Christmas Oliebollen

Featured Cook: Irene and Rachel from Netherlands

Ingredients:

• 250g raisins
• 200g quark
• 1 bottle light beer (Milk is possible as well)
• +/- 400-450ml luke warm water
• 60g sugar
• 75g yeast
• 1 kg flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt

Method:

1. Wash the raisins, or if you have time let it soak for a while in lukewarm water.
2. Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water and let it stand. (Begin with 400 ml water) Mix it with the sugar. (If the yeast doesn’t bubble, discard and buy new yeast as it means the yeast is no longer active).
3. Put the flour in a bowl.
4. Make a well in the middle and spread salt to the edge. (which inhibits the activity of the yeast and thereby come into direct contact)
5. Put the yeast mixture in the well of the flour and stir it.
6. Whisk the eggs with the quark and beer.
7. Mix it with the flour mixture.
8. Stir the raisins carefully to the mixture with a spoon.
9. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel and allow to rise in a warm area for about an hour.
10. Heat the oil in a large, deep pan or in a deep fryer. To check whether the oil is at the right temperature, stand the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil. If little bubbles form around it, the oil is ready.
11. You will need two tablespoons to form and handle the dough, as well as a slotted spoon to remove the ‘oliebollen’ from the hot oil. Quickly dip the two tablespoons into the oil and form small balls of the dough with the oiled tablespoons, carefully scraping and dropping the dough into the hot oil. The ‘oliebollen’ will sink to the bottom of the pan and then pop right back up. Fry until golden brown on both sides, carefully flipping when required.
12. Drain on a tray lined with paper towels.
13. Sieve powdered sugar over the ‘oliebollen’ and serve warm. (You can also eat them when they are cold)

Tips:

• Don’t store the uncooked dough for more than an hour or two (covered with a damp dish towel), because the yeast will remain active. Instead, make and fry the dough as needed.
• If the fritters are uncooked on the inside, the oil is either too hot or too cold. The oil should not be hotter than 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Oil that is too cold is the result of frying too many ‘oliebollen’ at one time.
• Allow leftover ‘oliebollen’ to go stone cold and then store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for approximately two days.
• Leftovers can be warmed in a preheated oven at 390 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 15 minutes or in the microwave on high (850 Watt) for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Leftovers can also easily be frozen and will keep in the freezer for about 2 months. To eat, allow to defrost and then warm as above.

Enjoy!

Christmas Peanut Butter Truffles

Featured Cook: Mari-Louise from South Africa

Ingredients:

• 125g Margarine/butter
• 310g of smooth peanut butter
• Puffed rice cereal
• 250g icing sugar
• 200g chocolate

Method:

1. Melt margarine and peanut butter in a pot until smooth mixture.
2. Mix in icing sugar and puffed rice, mix well.
3. Before it gets cold spoon out and roll into balls. Be quick because once the mixture is cold it is not sticky anymore and then you will struggle to make the balls.
4. Place balls onto plate and place in the fridge for an hour until cool and solid.
5. Melt chocolate in a bowl and use 2 forks to dip peanut butter balls into the melted chocolate.
6. Place onto a plate that is covered with icing sugar (so that it will not stick to the plate).
7. Return balls to the fridge until chocolate is solid.

Enjoy!

Christmas Chocolate Brownies.

Featured Cook: Judith from South Africa

Ingredients:

• 1.4 cup butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup treacle sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• Nutella Hazelnut spread
• Pecan nuts
• 1 cup flour
• 1.2 cup cocoa powder
• 1teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch salt

Method:

1. Melt butter in the microwave and mix together with eggs, treacle sugar and vanilla essence.
2. Mix together – add 2 table spoons of Nutella Hazelnut spread.
3. Sift all dry ingredients together and mix in the cocoa and flour.
4. Then add all ingredients together until it’s a sticky fudgy paste.
5. Oil a standard baking tray and smooth out the paste onto the tray.
6. Add your pecan nuts on top of mixture.
7. Bake at 180 degrees C for twenty minutes.

To check if it is baked take the edge of a flat knife and pierce the centre.  If nothing sticks to the knife it is fully baked and must be removed from the oven.

Icing:

1. Bring to boil cup of milk 125 g of butter.
2. Add cup of icing sugar and 1.4 cup of cocoa.
3. Mix this mixture into hot mixture fast – let it simmer on low heat until sticky.
4. As you remove dish from oven after baking your syrup icing should be ready.
5. Pour icing evenly over baked brownies and let it stand to cool off.
6. Sift a tea spoon of icing sugar over baked and syrup brownies for snowy look.

Enjoy!