This clip of the Searchers reminds me of my matric year. Three of my friends and myself formed a pop band. We had a spot at the Waldorf Restaurant on a Sunday evening. They had a permanent band but gave up and coming bands a chance to play on a Sunday evening.
The best times were when we practiced. Our bassist’s mother would make us her version of Bubble and squeak. It was actually more like a meat loaf. Sections of mince were separated with potato mixed with cabbage. You were served a double slice with mince at the bottom and the potato / cabbage on top. Delicious!
I stayed in a flat so we couldn’t practice there, but my mother would send some biscuits and if it was just after payday, we were treated to cream doughnuts or chocolate éclairs. When it was my turn, we practised in a nearby church hall. Luckily the lady caretaker was a good friend of my mother’s.
The best practices were in the drummer’s parents garage. We played our hearts out. Often the neighbours (those who didn’t mind the noise) would congregate in front of the garage and dance in the driveway. Great times! The best compliment we received was when the local kids arrived (the garage door was closed) and thought we were playing CDs. Was our playing that good… I don’t know but it made us feel good.
The best part of the evening was after practice, the drummer’s mother would appear with a tray full of sweet goodies. It was her talent at making decadent but tasty sweet eats that promted me to pay tribute to her in this post.
Perhaps you have been asked to create something sweet for a special occasion or just some teenagers practicing in the garage, here’s some ideas to make the evening a success. Enjoy!
Peppermint crisp ice-cream cake
INGREDIENTS
- 1½ packets (300g) T-biscuits, finely crushed
- ⅗ cup (150g) butter, melted
- 1½ cups (375ml) cream
- 1 can (385g) Caramel Treat™️, plus extra for serving
- ¾ tub (1.5L) chocolate-and-mint ice cream, softened
- 1 slab (150g) Peppermint Crisp®️, chopped, for serving
METHOD
- Line the bottom of a 23cm springform cake tin with baking paper.
- Blitz biscuits and butter in a food processor to create fine crumbs. Spread half on the bottom of tin.
- Whip cream to medium peaks.
- Whisk Caramel Treat™️ until smooth.
- Whisk ⅓ of cream through caramel until well combined.
- Fold remaining cream into caramel mixture.
- Spoon onto biscuit base and freeze for 4 hours, or until hard.
- Top with remaining biscuit crumbs to create a second cookie layer.
- Spread ice cream on top and freeze overnight.
- Serve with extra caramel and a sprinkling of Peppermint Crisp®️ on top.
Gin and tonic granita
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup (125g) castor sugar
- 2 Tbsp (30ml) water
- 3 cups (750ml) tonic water
- ⅔ cup (160ml) gin
- Juice (60ml) of 1 lemon
- 1 small cucumber
- Lemon slices, for serving
- Fresh mint leaves, for serving
METHOD
- Heat castor sugar and water over low heat until sugar has dissolved.
- Increase heat and simmer for 5 minutes (do not boil). Set aside to cool.
- Add tonic water, gin and lemon juice and pour into a shallow dish. Freeze for 1 hour.
- Using a fork, scrape edges to break up icicles.
- Add cucumber, shaved into ribbons.
- Return to freezer and scrape every 30 minutes until mixture is frozen..
- Serve with lemon slices and mint.
Koeksister ice-cream cups
INGREDIENTS
- Dough:
- 5 cups (750g) self-raising flour, sifted
- ½ tsp (3ml) fine salt
- 2 Tbsp (30ml) baking powder
- 1 cup (250ml) milk
- ⅓ cup (80ml) water
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup (60g) butter, melted
- 4 cups (1L) oil, for frying
- Syrup:
- 5 cups (1kg) sugar
- 3 cups (750ml) water
- ½ cup (125ml) lemon juice
- 2 tsp (10ml) cream of tartar
METHOD
- Combine flour, salt and baking powder.
- Whisk milk, water, eggs and butter together.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients while mixing by hand or with a mixer with a dough-hook attachment.
- Knead for 8-10 minutes on a floured surface until smooth and elastic. (Add a dash more flour if sticky.) Rest dough.
- Heat syrup ingredients together in a saucepan until sugar has dissolved.
- Simmer for 5 minutes then cool and chill well.
- Roll rested dough out onto a lightly oiled surface to form a rectangle 3mm thick.
- Cut dough into 1cm-wide strips.
- Wrap a strip around the outside of a metal cup with a diameter of 5-8cm (a dariole mould or metal measuring cup works well), overlapping ends slightly.
- Continue with another 2-3 strips to cover cup sides.
- Repeat procedure using remaining dough.
- Chill cups for 15 minutes.
- Deep-fry in oil for 5-8 minutes – the metal cups will pop off after a few minutes.
- Remove with a slotted spoon, drain and plunge into cold syrup.
- Stand for 15 minutes, then remove from syrup.
- Store in an airtight container or freeze.
- Serve cups filled with ice cream and toppings of choice.
Pineapple marshmallow pudding
INGREDIENTS
- 1 can (385g) condensed milk
- ½ cup (125ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 tub (250ml) pouring cream
- 1 packet (150g) mini marshmallows
- 1 can (440g) pineapple pieces, drained
- Fresh pineapple, chopped
METHOD
- Mix condensed milk with lemon juice.
- Whip cream until stiff peaks form and fold through the condensed milk.
- Add marshmallows (reserving a few for toasting and topping) and pineapple pieces and mix well.
- Spoon into a dish and leave to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Serve topped with chopped fresh pineapple and toasted mini marshmallows