boerewors, biltong, droewors, drywors, south africa, south african,
speciality sausages, sausages, south african food
Boerewors, Biltong, Droewors :: Bob's Sausages :: Speciality South African
Sausages
boerewors, biltong, droewors, drywors, south africa, south african,
speciality sausages, sausages, south african food, sauces
Melktert
Meaning "milk tart" in Afrikaans, melktert is a South African dessert.
It is a sweet pastry crust containing a creamy filling made from milk,
flour, sugar and eggs. The ratio of milk to egg is higher than in a traditional
European custard tart or Chinese egg tart, resulting in a lighter texture
and a stronger milk flavour. Some recipes require the custard to be baked
in the crust, and others call for the custard to be prepared in advance,
and then placed in the crust before serving. Cinnamon is often sprinkled
over its surface. In America, "milk tart" is known as "velvet custard".
Vetkoek
Vetkoek (pronounced FET-cook) is a traditional Afrikaner pastry. It
is dough deep-fried in cooking oil and either filled with cooked mince
or spread with syrup or honey. It is thought to have its origins in Oliebollen,
which go back to the time of the migration period. It is similar in taste
to Mexican Sopapillas .¹
Pastry
Pastry is the name given to various kinds of - generally sweet - baked
goods made from ingredients such as flour, butter, shortening, baking powder
or eggs. It may also refer to the dough from which such baked goods are
made. Pastry dough is rolled out thinly and used as a base for baked goods.
Common pastry dishes include pies, tarts and quiches.[1][2].
Pastry is distinguished from bread by having a higher fat content, which
contributes to a flaky or crumbly texture. A good pastry is light and airy,
but firm enough to support the weight of the filling. When making a shortcrust
pastry, care must be taken to blend the fat and flour thoroughly before
adding any liquid. This ensures that the flour granules are adequately
coated with fat and less likely to develop gluten. On the other hand, overmixing
results in long gluten strands that toughen the pastry. In other types
of pastry, such as Danish pastry and croissants, the characteristic flaky
texture is achieved by repeatedly rolling out a dough similar to that for
yeast bread, spreading it with butter, and folding it to produce many thin
layers.
Many pie recipes involve blind-baking the pastry before the filling
is added. Pastry dough may be sweetened or unsweetened.
European traditions of pastry-making are often traced back to the short
crust era flaky doughs that were in use throughout the Mediterranean in
ancient times. These recipes were popularized in Western Europe by Crusaders
returning home. However, the Romans, Greeks and Phoenicians all had filo-style
pastries in their culinary traditions. There is also strong evidence that
the ancient Egyptians produced pastry-like confections. These recipes were
adopted and adapted over time in various European countries, resulting
in the myriad of pastry traditions known to the region, from Portuguese
"pastéis de nata" in the west to Russian "pirozhky" in the east.
The use of chocolate in pastry-making in the West, so commonplace today,
arose only after Spanish and Portuguese traders brought chocolate to Europe
from the New World starting in the 1500s. Many culinary historians consider
French pastry chef Antonin Carème (1784-1833) to have been the first
great master of pastry making in modern times. Small cakes, tarts and other
sweet baked goods are called "pastries."
Pastry-making also has a strong tradition in many parts of Asia. Chinese
pastry is made from rice, bean curd or different types of flour, with fruit,
sweet bean paste or sesame-based fillings. Since the 19th century, the
British brought western-style pastry to the far east. Though it would be
the French influenced Maxim in the 1950s that made western pastry popular
in Chinese-speaking regions starting with Hong Kong. Still, the term "west
cake" (??) is used to differentiate between the automatically assumed Chinese
pastry.
Those who make pastries professionally are known as either bakers or
pastry chefs, depending on whether they produce pastries for a bakery or
a restaurant.
Baking is the technique of prolonged cooking of food by dry heat acting
by conduction, and not by radiation, normally in an oven, but also in hot
ashes, or on hot stones.[1] It is primarily used for the preparation of
bread, cakes, pastries and pies, tarts, and quiches. Such items are sometimes
referred to as "baked goods," and are sold at a bakery. A person who prepares
baked goods as a profession is called a baker. It is also used for the
preparation of baked potatoes; baked apples; baked beans; some pasta dishes,
such as lasagne; and various other foods, such as the pretzel.
Many domestic ovens are provided with two heating elements: one for
baking, using convection and conduction to heat the food; and one for broiling
or grilling, heating mainly by radiation. Meat may be baked, but is more
often roasted, a similar process, using higher temperatures and shorter
cooking times.
