LOUIS ROEDERER CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH

I was very privileged to be able to go to the Louis Roederer champagne brunch on Sunday morning at the Hyatt hotel.

It was absolutely mind blowing, besides the fact that your champagne glasses were never allowed to be empty and were constantly being topped up either with the Louis Roederer Brut 2004 and Louis Roederer Rose 2006, but we were also all treated to a glass of Louis Roederer Cristal 2004, wow, amazing, words cannot describe.

On top of the endless supply of champagne was an endless supply of food that once again was out of this world, where even as a chef I did not know where to start.

There were tables of breads, cheeses, cold meats, salads, seafood from spider crab clause to giant prawns to lobsters, then a roast leg of beef that was so huge I don't even want to know what the actual size of the animal was, whole baby pork, curries and stews, one of my favourites was white wine risotto served in a giant Parmesan wheel so as you scrapped some of the risotto onto your plate the heat of the risotto had melted some of the Parmesan and you scrapped a cheesy, creamy risotto.

I'm sure I have forgotten a lot of the other savoury food but I have to move onto the dessert which could have been awarded a gold medal, besides from the presentation of all the decadent desserts the taste of each was amazing.

I think I sampled everything from mini tiramisu cakes to macaroons, mini chocolate mousse domes, puff pastry crisps, homemade ice creams, apple strudels with vanilla sauce, baumkuchen dipped in chocolate and YES I did eat all of it....

This Sunday was one of the high lights of my year.

LOOKING FOR A CHEF

Hello all

Im looking for an enthusiatic, easy going chef/person who would like to run their own coffee shop, I would need light lunches to be made with the menu changing every second day or so, have fresh cakes, muffins baked daily, no nights unless there is a function - not often, tues-sat, 8-5pm and sat 8-3pm.

Im happy to give this oppertuninty to a student fresh from chefs school if you willing to handle the stress and pressure of running it yourself.

You need to have good ideas, be neat, clean and presentable, have a good knowledge of food hygiene and menu costings.

If you are interested please email me on stacey@smegsa.co.za  The position is in johannesburg in fourways along william nicol.

Thanks

ANOTHER BEAUTY FROM THE GARDEN

Fresh parsley from the garden, our garden, home grown, the way to go, go green guys...

SUNDAY LUNCH

OCTOPUS PASTA

This was my Sunday lunch, Octopus pasta - Mauritian style, absolutely mouth wateringly delicious.

I bought baby octopus from La Marina, Miguel made his Mauritian tomato sauce, we quickly flash fried the octopus then added the tomato sauce and allowed it to simmer for 2 minutes.

We served it with al dente spaghetti that had been tossed in sauteed garlic, red onion and melted butter and finished off with some fresh chives stirred through.

The combination of the rich tomato and octopus sauce with the al dente herbed spaghetti was the perfect way to spend a Sunday lunch and OF COURSE we had bubbles with it.

BLACKEND SPRINGBOK LOIN

SPRINGBOK AND TOASTED SESAME SALAD

Instead of the usual hot beef salad, which is a great spring salad because its a warm salad while its still a little cool outside, BUT trying to use more local/traditional produce I want to change it to a springbok salad.

Remembering that springbok should not be over cooked and rare in the middle its delicious if you melt butter in a pan and as it starts to turn a golden nut colour place the springbok loin in and season well all over, brown on all sides then deglaze the pan with brandy and allow to flame. Remove the springbok and allow to rest. Slice thinly.

Make some black pepper and garlic croutons by cutting cubes of ciabatta, drizzle them with olive oil and black pepper and bake at 180'C until golden and crispy. Rub fresh garlic over them.

Toss some mixed lettuce leaves together, cut some cherry tomatoes in half, some blanched asparagus tips and fold together with the springbok and croutons and the liquid from the pan you browned your springbok in.

Crumble some goats feta on top and sprinkle a few toasted sesame seed over and serve while still warm.

DUCK AND RASPBERRY SALAD

SPRING RECIPE 2

These 2 flavours work together in harmony and produce a mouth watering dish, the tartness of the fresh raspberries and raspberry vinaigrette cut through the fatty richness of the duck.

Recipe:

1 small pkt watercress
1 small pkt mixed lettuce leaves
5 baby corns, cut into 3
10 mange touts, cut in half
2 cakes black pepper feta
2 cooked duck breasts, crispy skin but pink inside
1 punnet fresh raspberries
50ml raspberry vinaigrette
100ml grape seed oil
seasoning

Method:

Toss all together and serve with some warm homemade wholewheat bread, slightly toasted and rubbed with garlic.

WOMENS DAY ARTICLE

This was an article that came out on womens day from the HOTEL AND RESTAURANT MAGAZINE

GOOOOOOO WOMEN................

Plea for more recognition of women in tourism

August 8th, 2011 by Andrew Moth | Categories: food, hotels, industry, people, restaurants, tourism, training

In the picture above is Stacey Lee Chan, one of the growing number of women chefs helping to expand the appeal of the South African hospitality industry as a career choice.

A plea for greater recognition of the role played by women in the tourism and hospitality industries has been made by Calvyn Gilfellan, CEO of Cape Town Routes Unlimited (CTRU), on the eve of National Women’s Day tomorrow.
Although women performed key roles and responsibilities at all levels of the Western Cape’s tourism industry, their valuable contribution was not always acknowledged, he said.
“Tourism and hospitality are labour-intensive industries providing ample opportunities for women with their unique strengths and abilities to thrive. Significant progress has been made, but we are concerned that in some of the sub-sectors women are still struggling to break through the proverbial glass ceiling,” Gilfellan said today.
“Although women are well-represented in the tourism industry, too many occupy the lower echelons of the employment structures. It is time that more of them are employed as general managers, directors of companies and senior executives in government and other agencies.”
In recognition of the importance of women in the industry, CTRU fully supports the following United Nations World Tourism Organisation proposals to elevate the role of women in tourism:

• The general improvement of the role and status of women in the tourism industry
• Create awareness of the opportunities available to women at all levels of the travel and tourism industry
• Ensure that women’s matters and gender equality are high on the agendas of tourism policy and legislative processes
• Support good training, development and career opportunities for women in or wanting to enter the industry
• Support policy and legislation that provides for equal opportunity and equal pay for female employees
• Strongly speak out against sexual and other exploitation of women and children in the industry
• Acknowledge and celebrate women’s immense contribution to the industry

SPRING BLOSSOMS

I had decorex for the past few days and in the estate where it was being held I came across this tree that was blossoming, they are the first sign of spring and so gorgeous I just had to take a picture.

These blossoms make me think of a stunning warmish Saturday afternoon brunch with warm bagels filled with smoked trout, cream cheese, freshly sliced avocado and a good squeeze of lemon juice and cracked black pepper with a glass of rose bubbles, all seated under a blossom tree.

Spring brings along a stunning assortment of fruit and vegetables, use whats in season as its at its best.

Enjoy spring and keep watching and reading for some stunning simple, yet classy and sassy spring recipes.

TOFU AND CHICKEN SOUP

For everyone who doesn't like tofu or doesn't know how to cook it and serve it here is a simple way to make tofu taste mouth watering.

Firstly it has to be fresh fresh tofu, which you can normally get at any Chinese shop.

Then you make a strong chicken broth and put the tofu in when it boiling hot so it basically poaches the tofu.

The tofu will then cook in this broth and absorb all the flavours of the broth.

Serve the broth with some freshly chopped spring onions, if you don't go back for a second bowl something is wrong with you :)

Enjoy TOFU...

SECOND ATTEMPT

So the first time attempt at making rotis was ummmm, not so successful but Miguel made these the other night and that are divine, correct texture and taste and yet no disrespect his dads rotis are the ultimate best.

I love being married to a Mauritian, it opens up so many more doors on the culinary side, their food is so flavourful and different and I love having the opportunity to learn and eat a different style of food on a daily basis.

YUMMY rotis

HOME GROWN MUSHROOMS

Miguel and I bought a "grow-your-own" mushroom kit from the garden shop a few weeks ago and are now able to reap the benefits. After daily spraying of water in a sunny room that doesn't reach over 25'C, covered with a plastic bag to form the condensation, we have grown our first round of white oyster mushrooms and its fantastic.

Its so much more rewarding having a dinner with the produce that you have grown either from your garden or from a box( ha ha).

So dinner tonight will be a simple home- grown garlic and butter sauteed mushroom pasta and I think I will use the tomato and chili flavoured linguine I got from Italy.

REMEMBER 2 rules when cooking mushrooms...

1. Always cook your mushrooms in butter, the nutty butter flavour compliments the mushrooms well
2. always finish your cooking of mushrooms with a good squeeze of lemon, this adds a nice bite to the lemons and cuts through the butter as well.

If you remember these 2 rules your mushrooms will always be delectable.

HERE ARE SOME PICS OF OUR MUSHROOMS