valentines high tea Sparkling Wine Party Sandwiches Cheese Straws Tea and Coffee Mango Hearts with Yoghurt Melted Chocolate Mini Cup Cakes Multi-Layered Millionaire's Slab Cake

Party Sandwiches

Makes 50 small sandwiches

For these divine sandwiches we are using a combination of white and brown bread sliced very thinly. Therefore you will have to buy two unsliced loaves - using only half of each, reserve the rest for family use.

1 unsliced white bread loaf - 1 day old
1 unsliced brown bread loaf - 1 day old

Cut the two loaves in half and then cut off the crusts of the bread with an electric or very sharp knife. Cut the bread into thin slices.

SPREAD

125 g butter at room temperature
200 g cream or smooth cottage cheese

Cream the above together until you have a smooth, soft spreadable blend. Divide in half.

SALMON SANDWICHES

½ above butter/cream cheese spread
1 x 25 g Ina Paarman's Fish Stock Concentrate
¼ t (1 ml) cayenne pepper
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Lemon & Black Pepper Seasoning
200 g salmon trout ribbons

Mix the spread with Fish Stock Concentrate, cayenne pepper and Lemon & Black Pepper Seasoning.
Spread half of the white and half of the brown bread slices with this mixture.
Top white bread with salmon ribbons and cover with slices of brown bread.
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate to firm, can be kept overnight.
Just before serving, slice into triangles.

CUCUMBER SANDWICHES

½ above butter/cream cheese spread
2 T (30 ml) finely sliced chives
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning
½ English cucumber, very thinly sliced

Mix finely sliced chives and Green Onion Seasoning into prepared spread.
Spread the remaining bread with this chive spread.
Cut the cucumber into paper thin slices on a mandolin type slicer.
Cover white bread with overlapping slices of cucumber. Top with brown bread.
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate to firm. Can be kept overnight.
Just before serving cut into small triangles.

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Cheese Straws

250 g flour
pinch of mustard powder
Ina Paarman's Chilli & Garlic Seasoning
150 g butter
1 cup (250 ml) grated Cheddar cheese
1 egg yolk
¼ cup (60 ml) cold water, enough for a pliable dough

Sift the dry ingredients twice with ½ t (2,5 ml) Garlic & Chilli Seasoning. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or sharp knife. Add the cheese. Use the egg yolk and cold water to mix to a firm but pliable dough. Knead dough lightly, flatten into a disk and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200°C and adjust oven shelf to middle position.

Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Roll dough out as thinly as a R1 coin. Cut into long strips (about 1cm wide and 8cm long). Twist the strips to form a corkscrew shape. Place on baking paper. Sprinkle lightly with Chilli & Garlic Seasoning. Bake for about 10 minutes until straw-coloured and crisp.

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Mango Hearts with Yoghurt

Serves 12

Now that mango's are at their best, it seems a shame not to use them.

BISCUIT CRUST

11 Tennis biscuits
½ cup (50 g) chopped pecan nuts
4 T (60 ml) butter, melted

Mix together in a food processor and flatten into a small 23 cm x 33 cm rectangular swissroll pan. Best to line the base of the pan with baking paper first.

FILLING

½ cup (125 ml) cold water
2 ripe mangoes (use medium/large ones), peeled and stoned
1 x 250 g Ina Paarman's Lemon Cheesecake Mix
1 cup (250 ml) double cream Greek yoghurt

Add mango to water in food processor, add Cheesecake Mix and yoghurt. Blend until smooth. Pour onto the biscuit base. Level and flatten down. Cover with cling film. Refrigerate overnight. Cut out small hearts with a heart-shaped biscuit cutter. Serve on a pretty plate garnished with rose petals or any other edible fresh flowers.

Alternatively make a tart:
Line a 22 cm porcelain tart dish with the crumbs. Pour in the mango mix. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Cut into small wedges to serve.

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Melted Chocolate Mini Cup Cakes

Makes ± 120 mini cup cakes

I must admit everybody absolutely loved these with their deep malty flavour! I kept on baking them again and again over the Festive Season. Because these are about the same size as a Ferro Roche chocolate ball, they are the ideal (chocolate size) nibble.

1 x 650 g Ina Paarman's Chocolate Cake Mix
3 extra large eggs at room temperature
1 cup (250 ml) canola oil
1 cup (250 ml) hot milk
4 T (60 ml) Ovaltine or Horlicks
100 dark brown mini paper cups (chocolate size)

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line mini muffin pans with paper cups. Fill each paper cup about 2/3 full. Mix according to package instructions, using ovaltine and milk, in place of hot water and coffee granules. Divide chocolate cake mixture between paper cups. A piping bag is ideal for filling the paper cups. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Leave to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE ICING

2 x 250 g Ina Paarman's Chocolate Icing Kits
4 T (60 ml) Ovaltine or Horlicks
250 g butter at room temperature
½ cup (125 ml) water

Add Ovaltine or Horlicks to dry icing, then mix according to package instructions.

GARNISH

1½ large packets of malted chocolate balls

Pipe the cakes with chocolate icing and top each one with a chocolate ball.

FREEZING

The iced cakes will freeze very well in a closed container (with chocolate balls) defrost in the container.

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Multi-Layered Millionaire's Slab Cake

Serves ± 16

In order to get variation in colour and texture we have used layers of Chocolate Brownie and Chocolate Chip Cookies sandwiched together with condensed milk caramel and chocolate ganache.

BROWNIES

2 extra large eggs at room temperature
½ cup (125 ml) canola or sunflower oil
¼ cup (60 ml) melted butter
½ cup (125 ml) full cream milk
1 x 550g Ina Paarman's Chocolate Brownie Mix

Adjust oven rack to middle position.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line and butter the base of a 22cm x 22cm square pan. Mix Brownies according to package instructions. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Leave to cool. Carefully split the brownie square in two horizontally.

BISCUIT LAYER

1 x 390 g Ina Paarman's Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
125 g butter at room temperature
1 extra large or jumbo egg at room temperature

Adjust oven rack to one slot above middle shelf.
Preheat oven to 180°C and line a large flat baking tray with baking paper.
Mark out a 44cm x 22cm rectangle on the paper.
Mix cookies according to package instructions.
Flatten the mixture on the baking paper, place another sheet of paper on top and roll the dough out between the 2 sheets of paper to fill in the large rectangle.
Don't be concerned about uneven edges, one can trim the biscuit sheet after baking.
Bake for 10 minutes until golden.
Leave to cool.
Cut into two neat squares each 22cm x 22cm. Reserve trimmings for later.

GANACHE

2 x 90 g slabs dark Bourneville chocolate, broken into pieces
1 cup (250 ml) cream
1 t (5 ml) instant coffee

Heat the cream, add the chocolate and melt it in the cream. Refrigerate until well chilled. Beat lightly just until spreading thickness is reached.

CARAMEL

1 x 360 g tin Nestlé Treat Caramel

Place one biscuit layer on some of the left-over baking paper. Spread with half of the caramel.
Top with one layer of brownie, cut side down, spread with ½ of ganache.
Repeat the layers once more, ending with a brownie layer. Spread remaining ganache over the top of the cake. Neatly trim the outsides of the cake with a sharp knife to get a good square shape. Crumb the remaining off-cuts from the biscuit layer and sprinkle over the cake.
Cover and refrigerate the cake until serving time.
Slip the cake off the baking paper onto a serving platter.

TO SERVE

Cut into 4 cm wide strips and then divide each strip into 4 portions.

CHEF'S TIP :

This cake freezes really well if securely wrapped. Defrost while covered.

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This month's recommended wine pairing :
Spier Methodé Cap Classic Chardonnay 2008

The Story of SPIER MCC:

'Method Cap Classique' (MCC) is the term used to describe Champagne produced in South Africa. In South Africa, we are not allowed to use the term 'Champagne' as this is derived from the region of France where the product originated.

SPIER is offering 2 bottles of their LIMITED edition MCC to each of our five February winners !

	Appearance	A vibrant straw colour
	Flavors	Classic aromas of green apple, lime and citrus abound with a subtle minerality; these following through to a lively dry palate with a lingering fresh, crisp aftertaste.
	Vineyard	Trellised vines of approximately 8 years in age yielded the grapes for this wine, at an average of 8 tons per hectare. Supplementary drip irrigation was employed.
	Terroir	Region: Stellenbosch Average Temperature: winter 9/18°C; summer 14/27°C Annual Rainfall: 680 mm Proximity to Ocean: 15 km Soils: Escourt and Glen Rosa
	Vintage	A higher than average rainfall and cooler temperature throughout the preceding winter characterised an ideal vintage for Méthode Cap Classique. Long, slow ripening resulted in smaller berries with rich, concentrated flavors.
	Winemaking	Grapes from two prime vineyard blocks were hand-harvested at 19 to 20° Balling into small (9kg )crates. After hand sorting the grapes were whole bunch pressed and fermented in stainless steel tanks at 14°C. Secondary fermentation took place in the bottle. The wine spent 12 months on the lees before it was disgorged.
	Blend	100 % Chardonnay
	Analysis	Alc: 12.30%, TA:7.90 g/l, RS: 4.0 g/l, pH: 3.10, VA 0.25
	Food pairing	Enjoy now or within 4 years of harvest. Serve with a gourmet breakfast or on its own as a celebratory apperitif.