The moment you start blurring the line between sweet and savoury, big things happen. Take the braaibroodjie macaron, for instance. It’s been a JAN signature for years. In this case, you’re witnessing the coming together of the classic, kaiing en krummelpap (a South African savoury staple made of rendered fat and a crumbly maize porridge) and the hertzoggie, a traditional sweet treat made of a biscuit crust and an apricot jam glaze topped with coconut meringue. The result is a deeply satisfying snack you can serve either before or after a meal. Chances are, though, that this is very likely to be the main event!
KAIING AND KRUMMELPAP HERTZOGGIE
Makes: 18 | Prep Time: 40 minutes + 3 hours resting time | Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
for the tart shells
100 g butter, salted
200 g cake flour
2 ml fine salt
20 ml ice water
for the kaiing and date chutney
30 ml butter
1 medium onion, diced
½ clove garlic, finely chopped
100 g beef kaiings (lamb is traditional)
300 g fresh dates, pip removed and chopped
60 ml muscovado brown sugar
60 ml maple syrup
80 ml apple cider vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
for the krummelpap
250 ml water
5 ml fine salt
375 ml maize meal
30 ml kaiing fat, reserved
for the kaiing and date chutney
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and kaiings, fry until crispy and the fat has rendered. Pour the excess fat into a heat proof bowl and set aside. Add the chopped dates and fry on medium heat for 3 minutes while stirring. Add the remaining ingredients and let it simmer – stirring frequently. Continue to simmer until the dates are soft. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend into a smooth purée. Otherwise, you can keep a chunkier consistency, if preferred.
for the tart shells
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Place the butter, salt and cake flour in a food processor and blend until the mixture reaches a breadcrumb consistency. Slowly add the ice water to the mix (while the food processor is still blending) until a dough starts to form. Switch the food processor off and remove the dough from the food processor, then bring the dough together with your hands on a lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it’s an even 3 mm thick.
Spray the tart tins with non-stick spray. Use a large, round cookie cutter – larger than the tart tin – and cut out six circles. The remaining dough can be re-rolled and used to cut out more circles if needed. Place each disk in a tart mould and press the edges into the ridges. Remove the excess dough with a palette knife. Place the lined tart tins in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
Remove the tart shells from the refrigerator, place on a baking tray and use a fork to dock the dough (poke tiny holes into the tartlet base). Line each tart shell with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Place in the oven and blind bake for 10 minutes, remove the baking paper and baking beans from the tart shells and bake for a further 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely while still in the tart tins. Once cooled, remove from the tart tins and keep until needed.
for the krummelpap
In a medium-sized pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Gradually pour the maize meal into the water, creating a heap that will show above the surface of the water and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes before stirring. Lightly fluff the maizemeal with a fork, careful not to over-stir. Allow to cook for 30-40 minutes. Before placing on top of the tart, fry in the kaiing fat or butter for extra flavour.
To assemble
Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Fill the tart two-thirds with the date purée, and cover with the krummelpap. Place in the oven on a baking tray to heat for 5 minutes just before serving.