Q: I was recently at Wickedfood where we made a fantastic cheesecake, I wanted to know is it possible to replace the lemon and orange zest and juice with other flavours such as chocolate especially white chocolate?

A: Yes definitely, cheesecakes are fantastic dessert’s or high tea snacks and are  really easy to make (with a fridge cheesecake being the easiest as apposed to a baked one.) There are really no limitations to making cheese cake find a recipe that works well for you and then try replacing the flavourents ie: orange zest, lemon zest, berries etc…with flavours of your choice.

On Sunday the 28th June Wickedfood Cooking School will be teaching an “all you need to know” class on chocolate where we will be doing: Chocolate cakes, glazes, Chocolate truffles, biscuits, chocolate brownies and chocolate mousse.

Here is a recipe for one of the most decadent fridge cheesecakes around. The mixture is ideal for a 28cm spring form pan. Serve as a dessert, with a nice acidic berry coulis, or each wedge, drizzled with passion fruit pulp, which will cut through the sweetness.

Base
200g tennis biscuits, crumbed
125g butter, melted

Filling
500g white cooking chocolate
250ml cream
250g cream cheese
250g mascarpone cheese
1 lemon, the rind and juice of (optional)

Garnish
Berry coulis or passion fruit pulp

Base
1.    Mix together the crumbed biscuits and melted butter. Press the biscuits melted butter mixture into the base of a 28cm spring form tin. Place in the fridge and allow to chill.

Filling
2.    Place the chocolate and cream in a bowl and then melt the chocolate by either placing the bowl on top of hot water, or in the microwave at 30 second intervals on full power, stirring between intervals (do not allow the mixture to come to the boil).

3.    Once the chocolate has melted, allow the mixture to cool slightly and then whisk in the cream cheese, mascarpone and lemon, if using, until smooth and well blended.

4.    Pour the mixture over the biscuit base and place back in the fridge to set overnight.

Serve
5.    Serve each slice of cake, drizzled with berry coulis or passion fruit pulp.

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking School Johannesburg runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Q: Is making halva possible in a home kitchen? If so, could you provide a recipe? Many Thanks.

A: Yes it possible and it is not so hard actually, the two main types of halva are semolina based (popular in Iran, Turkey, Somalia, India, and Afghanistan) and tahini (sesame paste) based (popular in eastern Mediterranean and Balkan regions, in countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Russia, Greece Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Macedonia, Albania, Syria, Central Asia, Caucasus region and Turkey). Their are also halva’s made with other ingredients such as sunflower seeds, various nuts lentils, beans and vegetables like carrots and pumpkins.

425ml pint whole milk
3 T rosewater
1 vanilla pod, split/ 1T vanilla essance
1 t ground cardamom seeds
4 T caster sugar
125g coarse semolina
50g sultanas
1-3 T butter

optional 1t of the following-chocolate slivers, pecan nuts, dried apricots, dates (nearly anything that you enjoy)

1. Heat the milk, rosewater, vanilla pod, ground cardomom seeds and caster sugar in a pan over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the semolina and sultanas and cook, whisking continuously, for 5-10 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. Remove from the heat and discard the vanilla pod (if using).
3. Spoon the mixture into a deep baking tray. Set aside and allow to cool. once cooled place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, or until set will make it easier to slice).
4. Cut the halva into squares.
5. Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. once hot and sizzeling add the halva squares and fry for 2-3 minutes, turning once, or until golden-brown on both sides.

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Boksburg – (011) 823-5365 boksburg@wickedfood.co.za

Runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Q: My pancakes seem to come out a bit chewy rather than soft and fluffy. Can you make any suggestions

A: Wickedfood Cooking School uses the following recipe in our teambuilding cooking classes, which is simple and easy to make and doesn’t require you to leave it over night as most recipes call for.

110g plain flour (not quite 1 cup)
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs
§135ml milk
135ml water
2T melted butter
1t sugar
Oil for frying

1. Sieve flour and salt from high (to air) into large mixing bowl.
2. Make a well in the center and break the eggs into the well, now start to beat eggs, drawing flour from the edges, and start to add the liquid gradually.
3. Ensure you have combined all flour with the liquid then whisk once more till it is smooth and has a consistency of thin cream (add more milk if needed)  and allow to rest for ± 30 minutes.
4. Heat a small nonstick frying pan until hot (but not smoking) and add ±2T oil.
5. Wipe away the excess oil with a piece of paper towel and then keep to one side as you will need it to  grease the pan in between pancakes.
6. Switch you pan down to a medium heat and pour just enough batter to line the base of your pan.
7. Once the pancake begins to left around the edges it can be flipped over and cooked on the other side 30 sec-1min (dont over cook as this will cause the pancakes to crack).
8. turn out the pan and grease with paper towel and repeat steps 6 and 7
9. once ready pancakes can be eating with any filling you like or stack them with a piece of grease-proof paper in between each layer and allow to cool and freeze

Tip: For the best results use a non-stick teflon coated pan that has short side walls.

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood cooking school runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

On a recent trip to France to find inspiration for our French cooking classes and teambuilding cooking classes, the Wickedfood cooking school team discovered this mouthwatering desert at Le Gué du Holme.

1 bottle good quality medium-bodied dry red wine (Saumur is used in France)
1 1/4 cup (250g) sugar
1 vanilla pod cut in half
1 stick of cinnamon
6 leaves of fresh mint
5-6 Sechuan peppercorns
3-4 whole cloves

Fruit
500g summer berries in season such as red
currants, raspberries,  and strawberries
4 scoops berry sorbet or good quality vanilla ice-cream

Bring the red wine and sugar to a boil. Add the spices and cook until reduced to 1/3. Strain the liquid and chill.

To serve, arrange a medley of berries on individual plates, around the sorbet or ice-cream, and pour the wine sauce over this.

Serves 4.

See the following articles on French food:

Fig tart

Roast pigeons in liqueur

Our six Normandy restaurants

Gastronomic tour of Normandy

A Taste of France

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Boksburg – (011) 823-5365 boksburg@wickedfood.co.za

Runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

The Wickedfood cooking school team was in France, to find inspiration for our French cooking classes and teambuilding cooking classes. They came across this scrumptious tart on the lunch buffet at the Hotel Royale in Deauville

Shortcrust pastry
1 cup (250g) butter
1/2  cup (100g) castor sugar
1 egg
1 cup (135g) flour

Hazelnut butter
120g hazelnuts
1t water
1/3  cup (80g) butter, melted

Almond filling
200g egg whites
11/3  cup (260g) castor sugar
3/4  cup (80g) very finely ground almonds
1/2  cup (80g) flour
1/2 t vanilla essence
Fig topping
3-4 ripe figs, sliced
Butter and sugar for glazing

Shortcrust pastry

• Carefully cream butter and sugar. Slowly add the egg and finally add the sifted flour. Once mixed, quickly blend.
• Roll the pastry in a ball and leave in a cool place or fridge for one hour.

Hazelnut butter

• Lightly grill hazelnuts. Reduce to a paste using a mortar and pestle or food processor, adding water.
  Add this mixture to the melted butter and strain.

Almond filling

• Beat egg whites until fluffy and slowly add sugar, almond powder, flour and vanilla essence.
• Add the lukewarm hazelnut butter and leave overnight in a cool place.

The tart

• Line a pastry dish with the shortcrust pastry and fill with the almond filling.
• Arrange the sliced figs on top of the tart, and brush with the sugar and butter mixture. Bake at 200°C for 20 to 30 minutes (until golden brown), glazing the figs 2 to 3 times during baking.

See the following articles on French food:

Summer berries with a red wine coulis

Roast pigeons in liqueur

Our six Normandy restaurants

Gastronomic tour of Normandy

A Taste of France

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Boksburg – (011) 823-5365 boksburg@wickedfood.co.za

Runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.