Dessert with a difference: Camembert with rosemary, chilli and almond praline, maketaan and crisp skuinskoek

Ingredients

1 Camembert 

250 ml white sugar

250 ml whole almonds

½ red chilli, seeded

1 rosemary sprig

100 g maketaan, thinly sliced

10 skuinskoek (recipe below)           

Method

Take the Camembert out of the fridge 1 hour before serving.

In a medium saucepan over moderate heat, place the white sugar, followed by the almonds, chilli and rosemary.

Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes until the melted sugar has a deep amber colour, the almonds are toasted and the rosemary is aromatic.

Pour onto a silicon mat and allow to cool.

Once hardened, break into small pieces.

Using a blow-torch, lightly char the Camembert.

To serve, place the thinly sliced maketaan on top of the camembert, sprinkle over the almond praline, followed by the crisp skuinskoek. Serve with a glass of Leopard's Leap Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir or 2019 Culinaria Pinot Noir Chardonnay.

Skuinskoek recipe

Ingredients

makes 50 small diamond shaped morsels

 2.5 kg Cake flour

 10 ml Salt

 1.375 litre water

 4 x 250 ml Sugar

 20 ml Aniseed

 5 ml Fine nutmeg

 15 ml Ground ginger

 3 packets Instant yeast

 250 g Soft fat or butter

 Oil for deep fat frying

Method

Mix all the dry ingredients together.

Bring the butter, sugar and water to the boil then leave to cool.

Knead the dry and wet ingredients together until it comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Cover the bowl with the dough with plastic and leave to rise, until doubled in size. 

Place the dough onto a work surface, using your hands, spread the dough to 1cm thick “sheet”.

Cut the dough into diamond shapes.

Heat the sunflower oil. Fry the diamond shaped dough in a moderated oil until cooked inside and it rises to the surface. Remove from the oil and drain off the excess oil on kitchen towel.

Serve warm or cold.