FRUIT IN FRUITCAKE – MAKE YOUR OWN
When making fruitcakes, add up the total amount of fruit and nuts called for in the recipe, and then make changes according to your personal preferences. Try dried apples, apricots, pears, peaches, pineapple, prunes,dates, black and golden raisins, and currants. Not creative enough? Add dried mango or papaya, or dried cherries, cranberries, or blueberries.
Choose the fruits that you like, use what you have on hand, or what’s most cost effective for your budget. If there are certain fruits you don’t like, you can always include more or less of another kind. The ratio of fruit to batter has always been an issue for fruitcake connoisseurs. At least half the weight of the cake should be fruit, and the more fruit the better. A fruitcake with less than a 50:50 ratio, is called a Plum Cake or Dundee Cake.

The dried fruits should be cut in to small pieces with kitchen shears or chopped with a knife. The chopped fruits are then soaked in fine spirits such as a good a port, sherry, Marsala, Madeira, Malmsey, Muscat, rum or brandy for 24 hours before making the cake. Don’t scrimp the alcohol, use a good-quality liqueur for best results. The heat of cooking will destroy most of the alcohol while leaving the flavour.

If you do use candied fruit, rinse it first to get rid of most of the syrupy, sticky glaze. While dried fruit absorbs alcohol, candied peel does not readily soak up the liqueur so its probably better to plan on eating this type of fruitcake fresh, rather than aged and cured.

There are dark fruitcakes and light fruitcakes, and some people prefer one better than they prefer the other. A dark fruitcake uses light coloured fruits such as currants, dried apricots and pineapple, lighter coloured spices and light corn syrup. A dark fruitcake uses darker fruits like raisins, dried dates, cranberries, and prunes, darker coloured spices, and dark corn syrup or molasses.

Dust fruit with flour, before mixing with batter to prevent from sinking to the bottom.

Photo: Adam Cloete

HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE
Makes: 1 1/4 cups

Have all the ingredients at room temperature before you start; the mayonnaise will come together better. Also, because the egg doesn’t get cooked, use a very fresh or pasteurized egg. Once made, the mayonnaise should be stored in an airtight container and can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

1 large egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/3 cups vegetable or canola oil
4 teaspoons white wine vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice

Combine egg and mustard in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Process until mixture is evenly combined.
With the processor running, slowly add oil in a thin stream until completely combined. Add vinegar or lemon juice and pulse until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Variation (hand-whisked method):
Combine egg yolk only and mustard in a bowl and whisk until well mixed.
Whisking constantly, add oil in a thin stream until completely incorporated and mayo is thick (when the whisk is lifted, the mayo should hang off but not fall). Whisk in vinegar or lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
By Aida Mollenkamp

TUISGEMAAKTE SALAMI

Ek weet nie of die n resep of n proses is nie.
Wel dit is hoe ek hierdie Salami’s gemaak het.

Ek gebruik n pak klaar gemengde Russian/Cooked Salami speserye wat deur verskillende vervaardigers versprei word en is by enige speserye winkel asook meeste slaghuise beskikbaar .
Op die pak is die resep van die tipe vleis wat gebruik moet word.

In my geval het ek 5 kg lean beef sonder enige bees vet gebruik.
7,5 kg Vark 60/40 alhoewel die pak verwys na 50/50 maar ek het gevoel dit gaan te veel vet wees.
Ek het die vleis alles 50 mm blokkies gesny en deurmekaar gemeng.
Daarna het ek dit vir 12 ure in n baie koue yskas geberg tot halwe vriespunt.
Ek het die vleis met n 8mm Plaatjie gemaal terwyl dit halfpad gevries was.
Voeg dan die pak speserye by en meng goed deur.
In die pak is n apparte sakkie met salpeter. Dit hou ek eers eenkant.
Die pak verwys na 3 kg ys wat bygevoeg moet word en omrede my vleis ysig koud was het ek yskas water 3 kg bygevoeg en alles goed gemeng.
Die salpeter het ek met n koppie vol yskas water aangemaak en oor die reeds gemengde vleis en speserye gegooi.
Daarna het ek weer alles goed gemeng.
Alles is toe weer terug na die koue yskas vir nog 12 ure. Hulle se die speserye en die vleis moet saam mature.
Na 12 ure het ek weer alles goed gemeng en die Salami caings begin stop.
Onthou die salami casing moet vir 20 minute in water le voordat jy dit stop met die mengsel.
Stop die casing styf sodat daar nie luggate kan vorm nie.
Daarna het ek een Salami gekook net om te toets.
Die ander is in n koelkamer gehang vir nog 2-3 dae.

Die kook metode.
Verhit water in n groot houer op die stoof to maksimum 70 grade.
Plaas Salami in die warm water en moenie dat dit aan enige iets raak nie.
Kook die Salami vir 3-4 ure vir niks meer warm as 70 grade.
Na 4 ure verwyder van warm water en plaas onmiddelik in yskoue water om die kook proses te eindig.
As dit klaar afgekoel het hang weer in koelkamer of maak soos ek in n yskas vir 2-3 dae. Jy kan maar een sny net om te kyk of alles gaar is en n idee van die geur te kry.
Hoe langer dit hang hoe beter raak die geur.
In die geval van die rook van die Salami het ek na 2 dae die Salami warm gerook vir 2 ure.
Daarna het ek dieselfde kook proses tot die einde gevolg maar die kook tydperk was net 1,5 uur.
Alles weer op gehang in die koelkamer/yskas

Probeer en geniet. Maak net so n lekker Russian

Foto en resep: Koos van der Merwe

TRADISIONELE BOEREWORS
2 kg beesvleis
1 kg varkvleis
20 g (50 ml)
koljander
2 ml fyn naeltjies
2 ml gerasperde neutmuskaat
30 g (25 ml) fyn sout
5 ml varsgemaalde swartpeper
500 g spek
100 ml asyn
sowat 90 g derms

Berei eers die koljander deur dit te skroei, te maal en te sif.
Sny vleis in 50 mm blokke en meng met die speserye en geurmiddels.
Maal die vleis en sny spek in blokkies.
Voeg spek en asyn by maalvleis en meng liggies maar deeglik.
Stop derms lossies met die mengsel.
Lewer sowat 3.5kg
BRON- Koos van der Merwe

Rina Kleinhans  – Koos van der Merwe het jy al spek wors gemaak?
Koos van der Merwe
Ja ek maak gereeld. As jy die resep kyk wat op die blog is van my basiese tradisionele boerewors. Die 500 gram spek sny jy in blokkies en meng dit in jou klaar gemaalde vleis sodat die spek heel blokkies bly. Jy kan so groot soos jou behoefte sny 10 x 10 mm.
Koos van der Merwe
as julle sukkel om speserye te kry en ‘n heel eenvoudige resep vir wors 12 gram sout en 6 gram peper vir elke 1 kg vleis. Onthou 100 ml water by 3 kg, so meng, sit bietjie asyn by nie baie nie so 30 ml en 70 ml water.

FOTO:  Koos van der Merwe

FETA KAASSMEER
300 g fetakaas
2 knoffelhuisies
2 ml rooipeper
15 ml olyfolie
300 ml dik gewone jogurt
5 ml paprika
sout en swartpeper

Verwerk jogurt en kaas tot glad.
Voeg res van bestanddele by en drup olyfolie by.
Verkoel.
Maak 500 ml smeer.
Resep:  Petro Calitz
Foto en nota: Ilze Jacobs
My feta kaas was sag soos Danish feta (dis hoe alle feta is in NZ!) maar ek is seker gewone feta sal heeltemal goed werk – veral as jy dit in die voedeselverwerker maak (soos ek). Ek het ook die olyfolie op die einde ingegegooi en weer gemeng vir ‘n paar sekondes.

HOMEMADE CONDENSMILK

Morning – so I made my first batch of home-made condensmilk and it wasn’t so hard!!
1 1/2 cups full-cream milk;
1/2 cup granulated sugar – simmer together +- 45min, stirring every 15 minutes.
Add tbsp butter en 1/2 tsp vanilla – Voila!!!

Recipe and picture: Twané Jansen

HOMEMADE JELLY

Gelatine
Water
Juice

Mix one teaspoon of powdered Gelatine with 50ml boiling water until dissolved.
Top up with cold water and fruit juice to make total volume 160ml.
Pop in fridge until set.
You can use any fruit juice – we have had orange, apple, cranberry and tropical.

TUISGEMAAKTE KONDENSMELK
1.25 liter melk
2 ml koeksoda
500 g suiker
3 ml sout

Voeg alle bestanddele bymekaar en roer oor lae hitte totdat die suiker opgelos is. Kook stadig totdat die melk soos dik room begin lyk. Moenie roer nie, tensy melk wil oorkook. Gooi in flesse wat gesteriliseer is en plaas vir 15 minute in voorverhitte oond van 120ºC. Skroef daarna dadelik toe.

MAKE YOUR OWN GHEE
500 g unsalted butter
Put the butter in a heavy, medium-sized pan. Turn the heat on to medium until the butter melts.

Turn down the heat until the butter just boils and continue to cook at this heat. Do not cover the pot. The butter will foam and sputter while it cooks. Whitish curds will begin to form on the bottom of the pot. The butter will begin to smell like popcorn after a while and turn a lovely golden color. Keep a close watch on the ghee, as it can easily burn. After a while it will become a clear, golden color. You will have to take a clean, dry spoon to move away some of the foam on top in order to see if the ghee is clear all the way through to the bottom.
When it is clear and has stopped sputtering and making noise, then it needs to be taken off the heat. Let it cool until just warm. Pour it through a fine sieve or layers of cheesecloth into a clean, dry glass container with a tight lid. Discard the curds at the bottom of the saucepan. The ghee is burned if it has a nutty smell and is slightly brown.

1 pound of butter takes about 15 minutes of cooking time. The more butter you are using, the more time it will take.

Ghee can be kept on the kitchen shelf, covered. It does not need refrigeration. The medicinal properties are said to improve with age. Don’t ladle out the ghee with a wet spoon or allow any water to get into the container, as this will create conditions for bacteria to grow and spoil the ghee.

Two pounds of butter will fill a quart jar with ghee.

TUISGEMAAKTE VETVRYE MAYONNAISE
375 g vetvrye Bulgaarse joghurt
1 eetlepel Dijon-mosterd
1 teelepel bruinasyn
1 teelepel gemengde kruie
sout en peper na smaak

Meng alles goed saam.
Jy kan dit tot 5 dae in die yskas hou.
Gebruik dit as ‘n doopsous of net as gewonde mayonnaise.
Dit is ideaal vir mense wat gewig wil verloor.
Voeg 1 g versoeter by as jy dit soet wil hê

Resep geplaas deur Hannalie Kitshoff