FOOD … with love from Limpopo

Meet Kelly Fowlds – “Nothing beats the smell of cookies in the oven or onions sizzling in a pan! I’m so grateful to have had such a beautiful food journey throughout my 12 years of being a chef. I simply couldn’t imagine doing anything else for a living. Recipe development, I would say, is the best part of my career. I love working with new ingredients and experimenting with flavour combinations. I’m especially passionate about local ingredients and sourcing from local suppliers in Limpopo. I currently run the Polokwane campus of The Limpopo Chefs Academy, where I get to sculpt the young minds of aspiring food addicts and share my passion with them all. For fun, I spend a lot of time taking photos of food, Instagram inspires me daily. “

Naartjie and Baobab Meringue Tart

Recipe by Chef Kelly Fowlds – Instagram @kellyfowldschef

Pastry shells
100g      Butter
125g      Icing sugar
1            Egg
Pinch    Salt
250g     Flour

*Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
*Add egg and beat well.
*Add salt and sifted flour, mix until just combined
*Do not over-mix.
*Shape into a disc and wrap, rest in the fridge for an hour or so.
*Roll out evenly, nice and thin. Line your tart shells and neatly trim edges.
*Back to the fridge and allow to rest for an hour.
*Poke with hole and blind bake at 175 for about 30min.

Filling
3             Egg yolks
145ml    Naartjie juice, fresh
145ml    Lemon juice, fresh
2tsp       Naartjie zest
1tsp        Baobab fruit powder (optional)
25g         Cornstarch (cornflour)
130g       White sugar
pinch     Salt
25g         Butter

*Place the juice, zest, baobab powder, cornstarch, sugar and salt in a saucepan.
*Stirring constantly, thicken over a medium heat until glassy.
*Remove from the heat and add a little at a time to the egg yolks, whisking well after each addition. Continue until all of the mixture has been slowly incorporated into the eggs.
*Return to the heat and on a low setting thicken until large bubbles form on the surface.
*Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
*Pour filling into cooled tart shells and bake at 160 for about 20 minutes. There should be a slight wobble in the centre.
*Allow to cool completely before topping with meringue.

Swiss Meringue
6             Egg whites, room temp
360g     White sugar

*Place the egg whites and sugar in a clean, dry, grease free, heatproof bowl.
*Place the bowl over a large saucepan of boiling water, to create a double boiler.
*Stir until all sugar has completely dissolved.
*Using either a stand mixer or a hand beater, whisk until the meringue has a smooth shiny stiff peak.
*Place on top of cooled tartlets and either brown under a hot grill for a few minutes (keep your eye on it) or simply use a blowtorch.
Optional: This recipe may be made in a pie dish.