiling water. Let them sit until the potatoes are fully cooked and very soft.

Separately add the peas to a pot of water so the water just covers the peas. Boil until most of the water evaporates, then throw on the finely chopped spinach over low heat. Add in the minced garlic and one teaspoon of butter, and allow the spinach to cook until soft. This will take less than a minute.

When ready, add the potatoes to the saucepan and mash the potatoes, peas, and spinach together. Add the butter, salt and milk as necessary. When done, throw in the corn and mix well.

Irio is a Kenyan form of mashed potatoes, traditional among the Kikuyu. Irio is a staple, and quite literally means "food". There are lots of variations, some using pumpkin leaves instead of spinach, some using lima beans, some without milk, some with chicken broth. This is how I remember it- lots of butter, easy on the peas.

Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake With Chocolate Crumb Base

Ingredients:

For the Base:
1.25 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
2.5 tablespoons sugar
0.25 cup butter, melted

For the Filling:
3 x 250 gram packs of cream cheese
0.5 - 0.75 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

2.25 cups white chocolate
0.5 cup half and half cream

For the Rasberry Swirl
2 packs of fresh raspberries
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp sugar
0.5 cup water

To make the base, mix the crumbs, butter, and sugar together. Combine well. Press the filling into the base of a standard nine inch cheesecake pan (removable sides).

Meanwhile, add the raspberries, cornstarch, sugar and water into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Use a spoon to smush the raspberries fully. Allow the sauce to sit for 5 mins on a high heat so as much liquid can be extracted from the fruit as possible. Use a strainer to strain and remove the seeds.

Heat a saucepan of water on the stove until simmering. Add white chocolate and cream to a metal bowl (or smaller saucepan) and place the bowl in the saucepan of hot water until the chocolate has melted. Mix well until you have a white chocolate sauce. Do not allow any water to seep in, or the oil and chocolate will separate.

In a mixer, add the cheese and sugar. Mix. Mix in one egg at a time, mixing in between.

Wilde Oscar says: Be sure to count the egg shells when you're done- if you have 5 halves instead of 6, your cake will have a little extra crunch. Gotta roll with it, perhaps you could introduce it as "mystery cheesecake", "lucky-surprise cheesecake", or "crunchy cheesecake"... anything really, aside from "Screwed-up-and-dropped-a-shell-in cheesecake". After all marketing is everything.

Add in vanilla and 3/4 of the white chocolate sauce. Combine until filling is smooth. Pour half of the filling into the crust. Add 3tsps of the raspberry sauce, then add the remaining filling. Add another three tsps of raspberry sauce to the top, and use a toothpick to create swirls.

Place in oven preheated at 180C for 50-60 mins. Remove, allow to cool, and place in fridge to set for at least 8 hours.

Slice, and drizzle remaining raspberry sauce and white chocolate on top of slices.