This post forms part of the series of recipes I am preparing for Mediterranean Delicacies. It is a Food and the Fabulous Endorsed project and I will be remunerated for it.

Kalimera!

I was given the challenge of preparing dishes with combinations chosen by Medi Deli. In this case, their anchovies with their biltong dip.

I combined the salty anchovies with onion to make a deeply savoury beer bread and served thick slices of it with the creamy biltong dip.

It’s really fitting I think, to post these recipes right now, as Medi Deli foods have a predominately Greek origin and I am currently in Greece, enjoying not only the warm Greek hospitality but the range of foods and flavors too.

Sharing food meze or tapas style has always been a favourite; I feel particularly privileged to share the classics here in the country of origin. Of course everything must be accompanied by the anise flavoured apéritif ouzo or a strong shot of raki sipped slowly. A shot of mastic at the end of the (often long, and several course-long) meal helps aid the digestion. Opa!

Ingredients

3 cups sifted white bread flour

3 t baking powder

1 t salt

1/2  t ground white pepper

40 ml sugar

340 ml bottle beer

1/2 cup oil or melted butter (I used virgin olive oil)

125 ml onion, finely chopped plus 1 T olive oil

6 Medi Deli anchovy fillets, finely chopped

4 T parsley, finely chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

Grease a standard size baking loaf tin.

Fry onions till soft and translucent, on medium heat in a pan with 1 T oil. Remove from heat.

Mix all ingredients together, until properly combined.

Pour batter into tin and bake for 1 hour or until skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 20 minutes before turning out onto wire rack.

Serve warm with Medi Deli biltong dip.

Recipe based on my Beer Bread with Lemon & Thyme

See this recipe on Medi Delis’ Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/medideli

*This recipe was developed for Sasko Flour, who approached me to find ways to use their products creatively. I agreed to this project as Sasko Flour products have been used in our house and my mother’s for so very many years. I’m pretty sure you have a packet of cake flour or self raising flour from them too *

These chocolate squares are gooey and dense and ideal to form into balls for the now popular cake-pops – coat in a thin layer of milk or white chocolate.

I love dried pomegranate arils- their sweetness increases upon dehydration and they look so darn pretty. Save some to sprinkle on top.

I am, in a matter of hours off to Athens. It will be my first visit. The economic crisis is a reality, and none more so than for Greece. The uprisings that tend to break out at any moment are reason for concern, naturally. I suppose the Greek language signs will justify me finally using the phrase “this is Greek to me”. Restaurant and food prices are really high too. I am excited but well aware that I should be alert and careful. I would give someone visiting Cape Town the same advice.

This is of course, an utterly selfish point of view. What about the Greeks living there? I hope to get some inclination, an honest and balanced view.

The problem (oh, what a burden!) of travelling like we have been for 21 days non-stop is the amount of packing, unpacking, checking, document accumulation, running for cabs and metros and planes.  You can tire and lose focus. I lost my bag with my new Nikon camera, lenses and video camera the day before yesterday. I can only blame myself. A little bit awestruck, tired and disorientated. I should know better.

But, I’ve taken a breath in and will try to apply new vigour to this leg of the journey. Nothing will be familiar. Which is wonderful, you’ll agree? And, still around two months to go.

Souvlaki Dimitri, here I come!

Ingredients

3 eggs

1/2 t vanilla extract

200 g butter, melted

250 g Sasko Quick Treats Chocolate Muffin Mix

2 T cacao powder, best quality

1/8 t salt

125 ml finely grated or pulped beetroot

2 T dried pomegranate arils

50 g white chocolate broken into bits plus extra to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 180˚ Celsius and grease a 20 x 20 cm baking pan.

Mix eggs and vanilla.

Sift Sasko Quick Treats Chocolate Muffin mix, cacao and salt into a bowl.

Add eggs and melted butter and mix through to combine.

Fold in beetroot and pomegranate arils.

Pour batter into greased pan and bake for 15- 20 minutes or intil a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.

Will reamin dense and gooey. Cool for 20 minutes.

Cut into squares and remove onto wire rack to cool completely.

Serve with shavings of white chocolate.

Desserts are more than something to look forward at the the end of the meal. They are, in my opinion, a great part of the meal and in many cases make it. Perhaps that is my sweet-tooth talking, but if you apply moderation and sensibility there is no reason why desserts (or any food group, except those on red lists) should be banned.

I won’t eat rich chocolate pudding with each meal every night of the week, as tempting as that may be, but when I do, I enjoy it. I am happy to split a dessert at a restaurant and share the deliciousness (and the calories). I do think children’s diets should be monitored and fruit and healthy snacks encouraged, so that that they can grow up to be informed adults with balanced eating behaviours. The old saying of “don’t trust a thin chef” just simply isn’t true and, as with all things, moderation and healthful habits must come first. You want to be enjoying those sweet goodies for a very long time, right?

But, I detract from the important subject of desserts. I love spending time in the kitchen and when I throw dinner parties, or even have a few friends pop by informally, I like to serve a few savoury courses or share several tapas style plates. This means I’m sometimes scrambling around by the time I need to make dessert. My go-to options (as vanilla as they may be) are a panna cotta, chocolate fondants or this semifreddo. I change the ingredients according to what I have at hand – berries, nougat, meringues, passion fruit, figs. I love this semifreddo because of the unexpected, refreshing scent of lemon and and the freshness of the zest. It goes surprisingly well with rasberries and is creamy and indulgent.

Also, a good dessert to enjoy before winter kicks in.

Semifreddo translates to Italian for ‘half -cold” or half-frozen and sets in hours. Your guests will still feel like you put as much effort into dessert as you did with the rest of the meal. Easy points for the cook!

Ingredients

Serves 6

3 free-range eggs, separated

1/2 t vanilla essence (not extract) – optional

3 T castor sugar

1 x tub (250 g) mascarpone cheese

1/2 t lemon extract (or 1 t essence)

250 ml fresh cream (whipping)

1 t castor sugar

250 ml raspberries – fresh or frozen, slightly thawed if frozen (or berries of your choice), sprinkled with 1 T castor sugar

1 large lemon, zested

Method

Beat the egg yolks, vanilla essence (I don’t like the idea of raw egg, so I always add essence; extract would be over-powering in this recipe) and castor sugar till frothy.

Mix the mascarpone and lemon essence in a separate bowl till it softens. Add this to egg yolk mixture and beat well, till lumps disappear.

Whip the egg white till stiff but not dry. Gently fold into into the mascarpone/egg mixture, in two lots.

Whip the fresh cream and teaspoon of caster sugar till firm. Don’t over beat.

Fold cream gently into mascarpone mixture.

Use a fork to gently smash the macerating berries. Add berries and half the lemon zest to the mascarpone and mix gently to distribute.

Spoon into a medium-sized  greased silicone mold, or individual ramekins, also greased, or oil and cover a standard baking tin with cling film and pour mixture in.

Freeze for four hours or until set.

Remove from freezer and allow to soften very slightly (use a hot tea-towel is necessary – not necessary with greased silicone molds). Serve either in the ramekins or un-mold.

Serve with remaining lemon zest for a lovely, aromatic and unexpected twist.

Cook’s note:

• You can successfully omit the use of eggs, by using 250 ml mascarpone mixed with 175 ml condensed milk and 250 ml fresh cream folded in. Use berries, nuts and nougat of your choice as flavourings. This recipe melts faster that the others, I find.
• A traditional semifreddo recipe uses mascarpone or fresh cream and several eggs.
• Use figs (in season!) and saffron, with a splash of orange blossom water for an Middle Eastern flavour
• Meringues that are slightly crushed and not perfect to serve as is, work well when added to a semifreddo with berries or nougat.
• Passionfruit is also a good partner in frozen desserts like this one.
• Adjust the sugar to your liking.

Other SemiFreddo Recipes, I’ve enjoyed making:

Strawberry and Hazelnut Meringue

Passionfruit & Dried Fig Semifreddo with Saffron

Berry & Nougat Semifreddo

Layered Semifreddo Christmas Cake with Berries & Nuts

I received these images from Founding President Régine le Coz today. I’m not sure how she managed to get the time to sift through the hundreds and share all the pics of me, but I know she works with an incredible “dream team”- her affectionate name for the team that works tirelessly to help her put the event together each year.

As you can see from the pictures of the event the night before especially, the atmosphere was one of conviviality, celebration and encouragement. There are no inflated egos or feelings of entitlement and certainly no time for such. The women (and men, there are a good few) who attend this event do so to support women in wine and several scholarships are awarded during the year by the organisation.

Outside La Saliere Restaurant, with Régine's Dream Team

Outside the Irish Pub, after hours Monte Carlo

Dinner with the participants and the men who supported us, Le Saint-Benoit

Switching tables, dinner at Le Saint- Benoit

Régine le Coz

Audrey Domenach RHS (blogger and SM advocate) looking for something behind the yellow paper

Régine (R) handing out prizes after raffle for charity

Jelle with a winning ticket, and lovely Joana Mesquita

Régine with Marie Pascaud, winemaker

Rosé by another name - taken during tasting and competition

Monte Carlo – Hello darling!

scenes from around Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo is a city in constant preparation. It is as if the city has taken a deep breath in, and at any moment the flash bulbs of a million paparazzi are about to fire off. Bronzed models armed with handbags of the Hermès variety weather the early spring chill in short-short skirts, attached to the arms of important looking men as they step off yachts and float towards the Italian restaurants waiting for them. “Bonjour” greets the  maître d’hôtel, nodding discreetly. Monte Carlo, and Monaco may be very French, but there are a large number of excellent Italian restaurants that the rich, the famous and the star-struck hang out at – an ode to the geography of the land and the roots of the ruling Grimaldi family.

If it isn’t the wealthy with substantial taxes to avoid, it’s the allure of the Grand Casino and its numerous poker championships with millions of euros in prizes and the famous Grand Prix circuit that winds through the city centre. Monte Carlo, Monte Carlo – I feel posh just uttering your name.

This is, I realised last week, a vague generalisation of the city and an ‘outsider’s’ perception. Blame the movies and E entertainment television channel. In many ways, Monte Carlo is a city where very normal people with average jobs and cars and, surprisingly no cheetah-print speedboats of their own, live and work too.

I would call the 45 women delegates that Régine Le Coz, the founding President of Femmes et Vins du Monde Concours International, invited to her event neither celebrity nor average. Pretty awesome – yes!

Pic from Femmes et Vins

The Women and the Wine

Women from 28 different nationalities from Japan to Burkina Faso, with a quarter from France (expected, if one considers Régine’s roots and the tradition of the profession – she is an oenologist) gathered for the event where around 300 wines that were entered, were judged according to international standards and the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC).

After a jovial dinner at  Le Saint-Benoit restaurant the night before and a triple round of musical chairs so that we could meet as many of our colleagues as possible, we gathered in the conference room of the Novotel Hotel on 27 April (South Africa’s Freedom Day) to get the show on the road.

My lack of French language skills added to my novice concerns about the job at hand. As a result, I complied these scribblings and revised them with intent the night before. Naturally, I should not have worried, but I always believe in preparing as much as is possible – also would account for the serious wine drinking in the weeks before I departed Cape Town *ahem*

How the Panels are Comprised

We were divided into tables of 5, and each of us represented one of the following categories

• Panel 1: Oenologist or Winemaker (jury president);
• Panel 2 : Production
• Panel 3 : Marketing & Sales
• Panel 4: Education – Communication – Journalist, Writer, Blogger (my happy place in the picture)
• Panel 5 : General Public Representative

We were given around 2-3 minutes per wine (timed!) and in the case of large differences of opinion (and yes, there were a few) as well as wines with an average of 80% score (which would indicate a medal), we were asked by the jury president to provide reasons and opinions.

Our table (fantastic mix, of course!) comprised Marie Pascaud (our jury president and wine maker at Château de Pampelonne as well as master translator and team leader), Anne Ponce de Leon, Cecilia Ibara, Laurence Aquilina and myself.

The panel is mixed in a way that assures the fair assessment of wine from the combined perspective of the professionals and the consumers.

Cultural and geographical influences are taken into account too – I found the rosé wines that are appreciated by European palates, especially those from the Provence region are low on aroma, light in colour and slightly more acidic. A very interesting discovery and one that needs to be factored in when judging. Also, while I have been training my palate at home to discern between single grape varietals, European old world wines are rarely ever made of a single variety. I did receive a tip about the Rhone Valley Chenins though, which I scribbled greedily into my diary of dreams.

women and wines of the world International Competition 2012

Our panel tasted 30 wines (white, rosé and reds) and awarded twelve medals, including two golds. In total, 116 medals were awarded – 3 Diamond, 27 Gold and 86 Silver. Wines from twenty two countries were represented and included:

Australia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, South Africa, Chile, France, Italy, Switzerland, Croatia, Netherlands, Portugal, Lebanon, Romania, Cyprus, South Africa, Spain, Hungary, Israel, United States, Germany, Greece and China.

After the wine tasting (which was broken up half way by a short snack interval), we convened for lunch and cheery goodbyes – I was off with Joana Mesquita, multi-tasker, multi-lingual, woman of supreme talents, the P.R officer of Amorim Cork, to Marseille to catch my flight to Oporto. Sadly we missed the final group picture

It was a fantastic experience, to meet these women well-versed in wine, to chat about our lives, our experiences of wine and all the connecting factors. A highly inspirational few days in Monte Carlo – so much more than just the flash, glam and royalty I expected at first.

*I am honoured to be invited to be the ‘god -mother’ of the association for the coming year and look forward to preparing dishes in late July when I return to Cape Town using some of the wining wines, the Diamond awardees in particular.

And if you’re curious about the Diamond award winners, I can reveal that they are as follows:

•  Domaine Les Sorcieres 2008, white by CHATEAU DE RIQUEWIHR DOMAINES DOPFF IRION – France
•  Principesa Margaeta,  2010, white by SC DOMENIUL COROANEI SEGARCEA SRL – Romania
•  Vino Dalibor Muskat Moravsky, 2011, white by VINARSTVI O KAPLICKY S.R.O. Czech Republic

Note, I was invited to participate in this event by Joana Mesquita of Amorim Cork and Règine le Coz when they heard that I would be based in Lisbon, after studying my blog. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity.

*This recipe was developed for Sasko Flour, who approached me to find ways to use their products creatively. I agreed to this project as Sasko Flour products have been used in our house and my mother’s for so very many years. I’m pretty sure, if you live in South Africa, you have a packet of cake flour or self raising flour from them too *

A month or so ago, I enjoyed a dessert pizza at a local Italian restaurant. There’s nothing new about dessert pizzas or using bread as a base for desserts – just think of bread and butter puddings, croissants baked with custard and choc chips and English summer puddings.

I decided to use the Sasko Quick Treats Scone mix to make a very easy dessert ‘pizza’ base and topped with sliced figs, a home-made chocolate sauce and hazelnuts.

You may wish to try this with my other favourite set of toppings: fresh banana (I dislike banana cooked, but bake it, if you prefer), caramel and fresh cream.

Prepare the scone mix as per packet instructions, set out below.

Today, after a fantastic few days in Monte Carlo at the Women and Wines of the World  event (a little about it here, until I do the full write up) and a weekend in Oporto, I am heading back to base at Lisbon. I believe the weather is gloomy, but I will be glad to see “our” little cobbled street and my make-shift desk, at least.

Ingredients

For the scones:

1 pack Sasko Quick Treats Scone Mix

90g Butter

1 Extra Large Egg

140 ml Milk

For the topping:

60 ml hazelnuts

100 g dark chocolate, best quality

2 T fresh cream

Method

• Preheat the oven to 190°C (the pack says 200˚ C, but it’s a bit high for my oven)
• Place the scone mix in a mixing bowl and rub butter into the dry mixture, gently.
• Beat egg and milk together with a whisk in a separate bowl
• Cut egg mixture with a large serving spoon/palette knife into the dry mixture
•  Mix until a soft dough is formed.
• Do not over mix

Roll to 1/2 cm thickness.

Cut into rounds, of a size of your choice. I used fluted mini tart cases to cut these.

Bake 10 – 12 minutes at 190 ˚C until done. Remove and set aside to cool slightly.

Roast hazelnuts in dry pan.

 Chocolate Sauce

Melt chocolate in a bowl over a pot of hot water (stove off). Once melted, remove from heat and mix in cream.

Arrange slices of figs and hazelnuts on the pizzas and drizzle over chocolate- after baking.

Alternative topping: banana slices,  whipped fresh cream and caramel sauce.

]]> http://www.foodandthefabulous.com/dessert/dessert-pizzas-fig-roasted-hazelnuts-chocolate-sauce/feed/ 0 http://www.foodandthefabulous.com/recipes/sri-lankan-style-aubergine-curry-masterchef-sa-week-6/ http://www.foodandthefabulous.com/recipes/sri-lankan-style-aubergine-curry-masterchef-sa-week-6/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:47:42 +0000 Ishay http://www.foodandthefabulous.com/?p=4075 Sri Lankan Style Aubergine Curry – MasterChef SA Week 6

This post forms part of the series of recipes I am preparing for Woolworths, the food sponsor for MasterChef SA. It is a Food and the Fabulous Endorsed project and I will be remunerated for it

Woolworths have featured it here.

Vegetarian Curries

Green bean curry. Possibly the bane of my childhood school-lunch existence. My mother knew exactly how to prepare those white bread sandwiches with the right amount of curry leaves, still attached to the stalk to put me off the curry, till well into my early twenties. Now, I dream about my mother’s dry braised green bean curry and sweet-hot carrot pickles.

The unmistakable advantage of currying vegetable dishes is that it provides endless variation to the flavour profiles you can create – mild kormas from the North of India coat veggies in a creamy, rich sauce enhanced by the nuttiness of cashew nuts, Thai coconut curries red or green provide a lime leaf and galangal base that is fragrant and ‘exotic’ and the other countries of South East Asia open up the door even further. Creamy, hot and spicy, tomato-tangy.
It is no wonder so many people in these countries consume a mainly vegetarian diet.

Vegetarian meals need not be the ubiquitous boiled spud, steamed mushrooms or one-risotto option found on many restaurant menus. Playing with spices opens up the options for exciting, flavourful  vegetarian dishes endlessly.

My Sri Lankan style Aubergine Curry is based on a favourite recipe from Rick Stein’s Sri Lankan Crab Curry found in his beautiful Far Eastern Odyssey (Uncle Rick is one of my favourite celebrity chefs- he really understands food, its origins and people). I have made versions of the crab curry with great success and thought the aubergines would stand up to and display these flavours wonderfully.

The bitter nuttiness of fenugreek seeds soften both in flavour and texture as they cook down, melding beautifully with the tamarind enhanced tang of the tomato gravy (chutney) and the heat of the masala and chillis are tempered by the sweet coconut milk. Overall, the dish is fiery (I wasn’t sure if all my guests could handle heat and how much of it, so I made it fairly moderate as far as bite is concerned) but silky too.
Preparing this the night before allows the curry time for flavours to develop and deepen. Do make sure you taste again and adjust seasoning as needed, before serving.

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 large aubergines
1 medium onion, sliced finely
2 small bay leaves
2 t fenugreek seeds
1 t cumin seeds
2 green chillis, sliced down middle
2 tsp black mustard seeds (optional)
2-3 t medium-hot masala
5-6 curry leaves
2 t garam masala
4-5 medium cloves garlic, slivered
1 x 440g can chopped, peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup water, more if needed
2 cm x 2 cm block tamarind, soaked in a little hot water, you want it more liquid than a paste (or 1T tamarind paste)
100 ml coconut milk (optional)
1 tsp sugar (or jaggery)
salt, to taste
40-50 ml vegetable oil

Method

Slice the aubergine in half lengthways. Then slice in 1/2 cm slices and cut each slice in half again along the length.

Heat a wide bottomed pot on medium and add half the oil.

Fry the onions and bay leaves for 2-3 minutes.

Add the fenugreek, cumin, mustard seeds, curry leaves and chillis and fry, until aromatic. Be careful as the mustard seeds will start to pop.
Add the masala and stir. It will burn in a matter of moments, so keep this in mind

Add the aubergine and garlic and mix well, turning up the heat. You will have to add remaining oil.

Cook for 4 minutes, stirring. A splash of water may be needed.

Add the garam masala, the tomatoes and the water and mix.

Add sugar and salt and turn down the heat back to medium.

Add the tamarind water or paste and stir well.

Cook for until the gravy reduces and the aubergines are softened and almost done.

Add coconut milk if using and adjust seasoning. Cook until done.

Garnish with curry leaves or coriander and serve with basmati rice or roti.

 I featured this recipe on the blog, previously here.

This post forms part of the series of recipes I am preparing for Mediterranean Delicacies. It is a Food and the Fabulous Endorsed project and I will be remunerated for it.

I was given the challenge of preparing dishes with combinations chosen by Medi Deli – in this case their little pack of marinated octopus salad with their tahini paste. I decided to keep the octopus in a salad and combine it with salad leaves, grilled aubergine, mint and tahini (the last three ingredients are such willing partners as it is).

The result is a lovely starter, colourful and flavourful too.

I am off this morning to Monaco to attend the “Women and Wines of the World” event. I will represent the consumer’s perspective in the tastings – I have seen a list of the wines and hope that you wish me well; much stamina will be needed! Also, looks absolutely delicious.

Ingredients

Serves 1

1 pack Mediterranean Delicacies Marinated Octopus (calamari)

8 small wedges aubergine, cut 1 cm thick

1 cup salad leaves, washed

2 T Mediterranean Delicacies Tahini

5 mint leaves, torn

olive oil and salt, to taste

Method

Brush a griddle pan with olive oil and turn up to medium-high heat.

Place aubergines on pan and griddle until cooked and nicely browned on each side. Add more olive oil if needed.

Remove and sprinkle with salt.

In a bowl, arrange leaves, octopus, aubergine and mint.

Drizzle tahini (at room temperature) over and season if necessary.

Join me at WeFeedback.org

I have been in Lisbon for four days now and settling in well. You know you’re becoming one with the people when you can hail a cab, recite your street address fluently, even if you have to hand over a piece of paper with your destination, purchase detergents and cleaning cloths for the apartment and drink vinho verde at every opportunity. I’ve also been enjoying some of the local food, as you can see in my pics and videos.

*note, noisy – at Cape Town International airport*

To join me on this journey of sharing, simply click on this link here and join my WeFeedback Network. Together we can share more and make a bigger difference to keep children in schools and hunger-free.

Do I really think any of this will make a difference?

Is it a way of assuaging my guilt for living it up in Europe? What about concentrating work and energy to raise funds in Africa and South Africa, more specifically? Will there be those who conclude I am misguided and the project is worthless?

I’ve thought about all this. Maybe you are right. But, maybe you are wrong and it’s on that premise that I will (to the embarrassment of my husband), wield the Red Spatula in restaurants, markets and even private supper clubs and push out of the comfort of my shell to show food lovers how easy it is to share meals.

*dinner at BocdeSantos restaurant*

How does it work?

1. Wefeedback is the world’s largest community for sharing food via easy to make online donations, and thereby changing lives.

2. I am sharing a variety of meals and calculating the value per plate or meal.

3. Join my network on the link above and donate the value of the meal, a multiple of it or a faction of it. So, if a meal cost € 5, that would feed 25 kids. You can donate the €5, multiples of it, say €10, €15 etc or even a part of it, say €2.

4. Follow my journey through Europe as I try to raise awareness about the value of our meals.

Remember: the biggest difference comprises a cumulative of the smallest actions. Avoid food wastage wherever you can: share food with those around you, use up left overs, recycle and compost where you can.

Images will be posted on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/foodandthefab/girl-with-the-red-spatula/

Wefeedback following my journey: http://www.facebook.com/WeFeedback

carrot and plum loaf using Sasko Quick Treats pancake mix

*This recipe was developed for Sasko Flour, who approached me to find ways to use their products creatively. I agreed to this project as Sasko Flour products have been used in our house and my mother’s for so very many years. I’m pretty sure you have a packet of cake flour or self raising flour from them too *

This loaf is easy to whip up and and a good way to incorporate left over carrots and plums before they can’t be used. The cream cheese frosting is light and the lemon adds a zesty freshness, and is an unexpected delight. The loaf is dense and slightly crumbly and makes a lovely treat for the cooler weather we are experiencing with a hot cup of tea.

For this loaf I used Sasko Quick Treats Pancake Mix.

I have made this recipe a few times and as with all baking, your oven and its temperatures make a difference to baking times.

Ingredients

150 g butter, softened

150 g castor sugar

2 large free range eggs

25o ml milk

1 t vanilla essence

300 g Sasko Quick Treats Pancake Mix

1 1/4 t baking powder

2 small-medium, carrots peeled & finely grated

2 large plums, finely grated, skins on

Frosting

1 tub plain low fat cream cheese

1 t lemon essence or 1/2 t lemon extract

125 ml icing sugar (adjust to preference)

1 large unwaxed lemon, zested

Method

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease a standard loaf pan.

Cream butter and sugar in a bowl till light and fluffy using a hand held whisk or wooden spoon – this may take up to 8 minutes.

Mix eggs, vanilla and milk together until combined.

Add half liquid to creamed butter and mix. Add remainder and mix well. Mixture may appear lumpy, but will smooth out when you add dry ingredients.

Sift Sasko Quick Treats Pancake Mix and baking powder into butter-egg mix. Mix well with a spatula.

Fold grated carrots and plums in.

Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 50- 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 15- 20 minutes in tin before removing. Let loaf cool on a wire rack.

For the frosting – beat all the ingredients (except zest) till smooth. Smooth cream cheese frosting over the loaf and sprinkle the zest over.