Woolworths Taste – August 2019

CHEFS’SECRETS

TASTE AUGUST 2019 71

SASHA SIMPSON
Owner, Brik Café

GRANADILLA
FRANGIPANE TART
“Frangipane tarts always remind me of my
dad. Growing up, we lived in quite a healthy
home. My mom would limit the ‘junk’ foods
we were exposed to and we were offered
alternatives to sweets, such as grapes, raisins,
dark chocolate, and my dad’s all-time
favourite, marzipan. That’s what frangipane
tarts spark in my memory. The smell and
texture of the marzipan is mimicked by the
baked almond in this tart. Combining it with
my little girl’s favourite fruit, granadilla, creates
a feeling of home and love.” @brik_cafe

Makes 2 x 18 cm tarts or 1 x 28 cm tart
A LITTLE EFFORT
GREAT VALUE
Preparation: 1 hour, plus 1 hour's
chilling time
Cooking: 1½ hours

For the base:
flour 375 g
icing sugar 50 g
butter 200 g
free-range egg 1

For the granadilla jam:
granadillas 6
water 1 cup
lemon ½, juiced
sugar (caster, brown or coconut) 225 g

For the frangipane filling:
butter 125 g, diced
icing sugar 125 g
free-range eggs 2
free-range egg yolk 1
almond flour 125 g
granadilla seeds 1 cup
dark rum 1 T

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and
line the base of an 18 cm loose-bottomed
tart tin. 2 Wash the granadillas for the jam,
cut in half and remove the seeds. Set aside.
Put the shells into a bowl of boiling water
and allow to stand while you make the
base. 3 Place the flour, icing sugar and
butter into the bowl of a food processor
and pulse until the mixture resembles
coarse breadcrumbs. Add the egg and
pulse again until the dough comes
together. Wrap in clingwrap, then chill for
1 hour. 4 While the pastry is resting, make

the jam. Place the soaked granadilla shells

into a saucepan with the soaking water and

boil for 30 minutes or until the insides of the

shells are tender. Drain and scoop out the

soft pulp inside the shells. Chop up the pulp.

5 Place the soft pulp, seeds and water in a

pan and bring to the boil. Add the lemon

juice and sugar, stir until dissolved and boil

rapidly to a setting point, about 20 minutes.

You will use a fair amount of the jam for the

tart. Store any leftover jam in a sterilised jar

with an airtight lid. 6 Roll out the pastry to

3-4 mm thick on a lightly floured surface

(half will fill an 18 cm tin). Line the tart tin

with the pastry, making sure there no gaps

between the tin and the pastry, and

carefully trim the edges using a sharp

knife. Chill for 15 minutes. 7 To make the

frangipane, cream the butter and icing

sugar in an electric mixer until pale and

fluffy. Add the eggs and the egg yolk,

one at a time. Once incorporated, fold in

the almond flour, granadilla seeds and rum.

8 Remove the tin from the fridge, then

brush the base with half the granadilla jam.

Spread the frangipane on top. If you prefer

a crunchier base, you can blind bake the

base before brushing it with jam. Bake for

25–30 minutes, or until golden and cooked

through. 9 Remove from the oven and allow

the tart to cool slightly before carefully

brushing the top with the remaining

granadilla jam. Serve with custard, cream

or ice cream.

WINE: Villiera Jasmine White Blend 2018

LIEZL ODENDAAL

Pastry chef, Janse & Co.

BAKED SPANISH-STYLE

CHEESECAKE

“Last year my husband Arno Janse van

Rensburg and I went to San Sebastian where

they make the best cheesecake ever. It’s

basically burnt on top and very soft in the

centre. I tried and tested a few recipes and

this one works perfectly for me. Introducing

my baked Spanish-style cheesecake with

salted honeycomb and orange-and-vanilla

gastrique!” janseco.com

Serves 14 to 16

A LITTLE EFFORT

Preparation: 30 minutes, plus 24 hours’

chilling time

Baking: 23 minutes

good-quality cream cheese 1 kg

cream 2 cups

caster sugar 380 g

medium free-range eggs 8

rice flour 1 T

For the orange-and-vanilla gastrique:

caster sugar 100 g

brandy 5 T

orange juice 1 cup

vanilla pod ½, seeded

For the salted honeycomb:

caster sugar 200 g

honey 2 T

glucose 70 g

bicarbonate of soda 2 t

salt 1 t , plus 1 T flaked salt to decorate

1 Using a blender, blend all the cheesecake

ingredients at a high speed for 3–5 minutes.

It is a very runny mixture. Preheat the oven

to 250°C. 2 Line the base and sides of a 24

cm springform cake tin with baking paper

and spray with cooking spray. Line the base

with foil on the outside. Place the tin on a

baking tray and pour in the mixture. 3 Once

the cheesecake is in the oven, reduce the

temperature to 240°C. Bake for 23 minutes.

The centre should still be wobbly when

done. Chill for 24 hours. The centre will be

soft, but not runny. Use a hot knife to cut the

cheesecake when serving. 4 To make the

orange-and-vanilla gastrique, caramelise the

sugar in a pan (not too dark as it will be too

bitter). Deglaze the pan with the brandy,

then cook for 1 minute. Add the orange

juice. 5 Add the vanilla seeds and reduce

until syrupy. Pour some onto a plate and

reduce more if it is too runny. 6 To make the

salted honeycomb, place the sugar, honey

and glucose in a small saucepan, and cover

with a little water. Place over a low heat

to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has

dissolved, increase the heat to cook the

sugar to 150°C (use a sugar thermometer

or cook until the sugar starts to turn a light

caramel colour). Remove from the heat. Add

the bicarbonate of soda and salt. 7 Quickly

pour the honeycomb into a deep tray lined

with baking paper. Sprinkle over the flaked

salt. The higher the sides of the tray, the

“Frangipane tarts

always remind me

of my dad”

• Sasha Simpson