Merry Christmas from C3 Food Services

Christmas Biscotti

A wonderful gift to take the hostess at your next Christmas event or to have in the house to eat with a cup of tea or glass of sweet sherry.

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup maize meal
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 cup shelled pistachios, chopped

1. Heat oven to 180 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk flour, maize meal, coconut, baking powder, and salt.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix eggs, sugar, oil, and zest on medium speed until well combined (this could be done by hand whisking to combine in a large bowl). Reduce speed, add flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Fold in cherries and pistachios.
3. Transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and pat into a small log. Bake until firm and golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and reduce oven to 160 degrees.
4. Once cool, transfer log to a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut diagonally into slices. Arrange slices on lined baking sheet and bake, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely.

These can be kept in an air tight container for 2 weeks.  

Huis Horizon Outing

Huis Horizon is a residential and sheltered employment centre in Stellenbosch for primary intellectually disabled people. Just a few pics of C3 Food Services delivering sponsored lunch packs for their yearly outing.  

Happy Halloween

With Halloween around the corner, we're having a fun day in the kitchen making these gorgeous Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes.

Ingredients (makes 22 cupcakes)
1 pumpkin (680 g)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup pecans
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 x 200 g packages almond paste
Food colour -orange, brown and green

Cream cheese frosting

Method
Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.  Line two muffin tins with paper liners.  Grate pumpkin in a food processor or on the large holes of a box grater (you should have about 2 1/2 cups). Transfer to a medium bowl, add pumpkin puree and pecans.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.  Pulse to combine.  With machine running, add oil and eggs; process until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as needed.  Add pumpkin mixture; pulse to combine.

Spoon about 1/3 cup batter into each cupcake liner.  bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Make the marzipan pumpkins:  Tint two-thirds almond paste orange, adding food colour a dab at a time until desired colour is reached.  Tint a quarter of remaining paste brown and the rest green.  using a small rolling pin, roll out green almond paste about 1/8 thick; use a leaf cutter to cut out leaf shapes.  Roll brown into small ropes; cut and shape into stems.  Using the palm of your hand, shape orange paste into three-quarter-inch gloves.  Use a toothpick to poke holes in tops of pumpkins and to press creases from top to bottom.  Attach leaves and stems to tops with a bit of frosting.

Decorate cupcakes with frosting and marzipan pumpkins.  

What C3 Employees need to know about Employment Equity

What is the purpose of the Act?

The purpose of the Act is to remove unfair discrimination and to promote equity in the workplace.

How will it help workers and managers?

As a worker, the law will help remove discriminatory barriers of the apartheid past.  It will ensure access to training, new opportunities and promotion.

How can the Act prevent discrimination at work?

The law says that nobody may be discriminated against at work or when applying for a job.  Employers may not discriminate on the grounds of race, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, family responsibility, ethnic or social origin, colour, age, disability, religious belief, political opinion, language or HIV status.

The law also says that all employment policies and practices, such as recruitment procedures, advertising and selection criteria, job classification and grading, training and development, promotion, tranfer and disciplinary measure must not be discriminatory.

What happens if you are unfairly discriminated against in the workplace?

You should report the matter to your employer through the dispute procedure contained in C3's Employment Equity Plan.  In the unlikely event of a dispute arising, the following steps will be followed to resolve the dispute:

Step 1

Dispute to be raised with the current Employment Equity Official (Kerry Hedderwick) in writing, giving details of the nature of the dispute and the desired resolution.

The Employment Equity Official should attempt to resolve the dispute in a manner acceptable to all parties within 14 days of the details of the dispute being received.

Step 2

If the dispute remains unresolved, the Employment Equity Official must, as soon as possible, call a meeting of the Employment Equity Consultative Committee to attempt to resolve the dispute in a manner acceptable to all parties.

Step 3

If the dispute is still not resolved, it may be referred in accordance with the provisions of the Employment Equity Act.

For more information, refer to the Employment Equity Act 1998 poster in your place of work or visit the website of the Department of Labour at www.labour.gov.za  You can also contact the CCMA helpline at 086 161616 or the nearest office of the Department of Labour.

Braai Time

Add some fun to your Heritage Day with these fun additions to the braai!

Chilli Mielies

4 mielies

• 4 Tbsp butter, soft
• 2 fresh red chillies, finely chopped
• 2 limes, halved
• salt and black pepper

1. Mix the butter with chillies.  Brush the mielies with the butter then put them onto a braai grid over medium-hot coals.

2. Allow to cook, turning every 5 minutes until the mielies are cooked through and have started to char.

3. To serve, squeeze the lime juice over the mielies and add the chopped chillies.

4. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper and servve with the remaining butter. Serve immediately.

Spring Sangria:

6 cups assorted fruits (pineapple, melon, naartjie, plums, pears, peaches etc.) sliced 

1 thumb of ginger, peeled and crushed

1 1/2 cups basil and mint leaves 

1/2 cup Cointreau (Orange Liqueur)

1 bottle Sauvignon Blanc

Juice 1 small lemon 

Lots of Ice

1.  In a large jug or bowl, place all the fruits, ginger and herbs in the jar.  

2.  Pour over the orange liqueur, wine and lemon juice.  Place in the fridge until ready to use. 

3.  Add ice just before serving.  

Fun at Work....Celebrating Casual Day!

How much Coffee is in your Coffee?

Mandela Day

Just a few pics of C3 trying to do their little bit in support of Madiba.  

The people we chose to feed with soup & bread rolls were so appreciative of the meal.  

Thanks so to all involved and for taking the time out of your day in honour of Madiba.  

How to make the perfect chocolate truffle

680g bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
226g milk chocolate finely chopped
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, scraped
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups cocoa powder
(mixtures makes 117 truffles)

Directions
Line a 24cm rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap; set aside.
In a heatproof bowl, set over (but not touching) simmering water, melt 230g bittersweet chocolate and milk chocolate together.
Place the cream, vanilla bean and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat; heat until cream just comes to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Let cream mixture cool; remove vanilla bean and discard.
Remove chocolate mixture from heat and add to cream mixture.  Using a spatula, mix together, starting from centre of the saucepan and working your way to the outer edges until mixture is emulsified.  Add butter and mix until well combined.  Pour mixture into prepared baking sheet, evenly spreading mixture with a spatula.  Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down gently on chocolate mixture to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Line the back of another 24cm baking sheet with parchment paper.  Uncover chocolate and invert onto parchment paper; remove plastic wrap.  Using a pizza cutter or sharp knive, cut chocolate into 3cm squares.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.  Roll each square of chocolate between your hands to form a smooth ball.  Transfer chocolate balls to baking sheet; refrigerate for 1 hour.
Melt remaining 450g bittersweet chocolate in heatproof bowl,set over (but not touching) simmering water.  Place cocoa powder in a shallow dish.  Place some of the melted chocolate in the palm of your hand and roll chocolate ball in the melted chocolate to coat, then roll in cocoa powder.  Repeat process with remaining chocolate balls.  Transfer truffles to an airtight container.  Bring truffles to room temperature just before serving.

There's an air of excitment in our office today.  It's a day away from the Cape Town Good Food and Wine Show and we can't wait!  This show is a true haven for foodie veterans so be sure not to miss out!

Moms are priceless...

We are preparing these silky buttermilk creams to spoil our moms this Mother's Day.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup unflavoured gelatin
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
450g strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions
1.  In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over 3 tablespoons cold water.  Let stand until softened, about 5 minutes.  Heat over low heat, stirring until gelatin has dissolved, about 30 seconds.
2.  In a large bowl, whisk 1/4 cup sugar with buttermilk until dissolved.  Whisking constantly, add gelatin mixture in a very thin stream.  In another large bowl, beat cream and 1/4 cup sugar until soft peaks form.
3.  With a rubber spatula, gently stir half of whipped cream into buttermilk mixture; fold in remaining whipped cream.  Divide among eight ramekins.  Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours (or up to 1 day, covered with plastic wrap).
4.  When ready to serve, toss strawberries with 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon water.  Let stand until juicy, about 5 minutes.  Run a paring knife around edge of each ramekin and dip each briefly in steaming hot water; invert buttermilk creams onto serving plates and top with strawberries.

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie - Tenneva Jordan"

Burger Fun

 The Vampire Burger

 The Chicken Burger



 The Apocalypse Burger

 The Thanksgiving Burger



 The James Bond Burger

The Ice Cream Burger

Happy Easter

Easter has officially arrived in our kitchens and we're baking up a storm in preparation for the lovely long weekend ahead.

Today we're making these gorgeous little Bird's Nest Cookies  

Ingredients (makes 24 cookies)

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted

170g semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

2 cups shredded coconut, lightly toasted until golden in colour
1 bag Woolworths speckled candy-coated eggs

Directions

1.  Heat oven to 170 degrees celsius.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar and butter.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and cocoa powder.  Add flour mixutre to butter mixture; mix on low speed just until a stiff dough forms, about 2 minutes.  Transfer dough to a piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

2.  Place chocolate, heavy cream and espresso powder in a bowl.  Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted.  Remove bowl from heat and set the chocolate ganache aside to cool, stirring occasionally.

3.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out chilled dough to a 6mm thickness.  Using a 5cm cookie cutter, cut out 24 cookies; place them on lined baking sheet.  Chill cookies until firm, about 20 minutes.

4.  Bake cookies until set, about 14 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  When the ganache has cooled to room temperature, whisk until it becomes stiff enough to pipe.  Transfer ganache to a pastry bag and pipe around the perimeters of the cookies.  Dip each cookie, ganache-side down into toasted coconut.  Fill the "nests" with candy-coated eggs, 2-3 eggs per nest.

This is very interesting!

  The pictures below represent calories in different foods.  Each portion represents 200 calories.  Statistically, the average adult only needs between 2000-2500 calories per day to survive.

After nibbling on all the yummy things in the kitchen all day....guess what's on our menu for dinner...

broccoli and celery :)

 385g of apples = 200 calories

 75g of beef burger = 200 calories

 588g of broccoli = 200 calories



 51g of gummy bears = 200 calories

 1425g of celery = 200 calories



 41g of chocolate bar = 200 calories



and finally, not good news for our beloved butter

28g of butter = 200 calories

Spoil your Valentine with these delectable Chocolate Covered Strawberries



Ingredients

227g semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

450g large strawberries (about 20), washed and dried well

1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios (optional)

Directions

Place chocolate in a bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmer water.  Stir occasionally, until melted, 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.  One at a time, dip each strawberry in chocolate, twirling to coat; then sprinkle chocolate covered portion with pistachios, if using, and place on waxed paper.

Chill chocolate-dipped strawberries at least 15 minutes to set chocolate.  (Strawberries should not be stored in refrigerator longer than 1 hour as condensation may collect on the chocolate).

Hungry for an unforgettable new scent...?

It seems as though the latest craze in the food world is "food-scented" perfumes. 

Pizza Hut recently released a very limited edition perfume that apparently smells like stuffed pizza crust.  The idea started as a joke on the Pizza Hut Canada facebook page but has since then became reality due to enthusiastic fan response.

Food-scented perfumes have become easily accessible when shopping online and the variety of perfumes available is strangely mind-blowing!  You can find anything from Bacon Cologne which comes in two unique versions: "Classic" which has a hint of maple and "Gold" which veers towards citrus.  Bruschetta, California Roll, Cucumber Roll, Pesto, Roast Beef and Tortilla Chips are some of the many favourites and are sold at roughly 40 dollars for 15ml on the website CB I Hate Perfume.    Quite Bizarre!

Perfumes called Gourmands have also recently hit the scene and are extremely popular in the celebrity world.  These perfumes are made from ingredients derived from spices, herbs, vegetables and fruits. 

Oprah recently hosted a food and perfume pairing evening where a renowned celebrity chef paired an exquisite menu with Gourmands that were sprayed onto paper blotter strips.  A saffron essence was paired with black bass, fennel and artichoke in a saffron crustacean jus.  Another essence that smelt like green mango and carrot was paired with butter-poached rock shrimp, heirloom baby carrots and carrot-ginger emulsion.  For dessert, a chocolate ganache essence was paired with a sweet, warm, dark brownie. 

We are trying to decide what our favourite scent would be.....perhaps pink peppercorn and grapefruit or caramel!