A symphony of whales, swaying palms & dessert pastries

Tags

Cape Town, Chefs, Clifton Kitchen - Cooking thorugh the seasons, Cooks, crème pâtissière, Dessert, Food Blogs, Food Writing, Pastry, Pâté Sablée, rasberries, Raspberry Tart, recipes

As I sit here under the sway of the palms planning the last bits and pieces for Christmas, I have a splendid display before me. In the smooth as glass Atlantic Ocean, are loads and loads of whales, blowing streams of white spray into the air. The performance, seemingly synchronised among the different pods; it is for me like a symphony playing out to the sounds of nature, just so wonderful to observe.

Back to planning; every good meal deserves a happy ending and this French Raspberry Tart will do just that. What is nice about this tart is that most of the preparation can be done the day before and quickly assembled when needed.

French Raspberry tart

Ingredients

1 x 23cm pastry case (see recipe below)

Fresh raspberries, to cover

1 recipe crème pâtissière (see recipe below)

1 recipe raspberry fruit glaze (see recipe below)

Icing sugar to dust over tart

Method

1. Bake prepared pastry case

2. Make the crème pâtissière

3. Make the raspberry fruit glaze

To assemble the tart: half fill balked pastry case with crème pâtissière and arrange raspberries in circles on top; coat with raspberry fruit glaze. Dust with icing sugar (optional) Serve chilled.

Pâté Sablée

For the pastry you will need

225g sifted plain flour

180g diced cold unsalted butter

1 tablespoon icing sugar (level measure)

A pinch of salt

1 egg yolk

A little ice water (equal to the egg yolk)

Method

Place the butter, flour, sugar and salt in the food processor and blend briefly until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

Combine the egg yolk with an equal amount of iced water; mix together and add to the pastry in the bowl. Blend briefly until the ingredients just start forming a ball. Remove and roll gently into a ball, wrap and put in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Flour a working surface as well as the rolling pin. Roll out pastry and try not to stretch it, rather gently roll out from the centre until large enough to fit the pastry tin. Should the pastry break while handling it, don’t be concerned, this pastry is so rich, that you can patch it up by pressing torn edges together with your fingers.

When sufficiently large enough, roll the pastry gently over the rolling pin and lift it over the tin, gently drop the pastry in and ease and press it loosely down into the tin, press it against the sides until it is an even thickness all round. Roll the rolling pin across the top of the tin to cut off the excess pastry. Prick the base and sides of the pastry shell with the prongs of a fork, chill pastry for 30 minutes.

Blind bake the pastry in a hot oven 230C for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C and bake for 30 minutes. Should the crust start to brown at the edges, cover with foil.

Crème Pâtissière

450ml milk

1 vanilla pod, split

5 egg yolks

100g castor sugar

2 level tablespoons cornflour

1 level tablespoon Butter

Method

Pour the milk in a medium sized pan, add the vanilla pod and bring to the boil over low heat. Once up to heat remove, cover and leave to infuse until needed.

In a bowl whisk egg yolks with sugar until thick and light in colour; gradually whisk in the cornflour. Remove the vanilla pod from the milk and gradually pour milk into egg mixture, whisking until blended.

Pour mixture back into the pan and bring to the boil over moderate heat, stirring constantly. Once up to the boil, simmer for about 3 minutes, beating vigorously.

Remove pan from heat; beat in 1 level tablespoon butter and continue beating for a little longer to cool the pastry cream slightly.

Put the cream in a bowl and cover with a sheet of lightly buttered paper to prevent a skin from forming on top. Allow to become quite cold then chill until required.

Fruit glaze

300ml apricot, raspberry or red currant jam

Kirsch, a splash

4-6 tablespoons Water

Method

Add 4-6 tablespoons water to apricot jam and heat, stirring constantly until liquid; flavour to taste with kirsch.

A Christmas treat – Spiced Cinnamon Shortbread

Tags

baking, Cape Town, Chefs & Cooks, Christmas Biscuits, Christmas Gifts, Clifton Kitchen - Cooking thorugh the seasons, food blog, Food Writing, recipe, shortbread, Spices

The flavour and fragrance of this shortbread is just so ‘Christmassy’ and I love to have tins of it in the pantry; some pieces beautifully packed for little home-made gifts and some for sharing with friends who pop in over the festive season. What’s more it is very easy to make. 

Serves 8

Ingredients

2 cups cake flour

¼ cup caster sugar

2 tbsp. corn flour

¼ tsp. cinnamon powder

A pinch of Allspice powder

Pinch of salt

250g unsalted butter, slightly softened

Extra caster sugar for sprinkling once baked

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Method

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until the ingredients are combined and just coming together. It is important to not over-process. If you don’t have a food processor, work the mixture lightly with your hands until combined.

Press the mixture as evenly as possible into a 20cm round pie dish and smooth the top. Using a fork, prick the dough evenly all over.

Place the shortbread in a preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until it turns a light golden brown.

Remove from the oven and slice into serving portions then sprinkle with some caster sugar while still hot. Leave to cool before serving.

spice options

ground star anise; ground dried ginger; ground cardamom, ground cloves

Buttery prawns with tomato, olives, capers and a splash of Pernod

Tags

Cape Town, chilli, Clifton Kitchen - Cooking thorugh the seasons, Cucumber, Entertaining, Food Blogs, Food Writing, Kate Abbott, Lifestyle, Parsley, Peppers, Pernod, Photography, Prawns, Radish, recipe, Salads, tomatoes

When it gets closer and closer to spring I start craving bright summery flavours, fresh greens and salads. Last evening although very cold gave way to this lovely dinner which has had everyone calling for the recipe, so here it is.

This is dead easy and utterly delicious. The flavour of the Pernod liquor complements but also mellows the intensity of the tomato and olives, coating the prawns in a heavenly buttery sauce.

Served as soon as it is made, accompanied by pieces of wholesome bread or rice to soak up the sauce.

Serves 4

Ingredients

6 plum tomatoes

20 tiger prawns

70g softened unsalted butter

1 tbsp. finely chopped capers

½ tsp. dried chilli flakes

70g Kalamata olives, stoned

25ml or Pernod

3 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

2 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Sea salt

Method

If you object to tomato skins then by all means skin them; I choose not to do so. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and set aside.

Peel the prawns, keeping the tail segment of the shell on. Cut a shallow slit along the back of each prawn and remove the dark vein using the tip of a small knife.

Place a frying pan over a high heat. When very hot, add 35gm of the butter and sauté the prawns quickly for about 2 minutes, shaking the pan as you go. Add the tomatoes, chilli and olives and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the prawns are nearly cooked through; then add the Pernod. Do this carefully as it may catch fire. Let the alcohol evaporate for a minute then quickly add the remaining butter, the garlic, the parsley and a little salt. Toss for a second or two to enable the juices to come together in a runny sauce.

Serve immediately, with good crispy bread or rice.

Cucumber, radish, peppers and poppy seed salad

Halve the cucumber along its centre and scoop out the seedy core, which is full of water, and will dilute the dressing and make the salad watery.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large cucumber

4-6 radishes, sliced

I red pepper finely sliced

2 mild red chillies, thinly sliced

3 tbsp. roughly chopped coriander

60ml white wine vinegar or rice vinegar

125ml sunflower oil

1 1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds

2 tbsp. caster sugar

Salt and black pepper

Method

Gently and quickly toast the poppy seeds in a hot, dry pan for a few seconds; semi cover with a lid during the process to prevent the seeds from popping out of the pan.

Slice off and discard the ends of the cucumber. Slice the cucumber down the middle and remove the seeds. Slice the cucumber so you end up with pieces 1cm thick and about 3 cm long. Slice the radishes.

Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl. Taste and adjust the amount of sugar and salt if needed. The salad should have a sharp and sweet tang.

I find it best to have all the ingredients for this salad ready and to assemble this salad just before I start cooking the prawns. This prevents the liquid which the cucumber tends to release, from diluting the dressing.

Note

Adding a few capers also adds another lovely flavour dimension to this salad.

Autumn Snack for One

Tags

avocado, Basil, Cape Town, chilli, Clifton Kitchen - Cooking thorugh the seasons, garlic, goats cheese Agave nectar, health, olvie oil, peaches, quick meal, red onion, season foods, snack healthy food, whole wheat seed bread

It’s a quiet day; the stormy weather of yesterday gone. Today we have soft autumn sunshine, the air is crisp and chilly. I love the different seasons and the changes it brings. This evening will be perfect for cosy fireside natter while sipping some delicious port.

But back to lunch which is roasted vegetables and avocado on toasted whole wheat seed bread, followed by grilled peach served with goats cheese, a drizzle of Agave nectar and a sprig of mint. This is a very healthy snack, wonderful the skin, cholesterol, blood pressure and general circulation.

For the roasted vegetables and avocado on toasted whole wheat seed bread you will need

½ red pepper cut into bite size chunks

1 small red onion cut into chunks

11/2 tablespoon olive oil

½ an avocado

1 garlic clove

1 small green chilli

2-3 basil leaves

A spritz or two of fresh lime juice

A slice of whole wheat seed bread or bread of your choice, toasted

Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C

Put the chopped pepper and onion in an oven proof dish, sprinkle with one tablespoon olive oil, season and toss the vegetables together. Place in the preheated oven for about 15minutes then turn the grill on high and continue to cook for about another 5 minutes, or until the vegetables take on some charred colour.

Place the avocado, garlic, chilli, basil, lime juice and ½ a tablespoon olive oil in a blender and blend to a rough or smooth consistency. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

Spread the avocado mixture over the toast and top with the roasted vegetables. Serve.

Oven grilled peach served with goat’s chees, agave nectar and mint

Ingredients

1 peach cut in half, stone removed

A little olive oil

A few slices of goat’s cheese

A few sprigs of mint

A drizzle of agave nectar

Method

Place the peach halves face up in an oven proof dish. Rub the cut side of each half with a little olive oil and place under a hot grill for about 5-8 minutes or until they start to take on colour.

Place each half on a plate or in a little bowl, top with some goat’s cheese, a sprig of mint and drizzle with a splash of agave nectar.

Note:

if you don’t have agave nectar, use a good quality honey instead

Three of my Favourite Ingredients

Tags

avocado, Cape Town Chef Cooks, Chillies, Clifton Kitchen - Cooking thorugh the seasons, food and drink, food and travel writing, Food Blogs, Food Writing, healthy food, Healthy Meals, ingredients, Kate Abbott, Lifestyle, Light meals, Olive oil, Photography, Poached egg, recipes, smoked salmon

I love Avocado, smoked salmon and eggs, and in this recipe I have combined them to produce a dish that is full of fantastic flavour. It is healthy and easy to prepare and is one of my favourite meals for lunch or brunch.

Ingredients

Toasted wholegrain brown bread

A few slivers of smoked salmon

A few slices of avocado

A soft boiled or poached egg

Lemon juice

Olive oil chilli dressing

Black pepper

Sea salt flakes

Method

Cut the toast in half and place the toast on a plate; drape over a few slivers of smoked salmon followed by a few slivers of avocado. Place the poached egg on the plate next to the smoked salmon and avocado.

Sprinkle over some lemon juice and dress with the chilli dressing and some black pepper. Season the egg with a little salt.

For the chilli dressing

Ingredients

2 medium hot chillies

Juice from one lime

Pinch of salt

Pinch of sugar

Olive oil

Method

Place the chillies, lime juice, salt, and sugar in a container and blitz with a hand held blender until you have a rough mixture. Stir in some olive oil and serve.

Overindulgence eventually gets to all of us

Tags

baguette, Balsamic Vinegar, Brunches, Cape Town, Chefs, Clifton Kitchen, Clifton Kitchen - Cooking thorugh the seasons, Cook Books, Cooks, Easy Meals, feta cheese, Food Photography, Foodblogs, foodwriter, Goats cheese, Goats milk feta cheese, horseradish, ingredients, Kate Abbott, lemons, Lifestyle, limes, Rocket, Salads, Sweet Potatoes, Vegetarian, walnut oil

Overindulgence eventually gets to all of us and my limit has definitely been reached. All the festive season entertaining followed by a 40^th birthday celebration this week-end brought me to seeking something simple and more gentle on the constitution.

For lunch my focus was the lovely organic sweet potatoes that I picked up at the fresh produce market: these I baked in the oven, sliced into rounds and arranged on a plate with some rocket leaves, crumbled over some goat’s cheese feta and dressed with balsamic vinegar, walnut oil and a sprinkle of fresh lemon juice. Served with a zesty wine it was just perfect.

The left over sweet potato made an equally delicious breakfast, this time served on a toasted baguette, spread with horseradish paste followed by sliced sweet potatoes, crumbled feta, balsamic and walnut dressing, a sprinkle of fresh lime juice, seasoned with black pepper and salt flakes. Yummy!

Both of the following make lovely light lunches, brunches or in smaller portions could be served as a starter.

Sweet potato, goat’s cheese & Rocket Salad

Ingredients/Method:

Baked sweet potato slices, crumbled goat’s feta served on rocket leaves, dressed with balsamic and walnut oil, drizzle over fresh lemon juice and season with black pepper and salt flakes. 

A different way

Sweet Potato, Horseradish & Goats cheese Baguette

Ingredients/Method:

On half a toasted baguette, spread some horseradish paste, top with slices of baked sweet potato, crumble over some goats feta and drizzle with balsamic and walnut oil and a sprinkle of fresh lime juice. Season with black pepper and salt flakes.

Chopped Egg & Onion with Lemon Thyme

Tags

Cape Town, Chefs & Cooks, Chopped Egg & Onion, Clifton Kitchen - Cooking thorugh the seasons, Food Blogs, Food Writing, Kate Abbott, Lemon Thyme, Lifestyle, Light Lunch, Light meals, Mayonnaise, Mustard, onions, Photography, South African Food Blogs, Spring onions, Wholegrain mustard

This recipe is lovely to serve as a starter or a light lunch. As simple as the ingredients may sound, the end result is high in flavour; delicious served sprinkled with chopped parsley, onion rings, and piled on toast, or used as sandwich filling. I love it just on a bed of crisp lettuce leaves.

 

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

8 hardboiled eggs, shelled and finely chopped – or if you prefer coarsely chopped

6 spring onions or 1 small onion, very finely chopped

A sprig of finely chopped fresh lemon thyme – about a ¼ of a tsp. once chopped

4 tablespoons good quality mayonnaise or sufficient mayonnaise to bind the mixture together

1 tsp. French whole grain mustard

Fresh parsley finely chopped to garnish or fold into the mixture

Method

Place the chopped egg and onion in a bowl and season well with salt and black pepper

Mix the mayonnaise and mustard together, then add to the chopped eggs and onions and combine all ingredients together. Chill for 15-30 minutes to allow the flavours to develop

Serve with a garnish of parsley

Options:

You could replace the Lemon Thyme with Dill or Tarragon

You could also add some fresh cooked and flaked crab or steamed, shelled and roughly diced prawns to the mixture which will take it to a whole new level.

It’s Autumn & Temperatures are Dropping

Tags

Autumn foods, beetroot, Books, Cape Town, Chefs, Clifton Kitchen - Cooking thorugh the seasons, Cooks, Fettuccini, food and drink, Food Blogging, Food Writing, In Season, Lifestyle, Pasta, Photography, recipes, Travel

In season for May and June

It’s time to select and cook with the best that autumn has to offer and what better place to be than in the cosy warmth of kitchen.

The view from my kitchen at the moment is of a large deep sea fishing trawler that has run aground on the beach in front of my home. The poor souls on board are hoping that the rainy and windy weather will improve sufficiently for the large tugs that are on standby, to be able to tow them back into the water. But I digress; it is time for me to focus on food.

My autumn box of produce has arrived, filled with lovely things from which to create some warming autumn meals, and a friend who is a regular guest for dinner, brought me a pheasant and a beautiful piece of fresh skinned and boned fillet of cob.

The way I like to prepare this fish is to cut it into portions and place in a baking dish, generously drizzled with olive oil. To this I add anchovies, rosemary sprigs, Kalamata olives and the juice of two lemons and season with a little salt and some pepper, then cover the fish with thin slices of lemon and bake in a hot oven to cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.

For the pheasant, I simply roast the bird whole with a prune stuffing and some sage butter tucked under the skin and baste frequently throughout the cooking process. Another good way to cook pheasant is to pot roast. Pheasant legs can also be braised with butter, shallots, Calvados and tart green apples and finished with a little crème fraîche.

Also in today’s box are half a dozen apples. A hardy fruit with a long shelf life, the apple can be harvested in summer and kept in cold storage during the winter months. Apples form the basis of many of my desserts, from the English apple Charlotte to the French tarte aux pommes. It is also a classic match for pork and a good counter point for bitter type cheeses such as cheddar.

Apples in my home are eaten raw, grated, sliced cooked, poached, stewed or baked into puddings, pies and tarts. Stewed and pureed they can be used in sweet and savoury sauces. Ring the changes and serve apple as a vegetable. Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut and core unpeeled apple into wedges, cut peeled Spanish onion into wedges, place in a roasting pan. Scatter with sage leaves, drizzle with olive oil and cider vinegar and season with sea salt, freshly ground pepper and a light sprinkling of brown sugar. Roast for about 30 minutes until golden and tender. This accompaniment is nice to serve with roast pork or pork sausages.

Lemons are one of my favourite ingredients. They invigorate food, add colour, good to squeeze over roast lamb or stuffed into chicken either fresh or as a preserve. Lemons also make wonderful desserts such as saucy lemon pudding, lemon soufflé or lemon posset. Now is a good time to preserve lemons in salt, they will be ready to use when winter sets in and until then they will brighten up the kitchen shelf looking like little jars of sunshine.

In the markets you will find lots of baby cauliflower, large and colourful ones too. This is an understated vegetable that can be fantastic if cooked with a delicate hand and some imagination. Serve cauliflower cheese with lamb or as a gratin, blanched then laid in a pan and covered with a thin layer of béchamel sauce, flavoured with bay leaf, nutmeg, a sprinkle of gruyere cheese and a few blobs of butter; this is a good accompaniment to steak or chicken. Or sauté in olive oil and butter together with some onions, and potatoes until cooked, add a dash of cream and seasoning then blend into a soft creamy puree.

Look for sweet purple bulbs of green garlic; much milder than mature garlic and nice to cook in a frittata. Just soften the garlic in butter, and then add eggs, parsley and chives and you have a wonderful quick and delicious meal.

Meat wise now is the time to seek out a good butcher who should have really good supplies organically farmed pork and beef.

Also in season are:

Fruit

Apples, avocado, bananas, cumquats, custard apples, grapes, grapefruit, kiwifruit, lemons, limes, mandarins, melons, nuts, oranges, papaya, passion fruit, pears, persimmons, quince, rhubarb

Vegetables

Asian greens, beans, beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, capsicums, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chillies, cucumbers, daikon, eggplant, fennel, garlic, ginger, horseradish, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuces, mushrooms, okra, olives, onions, parsnips, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, shallots, silver beat, spinach, squash, swedes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, witlof, zucchini.

My dinner this evening will be ….

Fettuccini served with Baby Beetroot and Bitter Greens.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

500 g Fettuccini

3 baby beetroot with leaves, washed

2-3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to serve

100 ml water

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

50 g butter

100 g stinging nettles (or baby spinach)

Crumbled soft goats cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Wash the beetroot, trim the leaves and reserve. Place the baby beetroot in a roasting pan, drizzle with half the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the water to the pan, cover the pan with foil and roast the beetroot at 220C until tender, this will take about an hour. Once the beet root is cooked let cool, then peel and slice and set aside.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for the time specified on the packet.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a frying pan over medium high heat, add the rest of the olive oil, butter and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds, add the nettles, and beetroot leaves and cook until leaves wilt, about 2 minutes. Add the beetroot slices and toss together. Scatter over goats’ cheese, drizzle with a little extra olive oil, check for seasoning and serve immediately.