Amusing Cinnamon Koeksisters and Lamingtons.
I had coffee yesterday with a french acquaintance. She recently opened her new business in the line of Image consulting, the same kind of field that I had practiced back in SA. What are the odds? She opened her office in her boyfriend's salon. Meaning that she could do a total makeover in her office with a hairdresser and beautician next door. I just love that idea, a one-stop place where you can go and get a new look. I had always thought that Image consulting is huge in France because it is a fashion capital, right? She mentioned that people do not understand the concept. She gets asked "so what do you actually do?" a phrase that I know too well.
My neighbor also came over to tell me that my cat has been having regular sleepovers at her house. It was a bizarre and amusing day, to say the least. When I arrived I was flabbergasted because the culture shock was just so big, but eventually, I defrosted and here I am having coffee dates, with actual french people.
Living a life separate of those around you can be more than frustrating. Inviting those in who have been met by chance, friends, and extended family. It's easy to choose to make friends. It's harder to actually make an effort in some relationships when it takes the time to learn. Learn the language, learn different personalities and learning to let people in. I am learning nonstop. You never know you might have something in common.
For now, I am stagnating a bit. I am taking the learning thing day by day. I am struggling to wake up first of all. The shutters here block out the sun completely ,so you can literally sleep till twelve in the afternoon. Not so easily done for me, unfortunately. Also, the sun rises around eight in the morning, so the motivation to get up and moving...well it depends I guess.
Bring on the layers and layers of clothing and with the cold comes the munchies. I want to snack all the time and I'm especially craving all the yummy "bazaar" after church tea goodies. Back home there would be cream caramels, "brandewyn bomme" brandy balls, muffins with shredded biltong, koeksisters, lamingtons, small meat pies, small milktarts and all kinds of different salty pastries. I swear I will get to these recipes...
Little pastries are the worst though, because you could eat and eat and never be satisfied. In France these little bite size pastries are called Amuse-bouche or Hors d'oeuvre. It is specially prepared by the chef. These little bite size appetizers are then served with a specific wine to compliment the flavors. Amuse- Bouche in english means "mouth amuser". I just love that!! These are one of the similarities that the french culture and South africans have in common, we like to eat, to be amused and to socialise.
The "koeksister" recipe has been giving me a heck of a time. I somehow I just can't get it right. I follow the recipe right down to the T, but gosh no luck. So I just went for koeksister balls! They have a Chocolate chipped centre and they are soaked in a caramel, cinnamon syrup. I then used that same syrup to make my cinnamon lamingtons... two birds with one stone. For the lamingtons I used a leftover Brioche bread. Which is a traditional french sweet bread made with loads of butter and eggs. It is just divine and adds a different taste to the laminatons. I know lamingtons are traditionally made with chocolate syrup, but hey I love a good challenge.
Koeksiters filled with chocolate chips
Koeksister Syrup
Ingredients
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of water
1 tsp of lemon juice
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp caramel flavouring
Method:
1. Place all the ingredients in to a pot. Let it simmer until all the sugar has dissolved.
2. Once the sugar has been dissolved let it boil for a few minutes until it resembles syrup.
3. Afterward, let the syrup cool down. Place in the fridge until your finished frying the koeksisters. The syrup should be very cold.
Dough
Ingredients:
280 g of cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup softened butter
1 whisked egg
1/4 cup water
500ml vegetable oil for frying
Method
1. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder. Rub in the butter until it becomes crumb like.
2. Thereafter add the whisked egg and the water. Mix with a butter knife. Don't over mix the dough, it should be a little sticky.
3.Roll in to a ball, place in a mixing bowl and cover with a cloth/cling wrap and let it rest in room temperature for about an hour.
4. Once the dough has rested, take the dough and form in to little balls.
5. To add the chocolate chips, press the ball flat on to the palm of your hand and add 3-4 chocolate chips to the center, fold the ball around the chocolate chips.
6. To test if the oil is hot enough, throw a little piece of the dough in to the oil. If the dough stays on the bottom for a long time then the oil has not reached the right temperature. Once you add the dough and it rises to the surface quite quickly then your oil is ready for frying.
7. Immerse the koeksister balls in to the boiling oil. Once a caramel colour (don't over fry, because this tends them not to soak up all the cinnamon syrup) , remove from the oil and immediatly place in the cold cinnamon syrup. This step is very important for the balls to be soaked all the way through.
8. Place in the fridge. They freeze very well too.
​Cinnamon Lamingtons
Lamingtons
Ingredients
1 Brioche bread/ white bread (no crust)/ white cake
Left over syrup from the koeksisters
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs cinnamon
1. These can be made with a brioche bread, white cake or white bread. Whatever is accessible for you.
2. Cut them in to bite size square shapes, dip in the syrup and roll in cinnamon, coconut sugar mixture.
Refrigerate and enjoy!
Hope you have had an amazing week! My sister is coming to visit, so I can't wait to see her beautifull four month old.
Bisous
M*
