Mother’s Day with a Twist

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Unique ways to treat your mom this Mother’s Day

For many of us, our mothers are our greatest influence and our biggest fans. Renowned South African chef and food stylist Zola Nene says she got her cooking gene from her mom. “My mom is a fabulous cook. I cook a lot of dishes that I remember from childhood, which my mom made, so she’s been a huge influence in my cooking style. My mom’s lamb curry is still one of my favourite recipes ever and my version of her curry is also one of the most shared recipes from my first cookbook.”

With Mother’s Day around the corner, you may be wondering how you can surprise mom amid a lockdown. But fear not as Valor Chocolates has teamed up with Zola Nene to come up with some great ideas to show your mom just how much you care this Mother’s Day without having to leave home.

Care package/hamper

Send mom a care package with all of her favourite snacks and treats – think chocolates, nuts, biltong, fudge, and more. Says Nene, “My mom is a huge tea lover, so any hamper that I put together would definitely include tea. My mom is also diabetic, so the Valor Dark chocolates are the perfect indulgent treat for her. I’d also add some of my homemade rusks in the package to go along with the tea and chocolates.”

Online cooking classes

Online cooking courses are great gifts for foodie moms looking to improve their skills in the kitchen. There are many courses available, from knife skills to cake decorating and everything else. With the extra time on her hands, this gives mom the perfect opportunity to whip up treats in the kitchen and show off her newfound skills.

Subscription boxes/delivery services

While many delivery services are not available during the lockdown period, there are a few on call that aims to limit the number of people out and about. Daily Dish is a popular option that delivers fresh ingredients to your door, complete with carefully curated menus to suit all. Ucook is a subscription service that allows you to order full meal-kits along with a recipe. You can even choose the best options for mom, from health nut to easy peasy, vegetarian, and more.

Host a dinner party

Make the most of social distancing by hosting a virtual dinner party with mom and if you want, invite the rest of the family. Nene advises, “I actually attended a virtual birthday party for one of my friends during the lockdown. It was such a great way to check-in with everyone. My advice for any virtual get-together would be to set up at least 15 minutes before you go live; have your drinks, food, and utensils ready ahead of time. There’s nothing more annoying than someone disappearing every few minutes to fetch something, so be prepared!”

Valor Recipes by Zola Nene

 

Chocolate cinnamon swirl bread

For the dough:

2 eggs

250ml milk

100g salted butter, melted

10g active dry yeast

1/4 cup xylitol or sugar

4 cups cake flour

 

For the filling:

200g Valor 70% dark chocolate

1 cup cream

1/2 cup xylitol or sugar

2 Tbs ground cinnamon

 

Method:

  • Mix together the eggs, milk, melted butter, sugar and yeast. Add flour and mix to form a dough. Knead dough until smooth and elastic.
  • Drizzle oil in a bowl, then roll the dough in the oil before covering and leaving to rise until doubled in size (about an hour).
  • Make ganache for the filling by heating cream, then adding chopped chocolate and stirring until melted. Leave to cool at room temperature until ganache becomes a thick, spreadable consistency.
  • Once dough is doubled and risen, knead dough back to original size, then roll out into a rough rectangle (about 1/2cm thick).
  • Spread ganache over the dough, then mix together the sugar and cinnamon before sprinkling over the ganache.
  • Roll the dough into a log, from the short edge. Pinch the seam to seal.
  • Cut the dough log in half lengthwise, essentially dividing the log into two long even halves, with the layers of dough and filling visible along the length of both halves. With the cut sides facing up, gently twist and intertwine the two halves by lifting one half over the other to create a simple two-strand plait. Gently lift the bread and place into a greased loaf tin. Cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
  • Once risen, bake in a preheated 180c oven for 45 min – 1 hour until bread is risen and baked through (if it starts looking like it’s browning quickly, cover with foil halfway through baking).
  • Once baked, remove from the tin, then place on a cooling rack until completely cooled before slicing.

 

 

Choc Orange Oat Bars

125g butter

1/4 cup golden syrup

1/2 cup white sugar

2 cups rolled oats

1 orange, zested

100g Valor 70% Chocolate with Orange, broken into chunks.

For topping (optional):

50g Valor Chocolate with Orange

1 tsp coconut oil

 

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 180c
  • Line a square baking tin with baking paper.
  • In a pot, combine butter, syrup and sugar, then turn heat on to low and melt gently, white stirring.
  • Remove from the heat, then add orange zest and oats and stir well to combine.
  • Quickly fold in the chocolate chunks, then transfer to the tin, press flat to even out the mixture in the pan.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, until toasted and golden.
  • Remove from the oven then leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin. Then slice while still warm. Leave to cool completely.
  • For the topping, melt together the chocolate and coconut oil, then drizzle over cooled bars.

 

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