Point Road Shoot

Hi hi, here are some pics from a shoot Jono Nienaber and I did in the dead buildings on the point road death row. A big thanks you to Leigh Schubert for letting us use her gorgeous clothes and to the weather man for giving us a break in the Torrential rain. Enjoy x

Photography: Jono Nienaber Pure studios 

Styling: Lexi Bechet

Model Coco (Models international) 

Clothing: Leigh Schubert 
Make up: Lindsay 

OH, DEAR SANTA

Please may I have this diamond encrusted, white gold, 

I would give anything in the world to have this, Garrard ring for christmas. 

I promise to be good for the rest of my life,

thanks a mil

x

THE LITCHI ORCHARD

OFF TO MARKET WE GO

"Our litchi trees are the star of the show here. 

Most of our trees are over 80 years old, and 

still bear some of the sweetest, juiciest 

litchis around."

For me there are few things as delicious as a ripe litchi picked straight from the tree so when I found out about the fresh produce market happening at Eb's litchi orchard in Ballito I was pretty much hysterical with excitement. Doug and I jumped in the car this morning and took a lovely drive down the coast to see what was potting and were wonderfully surprised. 

Eb has built an awesome wooden structure in amongst the litchi trees- which are dripping with fat little litchis ready for the picking- which houses the many yummy delights ranging from cupcakes (that look like they have just come off the set of the Marie Antoinette movie) to delicious indian food, gorgeous vegetables, macadamia nuts (also grown on the farm) pesto's and pastes and many more scrumptious nibbles. 

So, If you find yourself waking up on a saturday with an adventure in mind I suggest you cruise down to Ballito and grab yourself a box of the most delicious litchi's in the whole universe and a cupcake (if you have the space after eating a whole box of litchis) and sit yourself in the shade of a litchi tree and bask in the glory that is summertime in durban.

For more info visit the litchi orchard website

ODE TO JULENE

I have this funny obsession with paper cutouts, it has an almost meditative effect on me, and an incredibly beautiful result, I can spend hours perched on our window seat in my own little cutout universe so you can imagine my joy at discovering this site. After a good hour of perving and peroozing through Julene's spectacular amount of intricate and completely inspring work i decided to make one of my own (more of a love letter than a cutout!) you will notice that julene's is much neater than mine!

MY LITTLE DRAMA

I really want this from here

MY FIRST FREE DOWNLOAD!

I have decided to do a little recipe card series so that once you have read one of my delicious recipes, you can download a card and scribble it down:)

I can pretty confidently say that once you have tasted these delicious biscuits, they will immediately be top of your list of favorites. Everyone I know has a lovely memory attached to these crumbly, jammy scrumptious little squares, most of them including tea with granny. 

I hope the taste takes you back in time to a happy sunny day. Enjoy x

APRICOT SQUARES OF LOVE

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup margerine (I use butter)

1 egg beaten

2 cups self-raising flour

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

a tin of apricot jam

METHOD

x Beat the sugar and marge/butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the beaten egg, stir in the flour and vanilla essence. Knead until a smooth dough is formed.

x Divide the dough in half, wrap 1/2 in glad wrap and refrigerate. Press the remaining 1/2 into a square baking tin or lamington tin

x Spread generously with a layer of jam. Be as liberal as you want, everyone likes a different amount so you are going to have to play around and figure out how jammy you want them (i like mine pretty jammy:)

x  Grate the remaining half of dough over the jammy layer and bake at 180 c until golden brown.

EBONY AND IVORY RIBBONS

Are these not the most beautiful ribbons? I cannot help but be completely obsessed with the Ebony and Ivory ribbon company, every time I visit them I leave with an armful of gorgeous ribbons. They are the perfect way to jazz up gifts and look stunning wrapped around goodie filled jars. I use it whenever and where ever I can. Visit them here for your ribbon fix. Or Go to their shop 52 Main Road Diep River Cape Town.

CHOCOLATEY HAZELNUT STACK

INGREDIENTS

250 g plain chocolate biscuits crushed

60 g butter, melted

4 eggs separated

3/4 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup hazelnut flour (ground hazelnuts)

2 tablespoons plain flour

TOPPING

125 g butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

200 g dark chocolate

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

METHOD

X  Grease and line a 20 x 30 cm lamington pan

X  Combine 2/3 of the  crushed biscuits and butter and press into the lamington pan. Refrigerate

X  Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, gradually add the sugar, beating until it is dissolved between additions. once a shiny mass has been reached, fold in the ground hazelnuts, remaining biscuits and the flour. Spread the mixture over the biscuit base.

X Bake at 180 C for 20 min. Cool

X Reduce the oven temperature to 170 C

X Meanwhile make the topping by beating the butter, sugar and egg yolk until it is light and fluffy. Stir in the melted chocolate and spread over the slice. Bake for a further 20 minutes.

X Once baked I used a cookie cutter to cut out some rounds, I sandwiched them together and put little chocolate collars around the stacks to give them a more elegant look. I also spread a little butterscotch sauce over the tops for some added goodness.

LITTLE ASPEN COTTAGE

I have been so excited to get home from work all day just so I can share my first ever guest post with you. Lianne Scher sent me this great recipe and astounding picture of a cupcake she made for the Martha Stewart cupcake competition. It was only once she had slaved over this lovely creation all day, taken the picture and tried to upload it onto the ms site that she realised that the competition is only open to us citizens (totally unfair in my book). The good news is that Lianne mailed it to the girls at MS living anyway and to her surprise she got an email back from them to say they had sent the mail onto MS herself ! 

GUEST BLOGGER : LIANNE SCHER

Here is the recipe which for me has to be the most delicious ,and moistest cupcake I have ever tasted , this is a recipe which I have had for years , the original asks for berries of any kind which I obviously omitted. The name of the recipe is Friands.

FRIANDS

1 cup ground almonds

1 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar

1/2 cup flour

175g melted butter

6 egg whites

2 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD

X Combine all dry ingredients

X Beat whites to a soft peak and fold in the dry ingredients and the melted butter as well as vanilla until evenly incorporated 

X Put spoonfuls of the mixture three quarters the way up the case 

X Bake at 190 degress C for 25 minutes or less depending on size of cases being used

For the icing you can use any butter or cream cheese frosting , which after spreading on the cupcake. I sprinkled with coconut to give the affect of snow. I used an extra large sized muffin pan so that it would be in proportion to the "little house". If you were using berries in this recipe finish off with a dredging of icing sugar . 

The house was made of gingerbread to which no raising agent was added , the roof tiles are of wheaties cereal , the flag pole of gingerbread , the flag  rice paper which I put through the printer , the window pane  a shard of caramel which gives it a wonderful warm glow when the little candle is lit , I drilled a hole in the chimney to allow for a flow of oxygen , the little pebbles are balls of gingerbread pressed between fingers before baking,the logs on the side of the house are gingerbread and then the detail is of course royal icing, including the little bird 

I hope this gives you some inspiration to try and bring you as much joy as it did me .

THE DELI

THE DELI 

There is a deli in durban that I have driven past almost everyday for the past year. Why it has never occurred to me to actually stop and go inside is beyond me because ever since I went there last week, it is all i can think about. The staff is super friendly and efficient and the food completely scrumptious. The order of the day was a bowl mushroom and brown onion soup accompanied by 4 little ciabatta soldiers smothered in gorgonzola. Now i am no mushroom soup connoisseur but I am almost sure that The Deli serves quite possibly the best mushroom soup in the universe. I was so sure of this that I took my boyfriend down there for lunch today, just to confirm my suspicion, and it turns out i was right. So next time you are in durban I highly recommend that you go down to The Deli, its on Windemere road, and see if I'm right.

WHIMSY

ESSENWOOD MARKET

Last weekend my little sister came up to visit from cape town. I decided that no trip to durban was complete without a visit to the fabulous Essenwood market so Georgia and I spent our saturday morning sauntering up and down the endless rows of craft filled stores perusing all the eats, flowers and crafty surprises. Imagine my pure joy on discovering the lovely Whimsy stall. These beautiful illustrations, both originals and prints, are the perfect gift for any girl between the ages of 0-100 and should be hung up on any available wall space you can find. If you are too far away to visit the market, you can view more images here www.whimsy.co.za on the whimsy site, it is an absolute must.

MINI PECAN PIES

THESE DELICIOUS LITTLE PIES ARE BEST EATEN STRAIGHT OUT OF THE OVEN WITH A DOLLOP OF VANILLA ICE-CREAM.

INGREDIENTS 

1 quantity pie-crust, unbaked

100 g caster sugar 

125 ml maple syrup 

¼ salt 

1 egg 

30 g unsalted butter, cubed 

¼ teaspoon vanilla essence

50 g shelled pecan nuts, chopped   

METHOD  

X Pre-heat the oven to 170 C  

X Find a clean work surface and dust it with some flour. Roll out your pastry until it is a few mm in thickness. Using a round cookie cutter cut out some pastry rounds and line the prepared mini pie tins. Trim the edges with a sharp knife.

X In a medium saucepan, combine the caster sugar, maple syrup and salt and bring to the boil. As soon as a rolling boil has been reached, switch off the heat and leave the syrup mixture to cool slightly (about 20 minutes.) 

X Put the egg in bowl and whisk for a few seconds until it is just mixed. Slowly pour the warm syrup mixture into the bowl containing the egg, stirring briskly all the time to avoid making scrambled eggs. 

X Add the butter and vanilla extract and mix it until all the butter has melted and all the ingredients are evenly dispersed. 

X Fill each pastry shell with a couple of pecan nuts and then pour the filling on top. Top each little pie with one whole pecan. 

X Bake the mini pies for about 20 minutes or until they are a dark caramel colour with a slightly crusty surface.

PIE-CRUST

125 g butter

1 teaspoon baking powder

250g flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons full cream milk

METHOD

X Crumb together the butter, baking powder, flour and sugar knead in the milk to form a smooth dough.

BABY PEA AND LEEK SOUP

IM GOING HOME TO CAPE TOWN TOMORROW, TRADING THE WARM AND BALMY CLIMATE OF DURBAN FOR THE COLD AND STORMY TEMPER OF CAPE TOWN. 
I FIGURED, IF IM GOING TO TAKE ON THE COLD, I MIGHT ASWEL DO IT WITH A DELICIOUS SOUP IN HAND. ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

500g baby peas

2 small potatoes

5 medium leeks 

1 big onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

a knob of butter

2 cloves garlic crushed

850 ml chicken stock

METHOD

x Boil the potatoes until they are cooked, remove them from the heat and put them aside.

x Remove the outer skin of the leeks, give them a rinse and then chop them into approximately 

3cm thick chunks.

x Heat the butter and oil in a pot and add the onion, leeks and garlic cloves and sweat them untilthey become sweet and tender and the onions become translucent. Add the peas and potatoes and cook for about a minute add 2/3 of the stock and simmer for 10 minutes.

x when the simmering is done, blend the soup to the desired thickness and use the excess stock to adjust the consistency.

PINENUT AND HONEY SQUARES

THIS IS A LOVELY, SUMMERY CAKE IDEAL FOR AFTERNOON LUNCHEONS UNDER THE TREES

INGREDIENTS

250 G SOFT BUTTER

2 CUPS CASTER SUGAR

3/4 CUP SOUR CREAM

6  EGGS

2 CUPS PLAIN FLOUR

1/4 CUP SELF-RAISING FLOUR

1/2 CUP PINE NUTS

1 TABLESPOON TREACLE SUGAR

1/4 CUP HONEY

METHOD

X LINE A 23CM LAMINGTON PAN WITH BAKING PAPER AND PRE-HEAT THE OVEN TO 170 C

X BEAT THE BUTTER AND CASTER SUGAR TOGETHER UNTIL IT IS LIGHT AND FLUFFY. ADD THE EGGS ONE AT A TIME. STIR IN THE SOUR CREAM AND FLOURS IN 2 BATCHES. 

X POUR THE MIXTURE  INTO THE LINED TIN AND BAKE FOR 15 MINUTES.

X WHILE THE CAKE IS BAKING, MIX TOGETHER THE TREACLE SUGAR AND PINE NUTS.

X CAREFULLY REMOVE THE CAKE FROM THE OVEN AND QUICKLY SPRINKLE WITH THE PINE NUT AND SUGAR MIXTURE. 

X PUT THE CAKE STRAIGHT BACK  INTO THE OVEN AND BAKE FOR ANOTHER 45 MINUTES. (KEEP AN EYE ON THE NUTS WHILE THEY BAKE, IN MY EXPERIENCE THEY TEND TO BROWN RATHER QUICKLY SO I OFTEN PUT A PIECE OF TINFOIL OVER THE CAKE ONCE THE NUTS ARE BROWNED TO MY LIKING.)

X REMOVE THE CAKE FROM THE  TIN.

X IN A SMALL SAUCEPAN, HEAT THE HONEY UNTIL IT IS HOT AND RUNNY, POUR IT OVER THE CAKE AND LEAVE TO COOL.

The Most Delicious of all

I figure that if this blog is going to be a success i might as well put one of my most favorite of delicious things foreword as a starting point because who can go wrong with a chiffon cake in front of them right? well here goes, i hope you enjoy this recipe as much as i do, it is a serious birthday hit and quite possibly the most girly cake you can get. Enjoy 

ORANGE CHIFFON CAKE WITH DREAMY COCONUT ICING

pre- heat the oven to 160 C

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/4 cups cake flour

15 ml baking powder

125 ml sunflower oil

375 ml sugar

5 ml salt

5 unbeaten egg yolks

7 egg whites

3 ml cream of tar tar

the juice and rind of 2 medium oranges 

METHOD:

x Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together 3 times ( i know it sounds pedantic but this is essential) 

x In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, yolks, juice and rind.

x make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the oil, yolk mixture, continue to beat until smooth. put aside.

x In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they are foamy, about 1 minute, add the cream of tar tar ( this helps the egg whites hold their form) and continue to whisk up to stiff peaks (you will know that you have reached this stage when you can hold your bowl upside down and the egg whites don't budge from the bowl)

x Pour half the egg whites into the yolk mixture and fold in gently once they are incorporated continue to do the same with the other half of the whites nb: don't over mix.

x Pour the batter into an ungreased 25 cm chiffon tin (this is a cake tin that has little "legs"around the outside)  and continue to bake at 160 C for 65 - 70 minutes. Once it is

cooked leave it to cool, inverted. this technique helps give this cake its beautiful height.

FROSTING:

90g butter

10 ml orange rind

1 yolk

a pinch of salt

500g icing sugar

1/4 cup desiccated coconut

5 ml lemon juice

65 ml orange juice

x Cream together the butter and icing sugar, add the eggs, juice, salt and desiccated coconut, beat well until you have a smooth creamy icing.

Once the cake is cool, remove it from the tin and cover it with frosting, I covered my icing with a layer of coconut flakes, to give it the dreamy effect.