Much the same many of us, Zola Nene says that food has always been a huge part of her life, and special occasions were always marked with food. In the foreword of her new cookery book ‘Simply Delicious’ the bubbly chef and food stylist on SABC 3’s Expresso show says, “My mother taught me what it means to feed people and to derive joy from that,” and goes on to credit her mom as a major influence in her cooking career and her new book. The book has a wonderful sense of homeliness and accessibility, with beautiful styling and delicious recipes that make you want to run right into the kitchen and start whipping something up.

The book is split up into several sections starting off with tips and tricks to help home cooks in the kitchen; it then goes on to Nostalgic Nibbles – recipes from growing up that inspired her foodie career. We love the look of the mealie pot breads with curry butter and have marked those down as one of our first to try. The book then goes on to Scrumptious Scholar Days – recipes that have stuck with Zola from her days in Home Economics classes, which include yummy treats such as cheddar and sundried-tomato scones and honeycomb and cream pancakes. It then follows her through her travels overseas as she found her foodie feet and includes recipes that she either ate, or made, during a  2-year stint in the UK. She goes on to share a section of more technical recipes which she perfected during and after her culinary training, such as never fail chocolate fondants and a delectable looking blueberry-ripple baked cheesecake, which she has kindly shared with us below. The book is chock-a-block full of imagery and recipes that will have you drooling, as well as anecdotes from Zola about the inspiration behind each recipe. The book will make a great gift for a culinary friend or a great addition to your own kitchen.

Get your copy today at leading bookstores nationwide and make Zola’s cheesecake below.

Facebook | Twitter

Simply Delicious by Zola Nene
ISBN: 9781432304874

Blueberry-ripple Baked Cheesecake 

I was never very fond of cheesecake until I sampled a baked cheesecake for the first time. It might take a while to bake, but all good things come to those who wait and a bite of this cheesecake is definitely worth waiting for.

Serves 8–10

350 g ginger biscuits
80 g butter, melted
800 g cream cheese, at room temperature
200 g sour cream, at room temperature
180 g castor sugar
4 large eggs
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
100 g fresh or frozen blueberries, puréed

1. Pulse the biscuits in a food processor until fine.
2. Mix in the butter and then press the mixture over the base of a 20-cm round springform cake tin (not up the sides).
3. Refrigerate the base while you make the filling.
4. Preheat the oven to 120 °C.
5. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, eggs and lemon zest until smooth.
6. Transfer 60 ml (a quarter of a cup) of the batter to a separate bowl and mix in the blueberry purée.
7. Carefully pour the plain batter onto the biscuit base, then swirl the blueberry batter over the top and use a knife or skewer to incorporate the blueberry batter into the cheesecake to create a ripple effect.
8. Bake for about 1 hour and 45 minutes or until the cheesecake is set and the middle is still slightly wobbly.
9. Turn off the oven, open the door slightly and leave the cheesecake to gradually cool in the oven until it reaches room temperature. Then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before unmoulding, slicing and serving.

Extracted from Simply Delicious by Zola Nene (Struik Lifestyle)
Photographs: © Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd / Dawie Verwey