CARAMEL COFFEE COOKIES

10 cups plain flour
500 g butter
2 cups brown sugar
500 g maple syrup
3 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
3 teaspoons vanilla essence
125 ml very strong black coffee

Cream together sugar and butter, add map syrup, vanilla essence and black coffee (mix the bicarbonate of soda into the coffee first).
Mix in 8 cups of flour first. The dough will be very sloppy.
Turn out mixture onto a heavily floured surface and gently knead in the remaining 2 cups of flour.
Cover in clingwrap and rest in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours.
After resting the dough, roll out and cut into strips, and then section them into finger lengths.
Bake at 180°C  for 10 – 12 min.
(I make the icing and caramel in the time that the dough rests)

Coffee Icing:

7 cups icing sugar
5 tablespoons butter
3 to 5 tablespoons strong black coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla essence

Combine all together to a firm but pliable consistency.

Coffee Caramel:

2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
110 ml butter
55 ml strong black coffee

Boil all together for 5 minutes. Leave to cool, while occasionally stirring.

When I sandwich the 2 sides together, I pipe both the coffee icing and coffee caramel in the middle, and the drizzle some coffee caramel over the top just for prettiness.
Leave to dry in a cool place, out of the sunlight.

**Even more delicious when dunked in freshly brewed coffee.

Recipe and photo: Crystal Kita Carlton

GESCHNETZELTES – SCHNITZEL DISH
500 g schnitzel or chicken breast, cut into bite-sized strips
250 g mushrooms
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 glass of white wine
1 cup of cream
Salt and Pepper to season
1 teaspoon Paprika
Some chopped parsley to garnish

In a large frying pan, heat the butter and oil till hot then add the schnitzel strips to the pan. Fry over a medium-high heat till lightly browned and cooked through, then remove from the pan and set aside for now.
2. Add the finely chopped onion to the pan and fry gently till softened. Add the mushrooms and continue frying for just a few minutes.
3. Pour in the wine and cook over a high heat for approx 1 minute before adding the cream. Cook over a medium heat for about 2 minutes then return the schnitzel strips to the pan (add the juices too! ). Add water or some beef / chicken stock if it’s too thick.
4. Reheat the schnitzel gently, season with paprika, a little pepper (and salt if necessary) then serve on tagliatelle and fried cabbage & onion, sprinkled with some chopped parsley.

I also chopped and fried one red onion, a cup of shredded red cabbage, 2 cloves garlic, 2 cups shredded spinach, and 2 tablespoons bacon jam (or just add chopped bacon, wine and chutney / fine apricot jam to taste). This in a separate pan while making the geschnetzeltes, and simultaneously cooking the tagliatelle. A “busy” dish, but really nice.

Geschnetzeltes can be veal, chicken or pork, but I usually use schnitzel. It’s quite versatile, and you can experiment to your liking.

Enjoy!

FOTO EN RESEP: Johann Viljoen

THE BEST CHOCOLATE FUDGE FROSTING
Yield: enough to frost a 2 layer cake
10 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
5 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a saucepan, over low heat, melt butter. Stir in cocoa powder. Mixture will resemble a thick paste.
Transfer chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl. With mixer on low speed, add in powdered sugar and milk, alternating the two. Reserve a few tablespoons of milk. If frosting is thick, add in remaining milk. Add vanilla extract.
Turn mixer to medium high speed and beat about 5 minutes, until frosting is smooth and creamy.
Frost cake or cupcakes as desired.
BRON: John Hayes