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About Sophia Lindop

Farm girl by birth, city girl by marriage… The only constant in my life has always been good, wholesome food, wine and company! Although I chose a variety of career paths in my life, I studied food and wine for six years before embarking on a detour that finally led me back to the kitchen, where I feel so at home! This newsletter is an invitation for you to come into my kitchen, with all its fragrances, warmth and laughter! Please come inside…
 

Website:
www.sophialindop.com
 

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Whose egg is it anyway?

As a child I could never get the relationship between eggs and bunnies at Easter time – in fact, I still struggle with it. Why does the rooster not bring Easter eggs? Or perhaps even the beautiful old hen? But then I slip that first piece of chocolate into my mouth, and what the heck…bunny it is! As long as he keeps ‘em coming!

Once, long, long ago, there was a little girl at Easter time...

Growing up, Easter was my favourite time of the year! My Granny was a brilliant cook, and she went to much trouble around that time. She planned an Easter egg hunt in her garden, and helped us paint boiled eggs for Easter Sunday. I remember being just as happy and excited about the boiled egg as I was about the chocolate eggs.

(In the picture is me and my late brother, Phillippe, with our dog who, for obvious reasons, was never invited along on Easter egg hunts!)

My Grandpa was a bad eater…but he loved chocolate! So we would all work together and get him the largest egg we could find. He would break off chunks and share with us…hmm, perhaps that’s why we chose the biggest one!

Apparently the custom of giving eggs at Easter time has been traced back to Egyptians, Persians, Gauls, Greeks and Romans, to whom the egg was a symbol of life. Wise guys!

And here’s some useless information for you – did you know that, when it comes to the eating of the chocolate bunnies, it is the ears that are preferred to be eaten first by as many as 76% of all people? My friend, Jason, a self-confessed chocoholic, agrees!
 

Hot Cross Buns

I thought I’d share the recipe for hot cross buns with you. I baked some last Sunday and they were amazing! It really is simple – it just takes some time to rise. So Sunday mornings are a good time to start the process.

Difficulty - it may seem difficult, but it's not!!
This recipe makes between 10 and 12 buns, depending on size
Preparation time - 15 minutes and about 90 minutes to rise
Cooking time - 15 minutes

Ingredients
1 whole egg
120ml (4 fl oz) milk
60g (2 oz) butter
60g (2 oz) sugar
60g (2 oz) raisins
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
½ teaspoon (2.5ml) salt
½ teaspoon (2.5ml) ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon (1.25ml) ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon (1.25ml) mixed spice
1ml ground cloves
250g (8 oz) white bread flour (strong flour)
2 teaspoons dried yeast

For the glaze
120g (4 oz) icing sugar
1 tablespoon milk
½ teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Method
1. Heat half of the milk until lukewarm, and then add the dried yeast.  Allow to stand for about 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
2. In a jug, beat together the other half of the milk and the egg.
3. Mix the flour, the sugar, all the spices and the salt together in a bowl.
4. Rub the butter into the flour mixture.
5. Add the lemon rind, the egg and milk mixture as well as the lukewarm milk and yeast mixture.
6. Mix well and knead for a few minutes. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel.
7. Set aside in a warm, draught-free spot and allow to rise for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. The dough must double in size.
8. Knock the dough down, add the raisins, and divide into equal balls.
9. Roll and place on a non-stick baking tray, about 2cm apart (remember, they will rise again and grow in size.)
10. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross in the top of each bun.
11. Cover loosely and set aside again for about 30 minutes to rise.
12. Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F / Gas 5.
13. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.
14. Set aside to cool slightly. Make the glaze by mixing all the ingredients together. The consistency should not be too runny, but you should be able to drizzle it over the buns.
15. Drizzle the glaze in the cut cross on every bun.

By now you have the entire family in their starting blocks, ready to grab one! Break the suspense by blowing the whistle and letting them loose, while you make a good pot of hot coffee...  Sharing a hot cross bun with another is supposed to ensure friendship throughout the coming year, but it’s so hard to share them!  So my advice is to bake a huge basketful and give each their own!
 

And then, from my family here in South Africa, to yours, wherever they are, have a Happy Easter!  May the visits from the bunny be frequent, but mostly, may this be a reflective time of togetherness and family – time we have too little of in this world today!

Until later this month when I will be sharing that secret...
 

and the Easter Bunny...
 

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