SPLATTERED TOAD

Hello All

Read this and support, if we all buy these wines, which are fabulous, we will help save a special breed of toads that is dying out because of us, so support SPLATTERED TOADS.

Welcome Wine Lovers!

Welcome to my abode - a website unashamedly dedicated to my fabulous new wine: the splendid Splattered Toad. Now available as a delectable, not-to-be-missed Sauvignon Blanc, as well as a mouthwatering, must-have Shiraz/ Cabarnet Sauvignon. My name is Leopold, by the way; so called to reflect my status as a Western Leopard Toad. I agree: my parents clearly lacked imagination! Not an amphibian’s strong point I’m afraid. Merriment, on the other hand, now there is a discipline we toads excel in. Take my great Uncle Toad. Yes him of the Hall, who was notorious for his escapades (but come to think of it, quite a devil on the road). I too have a thirst for travel and adventure. You can follow the Tale of this Travelling Toad on You Tube or catch up with me on Face Book. And please do tell me what you think about my Splattered Toad wines or find out more about my history. If you have already had the pleasure of indulging in a bottle of my wine, I would also like to thank you for your support. Isn't it ironic that our quest for refreshment places us in the line of danger, while your revelry can help save us?

WHOLESOME GOODNESS

creamy salmon, asparagus and leek quiche

Yield: 10

Origin: own recipe

Portion size: 50g

Ingredients:

185ml cake flour

Pinch salt

45g butter

25ml-iced water

Squeeze of lemon juice

200ml cream

2 eggs

100g smoked salmon, chopped finely

100g asparagus, chopped into 1 cm chunks

100g leeks, finely chopped

Seasoning

Equipment:

Scale

Measuring cups

Rolling pin

10 individual baby tartlet cases

Preparations:

1) Sift flour and salt into a bowl, add the chilled butter that’s been cut into blocks and using a palate knife cut into the mixture until all the butter is coated with flour. Then using your hands rub together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix water and lemon juice then add to the dry mixture slowly until it all comes together. Wrap and place in fridge to chill.

2) Mix cream and eggs together and add seasoning to make the savory custard for the tartlets.

3) Chop the leeks finely and sauté off in a pan for a few minutes. Cut the asparagus into 1cm chunks and slice the salmon into small pieces.

4) Remove the chilled pastry and take a small amount and push it into the tartlet cases so you get an even crust. Then prick the base with a fork. Cover with a little foil and using place a little rice in the foil acting as a weight. Place in the oven at 180’C for 10 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through and slightly golden in color.

5) Place about 10g of each ingredient into the cooked pastry then pour in just enough custard to reach the top. Cook further I the oven until the custard has set.

Preparation time:

30 minutes

Cooking time:

25 minutes

Plating:

Finish off with some deep-fried leeks and a sprig of fennel.

A GREAT COMBINATION

Seared tuna, mango and lime ceviche atop puff pastry

Yield: 10

Origin: small food – book

Portion size: 50g

Ingredients:

500ml cake flour

250g butter

160ml-iced water

Squeeze lemon juice

200g tuna loin

2 mangoes

2 limes

Equipment:

Scale

Measuring cups

Rolling pin

Baking slide

Preparations:

1) Sift flour into a bowl add 30g of butter and rub in until it looks like bread crumbs, add water mixed with lemon juice and stir with a palate knife. Bring together and chill in the fridge.

2) Roll out the pastry and cut little blocks of butter and lay them on the top half. Fold the bottom half over the butter and roll together. Turn the pastry quarter clockwise for each roll and fold until the butter is used but not more than 6 rolls and folds.

3) Chill in the fridge until hard then cut disc shapes out and place on baking slide. Sprinkle a tiny amount of water on the pastry then put into a hot oven 230’C until it puffs then turn down to 180’C to cook through.

4) Heat a pan until its smoking and place the tuna in it to seal it off. A few seconds all around. Allow to rest then cut into small thin slices and pour some lime juice over.

5) Cut your mangos into tiny neat little blocks and drizzle lime juice over adding seasoning to taste.

6) Once your disk has cooked allow cooling before putting on your tuna slices and a spoonful of mango salsa on top.

Preparation time:

45 minutes

Cooking times:

20 minutes

Plating:

Send out on a plate with a sprig of fennel and some wedges of limes.

FUNCTION NUMBER 2

To finish off the week, SMEG held a function last night for 20 pax and the menu I presented was as follows...

• Blackend butter seared beef fillet with a creamy mushroom and black peppercorn sauce
• Roasted baby vegetable and chive infused cous cous
• Wholegrain mustard emulsion coated chicken fillet with wok fried vegetables
• Baby beetroot, feta and rocket salad with a gherkin and lime vinegarette

• Rosemary and garlic foccacia
• Eat-and-mess dessert with chocolate brownies, vanilla bean infused cream and fresh berries
• Homemade lavendar shortbread

TASTE AND TRENDS

I have been in Durban for the past week for the Decorex show now called TRENDS AND TASTE, where SMEG had a stand.

Look how stunning our stand and appliances look.

SIMPLE BUT CLASSIC

I did a function last night for 80pax, I kept it simple but classic and it was a huge success. this was the menu...

Balsamic roasted vegetable cous cous salad
Wok fried vegetables topped with crispy sesame chicken
Green salad with a gherkin vinegarette

Beef fillet with a wholegrain mustard emulsion
Chicken, tomato, mushroom and cream penne with rosemary salt

Homemade rosemary and black pepper foccacia with gratinated feta

Chocolate brownies with chocolate dipped strawberries
Shortbread with frosted blueberries
Tower of ferro rochers

FANTASTIC FIND

Miguel was shopping on the weekend and he came across a yellow watermelon and bought it for me to try.

YELLOW WATERMELON guys how awesome is that, it tastes exactly like the pink watermelon but its bright yellow.

We are slowly getting there, we dont get purple brocoli or carrots yet like overseas but hey we have YELLOW WATERMELON.

You should all try it, its fantastic, healthy, crispy, tasty and YELLOW...



WHY SA FOOD WILL STRUGGLE TO REACH INTERNATIOANL STANDARDS

Yesterday evening I was watching "talk with Noeleen" which I normally never watch anyway but I saw herself and another lady in the kitchen which interested me so I continued to watch.

The more I watched the more shocking the food became that they presented, now dont get me wrong there is definitely a place for relaxed, comfort food BUT when presenting it live on TV to a huge audience that will think that because its made by Sharon Glass it must be acceptable, THAT is what is going to make us struggle to ever reach the standard of international cooking.

Firstly I didnt even recognise Sharon Glass as a chef because all she was worried about was looking good on camera, she wasnt wearing a chefs jacket or even an apron and her nails were so long that they have to be unhygienic when working with food.

But I think the worst thing about the whole show was the food, the presentation was terrible and unattentive, the salad that was just CHUCKED over the plate was disasterous, the granadilla curd she made looked like it had split and SHOCKER...she didnt even make her own meringues, which as a chef you know is the easiest recipe in the world.

It was at 18:30pm-19:00pm when majority of people are sitting down to start relaxing so I can guarantee that a vast majority of people watched that show and thought well if its on TV then its good to try and make,,,,NO NO NO that food would make any true chef cry and wonder why he or she studied and worked  themselves to the bone for, if people would be satisfied to be served a dish like that.

Come on South African TV, if you are going to put chefs on the TV, make sure they are presenting something we can be proud of, because there is no shortage of highly talented chefs out there willing to produce top class food.

MC CAIN CHEF OF THE YEAR 2010

These were my winning dishes for the Mc Cain competition last year

Pea and truffle barley risotto with vegetable topped croute and basil foam

Confit butternut tortelini with a roasted butternut savoury custard, topped with a toasted corn, pepita and micro herb salad and a sage foam

12 COURSES OF HEAVEN

Last night I had dinner at Bice restaurant in Hyde Park Southern Sun Hotel, it was one of the best tasting menus I have experienced in my time as being a chef. We had a 12 course menu and besides from literally rolling out the restaurant we had a experience to remember, this is what I digested last night.

• Baby caprese salad
• Gorgonzola and walnut pie with aspargus and gorgonzola cream
• parma ham and melon
• a trio of pastas, oxtail ravioli with mushrooms, osso bucco and chive tagliatelli, butternut panzerotti with ameretto
• grilled salmon with lemon butter, cucumber salad and crumbed broccoli
• deboned osso bucco with saffron risotto
• trio of desserts, tiramisu, apple pie and limoncello sorbet with berries
• iced strawberry and limoncello smoothie

Everyone has to go to Bice, the service was top class, the food amazing and a stunning evening had all round

JUST ADD SOME HOMEMADE VANILLA ICE CREAM

A great way to finish off a meal, light, warming and homely

Baked granny smith apples with a ginger and raisin honey syrup topped with cinnamon crumble

Yield: 4

Ingredients:

4 granny smith apples

1 small knob ginger, finely chopped

100g raisins

100ml honey

100ml sweet wine

100g flour

100g butter

30ml cinnamon

Method:

·         Cut the granny smith apples in half and using a small baller remove the core.

·         Place the apples on a roasting tray, sprinkle over the ginger, raisins, honey and sweet wine, cover with foil and bake at 180’C until the apples are soft and the sauce has caramelized.

·         In a bowl mix the flour, butter and cinnamon together to form a crumble.

·         Scrape the sauce and spoon it back onto the apples then sprinkle over the crumble and place under the grill.

·         Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream

WELL AT LEAST THE CRANBERRIES ARE HEALTHY

There is nothing better than a block of fudge to sweeten the day, but even better with a tart bite of cranberries

Vanilla fudge with cranberries

Yield: 12

Ingredients:

1 can condense milk

500g granulated sugar

100ml water

60ml butter

15ml vanilla bean extract

100g dried cranberries

Method:

·         In a pot combine the condense milk, granulated sugar, water and butter and cook over a low heat for about half an hour, the fudge must be a brown colour and thick before you remove it from the stove but not burnt.

·         Once you have removed it add the vanilla essence and fold through the cranberries.

·         Pour into a greased tray and allow setting.

·         Cut into cubes, the texture should be firm and crumbly but still with a slight chewiness in the middle.

The picture is from http://www.stockfood.com/

HEARTY DISHES

Pastas are my favourite dish, keeping them original and tasty but healthy is difficult, this pasta is fantastic.

Artichoke and chicken penne in a homemade tomato and chive sauce

Yield: 4

Ingredients:

400g penne, cooked al dente

1kg tomatoes, chopped

4 garlic cloves

1 onion, chopped

2 chicken breast, cut into strips

1 tin artichoke hearts, cut into quarters

45ml chopped chives

Method:

·         Boil the pasta until al dente then drain.

·         In a pot cook the tomatoes, garlic and onion until soft and thick, blitz together.

·         Fry the chicken strips in a little olive oil and season well, once almost cooked add the artichokes and sauté for a few minutes. Add the tomato sauce and chopped chives.

·         Toss the pasta back into the warm sauce and serve with a few chopped chives sprinkled on top.



A LITTLE PONDERING

Ive always wondered why South African Extra virgin olive oil is so much more expensive than all the other olive oils from around the world, how can it be that with the local oil that doesnt have to be imported or travel particulary far to the shops isle and yet its more expensive than say an oil from Italy.

With people following the green trend as well as supporting our Local produce its a pity that we have to look at international brands to afford a good olive oil at a reasonable price.

Maybe if we all query this we can have local, lekker olive oil at a reasonable price that South Africans can enjoy.

A HIDDEN GEM

Last night I finished a meeting rather late and the last thing I felt like doing was going home to cook at 9pm so we decided to treat ourselves and we went out for dinner.

We went to a restaurant called La Campagnola, its a stunning little restaurant, you walk into this beautiful courtyard filled with potted trees and wrought iron tables, little fairy lights around and then walk into a beautiful lit inside area that follows through into a bar with comfy lounge sofas.

As if the setting wasnt enough to wow you to stay and enjoy your night there, the wine list had a large selection of local and international wines and by the glass which is a plus when you have to drive home.

The menu had everything you needed without being to large and overly posh with a little sign at the bottom saying "absolutley no 1/2 portions allowed" which i love, he he.

We started with some crisp white wine while we snacked on warm focaccia bread lightly herbed which was delicious then moved onto our pastas which I have to say was a decent portion, I didnt finish and absolutley divine.

All in all a great unexpected evening with good food, wine and company, sets you in the right mood for work the next day.

Best of all its reasonably priced for the average couple :)

Remembering aspects of Cape Town

There is a restuarant in Cape Town called Magica Roma, and they serve the best pasta I have eaten in a long time, I have tried to replicate it numerous times but it nevers seems to taste like the one in the restuarant, must be the atmosphere and a secret ingredient.

This is my best shot at trying to replicate it but they serve theirs with veal, so if you able to get your hamds on some substitute it in.

Beef, mushroom and garlic ragu with your choice of pasta

Yield: 4

Ingredients:

400g pasta, cooked al dente

400g beef

1 small onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

250ml homemade Neapolitan sauce

100ml cream

Seasoning

30ml chopped basil

Method:

·         In a hot pan fry the beef until golden all over. Remove from the pan and do the same thing with the mushrooms, onion and garlic, once cooked deglaze the pan with 80ml white wine and allow reducing.

·         Add the beef back into the pan with the Neapolitan sauce and allow simmering for a few minutes until thick.

·         Finish off with the cream and the basil and cook for a further few minutes.

·         Season well then toss the pasta of choice through it.