Fine Dining: Coronation Fund Managers (Before)

I am so excited! My wife and I have been invited to an evening of fine dining - a five course meal- tonight, at 7:30pm. Coronation are in the process of moving to a new premises in Claremont and I am involved from the IT perspective (I promised in a previous blog not to talk shop). The new Canteen has been kitted out and we are to be the first people served from it. I will report back on the event in tomorrow's posting. I hope to chat to our new Chef as well. I have been asked by Coronation to take photos of the event so 'watch this space for more'.

B.T.W. Dinner last night was at Spur! I took the night off from cooking.

Events: Stellenbosch Wine Festival (2008)

The Stellenbosch Wine Festival is here! For those of you that enjoy good wine, this is the place to be...

The official blurb is...

'Learn more about wine and get up close and personal with leading winemakers at the hands-on WINE Magazine Tasting Theatre at this year’s Stellenbosch Wine Festival taking place from 31 July to 3 August 2008 at the Paul Roos Centre in Stellenbosch. With over 100 wineries on show, more than 500 wines to taste, mouth-watering delicacies and amazing entertainment – all under one roof – there is ample reason to head for the heart of the Stellenbosch winelands.'

But, in saying that, the really important information I have gathered about the festival can be summarized as follows:

1. 31 July to 3 August 2008 at the Paul Roos Centre in Stellenbosch - cnr Piet Retief & Suidwal Street.
2. Pay the entrance fee (between R100 and R350) and get verschnookered on the 'more than 500 wines to taste'. Booking at CompuTicket. Entrance on Saturday is R120 & children under 18 are free.
3. Enjoy the 'mouth-watering delicacies and amazing entertainment'.

See you all there on Saturday... It should be good! And be safe, take a nominated driver!

Dessert: My Fabulous Crème Brûlée

This is my all-time favourite dessert. Crème Brûlée is French for 'burnt cream'... what is with the French and cooking? If ever you have tasted Crème Brûlée, you will be thinking to yourself: Burnt cream? Are you mad? It tastes like nothing of the sort. Never...

Crème Brûlée is a dessert that consists of a thick custard base, topped with a layer of hard caramel (melted sugar, for the layman). This custard base is normally flavoured with vanilla but you can experiment with chocolate, liqueur or fruit. I prefer the original...

Ingredients:
6 Egg Yolks (Large Eggs)
80ml Castor Sugar
250ml Milk, Full Cream
500ml Cream
5ml Vanilla Essence
Extra Castor Sugar for caramelizing on the top

Method:
1. Beat the castor sugar and egg yolks until well mixed.
2. Heat the Milk and Cream in a pot, until just before boiling point.
3. Remove from heat and add Vanilla Essence, stirring.
4. Add Milk & Cream to the Egg mixture, stirring in.
5. Pass through a sieve, into a pouring jug - for easy pouring into your ramekins.
6. Prepare the Bain-marie and pour the mixture into the ramekins.
7. Place in an oven at 140 deg Celsius, for about 30 minutes. When a knife point is inserted into the top of Crème Brûlée and comes out clean, it is ready.
8. Remove from the oven and remove ramekins from the bain-marie, allow to cool.
9. Refridgerate.
10. Just before serving, sprinkle with Castor Sugar. Place under a grill and caramelize the sugar.

To make this a social event, pass a gas burner around the table and allow everyone to caramelize their own sugar. It is great fun!

Well, there you have it... My Fabulous Crème Brûlée recipe.

Mid Week Dinner: Red Pepper Pesto Pasta

Ok, so my post is a little late. Very late. This morning started off pretty much the same as every morning and then Wham! Blindsided by a multiple user problem - during my blog time! To make it worse, none of my desktop guys had arrived yet.

I had to go out on the floor! Imagine that... Anyways, problem solved. Moving on.

So, last night's dinner was really simple. I substituted the Basil Pesto in the recipe below with Pesto Princess Food's Red Pepper Pesto. The only addition was a tablespoon of Garlic... lovely, vampire expiring chopped heaven, which I added just before adding the chicken.

Just a note: I see there is a domain registered for Pesto Princess Foods. It seems we may need to watch this space for more: http://www.pesto.co.za

Go forth and cook!

Info: Bain-Marie

I have been promising my recipe for my Fabulous Crème Brûlée.

As you can see from the picture - it is in the oven!

In the meantime, I need to tell you about a bain-marie. Simply, Bain-marie is French for double boiler.

For those that need an official definition: to heat materials gently and gradually to fixed temperatures, or to keep materials warm over a period of time.

My source: Wikipedia.

To make my fabulous Crème Brûlée, you will need to know the term bain-marie as you will need to use one. You don't need any special equipment - I just use a roasting tray or dish and half-fill it with warm water. Simple. Nothing to it! You then place the second dish into the water, being careful that the water does not run into whatever you are cooking. There you have your double boiler... and into the oven. This method is perfect for custards and cheesecakes.

The bain-marie need not only be used in the oven. It can also be applied on the stove top or burner. This is perfect for melting chocolate and even warming your baby's bottle.

Watch this space for more!

Salad: Mom's Amazing 3 Bean Salad

Have you ever wondered what the perfect accompaniment to the truly South African pastime, braaiing, is - besides Toasties, that is? It is my mom's amazing 3 bean salad. I tell you not a word of a lie! While my mom was alive, she perfected this recipe and passed it on to me...

Best of all, it is really easy to make!

This past Saturday, I invited my colleagues and their partners around for a 'farewell' get together. Our team of eight will be splitting up over the next couple of months and this was the last time we could all get together before people start moving on. They LOVED it!!!

This blog is about food so I won't bore you with the sentiments of my 9 to 5... (truthfully, my 6am to 4:30pm). Things... they are a changing! So, here is the recipe.

Ingredients:
1x large red pepper - finely chopped
2x jalapino chillies - finely chopped (My addition to mom's recipe)
1x onion, medium - also finely chopped
1x can Baked Beans
1x can Butter Beans - drained
1x can Green Beans - drained (I prefer the French cut but you can't always find these)

50ml Sunflower Oil
125ml Brown Vinegar
125ml Brown Sugar (the thick, sticky one)
100ml Water

Method:
1. Combine the onion, chilli, red pepper and beans into a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a pot, add the brown sugar, vinegar, oil & water.
3. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat as soon as the liquid comes to the boil.
4. Allow to cool and add to the bean mixture. Mix well and chill, covered.

This is best made a few hours before so that the liquid can be absorbed into the beans, onions and pepper.

P.S. Chef Sam: Now you have it!

The Night Off: Boys Night

Every Thursday is Boys Night. The evening consists primarily of good food, good wine, good company and good music.

One of the founding members of Boys Night, Jules, graced us with his presence last night - all the way from bloody Auckland, New Zealand! None the less, last night was truly one of the greats...

Now, you may notice the picture is not of anything culinary. Here's the thing... The one and only rule for Boys Night is that what is said there, stays there.

This basically means: Sorry for you! I can't tell you about the toilet humour and loud, rambunctious behaviour of the boys. I also can't tell you that.... ssshhh... sometimes we even have women at Boys Night.... ssshhh. It goes without saying that these 'lady boys' have to assume names like Frank, Hank and John to even be allowed into the conversation.

I must tell you that the ellusive Garlic Bread I mentioned before, made an appearance last night. A BIG thank you to Chef Sam. It lasted all of 2 minutes and there was nothing left... crumbs, bits, all gone. Sorry Sandy.

Alas, poor Yorick, tis Friday. I 'jest' not! Tonight, I make crème brûlée for my team (as in the people that I work with). Tomorrow, we eat, we drink, we have a sherry (or five).

P.S. Just for Jonny: I continue to ponder the thought - why is a woman's wedding dress white...?

Mid-Week Dinner: Easy Seafood Paella

Today's blog is for all those seafood lovers out there. One of my avid blog readers, Cheffie, introduced me to an off-the-shelf seafood mix by Sea Harvest: Marinara Mix (around R30 in Supermarkets). This stuff is AMAZING! You get mussels, crab sticks, calamari rings, calamari tentacles (not testicles as my waitron at Ocean Basket once told me, accidently I must add!), prawns and pieces of fish.

Speaking of Sea Harvest: Check out this cool competition where you can win a set of Jamie Oliver pots, a R2000 Shopping Voucher or a smoothie maker.

http://seaharvest2.rsvp-reply.com

Righto, this brings me back to the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 Large Onion (chopped)
2T Crushed Garlic (it never killed anyone, ok! Vampires aside)
1 pkt Sea Harvest Marinara Mix
3 cups of Rice (uncooked)
1 cup frozen Peas
1 cup frozen Sweetcorn
2T Salted Butter
Spice for Rice (quantity to taste)
Seasoning - Ina Paarman Chilli & Garlic, Black Pepper, Salt

Method:

Preparing the Rice
1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil (lots of water)
2. Add the rice and cook for around 15 minutes, until fluffy
3. Just before the rice is ready, add the peas and sweetcorn
4. When heated through, drain the rice, peas & sweetcorn
5. Place in a bowl and add Spice for Rice, according to taste preference (I use around 2T).

Preparing the Seafood Mix
1. Put the frozen seafood mix into a pot and cover with cold water.
2. Place the pot on the stove / burner and apply heat.
3. Remove and drain as soon as it comes to a boil.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan (30cm), and add the onion.
5. As the onion becomes translucent, add the garlic and the butter. As this gets going, add the drained seafood mix. The seafood is already cooked in the previous stage so the aim here is just to coat everything with the onion, garlic and butter. 1 - 2 minutes, tops. Remove from heat.
6. Add the seafood to the rice mixture and mix.

Serve hot! Mmmmmmm.... Lovely! For the wine: A light-medium bodied dry wine like a Sauvignon Blanc. You could give the Buitenrverwagten Sauvignon Blanc a try?
B.T.W. Buitenrverwagten means Beyond Expectations!

Time to love you and leave you. Happy cooking... You still have immunity.

Mid-Week Dinner: Hearty and Simplistic

So, last night I get home after an evening of pure chaos - fetching Celine, shopping, dropping of DVDs for dad, fixing a friend's computer - I realize I don't know what to cook for dinner...

The pressure mounts with my daughter asking, 'When are we eating dad? I'm hungry!' As if I don't have enough pressure at work. Stress! Stress!

Thankfully, I remember an amazing dish I tasted a little while ago at a very very dear friend's house - Pork Chops in Apple & Chutney, served on a bed of mash & a side order of cabbage. My brother-in-law would be going 'Eeeewww' right now. He really loves cabbage... NOT!

Ingredients:
Pork Loin Chops (1 per person)
Apple Purity (2x 200ml) - Yes, baby food!
Mrs Balls Chutney (1/2 bottle)
Large Potatoes (3-4)
Salted Butter (about 125g)
Cabbage (a head, green)
Dash of Olive Oil
Seasoning - Salt & Pepper
Splash of Milk

Method:

For the Pork
1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan (30cm), season and brown the pork chops - don't crowd the pan.
2. Once browned, put them aside and de-glaze the pan with a little of the wine you are drinking...
3. Add the Apple Purity and Chutney into the pan and bring up a simmer, stirring to mix.
4. Add the brown pork chops and cover with a lid.
5. Simmer for 50 to 60 minutes, checking every now and then to make sure it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

For the Mash
1. Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks - this just decreases the cooking time - and place them in a pot, on the stove / burner.
2. Add cold water - Rule of Thumb: Cold water for vegetables that grow underground - and bring to a boil.
3. Add about 1tsp of salt and boil for 15 to 20 minutes - test softness with a fork
4. Once cooked, drain in a colander
5. Place potatoes back in the pot and mash with a potato masher, adding the butter and milk.
6. Mash until smooth.

For the Cabbage
1. In a pot, bring about 1cm of water to the boil.
2. Cut up a heat of cabbage (approx. 2cm cubes) and add to the water.
3. Add salt to taste.
4. Cover and simmer on a low heat, until the cabbage is soft (around 10 min)

Plate and serve. This meal is perfect for those winter nights, when the rain is falling and it is freezing outside. Maybe some snow on the Ceres mountains... you get my drift. This food may be rustic but it can definitely be served at an informal dinner party.

This brings me finally to the wine. What is a meal without a great bottle of wine? The rule of thumb for pairing a wine to a dish: Wine should be equal to or higher in sugar than the dish. In this case, a good Riesling would be advisable. With saying that though... I have just been raked over the coals by Chef Sam... her response to a Riesling was simply 'Oooooo - erch'. Her choice is a light red Pinotage or a Rose. I may need to concede on this one...

Featured Product: Basil Pesto (Princess Foods)

So, on my tours to the Neighbourhood Goods Market in Salt River and the Farmer's Market in Stellenbosch, I see these amazing looking Pestos. They have samples and I try and fall in love with these 3 flavours: Basil, Red Pepper and Baby Spinach and Feta (R25 each).

The big thing now comes in where I need to use these in a dish: Big Entrance: Dinner last night!

I decided to base my dish last night on the Basil Pesto. I am overly impressed that my daughter has taken to this - she even tastes the 'raw' pesto!

Here's what I did:

Ingredients:
1 Pack of Chicken Breasts (about 500g), cubed
1 Punnet of Mushrooms (quartered)
1 Small Onion (diced)
1/2 Jar of Basil Pesto
1 Tub of Cream (250ml)
3 cups of Pasta (Noodles)
Seasoning (Salt, Pepper, Paprika)
Dash of Olive Oil

Method:
1. Get your pasta going (lots of water, add salt)
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan (30cm) and add the onion. Cook until translucent, on a medium heat.
3. Add cubed chicken pieces and seasoning. Cook through, stirring regularly.
4. Add a teaspoon of pesto, while cooking the chicken.
5. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 3 - 5 minutes (mushrooms will start too soften).
6. Add the remaining basil pesto and the cream. Stir in and and bring up to a simmer.
7. Simmer for 5 - 8 minutes, allowing the cream to thicken slightly.
8. By now, your pasta is cooked. Drain (do not rinse under cold water) and add the warm pasta to the chicken. Stir in, keeping it on a low heat, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.

This is a simple, mid-week dinner that does not break the bank. I may have some issues with the Girth Body Corporate for the cream in this recipe though. My motto is definitely not Eat to Live! I live to eat...

Oh, yeah. Almost forgot. Serving: I dished the pasta into bowls and that was it! If you have people around, make a garlic bread or two and serve with a bottle of Chardonnay. For the more daring & non-conformists: try a bottle or three of Pinot Noir. No! You don't always have to have red wine with chicken or pork. Buck the system.

Oh yes... that reminds me: Watch this space for my dear friend Sam's Absolutely Fantabulously Amazing Garlic Bread... I must warn though: It is NOT for the fainthearted.

Neighbour Goods Market, Salt River - Picture Slideshow

Some of the wonderful bread available

The Neighbour Goods Market in Salt River Market

Salt River Market - 19 July 2008 - 1, originally uploaded by Th3Dipl0mat

This Neighbour Goods Market is a source for organic and locally produced goods. It is also a meeting point for the community to socialize, swap ideas & stories, and get educated about what you buy and eat - by going directly to the source.

Venue: Old Biscuit Mill, 373 - 375 Albert Rd Woodstock, Cape Town