There is a delightful retreat high up in the mountains between the tiny Kingdom of Lesotho and South Africa. It is called “Mkomazana” – this recipe is from this special place.

MKOMAZANA MILK TART

Basic Sweet Pie Crust (makes 2)
4 ozs margarine or butter
half cup sugar
Mix above together and beat in one egg
Sift 2 cups, one teaspoon baking powder and quarter teaspoon salt
Divide into two equal pieces
Press (not roll) into buttered pie dish (must be thin)
Press pattern round, rim with fork
Bake at 180 degree for 10 minutes or until light brown

Milk Tart filling
3 and a half cups Milk
2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons Maizena (corn flour)
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 cup Sugar
3 Eggs

Heat 3 cups of milk and butter in double boiler, until almost boiling
Mix sugar and eggs together
Mix flour, maizena and half cup of cold milk together
Add all of these to the hot milk and butter and stir until thick
Leave simmering for half an hour. Pour into crusts and sprinkle with cinnamon
Allow to cool before serving



ROAST BABY CHICKENS or CHICKEN BREASTS WITH MANGO-CORIANDER SAUCE

6 baby chickens (or breasts), washed and dried salt, milled black pepper, paprika
60ml olive oil
30ml lemon juice
30ml crush garlic
fresh rosemary sprigs
5-6 spring onions, sliced
50g celery, chopped
50g butter
10ml curry powder
30ml cake flour
500ml cream
2 ripe mangoes peeled stoned and chopped, or 425g can mangoes, drained and chopped
small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
small bunch fresh chives, chopped
100g cashew nuts, chopped and roasted

Set the oven at 180 C. Season the chickens inside and out with salt, pepper and paprika. Place in a roaster. Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice and garlic and brush onto the skin. Sprinkle rosemary sprigs around. Roast for about 50 minutes until the chickens are golden, and thigh juices run clear when pierced with a skewer.

Fry the spring onion and celery in the butter in a medium saucepan until golden. Stir in the curry powder ad flour. Add the cream and mango, and seasonwith salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the coriander, chives and cashew nuts and heat through.

TO SERVE
Place chickens (breasts) on warm plates, and served with mango-coriander sauce and roasted vegetables.



CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

4 eggs, separated
125 ml castor sugar
60ml cocoa powder
fresh fruit and chocolate shavings to garnish
100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
150g soft unsalted butter
150ml cocoa powder
250ml cream
4 eggs yolks
125m castor sugar

Set the oven at 200 C. Grease and flour a 20cm x 30cm baking sheet. Line a 170mm x 70mm bread tin with greaseproof paper. Mix together the egg yolks, castor sugar and sifted cocoa. Do not overmix. Whisk the egg white until stiff and glossy. Fold gently into the yolk mixture. Spread onto the baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until firm to the touch. Cool in the baking sheet.
Cover with a cloth.

Melt together the chocolate, butter and sifted cocoa in a bowl over simmering water. Cool Beat together the cream and icing sugar to ribbon stage (when the beater is lifted it leaves a ribbon trail on the surface). Whisk together the egg yolks and castor sugar until pale and thick. Fold in the melted chocolate-butter mixture. Fold in the cream. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.

Cut the cake into three pieces to fit the bread tin. Place one piece in the tin. Pipe on a layer of mousse. Top with another piece of cake, more mousse, then the remaining cake. Cover with foil and chill overnight or freeze for 3-4 hours.

TO SERVE
Turn the cake out and cut into thin slices. Garnish with fruit and chocolate shavings.

SERVES 8