GARDEN BRUNCH

This is the garden brunch I am demonstrating on Saturday at Petit Fours for Garden and Home magazine, I hope you enjoy it and try it.

Roasted butternut, sage and camembert phyllo pie

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Balsamic roasted cherry tomato and basil fritata

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Toasted bagel with smoked salmon, lemon and chive crème fraiche and crispy aubergine

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Lentil and feta salad with fresh herb and citrus dressing

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Decadent chocolate brownies with a berry salad

Roasted butternut, sage and camembert phyllo tart

Ingredients:

4 sheets phyllo pastry

100g butter

1 butternut, chopped and roasted

5 sage leaves, finely chopped

1 camembert, sliced

300ml cream

3 eggs

Seasoning

Method:

·         Sandwich the layers of phyllo together with a coat of melted butter, lay in the quiche mould and bake until cooked and lightly golden.

·         Roast the butter and sage together, place in the phyllo case and then add the sliced camembert.

·         In a bowl combine the cream, eggs and seasoning, beat together then fill the pastry case.

·         Bake at 170’C until the quiche has just set, remove and allow cooling.

Balsamic roasted cherry tomatoes and basil frittata

Ingredients:

4 eggs

150ml cream

Seasoning

30ml butter

1 punnet cherry tomatoes

45ml balsamic vinegar

10 basil leaves, finely chopped

Method:

·         In a bowl beat together the eggs, cream and seasoning.

·         In a hot pan add the butter then sauté the cherry tomatoes until you see they have started to burst then add the balsamic vinegar and allow cooking down until sticky. Add the basil at the end.

·         Add the egg mixture into the pan with the tomatoes, allow cooking gently on the heat until you can see the edges starting to cook, then place into the oven and cook at 180’C until lightly golden.

Toasted bagel with smoked salmon, lemon and chive crème fraiche and crispy aubergine

Ingredients:

1x bagel, cut open and toasted

50g smoked salmon

45ml crème friache

½ lemon, juiced and zested

5ml chopped chives

Small handful lettuce

½ aubergine, thinly sliced

15ml olive oil

Seasoning

Method:

·         Cut the bagel open and toast.

·         Slice the aubergine thinly, drizzle over olive oil and seasoning, and bake until crispy.

·         In a bowl combine mix the cream friache, lemon zest and chives and spread on. Place the salmon on top and dress with a little lemon juice.

·         Top with some lettuce, crispy aubergine and serve.

Lentil and feta salad with a mixed fresh herb and citrus dressing

Ingredients:

100g lentils, soaked and boiled

30g feta

5ml mint, chopped

5ml coriander, chopped

5ml chives, chopped

5ml parsley, chopped

15ml lemon juice

15ml orange juice

45ml olive oil

Seasoning

Method:

·         In a bowl combine the fresh herbs, citrus juice, olive oil and seasoning.

·         Pour over the lentils and allow infusing for 30 minutes.

·         Cut the feta into blocks, toss through the lentils and serve with the quiche and bagel.

Decadent chocolate brownies with a berry salad

Ingredients:

250g butter

200g dark chocolate

300g castor sugar

4 large eggs

80g cocoa powder

80g flour

5ml baking powder

A mixture of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries

Method:

·         Over a double boiler melt the chocolate and butter together. Cool.

·         Beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy and double in size.

·         Sift the dry ingredients together.

·         Fold the cooled chocolate into the egg mixture, and then fold through the sifted dry ingredients.

·         Pour into a lined, greased container at bake at 170’C until just set, the middle can still be a little wobbly. Leave and allow cooling.

·         Once cooled cut into squares and serve with some fresh berries.

NEW DELIGHTS IN DURBAN 2

LIMA BEANS

I tasted preserved Lima beans for the first time this week and they are divine. We bought them pickled in a brine still in their skins, so all we had to do was pop them out and munch on them. They are so versitile and delicious that a whole ton of ideas just popped into my mind of what to do with them. They are sort of yellow in colour although the fresh ones are green, with a crunchy texture and slightly salted flavour, but that was from the brine, the fresh ones remind me a lot of broadbeans.

I think that are fantastic as a snack by themselves, in a salad to add a different texture, color and flavour, blitzed up with some roasted garlic to form almost like a hummus then spread thickly on fresh bread or as a dip with some crunchy vegetables.

You should really gives these little balls of pure protein a chance, they are low in fat, good in removing cholestrol and good for leveling blood pressure and actually slightly addictive once you start munching.

The picture is from wikipedia.

NEW DELIGHTS IN DURBAN

Sorry that I have not blogged this entire week, I have spent the week in durban with SMEG exploring what durban has to offer, meeting clients and cooking up a storm but I did  find some delights in some unexpected places.

I had the oppertunity to go to the much talked about Ile Maurice Restuarant in Umhlanga for dinner on tuesday night, it was superb and if you closed your eyes, listened to the sound of the ocean and tasted the food you would think you were really in Mauritius. The food was so authentic, simple presentation with tradtioanl accompaniments, WOW was just the word.

We started with a Crab Gratin, the crab was from mozambique and fresh fresh fresh was the only way to describe it, it was served in the head of a crab shell and had a simple, delicate flavour that didnt overpower the flavour of the subtle crab.

We then asked what the fish of the day was and it was Rockcod which I had never eaten before, both Miguel and I had the fish my was grilled with lime butter and his with the traditional Dobe Creole. The sauce was divine with just a hint of chilli but the intensitiy of the ginger, garlic, tomatoes and coriander suited the meaty fish amazingly.
We had a side portion of basmati rice and black lentils. I have not eaten lentil that good in a long time, they were creamy, rich but still had the little bite of texture to them.

Perfection is definitly the name of the game for this family run restuarant and its no wonder that they have been fully booked since november last year. Everyone should give this restuarant a chance.

SCALLOPS ALA STACEY

This is a fantastic starter or main to serve for friends, it looks and tastes fancy but buts super easy to prepare

Pan seared scallops on a curried cauliflower puree with a grape and red onion vinegarette

Yield: 4

Ingredients:

8 scallops

60g butter

1 lemon, juiced

½ head of cauliflower

½ onion, sliced

15ml curry powder

100ml cream

12 grapes, cut in half with seeds removed

½ red onions, finely chopped

45ml white wine vinegar

100ml olive oil

Seasoning

                                                                                                                      Method:

·         In a pot sauté the ½ sliced onion with the curry powder and 30g butter for a few minutes, add the chopped cauliflower and cream, turn to a low heat and allow simmering until cooked and the cream has thickened, place into a blender and blend until smooth.

·         Chop the red onion super fine and mix with the halved grapes. In another bowl combine the a splash of lemon juice with the vinegar and seasoning then slowly start adding in the olive oil until it has emulsified. Add the onion and grapes and allow infusing.

·         In a smoking hot pan add the butter then sear the scallops on both sides, remove from the heat and serve on the puree and dress with the vinaigrette.

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

WEEKEND BRUNCH

With it only being midweek I thought I would send you something to look forward to, why not have a relaxing sunday brunch in your home with this simple and easy to prepare menu with recipes. Ofcourse it has to be served with large amount of bubbles for added pleasure and then just to finish it off a afternoon nap, if you not ready for monday morning after that then change your job :)

 Roasted butternut, sage and camembert quiche

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Toasted bagel with smoked salmon, lemon and chive crème fraiche and crispy aubergine

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Lentil and feta salad with fresh herb and citrus dressing

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Decadent chocolate brownies with a berry salad

Roasted butternut, sage and camembert quiche

Ingredients:

250g flour

180g butter

1 egg yolk

1 butternut, chopped and roasted

5 sage leaves, finely chopped

1 camembert, sliced

300ml cream

3 eggs

Seasoning

Method:

·         In a food processor mix together the flour, butter and egg yolk until dough is formed, don’t over mix. Bring together and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

·         Roll out the pastry and line the tin with it, bake blind until cooked then remove and bake until lightly golden.

·         Roast the butter and sage together, place in the baked pastry case and then add the sliced camembert.

·         In a bowl combine the cream, eggs and seasoning, beat together then fill the pastry case.

·         Bake at 170’C until the quiche has just set, remove and allow cooling.

Toasted bagel with smoked salmon, lemon and chive crème fraiche and crispy aubergine

Ingredients:

1x bagel, cut open and toasted

50g smoked salmon

45ml crème friache

½ lemon, juiced and zested

5ml chopped chives

Small handful lettuce

½ aubergine, thinly sliced

15ml olive oil

Seasoning

Method:

·         Cut the bagel open and toast.

·         Slice the aubergine thinly, drizzle over olive oil and seasoning, and bake until crispy.

·         In a bowl combine mix the cream friache, lemon zest and chives and spread on. Place the salmon on top and dress with a little lemon juice.

·         Top with some lettuce, crispy aubergine and serve.

Lentil and feta salad with a mixed fresh herb and citrus dressing

Ingredients:

100g lentils, soaked and boiled

30g feta

5ml mint, chopped

5ml coriander, chopped

5ml chives, chopped

5ml parsley, chopped

15ml lemon juice

15ml orange juice

45ml olive oil

Seasoning

Method:

·         In a bowl combine the fresh herbs, citrus juice, olive oil and seasoning.

·         Pour over the lentils and allow infusing for 30 minutes.

·         Cut the feta into blocks, toss through the lentils and serve with the quiche and bagel.

Decadent chocolate brownies with a berry salad

Ingredients:

250g butter

200g dark chocolate

300g castor sugar

4 large eggs

80g cocoa powder

80g flour

5ml baking powder

A mixture of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries

Method:

·         Over a double boiler melt the chocolate and butter together. Cool.

·         Beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy and double in size.

·         Sift the dry ingredients together.

·         Fold the cooled chocolate into the egg mixture, and then fold through the sifted dry ingredients.

·         Pour into a lined, greased container at bake at 170’C until just set, the middle can still be a little wobbly. Leave and allow cooling.

·         Once cooled cut into squares and serve with some fresh berries.

The pictures are from http://www.stockfood.com/

                                                                                  

GOURMET SANDWICH

So I recieved a brief yesterday that the Italian directors will be arriving tomorrow and that I would need to prepare a simple yet classy lunch for them...something like sandwiches!

So this is the gourmet sandwich I have designed for lunch, lets hope its fit for an Italian Director

Freshly baked baguette topped with peppery rocket from the garden,smoky black forest ham, creamy camembert, fresh avo sprinkled with course black pepper and drizzled with a dijon mustard emulsion. A a tiny squeeze of lemon just to finish it off.

Bon appetito !!!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

A special homemade gift is always more thoughtfull and meaningfull, why not surprize your love with a whole bunch of homemade chocolate heart cupcakes.

Recipe:

Chocolate cupcakes with butter icing

Ingredients:

150g butter

150g castor sugar

2 eggs

250g flour

80g cocoa powder

15ml baking powder

Milk if needed

100g butter

200g icing sugar

60ml cocoa powder

Method:

• Cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy, add the eggs one at a time until all combined.
• Sift all the dry ingredients together then add into the wet mixture.
• If needed add some milk to form a batter.
• Bake at 180'C until cooked.
• In a both cream the 100g of butter until soft, add the sifted icing sugar and cocoa powder to form a thick rich butter icing, it might need a drop of milk or water.
• Place into a piping bag and pipe onto the cooled cupcake.
• Garnish with sprinkles



GUILT FREE WEEKEND

Its friday the weekend leading up to VALENTINES DAY and so therefore we are all allowed to indulge in ANYTHING we want guilt free, there are no other words to describe this dessert but Super Yummy

Dark chocolate tart with cardamom and vanilla bean ice cream

Yield: 8

Ingredients:

125g flour

90g butter

1 egg yolk

300ml cream

250g dark chocolate                                                                                           

3 egg yolks

60g castor sugar

ICE-CREAM

3 egg yolks

120g castor sugar

500ml cream

5 cardamom pods

1 vanilla pod

Method:

·         In a bowl combine the flour, butter and egg yolk and bring together to form a dough.

·         Line a quiche pan with the dough, bake blind then remove the foil and bake until lightly golden.

·         Melt the chocolate and cream together with the sugar and once melted add 1 egg yolk at a time until all combined. Pour into the baked pastry and bake at 150’C until just set.

·         For the ice cream, beat the egg yolks and castor sugar together, heat the cream with the cardamom and vanilla bean, add a little warm cream to the egg mixture then once combined add the rest of the cream and place back onto the heat.

·         Cook on a low heat until the custard reaches coating consistency then chill in the fridge. Once chilled strain the mixture and place into an ice cream machine.

·         Serve a nice big ball with a slice of chocolate tart.

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

PURE INDULGENCE

This dessert is nothing but pure indulgence with a flavour pairing made in heaven

Espresso crème brulee with orange scented biscotti

Yield: 6

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups flour

½ cup coffee beans

7 egg yolks

180g castor sugar

Orange biscotti

1 egg

1egg yolk

80g castor sugar

15ml orange zest

225g flour

2.5ml baking powder

Method:

·         Heat the cream and coffee beans together until scaled then allow cooling slightly.

·         Beat the eggs and sugar together until pale and thick, pour a little of the warm cream over the egg mixture and fold through then pour the rest. Once all combine strain off the coffee beans and pour into greased ramekins, bake at 150’C in a bain marie until just set, chill in the fridge. When ready to serve sprinkle over sugar and brulee with a blow torch.

·         For the biscotti beat the eggs and sugar until thick, fold through the sifted dry ingredients and form dough. Shape into 2 logs and bake at 180’C until lightly golden.

·         Slice into discs and bake in the oven at 120’C until hard.

·         Serve with the coffee crème brulee.

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