Woolworths Taste – August 2019

or breakoutmysushiricepaddle,butthe

SaladDodgeris a fanof noodlesandkeeps

bangingonaboutbonebroth(p 123),so

Hannah’srecipesthismonthmightbe

a turningpoint(p 58).

Everyonelovesa noodlebowl,butthe

globallyinspiredrecipesin thisissuethat

resonatemostwithme– andthatI know

I cancookwithoutfearof failure– arethe

huevosrancheros(p 81),lentilcurrywith

home-madepaneer(p 99)andAbi’s

cauliflowerkorma(p 18).I’dloveto be

ableto makemyownflatbreadstoo,but

thatunleashesanotherkindof fear.

Ofallmycookingphobias,myreal

blindspotis baking.I amoneof those

proudSouthAfricanswhohasnevermade

rusks,or scones,or a successfulmalva

pudding.Ever.Ironically,theseareallour

mostsearchedforrecipesontaste.co.za.

Inmydefence,thereis a wonderful,

magicalsupermarketwhereyoucanget

superiorversionsof allof thesethings,so

whywouldI dirtyallthosemixingbowls?

Answer:forthesheerjoyof watchingthe

expressionona two-year-old’sfaceas

shelickscocoa-creamcheeseicingoff

a woodenspoonforthefirsttime.

6 TASTE AUGUST 2019

Never say never

EDITOR'S LETTER

meon Instagram

@ WilsonZA

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@KateW

Baking is messy, it can be unpredictable,

it’s a schlep – but it’s also the stuff of which

precious memories are made.

They say you’re either a baker or a cook

and never both, but I refuse to accept this.

I may never be a Prodigious Baker like

my brother-in-law, John, but when

a recipe comes along for a crustless

cheesecake that purportedly takes

23 minutes and one bowl to make, I’m in.

The burnt Basque cheesecake, as it

is known, has been making headlines

as the hottest dessert of the year. And

I know why. John made this for us at

a dinner party and it was that good.

It also turns out to be pastry chef Liezl

Odendaal’s most requested recipe,

so now you can make it too.

Most people like cheesecake, but

whether out of fear of failure, rejection

or just indifference, most won’t ever bother

making one. All that is about to change.

Preheat the oven and turn to page 71,

we’re going to bake!

THE LIST OF THINGS I’ve never
cooked, and which I really should have
by now, is quite long I’m ashamed to
say. This is partly out of habit, but also
common sense. I know my customers.
And by customers I mean one Salad-
Dodging husband, one fickle toddler and
a wannabe vegan stepson. There is no
point mastering Thomas Keller’s next-level
ratatouille if two out of three of them will
refuse to eat it. (Note: I did once make his
French Laundry version, made famous in
Pixar’s movie, but this was many years ago
when I had three hours to roast peppers,
sweat onions, reduce sauce and arrange
meticulously sliced vegetables in perfect
overlapping layers. Those days are gone.)
I also have a list of things I’ve tried to
cook without much success. There’s a bit
of a theme here: I am rubbish at most Asian
food, apart from Indian. I’ve never really
made a satisfying Thai curry or anything
involving noodles. But now, there are
things you can buy in Woolies – curry
pastes, ready-cooked noodles, miso! –
that can take the fear factor right out
of Asian food. Let’s be clear, I’m never
going to make dim sum from scratch

“Baking is messy, it’s a schlep – but it’s also

the stuff of which memories are made”

Above, from left: The burnt Basque cheesecake of the year; Holly licking her very first chocolate cake-beater.