The MasterChef SA Rules!

The time has come. Are you a cook? A talent? Enter!

1. You have to be 18 or over to enter.

2. You must be an SA citizen and have a green ID book to enter.

3. You may not enter as a team or couple.

4. You can enter online.

5. You cannot have taught cooking classes or have done cooking demonstrations or food preparation in any capacity be it casual, part time, full time or contract in the last 15 years.

6. If you have waitered before, you can enter, but not if you worked full-time in a professional kitchen at any time.

7. You have to be available for 3 months at the beginning of 2012. (Final dates have not been confirmed.)

how can you not love halloween when you get to eat things like spider cakes, I scream sandwiches, goulish petits fours, jack-'o-lantern tarts and orange jack-'o-lanterns with sorbet!

definitely brings out the kid in us....

for recipes visit www.marthastewart.com

Klippies

When all our Blackberries went down the other day, the creatives got thinking!

This one's from Klipdrift:

source: 10and5

bananas are in season! recipe of the day - the perfect banana parfait!

ingredients

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups milk

4 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 bananas, more for garnish

12 shortbread or other vanilla-flavoured cookes, crumbled plus more for garnish

sweetened whipped cream for garnish

have ready a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl. in a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt. very gradually (a few tablespoons at a time), whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch; whisk in egg yolks. whisking constantly, cook mixture over medium heat until the first large bubble forms and sputters. reduce heat to low; whisking constantly, cook 1 minute. remove from heat, and immediately pour through sieve into bowl. stir butter and vanilla into hot pudding. let pudding cool slightly; meanwhile slice bananas. in glasses, alternately layer warm pudding with cookies and bananas, ending with pudding and covering bananas as completely as you can to prevent discolouration. refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour. to serve, top with whipped cream and more crumbled cookies and sliced bananas.

don't miss the annual "spring it on" constantia valley celebration taking place from the 14th - 23rd october.

expect to find warm hospitality, exceptional food and good old fashioned fun!

for more information go to www.spring-it-on-constantia.com