Brown Butter Brownies with Kamohelo Mokhele
“Kamohelo Mokhele was more-than delighted when her KOO/Tigerbrands sponsorship came through.”
“I’ve always enjoyed baking at home,” she says with a twinkle in her eyes. “I’d spend weekends with my grandma searching through her book collections for the perfect bread recipe or I’d go about perfecting muffins. Baking was therapeutic and my creative outlet that I only shared with her. It was our place of connection.”
When Kamohelo started baking for a living everything changed…
After opening her small bakery business, Kamohelo realised that her hobby was no longer relaxing, and she soon grasped that baking was about being fast, efficient and consistent. “I was none of those - my skills needed honing,” she confesses, adding that was when she started looking for culinary schools she could attend.
“Being from Bloemfontein in the Free State, where there isn’t much culinary exposure, made it difficult finding where I belonged,” she says. “After being rejected by three schools, six times, I saw a competition post on social media that would give me the chance to attend a culinary school and turn my life right side up. I am extremely grateful to be given the opportunity to study - and pursue – a craft that I love and am genuinely passionate about. All thanks to my sponsor KOO. This would not have been possible without the company’s support and for that I extend my utmost gratitude.”
Kamohelo’s grandmother’s brownie recipe creates the most delicious, fudgy brownies. This recipe has stood the test of time and with a few of her tweaks, “it will change your life”.
Kamohelo’s Brown Butter Brownies / Kathy Pitout Photography
Also try Kamohelo’s tip about cutting onions. “Put whole onions in ice water for 10 minutes before cutting them,” she advises, “this prevents them from causing your eyes to water.”
The workload at Jackie Cameron School of Food & Wine is more than Kamohelo thought it would be, but she has learnt to adjust to the pace – and she has found that the intensity of the course has started feeling normal. “Off days feel weird now, like I need to be doing something and not just sitting around like I used to,” she adds with a smile.
Kamohelo’s advice to aspiring young chefs is that they need to be mentally tough not to be affected by criticism; able to deal with the constant pressure, difficult attitudes, necessary sacrifices; and the physical demands they will encounter every day in the kitchen.
I don’t know what you are doing this afternoon but know that I’ll be making these fudgy brownies.
Explore my website to find out more about my Women’s and Men’s Chef Clothing Range. Remember Jackie Cameron Cooks at Home and Baking with Jackie Cameron – the books highlight all my foodie adventures. I always look forward to hearing from you so please communicate via email: jackie@jackiecameron.co.za.
Jackie Cameron - Owner of Jackie Cameron School of Food & Wine in Hilton, KZN - for enquires email admin@jackiecameron.co.za.
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Food assistant and recipe developer: Kamohelo Mokhele
All photos by Kathy Pitout Photography