9.

MIGNARDISE

[/miadiz/] (plural mignardises) a bite-sized dessert, sometimes served at the end of a meal

These little sweet treats are the perfect way to remind our guests of our unique South African heritage and showcase the tastes and textures of my childhood. Normally served alongside some piping hot rooibos tea or a shot of my father’s potent home-distilled peach mampoer as digestif, our mignardises often feature radical re-imaginings of traditional South African favourites such as milk tart, malva pudding, Hertzoggies and more. When JAN first opened it was likely the only restaurant in the south of France to serve malva and koesisters, but the recipe has since been begged, borrowed and wheedled by locals to the point where it probably graces more French tea trays than we will ever know.

CHOCOLATE BARK

Serves: about 36 blocks

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 15 min + 2 hr chilling

Cooking time: 0 min

INGREDIENTS

• 400 g dark chocolate chips
• 30 ml butter
• 397 g (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
• 5 ml vanilla extract

METHOD

1. Line a 20 cm square cake tin with foil and spray lightly with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and butter together on high for 1 minute. Rest for 1 minute and then check to see if it has melted. If necessary, microwave for another 30–45 seconds. Stir the chocolate until all the lumps are gone.
3. Stir in the condensed milk and vanilla. Once completely incorporated, press the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours to set before cutting into squares – pull a fork through the chocolate before it has set completely to give it the appearance of bark. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container.

MILK TART CROQUEMBOUCHE

A glamorous French dessert, literally meaning crunch in the mouth, and very often served as an Italian wedding cake.

Serves: 8–10

Difficulty: Medium

Preparation time: 15 min

Baking time: 20–25 min

INGREDIENTS

• 1 batch milk tart filling (see page 149)
• Ground cinnamon to taste

Pastry Puffs

• 100 g unsalted butter
• 375 ml water
• 1 ml fine salt
• 5 ml sugar
• 225 g sifted all-purpose flour
• 7 large eggs

Caramel

• 160 ml water
• 400 g granulated sugar

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. To make the puffs, place the butter, water, salt and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan and heat until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and add the flour.
3. Return the saucepan to the heat and, using a wooden spoon, beat vigorously for 2–3 minutes. Cool slightly, then add 6 eggs, one at a time, beating vigorously. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a plain nozzle.
4. Make a glaze by beating the remaining egg with 5 ml water, and set aside.
5. Pipe out mounds that are 2.5 cm high and 2 cm in diameter on the prepared baking tray. Brush with egg glaze and smooth the tops. Bake for 20–25 minutes until puffed and golden. Cool on wire racks.
6. Mix the ground cinnamon into the milk tart filling. Once the puffs are cooled, cut a small opening in the bottom of each puff and fill with warm milk tart filling.
7. To make the caramel, combine the water and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Do not stir. Cover the saucepan and boil until the steam dissolves any crystals. Uncover and boil for 5 minutes more, or until the syrup is amber in colour. Remove from the heat. Dip the bottom of each puff into the caramel, and then arrange the puffs in a pyramid. Drizzle the leftover caramel over the top.

BURNT BUTTER, HONEY AND BUCHU MADELEINES

Two key factors: cold batter and a hot oven!

Serves: 36 small or 16 large

Difficulty: Medium

Preparation time: 30 min

Baking time: 5–10 min

INGREDIENTS

• 140 g salted butter
• 20 g dried buchu leaves
• 3 eggs
• 80 g granulated sugar
• 45 ml honey
• 150 g all-purpose flour
• 60 ml cornflour
• 5 ml baking powder
• Pinch fine salt

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease a madeleine pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat until it becomes brown in colour. Remove from heat, add the buchu and allow to infuse for at least 10 minutes, then strain.
3. Mix the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer until very fluffy. Add the honey and mix until combined. Sift in the flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt. Mix on slow speed until well combined, then slowly add the burnt butter mixture. Fill the moulds in the prepared pan to just below half. Bake the madeleines for 5–10 minutes, or until golden brown.

MALVA TRUFFLES WITH SMOKED ROSEMARY

Makes: about 60

Difficulty: Little effort

Prep time: 30 min + 1 hr chilling

Baking time: 20–25 min

INGREDIENTS

Truffles

• 400 g sugar
• 4 eggs
• 90 ml apricot jam
• 375 g all-purpose flour
• Pinch fine salt
• 10 ml bicarbonate of soda
• 30 ml butter
• 250 ml milk
• 30 ml white vinegar
• 30 ml vanilla extract

Sauce

• 500 ml milk
• 250 ml fresh cream
• 250 ml water
• 30 ml vanilla extract
• 200 g sugar

• 250 g milk chocolate, melted
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary per truffle for serving

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Butter a 65 cm × 30 cm oven pan generously and line the bottom with wax paper.
2. For the truffles, beat the sugar, eggs and jam together in a stand mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Sift in the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda and mix well. Melt the butter in the milk. Add the vinegar and vanilla to the egg mixture and slowly add the butter and milk to the batter. Mix until completely blended.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20–25 minutes until the pudding begins to pull away from the sides of the dish and a toothpick inserted in the centre of the pudding comes out clean.
4. Combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and heat only long enough to melt the butter. Pour the sauce over the pudding as soon as it comes out of the oven, and allow it to be absorbed. Let the pudding rest and cool down, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
5. Scoop out a full teaspoon of the pudding and place in the palm of your hand. Roll gently into a ball. Skewer the ball onto a sprig of rosemary and dip into the melted chocolate, then place on a drip tray to harden. If you want to be fancy, use a blowtorch and smoke the rosemary right before serving or in front of your guests as we do at JAN.

RASPBERRY AND CREAM MERINGUE KISSES

Makes: 30

Difficulty: Medium

Prep time: 30 min

Baking time: 1 hr

INGREDIENTS

• 4 egg whites
• 230 g castor sugar
• 15 ml rose-water
• Few drops red food colouring (optional)

• Raspberry Cream
• 300 ml cream
• 15 ml icing sugar, sifted
• 100 g fresh raspberries or thawed frozen raspberries

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 120 °C. Line two baking trays with baking paper and mark 30 circles measuring 3 cm in diameter on each sheet of paper.
2. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl with an electric beater until stiff peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating well after each addition. Continue until thick and glossy. Add the rose-water and food colouring if using to tint the meringue pink.
3. Transfer the mixture, in batches if needed, into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm plain nozzle. Following the marked rounds as a guide, pipe the meringue onto the paper. Bake for 1 hour. Leave to cool in the switched-off oven with the oven door slightly ajar.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the cream and icing sugar until thick, and then fold in the raspberries. Spread the raspberry cream over the base of half the meringues and sandwich with the remaining meringues. Store any unfilled meringues in an airtight container.

NAARTJIE PANNA COTTA WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE ROCKS

Makes: 12 medium-sized glasses

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 30 min + 2 hr chilling

Cooking time: 10 min

INGREDIENTS

• 1 L cream
• 300 ml milk
• 400 g granulated sugar
• Zest and juice of 2 naartjies
• Zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 8 leaves gelatine

Rice Krispies and White Chocolate Rocks

• 200 g white chocolate, broken into pieces
• 125 g Rice Krispies
• 50 g desiccated coconut

METHOD

1. Place the cream, milk, sugar and the juice and zests of the naartjies and lemons (reserve some of the naartjie zest for garnishing) in a large saucepan over medium heat and stir until well combined. Soften the gelatine leaves in cold water, then mix into the milk and cream and whisk gently until the gelatine has melted. Use individual glasses of your choice and pour in the mixture until it reaches just above halfway. Refrigerate for 2 hours until set.
2. For the rocks, melt the chocolate in a saucepan over low heat (or in a bowl in the microwave). Remove from the heat and stir in the Rice Krispies and coconut. Spoon the mixture into small rock shapes, sprinkle with naartjie zest and leave to cool.
3. To serve, garnish the panna cottas with flower petals and top each one with a chocolate rock.

CARAMEL AND PISTACHIO TUILLE

Makes: 2 standard baking pans

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time:

30 min

Baking time: 10 min

INGREDIENTS

• 85 g granulated sugar
• 90 g butter
• 45 ml liquid glucose
• 50 ml milk
• 100 g shelled and ground pistachios

METHOD

1. Place all the ingredients, except the pistachios, in a saucepan and heat slowly until melted. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. The tuille batter needs to be caramelised. Remove from the heat and add the pistachios. Pour some of the tuille mix in between two sheets of wax paper and roll out with a rolling pin until flat and about 5 mm thick. Place on two baking trays in the freezer and freeze until hard.
2. Preheat the oven to 150 °C. Remove the trays from the freezer and bake the tuilles for about 10 minutes until crisp. Allow to cool and then break into pieces.

FRUIT PASTELS

Makes: about 50

Difficulty: Medium

Prep time: 15 min + overnight setting

Cooking time: 55 min

INGREDIENTS

• 800 g high pectin fruit (such as apples, guavas, quince, plums, oranges or pears), washed and roughly chopped, pips reserved
• 125 ml apple juice
• 180 ml liquid glucose
• 300 g jam sugar (pectin sugar)
• 110 g castor sugar for coating

METHOD

1. Line a 21 cm × 14 cm baking tray with a double layer of plastic wrap. (Wet the tray and wipe the plastic wrap with a wet cloth to help it stick to the tray.)
2. Place the fruit, stones/pips and apple juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes until the fruit is soft. Strain the fruit through a fine-mesh sieve and measure out about 500 ml. Place in a clean saucepan and add the liquid glucose. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes, or until the mixture reaches a temperature of 105 °C. Stir occasionally to prevent it from catching.
3. Add the jam sugar and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved completely. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until it reaches 105 °C for the second time. Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared tray and set aside to cool and set overnight.
4. Cut into 1.5 cm squares and roll in the castor sugar. Store in an airtight container for 2–3 days. You can store them without the sugar coating in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

FIG ROCKY ROAD

Makes: 40

Difficulty: Easy

Prep time: 35 min + 2 hr chilling

Cooking time: 0 min

INGREDIENTS

• 250 g white and pink marshmallows, halved
• 80 g cashew nuts, roughly chopped
• 80 g flaked almonds
• 110 g fresh figs, quartered (and peeled if preferred)
• 60 g desiccated coconut
• 175 g dark chocolate, chopped
• 175 g milk chocolate, chopped
• 50 g roughly chopped hazelnuts, toasted
• 30 ml Nutella^®

METHOD

1. Line the base and the sides of a 20 cm square cake tin with baking paper.
2. Place the marshmallows, cashew nuts, almonds, figs and coconut in a large bowl and mix until well combined.
3. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended over a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is just melted and smooth. After the chocolate has cooled, add it to the marshmallow mixture along with the hazelnuts and Nutella, and toss until well combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and press evenly over the base. Refrigerate for several hours, or until set.
4. Carefully lift out of the tin, peel away the paper and cut into small pieces. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.