Recipes by: Derick
Derick's Grand Finale Bakes
Dark Chocolate Torta with Kumquat Marmalade
5 eggs
250ml castor sugar
125ml castor sugar mixed with a splash of
water in a saucepan
225q butter, cubed
400g 70% dark chocolate
Marmalade
600 g ripe kumquats halved lengthwise
100 g granulated sugar
1 x cinnamon stick
2 x star anise
100ml water
Pinch of salt
- Cut the kumquats in half lengthwise.
- Place all the other ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer until the sugar is dissolved, add the kumquats and fold through.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 30 min.
- Allow to cool completely. (For this tart recipe you need the fruit to be firm enough to arrange at the bottom of your cake pan)
Torta
- Preheat the oven to 100°C and grease a 24cm cake tin bottom lined with baking paper.
- Place the eggs and 250ml castor sugar in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and beat until pale and thick.
- Place a saucepan with the 125ml castor sugar over a low heat until it melts, then cook until small bubbles form and it turns to syrup.
- Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a double boiler. Add the sugar-syrup to the chocolate and mix through.
- While the stand mixer with the eggs is mixing slowly, add the chocolate mixture and beat until well mixed.
- Arrange the halved kumquats face down over the bottom of the pan. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Place on a dishcloth in an ovenproof dish and fill the dish halfway with water. Bake for 1 hour, remove from the oven dish and leave to cool.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours before decorating and slicing.
- Note: my original vision was to create savory crust pastry shards with parmesan cheese as decoration but also a flavor additive that would elevate the tart. During the challenge, I used very good quality Parmesan cheese shavings and pink peppercorns – these flavors I know go very well with high-quality dark chocolate.
- Experiment, it’s a wonderfully versatile recipe.
Creme Brulee Kolwyntjies
2 cups whole milk 473mL
1 vanilla bean split lengthwise
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar 135g
1/4 cup cornstarch 37g
1 tbsp unsalted butter 15g, cold
- Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise then use a spoon or knife the scrape the seeds out. Add the milk and vanilla bean to a medium saucepan, heat then place over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil.
- Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 15 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain.
- Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the saucepan.
- Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool slightly.
- Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Vanilla Cups
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Half teaspoon salt
Quarter teaspoon baking soda
Four eggs
1.5 cup sugar
One cup oil
One cup of buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla paste
- Beat the eggs sugar oil butter milk and vanilla paste till smooth and fluffy
- Sift the flour baking powder salt and baking soda. Add spoons full to the egg mixture and mix on low speed.
- Combine everything and mix till just combined. Do not over mix
- Grease two cupcake pans well
- Fill each cup 3/4 from the top and bake at 170° for 10 minutes
- Allowed to cool for 15 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack. Chill completely before icing.
- Spread a generous layer of the Creme Patisserie over each cupcake. Dust generously with castor sugar. Use a gas flame to caramelize the castor sugar. Serve immediately.
Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
For the dough:
3 cups cake flour
1 tsp Royal Baking Powder
1 cup warm milk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoon sugar
10 g instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
- Dissolve the sugar in the hot milk. Add the yeast and allow it to bloom for 10 minutes. Whisk the eggs into the milk mixture. In a mixing bowl create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the yeast mixture.
- Mix through and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Turn out on a work surface and add the salt. Using your hands work the dough until the salt is fully incorporated. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. Set aside in a greased bowl and allow to rise to double the size – roughly 60 minutes.
Filling
60g butter softened
50g treacle sugar
2 tab ground cinnamon
80g good quality dark chocolate cut into thin shavings or grated
- Once the dough has risen, knock back and gently work it into a rectangular shape roughly 50 x 30 cm.
- Mix all the ingredients for the filling except the dark chocolate. Spread the mixture evenly over the surface of the dough.
- Sprinkle over the dark chocolate. Create a roll and cut roulettes of about two or 3 cm in thickness.
- Shape to your desire and allow to proof for 45 minutes to an hour. Bake at 200°C for 15 minutes. Glaze with melted butter. Enjoy!
Baked Gnocchi pockets with courgette and Burned Sage Butter
Gnocchi
1 kg orange sweet potatoes
300q type ‘O’ flour, plus extra
0.5 tsp Royal Baking Powder
0,5 tsp ground nutmeg
5ml salt, plus extra for boiling
1 egg
Olive oil
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and bake for 1 hour or until soft. Leave to cool slightly, then peel and mash. Add half the flour, 5ml salt, baking powder, nutmeg and egg. Mix till a dough forms, you need a bit more flour to make pockets. DO NOT OVERWORK THE DOUGH you don’t want the gluten to stretch. Using your hands create fillable rounds and spoon a little of the filling (see below) into the disk. Fold the edges over and use some water on the edges to pinch to seal tightly. Set aside on a well floured surface and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
If the dough feels too sticky, add some more flour, but do not overwork the dough. - Bring a pot of water to a boil with some salt and oil. Add the gnocchi and boil until they start to float, then strain. Bake at 200°C for 10min to brown. Dress with the burned sage butter and serve with Parmesan cheese and good quality olive oil.
Filling
4 baby marrows grated
150g ricotta or danish feta cheese
Lemon zest and juice 1
10g parsley chopped
1 chili deseeded and chopped
1 clove of garlic chopped and minced.
Salt and pepper
1 Tsp olive oil
- Simply mix all the ingredients and use to fill the pockets
Sage Butter
200g butter
20g fresh sage
- Over medium low heat, melt the butter in a saucepan.
- Add the sage leaves after bruising them and allow to cook till the butter reaches a light golden color.
