Lunch with Olive Pride at the SA Chefs Academy

Here are some photos of a gorgeous and very delicious lunch I had last week hosted by Olive Pride and made by the chefs at the SA Chefs Academy.
Just look at the windows with stacks of natural light- Isn't it stunning?

I am not a keen olive eater - so I approached the lunch with a little caution. RSVP'ed and Told them I am vegetarian - (which I have been doing for 5 months now :) and feeling great for doing it!) and wandered if I'd have anything I liked to eat...
Well every course was delicious - there wasn't one thing I didn't like. 

Add caption

Would you say these photos were taken with my cellphone? well there are... to see more of my cellphone pics check out my instagram account HERE


DISCLAIMER: I always find it hard to decide whether to blog about a breakfast/lunch/dinner or event... Some are nice but just not blog worthy - while sometimes some are lovely but don't fit with the theme of my blog (healthy food, gluten free etc) PLUS if I had to blog about every event my blog would be to filled with events and very few recipes!

Well this lunch was an easy YES!
It had all the factors I loved about an event.. Great lighting, Good healthy food and lovely Company (without any push that I had to blog about it = no pressure!) yay!
This post is my own thoughts, photography and opinions
 

BAKED SWEET POTATO CHOCOLATE CAKE (GLUTEN FREE)

I wanted to bake a "healthy" chocolate cake and in cases like that I usually make a Beetroot chocolate cake. But on this very day I didn't have any beetroot in my fridge and so with some tweaking and hoping and substituting this cake was born - Baked Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake.

You know what - it turned out better than my beetroot version ... and so this is the NEW chocolate cake in our house! It is softer and sweeter - even though the same amount of sugar is used. This is because the sweet potato is baked in the oven till caramelized on the edges and it is naturally sweet.   

Not to say the beetroot chocolate cake is no longer good enough, if I can't get sweet potatoes then it will be back on the menu shortly but this cake has really stolen the show.

NOTES*** 
I have made this cake many times over the years - its still a winner and used at every birthday and everything in between! Some things have been tweaked and changed ---

SUGAR: I now use half a cup of sugar instead of a whole cup. But use as much as you think your sugar tooth needs.

WATER: I have found the cake batter has got quite thick and I now add between half a cup to 1 cup of filtered water at the end of the batter if I find its a bit to thick for my liking.

SWEET POTATO: Bake a large sweet potato with its skin on in the oven at 180 degrees celcius (turn half way through baking). Bake until soft when inserted with a knife and the outside yields nicely when pushed with a thumb. Some of the outside may look dark (brown to slightly black in places) on the outsides as the sweet potato caramelizes inside its skin. Allow to cool and then peel and mash with a fork.


INGREDIENTS (BROKEN UP INTO 4 PARTS)

STEP 1:

50g dark chocolate (I used 70% cocoa dark chocolate)
a tiny pinch of salt
3 Tablespoons of cream (coconut cream or dairy cream - your choice) 

 combine the 3 ingredients and melt in a baine marie - stir until smooth and put to one side.

STEP 2:

1 generous cup /200g/250ml Jaggery or Brown Organic Sugar (READ NOTES about how much sugar I now use*)
3 Free range eggs
100ml coconut oil (melted down to measure)
100ml olive oil

Beat/mix together with a stand or hand mixer in a large bowl until thickened and the mixture has lightened a little

STEP 3:

1 cup /250ml baked and mashed sweet potato (roughly 240g when cooked) *see note above*

add to the egg/sugar mixture above and mix in then add the chocolate cream and mix in until totally incorporated.

STEP 4:

3 heaped dessert spoons of cocoa
1 teaspoon bicarb
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 and a half cups / 375ml Gluten Free flour mix

Gradually add each ingredient above one by one beating after each addition to the mixture. See if you need water - (please see NOTES above the recipe)
Place mixture into 2 buttered/coconut oiled and floured medium cake tins and place in the oven at 155 degrees celcius for roughly 40 minutes - until the cake springs back to the touch and the knife inserted into the middle of the cake come out clean.

 
ICING:
I usually make a chocolate ganache for this cake  - I melt dark chocolate with coconut milk, allow to cool then pour over the cake. or alternatively I blend dates (pips removed) with coconut oil and a pinch of salt for a caramel type of icing.

And the Winners are....

Congrats to  Robert Miller & Beth who are the winners of the Fireworks cookbook by Jan Braai :)
Please email me

Happy Monday :)

WIN: Fireworks Cookbook by Jan Braai

On http://www.bettybake.co.za  - WIN a copy of FIREWORKS by Jan Braai.

I LOVE public holidays! I mean who doesn't? They are great for spending time with family and friends and doing things you wouldn't normally do because you are usually working on a week day.
This years Heritage day also known as BRAAI DAY falls on Monday 24th September :) yay loooong weekend!!!  I can just imagine smoke and fires all over the country with the smell of sizzling meat and salads. Im personally going to try cooking miellies in the skins for perfect smokiness (as recommended in Jan's book)

ABOUT THE BOOK:
This book has great advice on how to braai from the basics of steak and VARIOUS meats to sides like potatoes, mielies and braai bread. There are sections on sauces, spice combinations and puddings too. (so not just carnivores will like it)
I found it very interesting on Jan's thoughts on various meats and it has some really nice styled pics inside.


THE GIVEAWAY:
2 x copies of FIREWORKS by Jan Braai (valued at R250 each) supplied by Pan Macmillan



THERE ARE 3 WAYS FOR YOU TO WIN - you will get an entry for each thing that you do and leave a comment for.


BE A FOLLOWER OF BETTY BAKE BLOG
Please enter your email address in the subscription on the side bar to be a Follower of Betty Bake Blog


1) Be a follower and then leave a comment telling me you what you would love to braai / eat on national braai day

2) "Like" Betty Bakes facebook page (just come back and say so here) - 1 entry

3) Tweet this phrase - WIN A COOKBOOK= FIREWORKS by Jan Braai worth R250 over at http://www.bettybake.co.za @bettybakeblog @janbraai @PanMacmillanSA #proudlySouthAfrican - (just come back and say so here) - 1 entry

*please leave a SEPARATE comment for each thing you do (facebook like, tweet, etc) in comment section below

This is SOUTH AFRICA give away ONLY

Competition closes midday Saturday 15th September 2012

V&A Waterfront - MASTER OF THE TRADE ROUTES

Its hard to imagine that just last week I boarded the SA Agulhas II (an ice breaking scientific ship) for a dinner of exquisite proportions.
Thoroughly thrilled and honoured to be a judge for the first round of the competition,  Master of the Trade Routes where 27 restaurants from the V & A Waterfront competed for place as the number 1 restaurant.

HOW IT WORKED
Being 1 of 8 judges in the first round - we each got to eat at 6 restaurants. It was great fun and interesting to try out 6 of the restaurants at the V & A Waterfront over roughly 5 weeks. And we narrowed it down to the TOP 8 Restaurants

THE TOP 8
Dash Restaurant (Queen Victoria Hotel)

Den Anker

Harbour House

Reuben's (One&Only Cape Town)
Sevruga
Signal (Cape Grace Hotel)
The Grand Beach
Willoughby & Co


The final judging took place on board the SA Agulhas II and was decided on the night. 

THE WINNER
I can happily say that I got to eat at the top 2 restaurants and that I had really hoped that my top 2 would win! AND my prediction of my top 2 restaurants came in First and Second just as I had hoped and predicted - in the exact same order!

1ST: Signal Restaurant (Cape Grace Hotel)
2ND: Dash Restaurant (Queen Victoria Hotel)


Congrats to Signal and Dash.
Thanks to the V & A Waterfront  -  It was a great competition which was exciting to be apart of.