FRUIT
ART
By
Lannice Snyman& Malcolm Dare
Fruit’s first claim to fame was as an object of seduction, and nothing much has changed since Eve tempted Adam with that apple.
Malcolm Dare’s
inspired portfolio of photographs of fruit-with-the-female-form combined
with Lannice Snyman's inimitable touch with food has resulted in a
splendid book one of originality, freshness and spontaneity.
Lannice's
recipes drift through the day from breakfast through tea time to soups, salads,
an array of main dishes, divine desserts and other after-dinner
temptations.
"Ignorance
is like a delicate fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone."
Oscar Wilde
APPLE
& FETA CUPCAKES
These
must be served straight from the oven, but you could keep the batter in
the fridge for up to three days.
Makes
about 20
250
g self-raising flour
pinch salt
100 g butter
2 eggs
125 ml milk
1 wheel feta cheese, crumbled
12 sweet apples, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
Grease
the cups of a standard muffin tin. Heat the oven to 200 C. Sift the
flour and salt into a bowl or a food processor. Melt the butter, then
lightly beat in the eggs and milk. Add the liquid to the flour and work
in without over-mixing (this will make the cupcakes tough.) Mix in the
feta and apple chunks.
Place
heaped tablespoons of the mixture into the muffin cups and bake for
about 15 minutes until the cupcakes are cooked and well browned. Serve
warm with butter.
"A
gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her
watch." James Beard
CITRUS
WHISKY CAKE
Serves
10 – 12
200
ml whisky
200 g sultanas
1 lemon
2 eggs
200 g castor sugar
250 ml milk
100 g butter, melted
250 g cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
100 g pecan nuts, roughly crumbled
whipped cream, to serve
Syrup:
125
ml orange juice
4 tablespoons sugar
Grease
a 22 cm spring-form cake tin. Heat the oven to 170C. Warm the whisky in
a small saucepan, add the sultanas and set aside for about 15 minutes to
plump. Drain the sultanas and pop them into a food processor (keep the
whisky for the syrup). Cut the lemon into chunks, discard the pips and
add to the sultanas. Puree the fruit to a fine paste. Remove from the
food processor and set aside.
Place
the eggs and castor sugar in the processor and whiz until light and
fluffy. Mix in the milk and melted butter. Sift in the flour, baking
powder, bicarb and salt and mix in, followed by the lemon paste and
pecans. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for about 45 minutes
until the cake is cooked and a skewer comes out clean.
Syrup
Combine the orange juice, sugar and reserved whisky in a small saucepan
and heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Pour the hot syrup over
the cake as it comes out of the oven. Allow to cool before turning out a
plate.
To
Serve Slice the cake
and serve with plenty of whipped cream and a lemon wedge for fun.
"You've
got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit
is." Will Rogers
CRUNCHY
APPLE, BANANA AND NUT CAKE
Serves
6 to 8
200
g brown sugar
120 g cake flour, sifted
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon mixed spice
50 g cold butter, cut into blocks
125 ml milk
1 egg
2 sweet apples, peeled and thinly sliced
2 bananas, peeled and thinly sliced
100 g brazil nuts, roughly chopped and dry-roasted mascarpone cheese or
crème fraîche, to serve.
Heat
the oven to 180ºC. Grease a 22 cm cake tin (round or square; non-stick
is best.) Mix together the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, bicarb and
mixed spice. Rub in the butter until the mixture is finely crumbled.
Spread half into the cake tin.
Thoroughly
mix together the milk and egg, then mix into the remaining flour and
butter mixture. Mix in the apples, bananas and half the nuts. Spoon onto
the crumb mixture in the tin and bake for about 30 minutes until the
cake is cooked and a skewer comes out clean.
Cool
the cake in the tin, then lift onto a plate. Slice and serve with a
spoonful of mascarpone cheese or crème fraîche. Scatter over the
remaining nuts for added crunch.
"Life
is like a grapefruit. It's orange and squishy, and has a few pips in
it, and some foilks have half a one for breakfast." Douglas
Adams
WARM
APRICOT TART
200
g cake flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons castor sugar
125 g cold butter, cut into blocks
825 g tin apricot halves, well drained
100 g sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 egg yolks
250 ml plain yoghurt
Set
the oven at 200ºC. Lightly oil a 25 cm loose-based cake tin. Sift
together the flour, baking powder, salt and castor sugar. Rub in the
butter until the mixture is finely crumbled. Press the mixture into the
base and up the sides of the baking tin.
Arrange
the fruit in the pastry in neat circles, and sprinkle the sugar and
cinnamon on top. Beat together the egg yolks and yoghurt and pour evenly
over the fruit. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the tart is set and
golden. Serve warm or cool.
"Wishing
to be a friend is quick work, but friendship is a slow-ripening
fruit." Aristotle
HONEY-BAKED
PLUMS WITH GORGONZOLA
Fruit
and cheese are happy together, and make a very appealing
after-dinner treat. If you’re not crazy about blue cheese, use any
other cheese you prefer; brie, camembert or a duetto (a mixture of
blue and cream cheese) are all delicious. Choose plums for baking
that are not overripe.
Serves
6
6
ripe plums
4 tablespoons clear honey
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons apricot or cassis liqueur (optional)
200 g gorgonzola or blue cheese
crisp sweet biscuits, to serve
Heat
the oven to 180ºC. Wash the plums, wipe dry, place stem-side down onto
a board and cut a cross in the top of each one. As they cook, the skin
bursts, revealing the beautiful colour of the flesh.
Place
the plums in a baking dish to fit snugly. Drizzle with honey, sprinkle
with sugar and pour over the liqueur. Bake uncovered for 20 to 25
minutes until they are soft but not collapsing in a mush. Baste with the
syrup from time to time. Cool the plums to room temperature
To
Serve: Place chunks
or wedges of cheese onto plates with the plums and a little of the
syrup. Serve with sweet biscuits.
