If you are planning to go MAD in the kitchen, this recipe is dedicated to you. It is the definition of ‘Guilty pleasure at its max!!!!!’  I know it is not the healthiest dessert, but hey your tastebuds do not mind indulging in a little crime once in a while.

This epic dessert is composed of magnificent layers that combine carrot cake, with coffee and chocolate heavy cream, jelly, ice-cream, golden syrup and more chocolate. What’s not to love about that! I will tell you right now that you should not think twice about trying out this dessert. YOU NEED IT.

 

Time: 2 hours

Yield: 5 desserts

Ingredients

• 1 litre tub of vanilla ice-cream 
• 160g cherry jelly (2 small packets)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons boiled coffee
• ¼ cup roughly chopped chocolate
• For the carrot cake
• 1 cup cake flour
• ¾  cup sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 ½  tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 eggs
• ⅜ cup canola oil
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely grated carrots

 For the top

• ¼ cup golden syrup
• ½ cup chopped chocolate
• ⅛ cup finely shredded chocolate
• 5 flakes

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the jelly according to the instructions on the packet.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
3. Line a loaf tin with parchment paper.
4. Sift the flour into a large bowl.
5. Add the baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon and ginger to the same bowl and whisk.
6. In a separate bowl, crack the eggs and beat them for 2 minutes using a whisk or handheld mixer.
7. Add the oil and vanilla extract to the bowl and whisk for 3 minutes.
8. Gently fold the carrots into the bowl using a spatula.
9. Transfer the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and fold the batter for about 2 minutes using a spatula.
10. Transfer the cake batter into the baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes (until a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted).
11. In the meantime, place the heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
12. Whip the heavy cream for about 4-5 minutes until stiff peaks form when you lift the mixer.
13. Carefully fold in the boiled coffee, icing sugar and roughly chopped chocolate and place the bowl in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
14. When the cake has baked, remove it from the pan by first running a dinner knife around the tin before tipping over the baking tin.
15. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes.
16. Place ⅛ cup of the syrup in a plate and place ¼ of the chopped chocolate in a separate plate.
17. To assemble the desserts, dip the rim of each of your long dessert glasses into the plate with the syrup and immediately dip each of them into the plate with the chopped chocolate.
18. Cut the cake into tiny cubes.
19. Place 5 tablespoons of the tiny cake cubes into the bottom of each dessert glass and use a long spoon to press the cake cubes down, so you have a flat top.
20. After that, place two tablespoons of the whipped heavy cream into each of the glasses.
21. Repeat those last two steps (5 tablespoons of cake and two tablespoons of heavy cream.)
22. Put ¼ cup of the set jelly into each of the dessert glasses.
23. On top of the jelly layer, add 4 scoops of ice-cream to each glass.
24. Place the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate in a bowl and melt it in the microwave for 90 seconds. (Remove the bowl from the microwave after every 30 seconds and stir the melting chocolate for 5 seconds before placing the bowl back into the microwave, so that the chocolate does not burn).
25. Place the melted chocolate in a small piping bag and quickly pipe a few swirls on top of the ice-cream in each dessert glass.
26. Finally drizzle the golden syrup and sprinkle each dessert glass with the finely shredded chocolate before immersing the flake into each dessert glass and diving into the bliss you would have created!

 

If there is a dish that is savory, fresh and unbelievably succulent it has to be my 'Piatto de Viçi Curry'! I am not a huge fan of curry but after having this spectacular dish, i have officially become a permanent member of the League of Curry (if it exists).

I deliberately did not use tinned tomatoes when i came up with this recipe because fresh tomatoes add a whole new dimension to the dish that cannot be replicated by tinned tomatoes.

Note: This recipe makes a mild curry but if you are able to handle the heat well then go ahead and add as much curry powder and chilli powder as your tastebuds can deal with!

I named this dish in Italian and Albanian and the English translation is Beef Curry platter. (piatto -platter(Italian) and viçi (pronounced vi-chi)

-beef(Albanian).

Servings:5

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes 

Ingredients

• 20 regular sized tortillas
• 3 lemons
• 100g fresh coriander
• 2 red onions sliced

For the mild beef curry

• 500g beef (i used chuck) 
• 1 chopped onion
• 7 medium sized tomatoes grated
• 1 ½ cups beef stock (homemade or store-bought)
• ½ cup hot water
• 2 tablespoons corn flour or plain flour
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 ½ tsp ground coriander
• 1 ½  tsp paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 5 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• 2 tablespoons curry powder

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the beef into small cubes.
2. Add oil to a large saucepan and let it heat over high heat.
3. When the oil is hot, place the beef cubes into the pan and season them with salt and black pepper.
4. Cook the beef cubes till they are brown and entirely cooked, remembering to toss them after every 3-5 minutes. (This will take about 15-20 minutes).
5. Remove the beef cubes from the pan. Place them in a large bowl and cover them with aluminium foil till they are needed.
6. Add more oil to the same pan and let it heat up for a few minutes over medium-high heat.
7. Place the chopped onions inside the pan and let them cook for about 5 minutes until they are slightly golden in color.
8. Then, add the grated tomatoes, beef stock, hot water, corn flour, sugar, soy sauce, tomato sauce and all the spices listed.
9. Stir everything together until the simmering starts.
10. Once the simmering begins, let it go on without the lid for about 10 minutes. You may stir after 5 minutes.
11. After the 10 minutes place the lid on and let the simmering carry on for 10 more minutes.
12. After that, add the beef cubes and make sure they are all coated.
13. Place the lid back on, reduce the heat and let the stew cook for 15 minutes on medium-low heat.
14. In the meantime, cut the lemons into wedges(in half lengthwise, then each half into half again lengthwise).
15. When the cooking time for the beef stew is almost up, warm the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds.
16. Remove the pan from the heat and dish the beef curry into small bowls.
17. Place two bowls of the beef curry on each plate (towards the edge of the plate).
18. Slightly fold the tortillas and place four in the middle each plate. 
19. Finally, add a generous amount of fresh coriander to each plate, about 3 lemon wedges and a few red onion rings and the meal will be ready to serve!

It is that time of the year whereby 10 minute cocktails are what you should be making because they’re hustle- free and felicitous in quenching any Summer thirst you may be experiencing.

This is the first recipe i’ve named in Italian, and the translation is simply ‘ Red Summer Cocktail’. I kid you not, this cocktail is sensational and the blend of flavours is flawless! You should totally treat your taste buds to this because they are going to dislike you if you don’t.

Yield: 5 cocktails

Time :  10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 litre apple fruit juice (chilled)
•  500 ml lemonade(chilled)
• 250 ml sprite(chilled)
• 500 ml red grape juice(chilled)
• 500 guava fruit juice(chilled)
• 500ml mango fruit juice(chilled)
• A few drops of red food coloring
• A few sprigs of fresh mint
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 15 orange slices
• Ice cubes
• ½ lemon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the caster sugar in a small bowl.
2. Run the lemon around the rim of each cocktail glass and dip each glass into the bowl with caster sugar, ensuring that the glass rims are entirely coated.
3. In a fairly large jug, combine all the juices including the lemonade and sprite.
4. Place a drop of the food colouring at the bottom of each glass.
5. Add in the desired amount of ice cubes (i put about 5 ice-cubes in each glass).
6. Carefully pour the cocktail into each cocktail glass.
7. Slightly fold the orange slices and place three in each glass.
8. Finally top each glass with a sprig of mint and your cocktails will be ready!