Cook and baker is home-grown and self-made
4 egg whites
1 cup castor sugar ½ tsp cream of tartar ½ tsp vanilla essence 1 tsp corn flour
1 tsp vinegar
Beat the egg whites until stiff. Add the castor sugar a little at a time. Continue beating until the castor sugar is used.
Beat the meringue for about 10 minutes until glossy. Add the vanilla, corn flour, cream of tartar and vinegar. Beat for another few minutes.
Preheat the oven to 130°C. Place baking paper on a baking tray. Shape the pavlovas by making a bottom layer first then piping the sides into a wall.
Place the tray in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes and then lower the heat to 100°C. Bake the pavlovas for about 3 hours. Switch off the oven and leave the pavlovas in without opening the door until the oven is cooled completely.
Carefully remove the pavlovas and store in an airtight container and freeze. Take it out as needed. There is no need to defrost. Decorate as desired.
You can pipe fresh cream in the centre and sprinkle with fresh strawberries, blueberries, cherries and raspberries. You can also drizzle melted milk chocolate and milky bar chocolate over. Sprinkle some finely chopped pecan nuts or fresh granadilla pulp.
WHEN Monowara Mohamed Bhamjee entered the world of social media in 2009, she joined the Facebook group Grey Street Casbah Recipes, and began posting her recipes.
She gained a following as she provided step-by-step pictures of the baking and cooking process.
Her personal social media pages took flight.
“According to the feedback I received, all my recipes are easy to follow and flopproof,” said Bhamjee, 58, of Gqebera.
The mother-of-six said she was versatile in the kitchen.
“I cook, bake and make pastries. I am home-grown and self-made.
“I run a business called Nuna’s Delights Foodie Boutique, and work from my home in Malabar.
“Last April, I began making butter biscuits. From there, I had a cake sale in my home. I then began selling cakes and pastries at the local souks. All my goodies are made with the best ingredients.”
Bhamjee said she was 14 when she made her first sponge cake.
“It was an absolute treat. From there, I made pastries for my dad, who loved them. And so, my culinary journey began.”
She said her mom had been a huge influence.
“She was a genius in the kitchen, but she hated sharing her space.
“So whenever she went to our shop during the day, I had the opportunity to try out many recipes from her cookbooks.”
Bhamjee said her aim was to publish a cookbook.
“I love creating new recipes, so there’s something new in my kitchen almost every day.
“I can never stick to the same recipe.”