Cape Brandy Pudding
This tangy dish provides an appetising meal and also offers an appropriate way of using up surplus fresh fish - once pickled it will keep for up to a month in a refrigerator.
Kabeljou (Cob), Cape Salmon, Kingklip or Yellowtail are most suitable for this recipe.
Ingredients
Clean and fillet the
fish (yellowtail’s leathery skin must be removed). Pack the fish pieces, cut into oblongs
about 4 cm x 6 cm, into a deep,
oiled oven pan. Sprinkle the fish
with salt and pepper, brush it over with a little sunflower oil and then bake it
in the oven until it is cooked, about 30 minutes.
Mix the sugar, curry
powder, turmeric, 20 ml (4 teaspoons) salt, cayenne pepper, vinegar and water in
a large flat-bottomed saucepan.
Add the onion rings,
lemon leaves and allspice and cook these ingredients for 20 – 30 minutes –
the onion rings must remain crisp and not be allowed to become mushy.
Just before removing
the saucepan from the stove, add the flour, mixed to a smooth paste with a
little water. While stirring, bring
this sauce to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes to cook the flour.
Place the fillets of
baked fish in layers in a dish and cover each layer completely with the warm
curry sauce. Pour over the
remaining sauce and allow to cool. Cover the dish and keep in a cool place
for 2 – 3 days.
VARIATION – Stockfish (hake) can also be used. Slice and sprinkle with salt, then refrigerate it overnight before using. Bake it carefully to ensure that the fish does not disintegrate.
Ingredients
In the meantime, soak the bread
in the milk, then squeeze dry, strain in the milk and set aside. Crumble
the minced raw meat into a pan with
the onion water and a little boiling water.
Cook for 5 minutes.
Next, lightly mix the meat,
soaked bread, onion mixture, 1 egg, raisins, chutney and lemon rind (if used). Pack
into a buttered casserole, add the bay leaves, cover and cook in the oven for 1
½ hours.
Remove from the oven and stick
the almonds and lemon leaves (turned into little cones) into the meat. Whip
up the remaining egg with the milk – add about ½ cup more to make a full 250
ml (1 cup) – and carefully pour on to the meat (over the back of a spoon) to
make a smooth layer. Return the
casserole to the oven, turning the heat down to 150 degrees C., and bake
(uncovered) for a further 30 minutes, or until the custard has set.
SUGGESTIONS – serve
bobotie with fluffy white rice rather than the yellow rice, and apricot chutney,
and with cucumber or apple sambal, plus a mixed salad.
Cook the bobotie in the Argentinian way by cutting off the top of a pumpkin big enough to hold the bobotie mixture. Scrape out all the pips, brush melted butter over the inner surface, lightly roll a little sugar inside the pumpkin with a damp cloth, rub a little sunflower oil over the surface and fill with the bobotie mixture. Replace the lid and bake at 180 degrees C (standing in a shallow baking tin) for 1 ½ hours, or until a skewer can just pierce the pumpkin shell (it must not be mushy).
Heat 40 gr butter and
125 ml (5 teaspoons) sunflower oil, and add 200 gr long-grain rice. Cook,
stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, or until transparent. While the rice is cooking, mix the
following ingredients in 750 ml (3 cups) boiling water: 10 ml (2 teaspoons)
turmeric, 5 ml (1 teaspoon) salt, 10 ml (2 teaspoons) sugar.
Pour this
mixture on to the rice when it has become transparent, mix well with a fork,
cover the pan lightly and turn the heat to low. After 15 mins, scatter 125 ml (1/2 cup)
seedless raisins on top of the rice.
Cover the pan again and cook for 10 – 15 minutes more, or until all the
water has been absorbed. Then
lightly stir the rice and raisins together.
Instead of cooking on top of the stove, the rice and boiling water mixture can be cooked in a casserole in a 160 degrees C oven for about an hour, or until the water has been absorbed. The raisins should be added 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
When the mixture is
well thickened and cooked, add the butter. Remove from the heat, then carefully add
the egg yolks, first adding a little of the hot mixture to the yolks. Return to the heat for a minute, cooking
slowly. Remove from the heat and
cool slightly.
Meanwhile, beat the
egg whites and reserved sugar until the mixture holds soft peaks, then fold
thoroughly into the cooled mixture.
Spoon the filling into
the cold lined pastry case, dust the top very lightly with cinnamon and bake the
tart in the middle of a pre-heated oven for 10 – 15 minutes. Reduce
the temperature to 180 degrees Celcius so that the soufflé can rise well and
cook through. When it is golden, turn off the heat and
leave for 5 minutes more.
If the tart is not to
be served immediately, take it out before the final 5 minutes so that the
soufflé can puff again when being re-heated. If the tart is to be served after being
frozen, defrost it before re-heating at 180 degrees.
SERVING SUGGESTION – Melktert accompanied by a platter of colourful preserves or crystallised fruit makes an unusual and delicious dessert.
This old Cape recipe was doubtlessly invented with cold winter’s nights in mind! Delectable and filling, the date and nut pudding with its syrup topping is a must for your repertoire of desserts.
Cut
the dates and divide them into two equal portions. Add the bicarbonate of soda to one half
and pour over the boiling water.
Stir to mix, then leave to cool.
Cream
together the butter and sugar, add the beaten eggs and mix
well.
Sieve
together the flour, baking powder and salt, and fold these into the butter
mixture.
Add
the second portion of dates, together with the nuts. Then stir in the date and bicarbonate
mixture, and mix all the ingredients together thoroughly.
Turn
the batter into one large over-proof dish or two 22 cm tart plates. Bake for 40 – 50
minutes.
Meanwhile
make the syrup. Heat the sugar,
butter and water together for 5 minutes.
Remove them from the heat and stir in the vanilla essence, salt and
brandy.
Pour
the syrup over the hot tart when it is taken from the
oven.
SERVING
SUGGESTION –
serve hot or cold with whipped
cream.
