A SWEET LITTLE TASTE OF THE KLEIN KAROO

Serves 10 portions

Koeksisters

4 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons baking powder

80 g butter

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 cup milk

Sieve all the dry ingredients into a bowl. Melt the butter; add the eggs, oil and milk. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and cut the wet ingredients into it to make a firm dough. Allow to rest for 30 minutes, then portion the dough into the desired sizes and plait neatly.

Syrup

4 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 stick cinnamon

1 lemon, juiced

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and allow to simmer until thick and syrupy.

Traditional milk tart

Sweet pastry

375 g cake flour

250 g butter

125 g castor sugar

1 egg

Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl, then rub in the butter until flour is a crumbly texture. Add in the egg to bind the pastry. Knead slightly, wrap and allow to rest. Roll out the pastry into the size of the baking dish.

Filling

1 tablespoon butter

125 ml sugar

175 ml milk

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons cake flour

3 eggs

10 g corn flour

5 g ground cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar together; add the eggs first, then slowly add the milk and flour until all blended. Add in the cinnamon. In a saucepan, heat up the mixture until it is smooth. Pour into a pastry shell and bake for 20 minutes at 180°C.

Chocolate ganache

2 kg dark chocolate

1 kg white chocolate

1 l fresh cream

In a double boiler, put the two different chocolates together and allow to melt, ensuring that it does not burn or make lumps. Add the fresh cream, stirring constantly until all is blended into a smooth paste. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Malva mousse

Pudding

7 cups sugar

7 tablespoons apricot jam

7 tablespoon butter

7 eggs

7 cups cake flour

7 cups milk

2 tablespoons bicarbonate of soda

2 tablespoons vinegar

Cream the butter and sugar; add the eggs and jam together slowly; add the sifted dry ingredients - do not over beat. Pour onto a greased baking tray and bake for 35 minutes at 180°C.

Sauce

250 g butter

200 g sugar

1 l milk

In a heavy based sauce pan, add all the ingredients, bring to the boil. Pour over the baked malva pudding.

Place the pudding into a food processor and blend until smooth, adding a little cream if needs be.

To serve

Portion the ‘melktert' into squares and dip in chocolate. Pour the malva mousse into a shot glass and top with whipped cream and a straw. Dip the koeksister into rolled oats. On a plate, position with the koeksister leaning against the ‘melktert' and the malva mousse in the middle.

- Bruce Robertson, The Showroom