CHEF! IssuE 19

Contents
FOOD FEATURE
42 Glammed-up mushrooms
FOREWORD
3 Letter from SACA President, Stephen
Billingham
MEMBER’S LETTERS
MASTER CLASS
46 Chef Marli Roberts does a classic
confit
HOW TO
4 Newsworthy notes to share with chefs
around South Africa
50 Classic poached egg
NEWS
EDUCATION
6 Items of interest, issues and
happenings in the culinary world
52 Climate change – what exactly is it?
CALENDAR
16 Events on the culinary calendar
20
29
GREEN KITCHEN
54 Chef Morné Ströh on affecting
behavioral change in the kitchen
RESTAURANT REVIEWS
20 Punchinello’s in Johannesburg,
DeLux Burger Bar in Durban and
Waterkloof Restaurant in Somerset
West
BEVERAGE FEATURE
56 How to combine wines with spicy
food
INGREDIENT
BOOKS
22 The new season’s olive oil
58 Gizzi’s Kitchen Magic by Gizzi
TEAM SA
24 Meet Kevin Miller, pastry chef
CHEF PROFILE
26 Henrico Grobbelaar, Captain of
Culinary Team South Africa
INTEREST
30 San restaurant makes the Sandton
Sun hotel cool again
34 Molecular gastronomy – not as crazy
as you think
MEET YOUR SUPPLIER
37 Ecolab – clean and green
FUTURE
40 Why chefs should start sourcing local,
seasonal produce
2 | CHEF! Issue 19
Erskine and Tastes of Africa by Justice
Kamanga
WINE WORLD
60 Delicious new wine releases
GENTLE SPIRITS
61 New releases on the spirits market
and sophisticated summer cocktails
SOCIAL
62 Who was seen where, when and with
whom
LAST WORD
63 Chef Brian McCune on the
importance of sniffing
42
Published by
Shout Factory
Publisher
Jason Whitehouse
Tel: 021 556 7493
Fax: 086 617 4740
Editor
Kim Hoepfl
[email protected]
Advertising Sales
Jason Whitehouse
[email protected]
Design & Layout
Shout Creative
Peter Batistich
[email protected]
Jeanle Casarin
[email protected]
Printing
Remata
Images
Andreas Eiselen, Kelly Zetler and
Liezel van der Merwe
Chef! is published bi-monthly by
Shout Factory on behalf of the South
African Chefs Association
The South African Chefs
Association
University of Johannesburg, School
of Tourism & Hospitality
Tel: 011 482 7250
Fax: 011 482 7260
[email protected]
www.saca.co.za
President
Stephen Billingham
Dear Colleagues, Friends
and Sponsors,
It seems that we have
emerged from the World
Cup not only unscathed,
but internationally lauded
for our hosting of the
world’s biggest event!
To everyone that was
involved in this once-ina-lifetime experience, I
say congratulations and
thank you. Thank you for
showing the world what
we’re made of, for playing
your part in welcoming
half a million tourists to
our beautiful country,
and for representing our
hospitality industry to the
best of your ability.
Even though we can all
give ourselves a great, big pat on the back because the pressure’s off, I don’t think we can relax just yet.
Now that the word has spread that our hospitality standard is high, we need to continue the emphasis
on high standards and training. If you read our feature article on Henrico Grobbelaar, who acted as
FIFA’s executive chef through the tournament, it was evident that there were a few chefs who didn’t
yet have a complete set of skills. In whatever way you can, it is so important that we train students
well, and actively equip and mentor chefs and recent graduates with the skills needed to elevate our
hospitality industry. Without passing on our knowledge, there is no way that we can continue to grow.
General Manager
Graham Donet
Finance Manager
Connie Butler
Communications Manager
Sarah Marjoribanks
Events Manager
Nicholas Sarnadas
Membership Administrator
Jason Pitout
On another note, once the schools, the traffic and normal working hours resumed, we planned our
Infochef Conference in earnest – and I am pleased to say that we came up with a cracker of a lineup including sustainable food production, a top chef’s panel and practical applications of SASSI
requirements. It was great to see so many of you there. Also, for those of you based in Cape Town
and Durban, keep an eye out for information about your local Infochef conferences, headed up by
committees in those respective areas.
Culinary Regards,
Operations Manager: CCE
Navz Irsen
SACA Patrons
Stephen Billingham
President
South African Chefs Association
p u b l i s h i n g
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love
what you are doing, you will be successful." Herman Cain
CHEF! Issue 19 | 3
Members
Members
Letters
Compiled by Sarah Marjoribanks
I thought that SACA members might like
to hear of something very positive for the
South African hospitality industry. One
Saturday evening we had some tourists
visiting for the World Cup, check into the
hotel. That Monday they checked out and
left for Johannesburg. Around lunchtime,
my housekeeper came into my office with
over $15 000 (about R110 000) that the
room attendant had found behind the bible
in their room while she was dusting. After
ascertaining that the notes were genuine, I
put the money into my safe and made my
way to the guest’s room to investigate. As
I was there, an extremely worried looking
man rushed in and said he’d left Dollars
behind in the room. After making sure that
he was indeed the person who had stayed
in the room, I returned the cash to him.
He then gave the room attendant, Geneva
Ramashita, $300 (over R2 000) as a reward.
I thought that this news was so good for
our industry, that I wanted to share it with
as many people as possible!
Simon Sutherland, General Manager
Protea Hotel The Park, Limpopo
Our student chefs are now half way through an intensive one year course and their knowledge
and skills have started to shine thanks to a policy of real cooking every single day. They have
also been actively involved in our monthly Gourmet Cooking Evenings, where the public
get to spend a night cooking under chefs Garth Stroebel and Paul Hartmann. Students are
on hand at each cooking station to assist and interact with participants, giving them valuable
experience and interaction with guests. Plus, they are gaining additional cooking knowledge
from exposure to regional cuisines of the world.
Sean Mayne, Student Administrator
SA Chefs Academy, Cape Town
4 | CHEF! Issue 19
Chef Hai Schwartz, whom many
of you might remember as having
visited this country during the Global
Chefs Challenge Continental Cookoff, has been elected President of the
Israeli Chefs Association. Says Hai, “I
remember the welcome and hospitality
we received from you – there are many
places in the world that can learn from
you!” Congratulations to Chef Hai.
Gourmet Chefs’ Market
Organised by Chef Brad of the
Wanderer’s Club, Johannesburg, the
Gourmet Chefs’ Market is held on the
1st Sunday of the month from 10am4pm at the club. It’s a fantastic place to
bring the family and let your hair down.
Local produce on offer includes: Curry
powders and pastes; rustic quiches;
chocolate work; fresh oysters; sushi;
micro-herbs; cheeses; wine; cupcakes
and; coffee. There is also an open area
Capsicum Culinary Studio opened the doors to its sixth branch, located in Port Elizabeth.
After receiving numerous enquiries and requests for a Chef and Hospitality Management
School in Port Elizabeth, Cheryl Nesbitt, CEO of Capsicum Culinary Studio, identified the
need in the area and the decision to open the sixth branch was made.
where chefs produce delicious dishes
for sale as mains or starters, with
assistance provided by the students of
the International Hotel School.
The Grove Mall in Pretoria East hosted a food and chocolate fair from May 27-30 and invited
Capsicum to provide the culinary expertise and showcase student’s talents. Woolworths
sponsored all the ingredients which created a child like enthusiasm among students as they
had free reign on recipes and could really go “crazy”, so to speak. We created an interactive
experience where pastry students prepared a series of canapés, cup cakes and biscuits which
attracted a lot of attention. The fair was a massive success and all the people gave rave
reviews. We would like to thank Leanne Nell and her team for a great weekend.
Capsicum Culinary Studio
SACA Gauteng Chairman Jodi-Ann Pearton hosts her own show on Jacaranda FM 94.2.
You can catch her cooking live every Friday morning from 9am-10am at the No Fry
Zone.
Capital Hotel School
Capital Hotel School held a fun and festive
boerewors competition between Gauteng’s
cooking schools on the 8th of September
at the Rietvallei Nature Reserve. At least
10 teams took part in this competition, a
fantastic way to celebrate the end of winter
as well as get to know everyone on a social
level. Also, Mr Geyer of the South African
Potato Board recently bought fun T-shirts
and caps to the Capital Hotel School’s
Professional Cookery students and lecturers
to celebrate the diversity of the simple
potato. This will undoubtedly inspire new
potato recipes for all to try. Lientjie Luwes
Chef Nico van der Walt from the FBI School of Pastry created this fantastic chocolate
wedding dress for the opening of the Chocolate Festival at Mimosa Mall in Bloemfontein. It was designed by Michael Bezuidenhout and was featured on SABC 2’s evening news.
CHEF! Issue 19 | 5
News
News
By Kim Hoepfl and
Sarah Marjoribanks
The hospitality and tourism industry is predicted to
triple in size globally within the next ten years and
to be the world’s largest industry by the year 2020.
Consumer coup
Ikusasa School of Cooking opens
The KwaZulu-Natal Chaine Des Rotisseurs Foundation, in association with The
International Hotel School (IHS) launched the Ikusasa School of Cooking at St Martin’s
Children’s Home in Clark Road, Durban with Southern Sun as the main sponsor. The
new kitchen will give 10 young school leavers from children’s homes in and around
Durban the opportunity to acquire basic culinary skills during their one year programme.
The students will follow a City and Guilds based qualification, fully administered by
IHS and have received free SACA membership from President Stephen Billingham. In
service training over three months is provided by Southern Sun’s Elangeni and Beverley
Hills hotels. All tuition, ingredients for daily cooking, running of the kitchen as well as
transport to and from the school will be provided by the school through fundraising and
sponsors.
6 | CHEF! Issue 19
Who says that consumers don’t have a
voice? Activist (www.activist.co.za) recently
ran a “Dear Woolworth’s” campaign in
which they wrote articles, sent e-mails,
signed a petition and spoke on camera asking Woolworth’s to stop using battery
eggs in all their food products. This was
part of their Ethical Egg Campaign aimed
at raising awareness about and ending
battery farming in South Africa. Their
plea to Woolworth’s was a success and
shows two things: The good news that
most Woolworth’s egg-containing products
will now be battery-egg free, and, just as
importantly, that consumers who voice
their preferences do have power. This is
relevant to any chef out there sensitive to
the behavioral change required to make
food production sustainable. Activist will
now shift the focus to the Ethical Egg
campaign which is aimed at Shoprite/
Checkers, Spar, Pick ‘n Pay and the
relevant players in government. Find out
more about the Ethical Egg Campaign by
visiting www.activist.co.za
Job Opportunity
Culinary Group (www.culinary.co.za)
are looking for sales consultants for their
Johannesburg and Cape Town offices. If
you have a passion for cooking plus one
or more of the following skills, this would
represent an extraordinary opportunity for
you:
• Background in architecture or
draughting
• Intimate knowledge of food and
ingredients
• Cooking techniques
• Hospitality industry training
• Sales experience, internal or external
• Ability to converse in French /
German / Italian
• Out-of-the-box-thinker
• Well travelled
If you think you
qualify, please send
your CV and a cover
letter through to
opportunity@culinary.
co.za
Golden Boy
Peter Gyorgyicsek, the new Head Pastry
Chef at The Twelve Apostles Hotel and
member of Team SA has created a replica
of the World Cup trophy, handmade
from 4 kilograms of chocolate. Guests
and visitors can see this masterpiece at the
hotel’s reception and in Azure Restaurant.
Three bases of chocolate were created then
stacked to form the solid tiered base and a
special mould was made to create the form
of the actual trophy. Milk chocolate was
then poured into the mould and set to
form the trophy and finished by a coating
of edible gold dust.
New Appointments
Gary Opperman, head chef at the
new Southern Sun Garden Court
Umhlanga
Southern Sun Garden Court Umhlanga was
launched in May this year with Chef Gary
Opperman at the kitchen’s helm. Opperman
has designed an a la carte menu for the hotel’s
restaurant, Mnandi, and Afro Fusion Action
Bar, based on the three essentials of water
(noodles); earth (a tandoor earth ware oven)
and fire (a wok). This means that guests can
combine dishes based on each component to
create a full meal, or to nibble on small plates
(tapas) such as Kung Pao Chicken Szechaun
style or tempura noodles.
Neil Norman, new Chef de
Cuisine at Dornier Bodega
A passion for wine and food made Chef
Neil Norman the logical choice to take over
Bodega restaurant on the Dornier wine
estate, just outside Stellenbosch. He intends
to put his stamp on the restaurants ‘farm
style’ cooking, where dishes are designed to
compliment the estates’ wines. On the menu
are things like roast lamb shoulder, served on
grilled seasonal vegetables, topped with a veal
jus or French-style potato gnocchi, tossed in
a Gorgonzola and salmon sauce. Neil, who
completed his training at Zevenwacht Chef
School in 2001, was previousley executive
chef with the Divine Inspiration Group,
as well as head chef at V&A Waterfront
restaurant, Belthazar.
Makalali’s classroom with no boundaries
Much has been said about the lack of adequately trained and skilled staff as being one
of the greatest developmental challenges of the South African culinary industry. One
company, Makalali Private Game Lodge is going it alone by devising their own inhouse staff training programmes.
To provide hospitality training to the local community Makalali Private Game Lodge,
near Hoedspruit in Limpopo, has joined forces with a local, registered hospitality and
tourism programme, Tshogo’s Palace & Enter. The five month theoretical programme
is open to waiting and kitchen staff. Students are afterwards guaranteed a six month
practical placement at Four star Makalali Private Game Lodge to put theory into
practice and help them become more employable. Students who are training to be chefs
are put through a basic kitchen training module at Makalali, which covers practical
basics including kitchen hygiene, portion control and recipe reading together with
other disciplines required in different kitchen divisions. Makalali Private Game Lodge
currently takes on four chefs and two waiter students every six months.
CHEF! Issue 19 | 7
News
SA Chefs Association
Announces New Vice
Presidents
The South African Chefs Association is
proud to announce that its Board has elected
two Vice Presidents, Chefs Allister Esau
and Arnold Tanzer. Both Vice Presidents
will be assisting in taking the Association
forward, guiding and fulfilling the vision
of the Association, whilst ensuring that the
members continue to find benefit in being
a part of SACA. Arnold Tanzer needs no introduction,
as he is a well-known Chef and has been
a Director on the SACA Board for many
years, as well as holding the position
of Vice President under Honorary Past
President Martin Kobald. Winner of the
Sunday Times Chef of the Year in 2008,
Arnold is also well-known for his culinary
consultancy Food on the Move and
currently holds the position of Continental
Director for Africa and Middle East on
the World Association of Chefs Societies
Board.
New to the South African Chefs
Association Board is Chef Allister Esau,
who was elected onto the Board in 2009
to fill the portfolio of Skills Development.
He is part of the Bosasa Group at Mogale
Business Park, has worked in the United
Kingdom and has experience at a range of
Protea Hotels.
Stephen Billingham says, “The Board
chose both Arnold and Allister to be Vice
Presidents because both bring with them
years of hospitality industry experience and
will be able to give advice and guidance on
important decisions. I’d like to thank both
of them for accepting these positions and I
look forward to working together.”
8 | CHEF! Issue 19
Chefs on the Move - All Things Culinary wins
Oyster & Wine Mardi Gras
Cape Town-based Chefs on the Move – All Things Culinary won the oyster cooking
competition at the Pick n Pay Oyster & Wine Mardi Gras held in Knysna in July.
Presented by Tabasco and organised by the Garden Route region of the South African
Chefs Association, the Mardi Gras is the premier culinary event of the Oyster Festival.
The Mardi Gras gave 20 mainly local chefs the opportunity to devise the best oyster
experience. Allowing for hot or cold presentation, chefs could use any method of
preparation and ingredients.
All Things Culinary’s deep fried oysters with oyster soup in a shooter glass tipped the scale
ahead of the Turbine Hotel in Thesen Harbour Town, which presented a Champagne
lemon tempura oyster accompanied by a satay dressing and dill cream cheese. In 3rd
place was local development team Chefs@Nauticus Place with a cream, green pepper and
herb quiche topped with an oyster fried in butter. All funds raised go to Knysna charities.
PacoJet available in South Africa
Chefs will be delighted to hear that the Swiss-made PacoJet is once again available
in South Africa. This compact and highly versatile piece of equipment is known
for taking food in a frozen natural state and turning it into an intensely flavoured
purée with an extremely fine, uniform consistency. Although PacoJet is famous for
its ice cream and pure fruit sorbets, it has both savoury and sweet applications and
can be used for farce when making pâté, frozen desserts, fine mousse, broth, sauces,
tapenade, pesto, butters and spice pastes. Food can be made in advance and stored;
prepared a la minute and any unused food returned to its frozen state and stored for
later use. Because ingredients are frozen when fresh and then prepared immediately
when needed, PacoJet retains nutrients, colour and natural flavor. It improves the
profitability of any restaurant, because it saves time, labour, increases efficiency
and cuts raw material costs – and enlivens any menu with its extraordinary purées.
Culinary Equipment Company is the importer of the PacoJet.
For more information on PacoJet visit www.pacojet.ch or
www.culinary.co.za or their showrooms situated in Lanseria
and Stellenbosch.
Culinary Equipment Company
Tel - 011 701 2200/3355 • E-mail - [email protected]
Bidvest World Chefs’
Tour Against Hunger
Bidvest World Chefs’ Tour Against
Hunger, a charity drive, aims to amass
around R4-million and feed some
hundreds of thousands South Africans
who are unable, for various reasons, to
do so themselves. Through the auspices
of the South African Chefs’ Association,
together with the World Association of
Chefs’ Societies, this fundraising tour
is supported by the Bidvest group, who
themselves have contributed R3 million.
The majority of this sum will be invested
directly into the World Chefs’ Tour
Against Hunger Trust. Joint conveyors
of the 2011 tour, President of the South
African Chefs’ Association Stephen
Billingham and Chef Martin Kobald
(Past President of the South African
Chefs’ Association) are looking forward
to welcoming over 200 participating
chefs from across the globe. Says Kobald,
“Once again, South Africa takes the lead
in the international culinary world with
its commitment to raise R4-million to
help alleviate starvation in southern
Africa. We anticipate that the Bidvest
World Chefs’ Tour Against Hunger will
prove to be the biggest fundraising event
ever undertaken within the global chefs’
fraternity”. The dates of the tour are from August
21-30, 2011. Via satellite technology,
organisers are planning simultaneous
gala dinners to be served in several
different cities around the globe. The
aim is to raise awareness levels regarding
hunger as well as additional monies for
the Bidvest World Chefs’ Tour Against
Hunger Trust. The first World Chef ’s
Tour Against Hunger was held in 1993,
founded by Dr Bill Gallagher after a visit
to Operation Hunger in 1990, with the
basic idea of bringing the most famous
chefs in the world to South Africa to help
raise funds. Current World Association
of Chefs Societies President, Chef Gissur
Gudmundsson, adds that “This tour once
again illustrates the tremendous humanity
which is alive, and heart which is beating
within the chef profession.”
Hostex Celebrates 25 years
Established in 1986, Hostex celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2011 – the longest
running trade exhibition of its kind in southern Africa. Taking place from March 1316, Hostex is an institution that will see visitors descending on Sandton Convention
Centre over four days to source products and services from over 250 exhibitors.
Lynn Chamier, Exhibition Director of Hostex says that they recently commissioned
independent research to provide insights into how they were doing and whether Hostex
is still meeting the needs of both exhibitors and visitors. The answer was a definite yes.
Anchor attractions at Hostex Gauteng 2011 include:
• The Greenstuff Village and Green Boutique Hotel, showing suppliers of green
products and services, alongside an exhibit consisting of a series of rooms typically
found in a hotel, furnished, equipped, serviced and operated from floor to ceiling
with only eco-friendly products listed in the Hotelstuff directory
• The Hospitality Emporium, a mix of niche and SME product and service providers
• The Wine Circle, an exhibit of some of South Africa’s leading wine estates, with winetasting and a central seating area to allow for sourcing of wines while networking in
a relaxed environment
• The SA Chefs Village, featuring non-stop culinary action, demonstrations and
competitions aimed at food-lovers and chefs across all levels
• The search is on to find the best pizza in South Africa at the 3rd annual Global Pizza
Challenge
The real hub of the show is interactive business activity: One-on-one networking
and marketing in two halls showcasing every possible requirement in the hospitality
environment, including beds and bedding, catering and bakery equipment, cutlery,
crockery and glassware, food and beverage products, furniture and furnishings, guest
amenities, laundry equipment, packaging and container ware, point of sale, refrigeration,
uniforms and vending equipment.
To book your stand, contact Lindy Taylor at Specialised Exhibitions on 011 835-1565
or email [email protected]
CHEF! Issue 19 | 9
News
BOSASA Donates Computers to Centre
for Culinary Excellence
South African Chefs Association corporate member BOSASA has
generously donated 10 computers to the South African Chefs Association’s
Centre for Culinary Excellence. The Centre, which was originally founded
to be a resource centre and library for SA Chefs Association members, had
computers donated when the centre was first created. These were in need of
an upgrade and thanks to the donation from BOSASA the office now has
new computers as well as up to date operating systems and applications,
allowing students and SACA members to access information and create
documents quickly and efficiently. Says Graham Donet, General Manager
of the South African Chefs Association, “We are extremely thankful to
BOSASA for the fantastic donation of these computers. Our resource
centre is now looking better than ever, and I’d like to encourage more SACA
members to come and visit the Centre and utilise these facilities.”
Madikwe Collection Chefs
strut their stuff in Cook-off
Competition
Providing world-class meals to exacting standards is
no mean feat, but that’s what chefs at the Madikwe
Collection are required to do three times a day, every day
of the year. Recently they took time out to hone their
skills and engage in some healthy competition – never a
bad thing in what is a highly competitive industry – as
the Madikwe Collection held an executive Chefs’ CookOff, adjudicated by some of the top culinary experts in
the country.
Chefs from three of the Madikwe Collection’s lodges
– Thakadu River camp, Tuningi Safari Lodge and
Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge – were pitted against each
other as they worked feverishly to plan a three-course
meal for four people in the space of four hours, all
within a budget of R100 per head. Judges, Stephen
Billingham, President SACA; Chef Martin Kobald and;
Peter Channing, Madikwe Collection Director, assessed
the menus based on choice of dishes, presentation,
budget plan, use of ingredients, menu planning and of
course, taste.
Restaurant named after Dr. Bill Gallagher
Owned by Montecasino Johannesburg, the 700-seat restaurant is
named after South Africa’s most famous chef, Dr Bill Gallagher, whose
contribution to the hospitality and food and beverage industry in this
country spans nearly 40 years and continues to be felt today. Honouring
this lifelong contribution to South African cuisine, Montecasino has
named its casino restaurant Billy G. Reflecting its namesake’s diverse
culinary talent, the restaurant has something to suit every palate –
vegetarian, curries, pasta dishes, top quality meat on the carvery, salads
and desserts, all prepared with the freshest ingredients and with dishes
changing on a daily basis.
10 | CHEF! Issue 19
Marita Pelser head chef at Tuningi Safari Lodge was
awarded first place while Marcia Thyobeka from
Thakadu River Camp and Tshepo Thabitha from
Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge took second and third places
respectively. The standard was so high that there was
only one point separating first and second place and two
points separating 2nd and 3rd place.
Peter Channing says that superb cuisine is an important
part of the overall experience he delivers his guests. This
kind of competition allows staff to get valuable feedback
from respected industry experts, while having a bit of
fun.
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CHEF! Issue 19 | 11
NEWS
Yvonne Haas Passes Away
The Wine Industry has lost one of its best ambassadors with the death of Yvonne Haas,
an Honourary Member of the South African Chefs Association.
She worked for 20 years for SFW (Stellenbosch Farmers Winery) as a very professional
Public Relations Practioner in Johannesburg. During her time she built a broad base
of very influential people from all different communities to share in the products of
the company.
Yvonne was at her best when she had to entertain people. She knew the best venues, the
best chefs, the best decorators and the best combination of guests. And then she was
always dressed like a queen – so tastefully, so grand, so beautifully…the best model for
the outfits of Peter Soldates.
Plenty more fish
in the sea?
According to the United Nations
Environmental Program (www.unep.org),
the world’s oceans will be virtually empty
of fish by the year 2050 unless something
is done to stop the disastrous effects of
current fishing practices. Furthermore, 30
percent of fish species are now classed as
“collapsed”.
This means that they are yielding 10 percent
or less of their former potential. And only
25 percent are still producing numbers as
they have in the past - these, obviously,
being the fish that are not so popular. These
facts and figures are part of a new report
being put together by the UNEP. The
organisation hopes to find a way to “green”
fisheries around the planet and, as a result,
save our oceans.
They have put forward a number of
strategies including a reduction in the US
subsidising of fisheries, training fishermen
in other livelihoods so as to reduce their
economic reliance on the industry, as well
as allocate funding to establish protected
areas for certain species to recover their
numbers and reform the way fisheries are
managed and operated. You as a chef can
play a role by becoming SASSI compliant
(www.wwf.org.za/sassi), educating yourself
on which fish are the green list (those you
can use without caution), requesting them
from your fish supplier and then devising
recipes around them.
12 | CHEF! Issue 19
She was adored by the media, as she knew exactly what their needs were, even before
they asked for information. And she had wonderful ideas how to impress the media
with all kinds of clever ideas.
And then she had contacts!! You could ask for anything anywhere and she would know
someone somewhere to let it happen.
Her love for food and wine made her a popular person everywhere in our industry
and through her work in the Chaine and later the Gastronauts she built a huge and
important group of enthusiasts for our industry.
As a colleague Yvonne was wonderful: Caring, humble, genuine, friendly and never had
a bad word to say about somebody else. She was a wine professional par excellence –
knew her wines so well, enjoyed them tremendously and could speak full of enthusiasm
about every single brand of SFW.
Yvonne ran the PR dept of SFW for 12 years in the old Transvaal (Gauteng later) in
great fashion and with great flair until her retirement in 2001. Together with Joseph,
they were a great team!
She was a personal and true friend, a special colleague and a wonderful person to us all.
Yvonne, we will miss you. Rest in peace.
Written by Bennie Howard
Honourary Member of the South African Chefs Association
Fun on the telly
‘Cake Boss’ on Discovery Channel
(DStv channel 121 at 5.30pm,
Monday to Thursday) introduces
you to Buddy Valastro Italian
/ American owner of Carlo’s
Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey
USA. Buddy creates hundreds of
elaborate and often bizarre cakes
for his clients which often combine
engineering with confectionary,
like the Leaning Tower of Pisa
wedding cake to a fire engine cake
complete with working lights,
siren and smoke.
Pillsbury™ Bake-Off®
Competition Final
The South African food service version of the world
famous Pillsbury Bake-Off Competition drew to a
close on Wednesday July 21, after more than a year’s
preparation.
This was the pinnacle of the event – the final Bake
Off - presided over by judges Philippe Frydman
(Academy of Chefs chairperson and accredited SACA
judge); Kabelo Segone (accredited SACA judge) and;
Leigh Mervitz (General Mills, client judge). At stake
were fabulous cash and prizes to the value of R30 000,
Pillsbury product hampers, and a five-day course at
the South African Chefs Association (SACA) Skills
Training Kitchen.
Entrants to this exciting competition were required to
devise recipes, sweet or savoury, whose most important
criterion was a demonstration of ingenuity using
Pillsbury food service products. It was that simple. For
an entire morning, judges turned fresh eyes and keen
palates to the dishes of the 10 chefs who had made it
through to the final, awarding points to each entrant
based on taste, appearance, creativity and, importantly
for this category of competition, consumer appeal –
where direction came from Leigh Mervitz, Pillsbury
Brand Manager.
Winners were divided into both junior and senior
categories. In the former, third and second place went
to Andrea Mansfield and Suhayl Hamid respectively,
who each won a 5-day training course at the Southern
Sun Centre for Culinary Excellence Skills Kitchen.
Junior winner was a delighted Kgomotso Rasepae
who received R5000 for her recipe of a Chocolate Tart
Delight. In the senior category, third place went to
Chani Mare and second place to Henrik Jonsson, who
each received a 5-day training course at the Southern
Sun Centre for Culinary Excellence Skills Kitchen.
Gareth Wolford won the senior category with
a multi-layered dish of carpaccio-wrapped
and ginger biscuit and Madeira cake
crusted springbok loin accompanied
by a pea risotto, creamed leek and brie
muffin and root vegetables with a
beetroot and berry reduction.
From left to right: Kabelo Segone, accredited South African Chefs Association
judge, Craig Leathwhite, managing director of General Mills South Africa,
owners of the Pillsbury brand, Kgomotso Rasepae winner of the junior category
and Stephen Billingham, chairman of the South African Chefs Association.
From left to right: Kabelo Segone, accredited South African Chefs Association
judge, Craig Leathwhite, managing director of General Mills South Africa,
owners of the Pillsbury brand, Gareth Wolford winner of the senior category
and Stephen Billingham, chairman of the South African Chefs Association.
Wolford was extremely chuffed to be
rewarded with R15 000 for his efforts,
handed to him by Craig Leathwhite
of General Mills and Stephen
Billingham, chairman of the South
African Chefs Association.
TM
For more information go to
www.hospitalitymarketplace.co.za Click on Pillsbury
D
E
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Introducing the
Pillsbury® Dry Mixes
new format 2kg bag
Benefits of Pillsbury® Dry Mix
• Shelf Life of finished product • Consistent results
• Time Saving • Excellent value for money • Flexibility-one mix,
different end product • Reduced wastage • Excellent yield
• Easy to prepare • Extended range with unique products
For further product and purchasing information contact your nearest regional General Mills office: Cape 021 671 3563
SMS
and WIN
Making Pillsbury® your own
Pillsbury® continues to innovative in the bakery and
foodservice category with a range of versatiledry mix
products providing solutions to the industry.
New and exciting online recipe downloads and
applications for Pillsbury® Dry Mix are available
on www.pillsbury.co.za
SMS your name, barcode on
pack and establishment to
40175 and stand a chance to
WIN a R3000
voucher to spend on your
establishment.
Cost per SMS is R1.00; Network + WAP charges extra;
This service is brought to you by Channel Mobile.
Customer care line: (021) 556 7493;
Errors billed; For full T&C’s go to –
www.hospitalitymarketplace.co.za/pillsbury
Prices Include VAT; This service is available to
all Networks; Bill payers permission required;
Free SMS do not apply.
Competition ends 27th October 2010
Distributors of
Pillsbury® Dry Mix Products:
• Bidvest Distributors National
• KLL National
• Starpack
• Bethalia
• DCL - JHB
• Jodees – JHB
• Bravos - KZN
• Diverse –KZN
• CCW - KZN
KwaZulu Natal 031 263 1679, Gauteng and Inland 011 608 0880 or call Customer Services on 0800 116 766
calendar
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Compiled by Kim Hoepfl
‘Finer Things in Life’
Champagne Festival
Vineyard Hotel and Spa in Newlands,
Cape Town
November 5, from 6pm-9pm
Tickets cost R400 per person
including tastings, snacks and a
Champagne flute.
A premier champagne festival hosted
by Wine Concepts with the chosen
theme of The Great Gatsby, to mark
the seventy-fifth anniversary of the
publishing of the book by F. Scott
Fitzgerald, who was no stranger to the
finer things in life. There will be more
than 30 cuvées of bubbly on offer,
accompanied by fresh oysters, rare
cheeses and fine chocolates. Booking
is advised; call Wine Concepts stores,
Newlands on 021 671-9030 or Kloof
Street on 021 426-4401.
16 | CHEF! Issue 19
Stellenbosch at Summer
Place
Nedbank Cape
Winemakers Guild
Auction
Spier Conference Centre, Stellenbosch
October 2, 9am
This is a prestigious event on the winebuying calendar in which top notch,
rare and limited edition wines made by
Guild members especially for the auction,
are sold. If you’re looking for something
exciting to put on your winelist, don’t
miss it. Call 021 852-0408 or visit www.
capewinemakersguild.co.za
Summer Place, Illovo, Johannesburg
Wednesday 10 November
Tickets cost R395 per person. Booking
is essential.
An exclusive wine, food, music and art
extravaganza when 50 of Stellenbosch
winelands finest winemakers descend
on Gauteng. Delight in 200 of the finest
wines from the country’s premium wine
region and experience award-winning
Stellenbosch chefs lending their flair to
signature dishes. For more information
and ticket sales call Christa on 021 8868275 or visit www.wineroute.co.za
Robertson Wine on the
River
Goudmyn farm, situated on the R317
between Robertson and Bonnievale
October 15-17
This festival offers a laid back musical
backdrop to tasting more than 300 wines
from over 40 wineries (to be sold at cellar
door prices) and snacks from food stalls,
riverside picnics, a restaurant and farmers
market. A shuttle-service will provide safe
transport and there will be plenty to keep
children occupied. Tickets are available
from the Robertson Wine Valley office, call
023 626 3167, email or
[email protected].
For more information visit
www.wineonriver.com
Durban Good Food
and Wine Show
25-28 November
Durban Exhibition Centre, 10am9pm (6pm on Sunday)
Tickets available through
Computicket or from www.
gourmetsa.com
A premier food, wine and lifestyle
event at which you can experience
wine, brandy, whisky and beer,
meet Chef Reza Mohammad and
be inspired by his live cooking
demonstrations, learn a thing or two
about cocktail making, shop for the
freshest produce from the specialty
producers of the Shongweni
Farmer’s Market, browse the latest
in cookbooks and get shopping
for everything and anything you
need for the kitchen and home
entertaining.
Visit www.gourmetsa.com
Taste of Joburg Festival
September 30-October 3
Montecasino Outdoor Event Area,
Fourways
Standard tickets cost R60, Premium
Tickets cost R150 (which includes
R100’s worth of Festival Crowns
and a Taste glass) and Taste
Club House tickets cost R570
(which includes R200’s worth
of Festival Crowns, plus lots of
extras). Booking is essential, call
Computicket on 083 915 8000
or visit www.computicket.com
Sixteen of Joburg’s top restaurants will join together to serve some of their fabulous
signature dishes. Participating restaurants include The Attic, The Dining Room at
The Grace, dw eleven –13, Fino Bar and Restaurant, Jazz Maniacs Restaurant, Karma
Restaurant, La Belle Terrasse at The Westcliff, Mastrantonio, Piccolo Mondo at The
Michelangelo Hotel, Prosopa, Ristorante Ritrovo, roots @ Forum Homini, Sai Thai Thai
Restaurant, Sel et Poivre, Simply Asia and Yamato Japanese Restaurant. This year dishes
will be complimented by fine wines, beer, whisky and coffees and also new is the Small
Produce Market – which will offer delicious artisanal produce like hand-made cheeses,
pestos, jams and sweets, as well as exotic ingredients and herbs.
Whisky Live Festival
Cape Town International Convention
Centre, November 3-5
Sandton Convention Centre
(Johannesburg), November 10-12
Tickets R180 per person
November will be whisky month when
the annual FNB Whisky Live Festival
takes place, showcasing whiskies from
around the world. On offer are more
than 180 local and international whiskies,
liqueurs and new product releases. Event
highlights this year include a whisky and
food pairing zone, plus educational zones,
showing how whisky is distilled, matured
and mixed in cocktails. Another new
addition is the Icons of Whisky Showroom
where connoisseurs can taste a range of six
to eight whiskies specially imported for
the show or not readily available in South
Africa.
For more information visit
www.whiskylivefestival.co.za
CHEF! Issue 19 | 17
“Their unique design
and professional
relationship
culminates in
one of the most
awe inspiring and
practical kitchens in
Prenox - the company that
understands chefs.
We have all heard of Olympic standard chefs, but
what about Olympic standard kitchens? Prenox,
manufacturers of high-end catering equipment, have
demonstrated complete support of South African chefs
by renewing their sponsorship of the Culinary Team SA.
Prenox – innovative, expert and homegrown have been in operation since 1996.
This specialist catering equipment company understands the importance of design
engineering in the pursuit of efficiency and durability - two things that spell quality
in kitchen hardware circles.
This brought them to the attention of then Culinary Team SA manager, Garth
Shnier, in 2008. He was in need of something specific - a kitchen in which his team
could practice that comprised a perfect replica of the Olympic test kitchen in which
they would ultimately compete. The idea was to get as close as possible to actual
Olympic conditions so that they could be 100 percent prepared.
The proof is in the pudding and Shnier’s team walked
away with a Gold medal (and two Silver medals and
one Bronze medal). Constant evolution being the
name of the game, standards will be even higher in
the 2012 Culinary Olympics with Prenox equipment
behind the Team every step of the way. Their
sponsorship package for 2012 once again includes
the supply of a compact stainless steel kitchen
comprising modular worktops, ovens, cerans (glass
top stoves), induction units and refrigerated units:
all mobile units for use at different venues, as the
Team practices around the country in preparation
for the next Olympics.
Seeing how successfully Prenox demonstrated
their support for Culinary Team SA, chefs Arnold
Tanzer and Martin Kobald, who launched the now
international Global Pizza Challenge at Hostex in
2009, chose Prenox as their preferred supplier. In
Tanzer’s view Prenox stands out as a “Company
that understands chefs’ needs and the needs
of the industry and could be trusted to come up
with bespoke solutions to my needs” - a portable
Pizza Challenge kitchen and a high performing
Pizza Conveyor Oven. This oven has to be able to
conform to the necessities of the competition and
cook a pizza on site and fast.
Prenox modified and improved on the original Pizza
Conveyor Oven with resounding success – perfect
pizzas within 3 and a half minutes. Such ingenuity
lead Kobald to say, “After all these years I have been
working closely with Prenox, I can only say of them
that every dream, need and suggestion is taken
and converted into a masterpiece for the hospitality
industry. I look forward to a professional relationship
with them that endures many more years”.
It is winning competitions like these that allows
participating chefs to advance globally. Often taken
for granted, the necessary equipment allows them
to do so and is evidence of a growing culinary
culture in South Africa. Prenox are there to support
the industry.
Prenox not only specialise in turnkey
modular equipment solutions for
kitchens, but are also well known
for their Convection Ovens, with
quality after sales service and
support. They are able to supply a
complete solution: Equipment made
to specification. They have a proven
track record for innovation, so if there
is something you need that is not in
their range, it can be designed for
you.
Call Ingrid Johnson at Prenox on
CHEF! Issue 19 | 19
Restaurant reviews
Restaurants
New
Compiled by Kim Hoepfl and Sarah Marjoribanks
Waterkloof Restaurant
Punchinello’s
, Somerset West
The spectacular décor of Waterkloof Restaurant, on the Waterkloof wine estate, is adorned
with eyeball stretching views of vineyards and of False Bay. It is a restaurant that elevates
dining to new heights, providing outside seating in a 10m high, fully enclosed steel and
glass ‘balcony’. You are suspended above the ground with nothing but rocks and vineyards
below you and the deep blue sea beyond. Those not lucky enough to find a table here
are seated indoors on a floor plan that extends into the open plan kitchen, gravitational
cellar and tasting lounge. It’s true of this place that it uses its site to full advantage. A view
like this would probably still keep people coming back, even if the food wasn’t worth it,
but in this case, it is. And the wines from Waterkloof estate are excellent. Says the French
Chef, Burgundian Grégory Czarnecki, “although stylistically diverse, each of the estate’s
European style wines carries a strong core of elegance and integrity and that is exactly what
my food is all about”. His cooking style remains loyal to the lessons learnt from his French
mentor, 3-star Michelin Chef Alain Senderens. Food is intricately plated and beautiful to
look at, including things like sweet potato and carrot cappuccino with crispy bacon or a
slab of line fish served with curry sauce and granny smith apple.
Johannesburg
Punchinello’s is based at the new
Southern Sun Montecasino and
is turning heads with its fantastic
kitchen – which is on display for
patrons to get a good look at the
behind-the-scenes action. Catching
onto the craze of watching chefs in
action, the Punchinello’s kitchen
has been designed with cameras in
mind – launching soon, the captured
live-cooking action will be broadcast
on the in-room TV channel as well as
mood and mind system throughout
Montecasino. The Venetian-inspired
restaurant has Executive Chef Gerard
Vingerling at the helm, with Xolani
Mfeka as his sous chef and Patrick
Mgobese as pastry chef. Dishes are
Mediterranean, Italian and Arabic, as
these are the cuisines that influenced
Venetian cuisine, and you can expect
to find dishes such as Chicken Tagine,
Oven-Baked Duck and Grilled Citrus
Salmon on the menu.
Punchinello’s is open seven days a week
for breakfast, lunch and supper.
Call 011 367-4367
20 | CHEF! Issue 19
Waterkloof restaurant serves lunch and dinner from Mondays to Saturdays and lunch only
on Sundays. Call 021 858-1491 or visit www.waterkloofwines.co.za
Delux Burger Bar
, Durban
As the name suggests, Delux Burger Bar is a gourmet burger joint, found on Florida
Road, Morningside. The menu is a cheerful spread of a hotch potch of meals South
Africans tend to love - burgers, pasta dishes and grilled meat cuts complemented by a
selection of wines. Burgers, the specialty here, include Eggs Benedict or tandoori chicken
in burger form. On the more traditional side, burger patties are pure beef and you can
choose from a Big-Boy burger, the Hoola, Delux Blue, Philadelphia, Twisted Greek or a
Camembert burger, with sweet potato chips making an appearance on the side. Drinks
are fun, with loads of racy cocktails. I particularly like the 100 percent natural ice creams
for dessert. Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week, call 087 721 4562.
Premium Oil
that Provides Quality
An oil that performs well under the pressure
and fast pace of a quick service restaurant
is ideal for preparing delicious fried foods.
Manuel de Gouveia, the owner of Fish
Hoek Fisheries in Cape Town can testify
for the premium quality and long frying
life that Crispa cooking oil promises. “I
have been using Crispa Oil (manufactured
by Hudson and Knight at their state of the
art refinery in Boksburg, Johannesburg) for
approximately 25 years and in comparison
to other oils this one not only lasts longer
but gives incomparable results to my end
products when comparing with other types
of oil”.
Crispa Oil is made from 100% sunflower
oil and has an anti oxidant which slows
down the rate at which oil deteriorates
therefore helping the oil to last longer. It
also contains an anti foaming agent which
reduces the incidence of dangerous oil spills.
Manuel mentions that the biggest benefit
he’s noticed with using this oil is that the
quality of his products are set at a high
standard which are constantly sustained.
“I fry fish and chips in Crispa Oil. It cooks
the food well, it especially makes the fish
and chips much crispier and that’s why I
continue using this product because of its
continuous promise to deliver great results
which keep my customers coming back,”
says Manuel. Crispa Oil may not be the
cheapest oil out in the market, but excellent
quality doesn’t have a price. “I can take 10
drums of Crispa Oil and I would have to
use the equivalent of 12 drums of any other
oil and even after that, using Crispa Oil
gives you an end result unlike any other.’’
Crispa offers its customers free oil
management training and technical
assistance on how to optimise the frying life
of Crispa cooking oil. It is always interesting
to know what factors influence the decision
making when it comes to selecting frying
mediums from established take-aways and
fast food restaurants. Manuel mentions
that in his experience, he looks for oil that
will definitely give his product that extra
crispiness. “I also need to look for oil that
doesn’t foam or burn my products. It is
always an important factor to find oil that
has a long frying life. Throughout the years,
Hudson and Knight have maintained a very
good relationship with me as a customer
and if I have any queries or problems, they
were timely and helpful”, says Manuel.
Renowned for its reliability, long frying
life, consistency and great taste, these are
just some of the factors that make this oil
a cut about the rest. Hudson and Knight
encourage all their customers to perform
a colour test on their oil as well as inform
them about the optimum temperatures for
frying different types of food. As the experts
in fats and oils, Hudson and Knight believe
that one of the easiest ways to extend the
frying life of oil is to keep it clean and free
from floating food particles while it is in use.
For more information about this premium
product and how it can save you money by
adding value to your foodservice business,
please log on www.hudsonandknight.co.za
CHEF! Issue 19 | 21
ingredient
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By Kim Hoepfl
now
July was the season when the annual new pressing of olive oil reached
the shelves. Fresh, golden-green and peppery, there is nothing like it.
We asked 3 Garden Route Chefs, Tanja Kruger, Marcus Farbinger and
Francois Ferreira to tell us how they use it to its best advantage
22 | CHEF! Issue 19
Tanja Kruger, head chef at Hunter’s Country
House, Plettenberg Bay
Something I like to do often, especially at home, is
to infuse olive oil with different flavours like vanilla,
rosemary, garlic or thyme by heating the oil slightly,
adding the flavour and leaving it to infuse for a few
hours before straining. Then I pour the flavoured olive
oil into ice cube containers and freeze them. These frozen
cubes work well when added to a slab of hot grilled fish
(vanilla is the best) or on top of steamed vegetables as an
alternative to butter. As the olive oil warms and melts, it
slowly releases its flavour and aroma.
Marcus Farbinger, chef / proprietor of Ile de Pain
Bakery, Knysna
Chef Marcus takes his olive oil seriously and would hesitate
to make a recommendation before tasting it to determine
its individual characteristics. As a rule of thumb, the
more elevated the quality of the oil, the more it should
be left in its natural state, he says. When dealing with “an
incredible olive oil”, of which South African produces
a few, he would consider nothing more than a chewy,
crusty ciabatta as the perfect side dish. Alternatively,
splash it over still warm sautéed young potatoes. On both
occasions, sprinkle either the bread or the potatoes with
salt flakes. Do not heat, cook or blend the olive oil as this
would diminish its character.
Francois Ferreira, principle of the Eden School of
Culinary Art, George
I am a great fan of South African olive oils and believe they
are among the best in the world. My most memorable
experience is tasting olive oil at Morgenster directly from
the press on a piece of bread. The Klein Karoo oils are my
favourite and I cannot wait for each new harvest. Usually
I have about 6 different olive oils in my kitchen:
•fruity cold pressed extra virgin olive oils for using in its
natural state
•medium fruity extra virgin olive oils for salad dressings
•an olive oil that I blend with canola oil for cooking
In food, I love to drizzle an extra virgin olive oil over
a purée of cauliflower soup; for grilling fish and then
drizzling an infused oil over the fish just before service.
When making gazpacho, I always add a fruity extra virgin
olive oil just before serving to give an extra lift and finally,
I make a camembert ice cream with olive oil and it’s
delicious!
New Product
Olive and olive oil production is catching on in South Africa, with
consumption increasing almost daily. The industry is relatively new
which has the benefit of allowing producers to acquire the most
advanced equipment, resulting in a better quality end product. South
Africa follows guidelines set out by the International Olive Oil Council
(IOC) and produces superb quality oil – numerous international awards
attest to this. Buying local has never been so lekker.
Allée Bleue Extra Virgin
Olive Oil and Balsamic range
Franschhoek Estate Allée Bleue has
launched its own extra virgin olive oil and
balsamic products. The superb olive oil
is pressed from Mission olive trees that
grow on the estate, is cold pressed and
characterised by intense peppery fruit
flavours and in intriguing aftertaste of
chilli.
Complimenting the olive oil is its right
hand, balsamic vinegar, this time sourced from Modena, Italy. It’s a good
one, complex with a rich balance of sweet and sour flavors and a whiff of
spice. The olive oil sells for R65 (500ml) and the balsamic R32 (250ml).
Both are available from the estate only. Call 021 874-1021 or visit www.
alleebleue.com
Willow Creek Director’s Reserve
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Willow Creek Olive Oil is world class and
the Director’s Reserve is their flagship.
Dominant cultivars are Frantoio and
Coratina and the oil is robust, with typical
pungency. Available in 250ml (R90) and
500ml (R180) from Willow Creek in the
Nuy Valley (Klein Karoo). Call 023 3425792 or visit www.willowcreek.co.za
CHEF! Issue 19 | 23
Team SA
KevMiller
in
Compiled by
Sarah Marjoribanks
Silverstar Casino
After studying Hotel and Restaurant Management at the Swiss
Hotel School in Randburg, Kevin spent part of his training
doing a 4 month practical at a guest house in Switzerland. He
has since worked at the Kloofzicht Lodge in Muldersdrift, the
Mount Grace in Magaliesburg, the Palace at Sun City, and is
currently working at the Silverstar Casino as a Pastry Chef.
What is your philosophy on food? Fresh, good quality ingredients that are respected and cooked to perfection, manifested
and moulded by talent, passion and creativity, will result in a delectable and memorable
meal
What inspired you to become a chef? My sweet tooth, the opportunity to travel, a love of the kitchen environment and pushing
the boundaries of creativity through my pastry work
Do you admire any chef?
I'd say Ferran Adria, as he has a unique mind for food and was one of the first to take
cuisine and service to a whole new level. From a pastry point of view, I would say Albert
Adria, Laurent Branlard, Alex Stupak and Jordan Kahn
If you couldn't be a chef, what would you take up? I'd become a musician, a drummer specifically as drums are another passion of
mine and another form of art I have always admired
Other than food and cooking, what inspires you? Music is a huge inspiration, fellow colleagues and chef friends, top local and
international chefs, mother nature and things that are not the norm and
consequently misunderstood
What was your worst culinary
catastrophe? Fixing a wedding cake that I'd made for my friend
and that had collapsed the night before
What is your fondest memory in the
kitchen? Being dunked into a 20 litre pot of butternut soup
What do you never cook? Offal and things I don't enjoy eating
Who is the most famous person you
have cooked for? Thabo Mbeki and 80 international delegates.
24 | CHEF! Issue 19
Frozen White Chocolate
and Cardamom Parfait Cube, Dehydrated Dark
Chocolate Mousse, Brandied Orange Chocolate
Crème and Orange Foam
Serves 12
White Chocolate and
Cardamom Parfait
85g castor sugar
90ml water
5 cardamon pods, toasted and cracked
4 egg yolks
180g white couverture chocolate, finely
chopped
350ml Meadowland Classique cream
1. Mix the sugar, water and cardamom
pods in a saucepan. Heat gently,
without stirring until sugar is
dissolved. Boil the sugar to 115˚C
or soft ball stage and remove the
cardamom pods.
2. Half fill a medium saucepan with
water and bring to simmering point.
Put the eggs into a bowl and whisk
until frothy. Place the bowl over the
simmering water and whisk in the
sugar syrup and continue whisking
until thick and fluffy. Remove from
heat and allow to cool.
3. Melt the chocolate over a double
boiler and fold into the egg mixture.
4. Whisk the cream to soft peaks and
fold into the chocolate and egg
mixture. Pour the parfait mixture
into individual cube moulds or
square terine mould, wrap and freeze
overnight.
Brandied Orange
Chocolate Crème
125ml Meadowland Classique cream
40ml full cream milk
zest of an orange
120g dark couverture chocolate, finely
chopped
40ml brandy
4 egg yolks
1. Place the cream, milk and orange zest
in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat and strain
through a chinois.
2. Place the chocolate in a bowl and
pour over the hot infused cream over
it. Add the brandy and stir until the
chocolate is melted.
3. Whisk egg yolks slightly. Slowly add
the chocolate cream while whisking,
thoroughly combining it with the
egg yolks.
4. Return the mixture to the stove
and cook on a low heat, stirring
continuously until thick - do not
allow to boil. Remove from heat,
strain through a chinois into a
container and cool in the fridge.
Dehydrated Dark
Chocolate Mousse
5g gelatine powder
1 egg
15g castor sugar
125ml Meadowland Classique cream
100g dark couverture chocolate, finely
chopped
60ml freshly brewed coffee
1. Sponge gelatine in cold water and set
aside. Whisk egg and sugar to ribbon
stage. Whip cream to semi stiff peaks.
2. Melt the chocolate over a double
boiler and melt the gelatine into the
hot coffee.
3. Fold the melted chocolate into the
egg mixture, then fold in the coffee
and gelatine mixture.
4. Fold in the whipped cream. Spread
the mousse on to a silpat and
dehydrate in the oven or dehydrator
@ 55˚C until crisp. Remove from the
oven. Break or cut into pieces and
store in an airtight container.
Orange Foam
100g freshly squeezed orange juice
2g orange zest
2, 5ml castor sugar
2, 5ml soy lecithin
1. Combine the orange juice , zest and
sugar together and heat, stirring until
the sugar has dissolved. Remove from
heart and add the lecithin, stirring
until dissolved. Allow to cool. Strain
through a chinois.
2. With a hand held milk frother, froth
the orange juice until foamy. Scoop
foam from surface of juice and serve.
Chef Profile
he next best thing
Kim Hoepfl
interviews
Henrico
Grobbelaar and
discovers living
proof that it can
be pretty damn
interesting to be a
chef.
t
x
e
n
The big thing?
Chef Henrico Grobbelaar made the seemingly radical swimagainst-the-tide decision (or outright mad, if you ask his
father) to swap a career in engineering to that of chef; proved
daddy wrong when he won the Sunday Times Chef of the
Year 2009 and the San Pellegrino International Young Chef
of the Year 2009; sailed the seven seas aboard the yacht of a
pair of American millionaire brothers in need of chef who
could turn out gourmet cuisine in a kitchen the size of a
large, constantly moving fridge; owned his own restaurant
(Lemons in Somerset West); cooked for high and mighty at
the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this year
and, most recently; was nabbed for the express purpose of
looking after Football Royalty at the recent FIFA Football
World Cup. What next? Grobbelaar himself isn’t entirely
sure. I suggest a holiday – he promises me hasn’t had a day
off since 2004. Symptomatic of some kind workaholism,
or total, utter, dogged focused determination, I wonder?
A holiday is not possible, I’m told. He is a member of the
South African Culinary Olympic team, and post the footy,
all he has time to think about is his next big thing, which in
this case is preparation for the Culinary Olympics, taking
take place in Luxembourg in November.
I’m intrigued. Most engineers I know would sniff at the
thought of rattling pots and pans behind a hot stove for
a living, just too menial or for girls. Or too ‘creative’ for
By Kim Hoepfl
26 | CHEF! Issue 19
the mathematical mind. So, what was the
compelling force that drew him away from
a promising career in polymer (plastics)
engineering and into food? The answer
is less demanding or spiritual than you’d
think. The chefs jacket had great appeal.
Since his youth, Grobbelaar had wanted to
wear one of those white, buttoned things
and nowhere in the engineers wardrobe
did they appear. Not even a white lab coat
came close. I’d like to say that he went
straight back to school, but he didn’t. First
he slogged it out at Erinvale Golf estate in
Somerset West, where he peeled vegetables
for 3 years under Australian Chef Michael
Bridgeman. His father was horrified. After
that, it was a win at a Salon Culinaire in
2004 (a competition specific to cold kitchen
preparations) and then onto the yacht, a job
for which, like many subsequent jobs, he
was head hunted.
It was only after that, that he was first
inducted with formal training: With
Garth Stroebel and Paul Hartmann at
what was then their brand new South
African Culinary Academy. Grobbelaar
was vindicated. Under chefs Stroebel and
Hartmann, the world of cuisine revealed
itself to be every bit as rich and exacting as
he had anticipated.
Henrico’s rise to ‘fame’ hasn’t been meteoric.
It has been steady and consistent. After
almost a decade in the industry, last year
Grobbelaar said hello world, winning both
the Sunday Times Chef of the Year and
San Pellegrino International Young Chef
of the Year, where Hillary Billar described
Grobbelaar as ‘clinical, orgnaised and
focused’ – probably what happens when
you put the mathematical competence of an
engineer into the kitchen. To that I would
also like to add ‘visual’, because the man’s
food is beautiful.
Grobbelaar is also a chef who closely
penetrated the inner circle of the World
Cup Catering activity. In January of this
year, he was again showing his mettle,
this time as executive chef for the World
Economic Forum in Davos, where South
Africa was the host country. Two days after
the event, the call from FIFA came through.
Someone had been watching.
Officially Grobbelaar was responsible for
Quality Assurance of the VIP programme
maintained by the Local Organising
Committee (LOC – the South African
operations arm for FIFA). He worked hand
in hand with the two catering companies
contracted to manage that aspect of the
World Cup, namely Greens Catering (of
whom the head chefs were all German and
imported especially for the purpose) and
One World Hospitality. Their respective
executive chefs would report to Henrico,
who would in turn report to the LOC.
Required of the Quality Assurance Manager
was that he oversee the 7 rotational menus
of all 10 stadiums countrywide. Out of
a total of 64 games, about 660 VIP’s and
VVIP’s were in attendance at each game. He
was involved in menu development, giving
menus a geographical flavour. Those dining
at the Moses Mabila Stadium (Durban) were
given a taste of ‘Durban Masala’, paying
homage to Indian cuisine; Cape Town’s
stadium had a predictably Cape Malay
and Cape Dutch theme (where things like
waterblommetjie breedie lay side by side
with pickled fish). For the final, taking place
at Soccer City in Johannesburg, Grobbelaar
bravely put forward ethnic ‘skop’ (ox head).
Grobbelaar reveals himself to be a hands
on chef (clearly doing is just as appealing
as wearing a chefs’ jacket). As such, he tells
me he found the World Cup experience
frustrating. At 30, he’s not yet supposed to
be a clipboard chef. But the LOC needed his
expertise – all food costs had to be checked
against quality of the produce, and that is
where he stepped in. The hours were often
gruelling, sometimes from 7am –2am the
CHEF! Issue 19 | 27
Chef Profile
next day and flying, directly after one game, to
the next game at another stadium. His main
task was to be a smooth operator, making
sure that service at each match was seamless.
His duty was to arrive 4 hours in advance of
kick off, to begin checking that absolutely
everything was ship shape: Crockery, cutlery,
menus, décor, all equipment – freezers, fridges
and stoves, water and electricity supply and all
food, probe tested.
Then, two hours prior to kick off, bars would
open and snacking began, first with starters
and then a main dish. The VVIP’s, in their
secluded lounges got extra special treatment
in the form of oysters and fresh crêpes.
Abundance was never lacking and during
half time, all buffet tables were replenished,
in addition to a ‘half time bite’ being served.
Dessert came after. It was hard to go hungry.
Although the game might be over, kitchen
work wasn’t. Run with Swiss precision, a
full debriefing took place after each game
between Match (the hospitality arm of
FIFA), the LOC and the caterer concerned.
As improvements and mistakes are
hammered out, so each event became more
efficient.
His greatest challenges, apart from getting
to the airport in time to make the flight to
his next match, was the perennial burr in the
side of the South African culinary industry:
Inadequately trained staff. Frequently
Grobbelaar found himself coming face to
face with staff who lacked proper training,
hence skills and stamina. That said, his
greatest joy came from seeing staff improve
on a match by match basis, and witnessing
the level of education that took place. To be
a part of this was phenomenal he says.
28 | CHEF! Issue 19
CHEF! Issue 19 | 29
interest
San restaurant
San restaurant, the all new multi-functional dining area at the
venerable old Sandton Sun Hotel has made a successful crossover from
hotel restaurant to destination restaurant
30 | CHEF! Issue 19
warm evening skies. The vast open outside
verandah to me is one of San’s best features.
Up until now it did not offer much of a
compelling reason to return, but has been
updated. Out with the old and in with
the new, boma-style couches and flaming
braziers. Sipping a glass of wine here (the
wine list is excellent) at sunset and into
the evening, next to an open brazier, is
wonderful. Anyone who is a sucker for
the open air with an awesome view should
come here.
By Kim Hoepfl
Photographs courtesy of
Southern Sun Hotels
It’s a place you’ll actually want to go for
dinner, or breakfast or lunch for that
matter, and feel comfortable doing so.
No stale-aired, dreary room with listless
staff this. Settled on the 6th floor of
this magnificent hotel tower (launched
by Sol Kerzner in 1984), it hems the
immediate periphery of the Sandton
City shopping precinct on one side, and
the Sandton Convention centre on the
other. So the question of how to pull
in passing trade was an obvious one.
Here’s how they did it.
This being Africa, the idea was to
maximize abundant bright, natural
light and eye ball stretching horizons.
Elements – stone, water, air, light and
fire spark small design cues you’ll find
in multiple variations throughout this
R90 million revamp. Working from the
outside in, someone has finally seen the
light, literally, and given patrons access
to what has to be one of Johannesburg’s
greatest features – its climate - with
accompanying sunsets, clouds and clear,
Now, inside. The revamp had to solve
a problem, that of attracting traffic,
from passers by to customers specifically
choosing to come and spend time here –
after all, there is an internal link from here
straight into Sandton City. The world class
design solution is elegant, contemporary
and purposeful, with spaces dedicated to
eating, drinking and meeting. It is here
that, to me, the crux of San demonstrates
itself: A viable transition from hotel
restaurant to restaurant within a hotel. And
it favours food lovers. You can even shop
there, for cheese (there is a temperature
controlled cheese room, stuffed with 18
different lovely local cheeses) and, at a
small deli, the San Market, quickly pick up
a freshly baked pastry, sandwich or biscuit
with coffee. Dining options are provided
by two new restaurants, San and Vin (the
French word for wine). The kitchen is open
plan and there is an enormous, vivid and
glamorous bar area that lights up at night.
San is the more café style of the two,
open plan and serving breakfast, lunch
and supper. With his eye constantly on
freshness, head chef Garth Shnier has opted
for a menu that changes weekly, depending
on what produce can be locally and
seasonally sought. He has found a handful
of small farms within a 100km radius
of the hotel who keep his larder stocked.
There is also a wholly organic breakfast
table. Dishes, when they appear, are quite
classical and beautifully presented. Adding
a distinctly non-hotel curve ball is the solid,
crafted crockery and glassware,
manufactured by a community project
in Cape Town and 100 percent recycled.
I hope that it is leading the way for
restaurants to see what can be done.
I am frequently asked to name restaurants
that would do for an exceptional night
out, and am hard pressed to come up with
places that would fit the bill. Here’s one
that gets my vote: Vin, which envelops
me in smoky, retro elegance, a relaxed
atmosphere with fine dining service that I
so love. Vin is a treat. Tending toward a grill
room type menu, lighting is soft and the
wine list lengthy, covering just about every
region in South Africa and a few overseas.
Fortunately there is a sommelier to help
you navigate it. Both San and Vin offer
multiple wines by the glass (all properly
stored), something I wish every other
eatery in South Africa would do more of.
The old fashioned girl in me is thrilled to
see, among more contemporary offerings,
dishes that would have made Frank Sinatra,
in his hey day, happy. And so should we all
be, this is wonderful stuff: Châteaubriand,
Caesar salad prepared at your table and
oysters Rockefeller. And crêpes Suzette, for
two.
Call 011 780-5000 or visit
www.southernsun.com
CHEF! Issue 19 | 31
n
i
W
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Chefinterest
Profile
Peter Barham leading the discussion
on the Combinations of Flavour
Molecular
gastronomy
not as crazy as you think.
Culinary Group recently
invited Dr. Peter Barham,
a professor of physics
at Bristol University,
to talk to invited chefs
and foodies at their
Lanseria kitchen about
molecular gastronomy. Far
from scrutinising overmanipulated substances
barely recognizable as
anything edible, he
imparted lucidity to
the term and made a
convincing argument for
the benefits of cooking
food sous vide.
34 | CHEF! Issue 19
In addition to his work at Bristol University,
Barham also holds another two positions:
He is a reader in Food Science at the
University of Copenhagen and also in the
department of Zoology at the University
of Cape Town, where he specializes in
penguins. Much as his credentials might
present him as a dry scientist – he’s far
from it – the barmy side of Barham (he’s
more of a wacky scientist) has long been
interested in the ways in which science and
food interact. Molecular gastronomy, quite
simply, refers to this interaction but has
been applied, with varying accuracy, to a
number of different culinary applications.
As Barham puts it, molecular gastronomy
is about the scientific discipline that
studies the physical and chemical
processes that occur while cooking – how
ingredients are transformed, in other
words. His fundamental premise is that
an understanding of the chemistry and
physics of cooking should lead to improved
results in the kitchen.
Molecular gastronomy
explained, at last
The interaction between chef and scientist
can have a fruitful impact when it comes
to improving the final result, especially
when trying to understand why some
recipes succeed and others fail. Chemistry
is all about the changes that occur in
foods as they are cooked, that is, exposed
to heat. These are processes in which your
most basic physical elements, different
atoms and molecules, are brought together
to form new molecules – generally called
chemical reactions (molecules are made
up of smaller particles called atoms that
join together). In cooking, there are two
important classes of molecule, fats and
sugars. Proteins and starches are there
to, but made up of longer molecule
chains called polymers. Flavour itself
is a combination of taste and smell
sensations (especially smell), determined
by a range of molecules. The science of
molecular gastronomy applies directly
Chang an Song, Wehrner Gudstadt - CEO
of Culinary Group, Peter Barham and Chef
from Southern Sun - Greystone
to appreciating the underlying physical
processes of cooking, which determines
why some food is delicious and some
isn’t. It is also influenced by ones choice
of ingredients; how and where they were
grown (which will affect their chemical
composition); how they were cooked and
presented and emotive factors such as the
environment in which the food is served.
Briefly, the resurgence of interest in the
science of cooking is largely due to one
man, Nicholas Kurti, himself a physicist
whose hobby happened to be cooking.
Upon his retirement in 1995, he took to
solving problems he was experiencing in
the kitchen. Molecular gastronomy has its
origins in a series of lectures held in Erice
in Sicily, organized by Kurti in the late
1990’s and in which he convened meetings
of academics from various disciplines,
plus chefs and food writers, among them
chef Heston Blumenthal, food writer
Tamasin Day-Lewis, French physical
chemist Hervé This and American food
science writer, Harold McGee.
Cooking meat
It is perhaps in the cooking of meat that a
little scientific knowledge can provide the
greatest improvement in one’s cooking.
Cooking meat is all about texture and
flavor and once you understand how
cooking alters the texture of meats
you will be able to control the process,
producing tender meats all the time.
Molecular gastronomy also teaches that
there are a few crucial steps essential to
flavor development during the cooking
process.
The Maillard Reaction
This is part of the chemistry involved in
creating flavours when cooking and has
to do with how amino acids (found in
protein) react with sugars. When meat is
browned it results in an appealing colour
as well as development of flavor. This is the
so called Maillard reaction, which occurs
when proteins are heated together with
sugar at temperatures in excess of 140°C
– a temperature which triggers a chain of
chemical reactions. These reactions break
molecules down into smaller molecules
that are volatile, and so release flavours and
smells. What we think of as meaty smells are
therefore only released at high temperatures.
Thus, if we do not allow meat to get hot,
none of these reactions will occur. However,
there is problem: Meat is cooked though
the application of heat, which denatures
muscle protein. This reaction begins to
occur at temperatures around 44°C and
does so irreversibly. Heat causes the muscles
to shrink, becoming tougher and harder as
they do so.
Common wisdom dictates that meat be
sealed (a process whereby the exterior of a
piece of meat is seared until brown in a pan).
The reasoning behind this is that is searing
somehow seals valuable moisture within the
meat, so that it will be retained and not lost
during cooking. Molecular gastronomic
research reveals that browning, or sealing
meat, achieves no such result. The hotter
the frying pan and the longer meat remains
in it, the more muscle protein shrinks,
forcing moisture out. Sealing meat therefore
achieves the opposite of its intended effect –
it causes moisture loss.
Peter Barham talking to Daphne and Patt
Tarr of Broadacres Spar as well as editor of
Chef magazine Kim Hoepfl
Mike Holenstein (far right) and in-houe
sous chefs from DeHoek Restaurant
Stefano from Strafella's Restaurant in
Rivonia and Penny Zeffertt
CHEF! Issue 19 | 35
Chefinterest
Profile
Peter Barham, Wehrner Gutstadt Culinary Group
CEO with Daniela, Stefen and Janet Gutstadt
So, what we need to do is be selective in
the parts of meat that reach and remain
at high temperatures (140°C or more)
to generate the Maillard reaction – the
exterior. However, you do not want to heat
muscle that contains little connective above
40°C, the temperature at which it will start
to denature, while other parts that contain
lots of connective tissue (collagen) need to
be exposed to temperatures around 70°C
(collagen only starts to melt and gelatinize
at temperatures around the 70°C mark).
This makes the process of cooking meat
and the process of temperature control
when cooking meat, complex. It also makes
a strong case for cooking all meat at low
temperatures, much lower than originally
estimated, since you don’t need to heat
it much above 40°C to achieve optimal
results. One solution is the sous vide water
bath that can ensure absolute and consistent
temperature accuracy, over extended periods
of time, as required.
• Always start cooking meat at a high
temperature until the exterior is
dark brown, followed by a very low
temperature roasting. You could even
use a blow torch for this.
• Meats without connective tissue should
only be cooked for a short time at low
temperatures to prevent the meat from
becoming tough
• Meat containing lots of connective tissue
needs to be cooked for a long time,
enough for the connective tissue, which
joins the muscle to the bone and is too
tough for us to bite through, to denature
and gelatinize. Collagen helices are
destroyed with temperatures beginning
at 54°C, at which point it starts to turn
to soft gelatin.
Why sous vide cooking is safe
Using sous vide as a cooking method is
safe because aerobic bacteria die without
oxygen and during the process of sealing
food in a sous vide pouch, all oxygen is
removed by vacuum. Anaerobic bacteria
are the opposite; they can live without
oxygen but are killed when exposed to it.
It is therefore difficult to get living and
therefore dangerous anaerobic bacteria
36 | CHEF! Issue 19
sealed in a vacuum pouch, where they could
cause damage, because they cannot survive
in an oxygenated environment, precisely
the environment in which food is prepared
directly prior to sealing in a vacuum pack.
Cooking vegetables
When you heat green vegetables their
cellulose walls break down, softening the
vegetable, but vitamins and flavor also leak
out or change at the same time (some flavor
molecules are soluble in water, others in oil).
The trick is to find out which medium (oil
or water) flavor molecules are soluble in,
and then not to cook them in that medium.
That way, you keep flavor intact while
cooking. For example, the flavour molecules
in asparagus, which is traditionally steamed
or blanched, are soluble in water. Cooking
it in the traditional method therefore robs
it of both flavor and nutrients. In the case
of asparagus, better flavor development can
be achieved by tossing the spears in a hot,
oiled pan.
exposure of the ingredient (sealed in a
plastic pouch) to hot water or oil, and there
can be no vitamin loss for the same reason.
All moisture and vitamins are retained in
the bag, and because it takes place at ultra
low temperatures of about 50°C, heat
sensitive vitamins are not destroyed either.
Flavour combinations
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of
molecular gastronomic research is the
seeming unlikely flavor combinations that
it reveals. When two foods go together, or
complement each other, they share the same
chemical constituents – these comprise
shared flavor molecules. On this basis, some
surprising shared molecule combinations
exit out there, like coffee and garlic; cheese
and honey and white chocolate and caviar.
Find out more by visiting www.foodpairing.be
When cooking vegetables sous vide, no
dilution of flavor can come about due to
Peter Barham has written a book, The Science of Cooking (Springer-Verlag, 2001) in
which you can read up about all these things, and more.
Culinary Equipment Company is the importer of the Julabo range of immersion
circulators – the sous vide bath. Julobo was chosen by Bruno Gossault as a technology
partner when he invented sous vide in the 1970’s. The partnership continues today. For
more information on sous vide visit www.culinary.co.za or their showrooms situated
in Lanseria and Stellenbosch. Culinary Equipment Company tel - 011 701 2200/3355
E-mail - [email protected]
eco part of its name
Ecolab lives up to the
Compiled by Kim Hoepfl
Founded in 1923, Ecolab is the longest established and most
successful global enterprise supplying premium cleaning and
sanitizing products, systems and equipment support services to
industrial, institutional hospitality, healthcare and food processing
industries in over 176 countries around the world. Throughout its
history, Ecolab has achieved its leadership position by being better
at what it does than anyone else. Ecolab has continually moved
the industry forward contributing to a cleaner, more attractive and
healthier world by anticipating customers growing needs, providing
exceptional service and technologically advanced products and
systems.
In the spirit of sustainability that pervades this issue, Ecolab has
a strong environmental and sustainability profile. It has been
recognised by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the world’s leading
ethical companies for the fourth year running. The institute is a
think tank dedicated to the advancement of best practices in business
ethics, corporate social responsibility and sustainability.
Ecolab cleaning products are as environmentally friendly as possible
and the company contributes to environmental projects that will
have long-term, wide ranging effects that will provide a buffer to
fragile ecosystems. These products do not contain pollutants that
may contaminate air, water , soil or people. Ecolab also seeks to utilise
natural resources such as water, soil and forestry products efficiently
to limit their consumption; practices the recycling of materials to
emlimate waste and invests in sustainable energy sources. Ecolab
has also established an Environmental, Health and Safety Council
to monitor and control their environmental stewardship globally.
For further information contact Jürgen Hartig on 011 578-5031 or
visit www.ecolab.com
CHEF! Issue 19 | 37
Frozen Vegetables really are
more nutritious than FRESH!
For all the sceptics out there, you better believe it! Frozen vegetable products
are really more nutritious than so-called “fresh vegetables”, a fact that’s
been proved over and over again by researchers and independent authorities
around the world in recent years. Many players in the hospitality industry
will claim to know this already and, with time constraints so prevalent, will
probably think that there is no time to read – and probably no benefit in
reading – this article. They are wrong!
Food means different things to different people and taste, convenience,
nutrition and safety all play an important part in influencing the food choices
that consumers make. Nutrition, especially in recent years, has come to
the forefront with health authorities in many countries recommending an
increase in the consumption of fruits and vegetables for good health. Fruits
and vegetables are generally low in fat, energy and salt and they contain
appreciable amounts of vitamins, minerals and fibre, as well as being a rich
source of phytochemicals. The results of extensive research have consistently
shown an association between high intakes of fruits and vegetables and a
reduced risk of developing cancers and other chronic diseases.
What’s really interesting is the large volume of published research which has
proven that the nutritional quality of frozen vegetables is at the same level, or
even better, than greengrocer or supermarket vegetables.
But how can this be? The nutrient content of vegetables start diminishing
soon after harvesting, therefore the longer a ‘fresh’ vegetable sits in the store
or in the home kitchen, the less nutritious it becomes. Given storage and
delivery time to the consumer and under the condition of careful handling in
the supply chain, the research shows that the nutrient content of the fresh
vegetable will at some point during retail distribution and storage, be equal
to that of the frozen vegetable, but will then continue to fall to below that of
the frozen vegetable, which remains unchanged. As an example, frozen peas
retain almost 70% of their original vitamin C content during the blanching and
freezing processes, and these levels remain constant for at least 18 months
of frozen storage (-20°C). On the other hand, fresh peas lose 10% of vitamin
C every day for the first seven days when stored at ambient temperature
(20°C).
Green beans offer another good example of the differences between fresh,
canned and frozen produce, says Barbara Klein PhD, the lead researcher in
an Illinois study on the subject. “When fresh green beans are harvested, the
Vitamin C content begins falling immediately. A significant portion of this
important vitamin is gone within 24 hours. In fact, 58% of the Vitamin C
found in freshly-picked green beans is lost within three days”. In comparison,
the amount of Vitamin C in frozen green beans diminishes by only 15 to 20%
from the beans’ just-picked state. That’s because processing and packaging
takes place within hours of harvest, thereby preserving more nutrients,”
(Feder, David (registered dietician), Better Homes and Gardens, January
1999, pp. 28-30).
A small amount of nutrients will always be lost during the freezing processes
but quick transport to the factory and smooth processes in cleaning and
blanching are essential to maintaining the quality. For this reason, today’s
frozen food processors, process their vegetables as they are trucked in the
field, thus preserving most of their vitamins. McCain, for instance, freeze their
vegetables immediately upon harvest when their nutrient content is at its
peak – giving you the freshest tasting, nutritional product available.
So just because you now have a nutritionally rich product, readily available and conveniently
packaged for use in your dining establishment doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do your part.
The way vegetables are prepared in-house can also affect the final vitamin, nutrient and
antioxidant content – and the approval of your more health conscious clientele.
Vegetables of any type (fresh, frozen, or canned) that are boiled in large amounts of water
for long periods of time - something which happens often in establishments that enjoy
quick table turnover times - lose much of their nutritional content compared with vegetables
that are lightly cooked. Steaming, blanching or microwaving are better methods, as frozen
vegetables have already been blanched in the factory and therefore require only short
cooking times.
Here are some other tips on keeping your McCain frozen vegetables healthy and appetising,
which can only add to your bottom line:
• Store all foods at 0° Celsius or lower to retain vitamin content, colour, flavour and texture.
• Steam the vegetables in a little water, using a steam basket to raise the food out of the
water and keep it surrounded by steam. When you’re finished, don’t throw out the water:
it’s full of nutritious juices and an ideal stock. Use it in a soup or a stew.
• You can also make use of the McCain Steam It! range, which is even easier because it’s
actually made for steaming in special packets with built-in vents.
• Sauté your frozen vegetables straight from the freezer. Add vegetables to a hot pan, but
be careful if you’re cooking with melted fat because the water from the frozen vegetables
may cause splatter.
• Roast or slow-cook straight from frozen, the same way you would with fresh vegetables.
• Add frozen vegetables directly to soup without thawing.
• If you’re making a stew, add the frozen vegetables about 15 minutes before serving.
For further information please call the
McCain Foods (SA) Food Service Division
toll-free number on 0800 006 498.
FUTURE
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Seas
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Che fs a
Mike Crewe-Browne highlights salient problems that lead to an unsustainable
lifestyle in the 21st century and argues why chefs should start sticking to
seasonal produce that is locally available
Chefs rely on agricultural products, grains; fruit;
vegetables and animal protein, for their raw
material. As far as rearing animals is concerned,
we are now factory farming, where over 60 billion
animals, mainly chickens (70 percent) and pigs
(50 percent), are being slaughtered every year to
produce food. Industrial systems are increasing
at six times the rate of traditional mixed farming
systems. Every kilogram of factory farmed meat
requires 6kg of feed to sustain it. Around 40 percent
of the world's grain is used for livestock feed (70
percent in developed countries). 18 percent of
human induced greenhouse gas emissions (that are
directly contributing to the problem we call global
warming) can be attributed to livestock production
globally, while global transport accounts for 14
percent (a large proportion of this to ferry produce
to far flung out-of-season markets).
Since the early sixties, small numbers of concerned
consumers within communities have been looking
for alternative lifestyles that are self-sustaining,
through both the homes they live in and the way in
which they feed themselves. For the past 40 years,
these movements have mainly been on the fringe.
Over the last few years, this movement has gained
momentum and is fast moving into mainstream
thinking, especially with public concern regarding
the affect of global warming on the climate, which
in turn directly affects the agricultural process of
growing food. Climate change, however a distant
concept it might seem, will directly affect the
quality, variety and supply of the raw materials chefs
work with.
40 | CHEF! Issue 19
As a chef or restaurant owner, there are ways you can
green the environment in which you work, thereby
making it more sustainable.
• Source local - this is the latest trend around the
world. It cuts down on carbon emitted through
food transport and storage (carbon is a green
house gas).
* Chef Raymond Blanc was already doing it in
the late ‘70s. In his book A Taste of my Life,
he describes how, in his hectic 15-hour day, he
would wake up early every morning in summer
and go to a local pick-your-own farm, with his
chefs, to gather vegetables for that day.
* Google Head Office in California spends $20
million a year feeding their staff in 16 in-house
canteens. The only prerequisite for the chefs is
that they source all ingredients within a 150mile radius of Head Office.
* In her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,
author Barbara Kingsolver claims that “…
if every citizen in the USA ate just one meal
a week composed of locally and organically
raised meat and produce, it would reduce the
country’s oil consumption by over 1,1 million
barrels of oil….” That’s a saving of close to a
billion dollars a just on the food bill of one
country, not to mention saving on greenhouse
emissions.
The less the food travels, the fresher it is. In
addition you're stimulating and enriching your own
community, which in turn will have more spending
power with you.
• Utilize sustainable/renewable resources - This is especially true
for fish. There are over 25 different species of fish on the SASSI
green list, including a wide variety of whitefish, game fish and
three different species of tuna. There is no reason why we should
be using any other fish. Many of these fish also freeze extremely
well. Cut the demand on threatened species and they will have a
smaller commercial market, which in the longer term will ensure
that future generations may once again be able to enjoy them.
• Cook seasonal - Around the world, patrons eagerly look forward
to the season's newest offerings. In spring in Belgium, there
are advertisements all over the countryside when it is asparagus
season. By cooking with the freshest locally grown ingredients,
not only are you giving your clients the very best that nature has
to offer, but you can encourage them to come back on a more
frequent basis to share in the joy of the changing seasons.
• Offer more vegetarian alternatives - There are far too many
menus that offer unimaginative vegetarian options. Vegetarian
food does not need to be boring. Apply a bit of imagination
and you can produce spectacular dishes, while at the same time
reducing your restaurant’s carbon footprint. In an effort to do
their bit for the environment, Cape Town has become the first
city in Africa to officially endorse one meat-free day a week
(Meat Free Monday). It is heartening to know that a number of
restaurants in Cape Town have embraced this policy.
About the author
Mike Crewe-Brown is the project co-ordinator for
Wickedfood Earth (www.wickedfoodearth.co.za)
a community up-liftment and self-sustaining
lifestyle project. His passion is food, how to
produced it with the least impact to our earth,
and empowering local communities. He believes
strongly that the restaurant industry should
embrace the concept of seasonal and regional as
they have already done internationally, and that
this will hopefully have a knock on effect with
consumers and supermarket supply chains. He and
his team are working together with government,
NGOs and the private sector to develop a variety
of local breed animals and produce that are viable
for small-scale farmers on a sustainable basis
and are looking to create a register of small-scale
farmers who are prepared to produce unique,
sustainable produce for the food industry and
chefs who are interested in sourcing local, seasonal
produce for their kitchens. A pilot project is being
established in Gauteng. Should you be interested
in contacting Mike or getting involved in his
project, email him at [email protected]
• Be responsible consumers - Question your suppliers and
insist on quality local products as opposed to over processed
imported products that have passed their best. In his book, The
Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan points out that most
people put their trust in supermarkets to feed them, not knowing
or caring about how the food is produced.
• Communicate with your patrons - Many diners get nearly as
much pleasure reading the menu as they do eating the food.
This is an ideal marketing opportunity. Tell them about your
restaurant, your suppliers and why you have a selection of
vegetarian options. Many of the top European restaurants have
a feature on their suppliers in the front of their menus. Many of
them can proudly trace the route a chicken, duck or lamb took
from the plate right back to the farm.
• Make your restaurants more eco-friendly:
* Separate your waste, and if possible start your own compost
heap
* Grow some of your own vegetables, even if it is just herbs
* Use more eco-friendly cleaning materials
* If you're planning a new restaurant, choose a designer who
is sympathetic to the environment and uses environmentally
friendly materials, from paint to the floor covering
* Conserve energy through energy efficient lighting and
cooking equipment
CHEF! Issue 19 | 41
Food
Chef Feature
Profile
The Incredible
Vegetable
Recipes by Yolande Schoeman
Photographs by Kelly Zetler
Just to prove that vegetarian
dishes can be every bit as
beautiful, fresh and delectable
as their non-vegetarian
counterparts, Chef Yoldande
Schoeman takes the ubiquitous
mushroom and shows what can
be done with it.
42 | CHEF! Issue 19
Tortellini Filled With Forest Mushrooms
served in a Mushroom Consommé
Makes about 500g fresh pasta
Portobello Mushroom and Potato Pavé
Pasta
Serves 4-6
• 400g bread flour
• 4 whole eggs
• 10ml olive oil
•
•
•
•
•
•
1. Place the bread flour in a bowl, making a well in the center. Mix
the egg and olive oil together and add to the bread flour. Mix with
a fork until incorporated. Knead the dough until smooth, wrap in
plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
2 garlic cloves, minced
100g truffle butter, melted
50g butter, melted
6 large Portobello mushrooms
4 large potatoes, peeled
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Line an ovenproof dish with baking paper, making sure
that the sides are covered. Combine the garlic, truffle
butter and butter, then keep aside while preparing the
rest of the ingredients.
3. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and cut on the
extreme diagonal into paper-thin slices.
4. Use a mandolin to slice the potatoes into very thin slices;
do not put the slices into water as you will need the
natural starch in the potatoes to “glue” the pavé together.
5. Brush the baking paper with the butter mixture.
6. Start off with making a layer of thinly sliced potatoes,
followed by the Portobello mushroom slices in the base
of the tin. Make sure to brush each layer with the butter
mixture and to season it with salt and freshly ground
black pepper. Continue layering the potatoes and
mushrooms alternatively, making sure to finish with
a layer of potato. Cover with the overhanging baking
paper and press down gently with your hand.
7. Top with another pan that fits inside the rim and then
place a weight on the second pan. Place the pavé in the
oven and bake for at least 30 minutes, depending on its
thickness. Once it is cooked place it, with the weight on
top, in the refrigerator overnight. It can either be served
cold with pickled mushrooms and fresh green leaves, or
can be cut into slices then pan-fried until golden brown
or even deep-fried.
Forest Mushroom Duxelle Filling
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
100g onion, finely chopped
50g butter
500g mushroom variety, diced
10g salt
2g ground black pepper
5ml lemon juice
100ml heavy cream, reduced by half
2g parsley, chopped
1. Sweat the onion in the butter over a medium high heat until
translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté
them until dry to create a duxelle. Season the duxelle with the salt,
pepper and lemon juice. Add the cream and chopped parsley and
mix well. If desired, the duxelle can be chilled and reserved for
later use.
To Make The Tortellini
1. Roll the pasta dough out into thin sheets using a pasta machine.
2. Depending on the size of the tortellini required, use a round cutter
to cut the dough into circles.
3. Take a round of dough, fold into a half circle and place a small
amount of filling in the center. Run a finger dipped in water along
the edge which will act as a glue to seal the edge. Hold the halfcircle with the flat edge down between your thumb and index
finger, folding it around your finger. Where the dough overlaps,
give it a pinch with wet fingers to hold it together. Repeat the
process with the rest of the dough rounds, making sure to dust
with semolina flour to prevent them from sticking together.
CHEF! Issue 19 | 43
Food
Chef Feature
Profile
Mushroom Consommé
Mushroom Stock
Makes about 3 litres
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
2kg button mushrooms
6 large field mushrooms
50ml vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 onions, peeled and sliced
300ml Madeira wine
salt and freshly ground black
pepper, to season
3l vegetable stock
4 sprigs fresh thyme
6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
6 sprigs fresh tarragon
50g dried mushrooms
1. Clean the fresh mushrooms by
wiping them with a damp cloth,
then slice finely.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the
mushrooms, garlic and onions and
sauté until golden brown.
3. When golden brown add the
Madeira and continue to cook until
it has reduced by three-quarters.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and
lightly season the mushrooms with
salt and pepper.
5. Cover with the vegetable stock
and bring to the boil. Reduce the
heat to a simmer and skim off any
impurities that float to the surface.
6. Add the fresh herbs and dried
mushrooms and simmer for 45
minutes. Check the seasoning
and adjust if necessary. Pass the
stock through a fine sieve, pressing
down on the mushrooms to extract
as much flavour and colour as
possible.
Compiled by Yolande Schoeman
and Kelly Zetler of the Institute of
Culinary Arts. Call 021 885-1414,
email [email protected] or visit www.
icachef.co.za As a mushroom, truffles
fall under the family of fungi. ICA
students recently had the opportunity
to work with fresh truffles, to the value
of R3000, brought in from Italy by
ICA's Principal, Letitia Prinsloo and
which inspired these recipes.
44 | CHEF! Issue 19
Mushroom Consommé
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
200ml fresh egg whites
50g carrot, sliced
50g onion, quartered
50g celery, sliced
10g dried mushrooms
salt and freshly ground black pepper
100g button mushrooms, roughly chopped
1, 5l mushroom stock, cold
1. Place the egg whites, carrots, onion, celery, dried mushrooms and button
mushrooms into a mixer and process until fine. Season lightly with salt and freshly
ground black pepper.
2. Pour the cold mushroom stock into a heavy-based saucepan and beat the mixture
into the stock. Bring to the boil, stirring frequently to prevent sticking to the
bottom or around the sides of the saucepan. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stop
stirring. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Make a hole in the center of the crust with a tablespoon. Remove from the heat
and ladle out the clarified consommé through the hole, taking care not to break
the raft. Pass the consommé through a fine sieve lined with a double layer of
muslin cloth. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
To Serve:
1. Cook the filled tortellini in boiling, salted water until al dente.
2. Reheat the consommé in a saucepan over a gentle heat. Add the tortellini and
sliced truffles and heat for a further 15 seconds. Garnish with chopped tarragon,
chervil and chives.
Wild Mushroom Barley and Amaranth
‘Risotto’ served with Confit Pearl Onions
and Baby Button Mushrooms
•
•
•
•
•
Serves 4
1. Heat the oil and melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then
add the onions and garlic and sweat.
2. Add the mushroom variety and sauté until golden brown. Add
the drained barley and amaranth to the mixture and stir until it
is coated with the onions and mushrooms.
3. Add the white wine and cook off the alcohol. Add 60ml hot
mushroom stock at a time, stirring constantly and allowing the
grains to completely absorb the liquid each time before adding
more. Continue adding hot stock until the grains are cooked.
Confit of Pearl Onions and Baby Button Mushrooms
•
•
•
•
8 pearl onions
50g baby button mushrooms, stems removed
100ml vegetable oil
4 sprigs lemon thyme
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Place the pearl onions, mushrooms, vegetable oil and thyme
into a ceramic dish. Make sure that all of the ingredients are
covered at least two-thirds in oil otherwise add more oil. Cover
with foil and roast in the oven until soft and golden brown.
Mushroom Reduction
• 250ml mushroom stock
• 50ml Balsamic vinegar
• 10ml sugar
1. Place the mushroom stock, balsamic vinegar and sugar in a
small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until reduced to
a syrupy consistency.
Barley and Amaranth ‘Risotto’
•
•
•
•
20ml vegetable oil
20g butter
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
200g mushroom variety, diced
200ml barley (soaked for 2 hours in cold water)
50ml amaranth
30ml white wine
1l mushroom stock, hot
Amaranth Popcorn
• 50g amaranth
1. Heat a heavy-bottomed saucepan without any oil. When the
pan is very hot, carefully pour in the amaranth seeds - avoid
covering the entire bottom of the saucepan. Quickly cover the
pan with a lid. When all the grains have finished jumping,
immediately remove from the heat and pour the amaranth
‘popcorn’ into a bowl.
To Serve
1. Place the risotto in a ring mould in the center of the plate.
Remove the mould and place the confit pearl onions on top.
Serve together with the confit button mushrooms and drizzle
with the mushroom reduction. Use the amaranth popcorn as
garnish.
CHEF! Issue 19 | 45
masterclass
By Chef Marli Roberts, Unilver
Regional Customer Chef
Photographs by Andreas Eiselen
duck fat
A matter of
One of the best ever meals I have eaten
was in Chicago on my first trip as part
of the national culinary team. I had met
Suzanne 2 years prior whilst studying
at the renowned Culinary Institute of
America, and not only was she a great
help with a whole lot of the logistical
issues we faced whilst competing in
Chicago, but she and her partner treated
me to one of my most memorable dinners
ever.
Following a wonderful, bone-dry French
Rosé Champagne (another first) was
this starter, “Dégustation de Canard”. It
featured a magnificent trio of rillette de
canard (duck rillettes), confit de canard
(duck confit) and a perfectly cooked slab
of foie gras with toasted brioche - heart
stopping but utterly sublime! So with
heartfelt gratitude to you my friend, for
introducing me to so many wonders in
the world of food and wine and to taking
46 | CHEF! Issue 19
me places where my Rand never would
have reached. Thanks to you, we will
be exploring the depth of flavour when
cooking with fat for the garde manger
kitchen.
Let’s quickly have a look at the
importance of cooking with fat in the
kitchen. Since humans made their first
fire, fat has been an important cooking
medium. Cooking without fat makes
cooking very difficult. Fat keeps food
succulent in the heat of the oven and
prevents it from sticking to the pan. Fats
that can be heated to high temperatures
are indispensable for frying; they make
our food appetizingly brown, adding
caramelized flavours and a crusty exterior.
Fat is also critical to the flavour of our
food. Without fat, meat has little taste of
its own. Many aromas and flavours are
soluble only in fat. Fat adds, carries and
helps us experience flavour.
One of the most well known and
best liked dishes cooked with fat is
undoubtedly confit. Confit is a speciality
of Gascony, France, and is an ancient
method of preserving meat, usually
goose, duck or pork. Confit of goose
(confit d'oeuvre) and duck (confit de
canard) are usually prepared from the
legs of the bird. The meat is salted and
seasoned with herbs, and slowly cooked
submerged in its own rendered fat, in
which it is then preserved by allowing it
to cool and storing it in the fat for up to 6
months. Meat confits are a specialty of the
southwest of France and are used in dishes
such as cassoulet, rillette and terrines.
Confit preparations originated as a means
of preserving meats without refrigeration.
Today of course, refrigeration makes this
method of preserving unnecessary, but
confit is more popular than ever because
of the tenderness and flavour that this
cooking method yields. In the case of
ducks, legs are usually made into confit,
while the boneless breasts are reserved
for pan-frying and serving rare. A special
breed of duck, the moulard, with a
large meaty breast, is used for foie gras
production - it is this duck whose legs are
traditionally made into confit.
Confit basics
To extract and reheat confit:
Remove the container from the
refrigerator and place in a pan of barely
simmering water. After 20-30 minutes the
fat will be soft enough for you to pull the
legs out in one piece.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Place the
legs still slicked with a very thin layer
of fat, skin side down in a heavy frying
pan. Cook the legs in the oven until
heated through for about 15 minutes.
Turn the legs skin side up and grill
under the salamander until the skin is
nicely caramelized and crispy.
To render duck fat:
While you can buy rendered duck fat, it
is cheaper to render your own. To do so,
save your trimmings and loose fat from
duck. Store these in the freezer until you
have enough to make it worthwhile.
When ready, add them to a stockpot
with 250ml - 750ml of water and
leave to simmer over a low heat. When
the fat has melted, pour the entire
mixture into a heatproof container
and leave it to cool. As it cools, the fat
will separate from the water and can
be easily skimmed off. Another option
is to simmer the duck fat until all the
water has evaporated – and the only
ingredient left in the pot will be glorious
duck fat!
CHEF! Issue 19 | 47
masterclass
Chef Profile
Confit duck recipe
Prepares 6 whole leg portions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
60g Robertson’s Atlantic sea salt
5g Robertson’s whole black peppercorns
2 Robertson’s bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
zest of two oranges
5 garlic cloves, whole and peeled
6 duck leg portions
duck fat, rendered, as needed
1. Mix together the sea salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, fresh thyme, orange zest and
garlic cloves. Coat the duck with the mixture and place in a container. Weigh down
lightly and press the duck overnight.
2. Rinse off the excess seasoning mixture and pat dry the leg pieces.
3. Heat the oven to 150°C. Place the leg pieces in an ovenproof dish and cover with
melted duck fat. Cover with tin foil or a tight fitting lid and cook in the oven until
the duck meat is very tender, about 2-21/2 hours.
4. Remove from the oven, place in a clean container and cover with the strained hot fat.
Kept covered in the refrigerator, confit will keep for up to 6 months.
48 | CHEF! Issue 19
Confit Garlic
Poultry and meat are not the only foods
that can be cooked in fat. Garlic also
makes an ideal candidate. Poaching
garlic in duck fat removes some of its
pungency and makes it creamy and silky.
It is preferable to cook garlic confit on
the stove top since it only takes about 30
minutes to make - the recipe below comes
from Marco Pierre White. Another option
is to add the unpeeled cloves to the duck
confit during the last 30 minutes of the
confit preparation.
Confit garlic keeps for about 1 week if
refrigerated and much longer if buried in
fat. Serve it as a snack, or use it to garnish
duck confit, terrines and meats. It can also
be squeezed out of its skin and spread on
toast or made into Beurre de Gascogne.
For about 24-30 pieces.
• 2 heads garlic
• 2 Robertson’s bay leaves
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 500ml duck fat, melted
1. Break the garlic head into individual
cloves. Place the un-peeled cloves in a
small, heavy saucepan in a single layer.
Add the bay leaves and thyme and
cover with the duck fat.
2. Place the pan over a very low heat.
Once the fat begins to bubble, reduce
the temperature and cook over a low
heat for 20 minutes.
3. After 20 minutes test the garlic by
pressing it with your finger. If it yields
to the pressure, it is done, if not cook
for another 5 minutes.
4. Leave the garlic to cool in the fat.
Once cooled down, strain the fat,
discarding the bay leaves and thyme.
The fat can be used again. With its
mild garlic flavour it will be great for
cooking potatoes.
Duck rillettes Beurre de Gascogn
Rillettes refer to meat, usually pork,
but also rabbit, duck and goose that
is slowly cooked in seasoned fat and
then pounded or pulverised (along
with some of the fat or Beurre de
Gascogne) into a paste. This mixture
is traditionally packed in small pots
and covered with a thin layer of fat.
Rillettes can be stored for several
weeks in the refrigerator provided
that the fat seal is not broken. This
mixture is served cold, usually as an
appetizer with on thin toasts. It can
also be incorporated in various other
applications, to fill profiteroles or as
a canapé for instance. Rillette toast
is also wonderful when served with
Vichyssoise.
Makes about 500g (all ingredients
should either be room temperature
or slightly warmed)
• 500g duck confit, removed from
the bone and shredded
• 50g Beurre de Gascogne
• 5ml confit jelly, or as needed
This “butter from Gascony” has nothing
to do with actual dairy. Instead it
is a mixture of duck fat and garlic.
Traditionally added to dried bean dishes,
it can also be stirred into mashed potatoes,
cooked cabbage, lentils, duck rilettes or
spread on bread.
Makes about 50g
• 50g duck fat, rendered
• 10 confit garlic cloves (see recipe)
• 15ml parsley, finely chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper,
to season
1 Place the duck fat in a small bowl.
Squeeze out the soft garlic from its skin
and add to the fat. Stir in the parsley and
season with salt and pepper.
1 Mix the shredded meat with
the paddle attachment until it
disintegrates into pieces. Slowly
add the fat and confit jelly until a
spreadable consistency is produced.
*Cook’s Tip – confit jelly
When confit is cooked, juices are
released from the meat and settle
in the bottom of the pan. Make
sure to separate these juices from
the fat before covering the cooked
confit with fat as they can initiate
spoilage. When preserved in the
refrigerator, these juices solidify to
a strongly flavoured jelly, a bit like
a demi-glace, that can be added to
sauces, stews, beans or vegetables for
extra flavour. Because of its high salt
content, use judiciously.
References:
Food lover’s companion, fourth edition
by Herbst and Herbst (Barrons). Fat:
An appreciation of a misunderstood
ingredient by Jennifer McLean (10
Speed Press). The new professional
chef, sixth edition, CIA (Wiley)
CHEF! Issue 19 | 49
how to
Poached eggs
Recipes by Ronan Boucher
Photographs Liezel van der Merwe
In this article we learn how to make poached
eggs the classical way, by tipping the raw egg
directly into boiling water.
Poached egg salad with dressed rocket, pancetta
and chorizo sausage
Serves 1
• 1 egg
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 5ml white wine vinegar
• 125ml (half a cup) of salad rocket
• olive oil
• 25g chorizo sausage, diced or 2-3 slices of pancetta or
Serrano ham, fried until crisp
•
1. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan, enough to fill half
of the sauce pan.
2. Crack the raw egg into a ramekin or cup and season with salt
and pepper.
3. Reduce the water’s heat to just under boiling point and add a
drop of white wine vinegar and a pinch of salt , stirring them
in an anti-clockwise direction to create a swirling vortex.
4. Slowly turn the egg out into the swirling water. This will
allow the yolk to be surrounded but the white of the egg and
thus poach evenly, about 2-3 minutes (depending on the
altitude). We are aiming for an egg with a tender, runny justcooked yolk.
5. While the egg is poaching, dress the rocket leaves with olive
oil, salt and pepper.
6. Remove the poached egg with a slotted spoon, drain on
kitchen cloth, then place the egg on top of the dressed
rocket.
7. Place the crispy chorizo / Serrano ham / pancetta (which will
add a spicy dimension and texture to the dish) on top of the
egg and spoon around the rest of the dish.
8. Drizzle the oil from the frying of the chorizo / Serrano ham
/ pancetta over the leaves to add a little extra colour and
flavour to the dish.
50 | CHEF! Issue 19
Shot on location at The Culinary Academy near
Stellenbosch www.TCA.co.za. Photographer: Liezel van der
Merwe www.liezchang.co.za. Thank you to
Head Chef Ronan Boucher, The Culinary Academy,
and the TCA Class of 2010.
CIRO
creates distinctive
in-room beverage experience
Ciro Beverage Solutions has launched
their latest in-room beverage solution
caddy, in an exclusive new chic design,
modernising the traditional look and feel
of the existing caddy and redefining the
in-room experience, allowing hotels to
create exceptional beverage occasions for
their guests.
The design of the revamped Ciro caddy
has an added upmarket appeal and
was based on the idea of an indulgent
chocolate box or woman’s make up
case. The Ciro caddy contains three
tier options based on exclusivity with
a solution to suit every style and hotel
rating; including the three star comfort
line, four/ five star luxury line and four/
five star super indulgent line.
In order to ensure a full offering for
customers the Ciro in-room caddy
contains a new range of House of
Coffees instant coffees, plunger coffee,
filter pods and Ciro instant iced teas. All
product packaging including the Ciro
hot chocolate sticks has been redesigned
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sleek elegance and practical design of the
caddy.
Exclusive products available in the caddy
will differ according to the tier and
budget specified by the client. Coffee
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include the 100 percent pure instant
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star super indulgent line offers a choice
of the Petra Pod machine with House of
Coffees filter pods or a Lavazza Amodo
Mio machine and Lavazza espresso
capsules for in-room cappuccinos.
Each tier is tailored to suit the needs
of the customer and supplemented by
favourite consumer brands Canderel,
Five Roses tea, Parmalat milk and
Ellis Brown coffee creamer. A
complimentary offering of Ciro
hot chocolate sticks and new Ciro
instant iced tea sticks round off the
ideal in room beverage solution.
CHEF! Issue 19 | 51
EDUCATION
Sustainability and
By Kim Hoepfl
Food Production
Climate change, sustainability and organics are buzz words we cannot escape hearing. Despite their
ubiquity, vagueness still surrounds their meaning and if behavioural change is the goal, conceptual grasp
is a necessary prerequisite. To aid understanding Chef! will be publishing a series of articles explaining
these concepts, beginning with climate change and sustainability.
Most of us have heard the words
greenhouse gas, climate change and
sustainability, but probably with
varying degrees of understanding. What
we might not realise is that they are
intricately linked to food production
and hence the restaurant industry and
profession of chef. It is our hope that
this article will give basic clarity on what
climate change is; its link with that other
much used word, sustainability, and how
these issues, in turn, are linked to food
production. This should provide the
basic conceptual apparatus to make an
idea of the bigger picture understandable
– why soil health, animal husbandry,
organic agriculture and eating seasonally
and locally is not just for hippies, but
makes sound economic and culinary
sense.
Sustainability – what exactly is it?
The word ‘sustainability’ can have
multiple meanings, mostly dependant
on the situation to which it applies. It
basically refers to creating the conditions
required to sustain life – all forms of
life, not just human - now and into the
future. To explain it, it helps to think
of strategic environmental resources
in economic terms, as ‘natural capital’.
Natural capital represents the things
we never think about - the total stock
of natural ecosystems and processes
that are needed to maintain life and
produce and deliver goods and services.
52 | CHEF! Issue 19
They include renewable resources (such
as freshwater, fisheries, fertile soil and
wood); non-renewable resources (such
as mining deposits), natural sinks (that
absorb, neutralize or recycle wastes) and
ecological services, such as the filtration
and provision of abundant, clean water
and clean air to breathe.
The foundation of the natural capital
theory is that society has failed to take
into account the true economic value,
determined in both social and financial
terms, of stocks of natural capital. It also
brings to our attention the illusion that
environmental resources are abundant
and that man is separate (not dependant
upon) his environment.
The problem is that human economic
activity is destroying the very systems
that support life through climate change,
soil degradation, over-population,
deforestation, loss of biodiversity and
pollution stress of water resources.
Our current conception of ‘economic
development’ means that we are
extracting natural resources at a rate
far quicker than the capacity of natural
systems to regenerate these resources
and we are dumping prolific amounts of
waste into natural systems in quantities
greater than what their restorative
capacities can withstand. In this light,
you could view sustainability as a form
of enlightened self interest, where it is in
The problem is that
human economic
activity is destroying
the very systems that
support life through
climate change,
soil degradation,
over-population,
deforestation, loss
of biodiversity and
pollution stress of
water resources.
humanity’s best interests to supplant their
lack of awareness of consequences with an
understanding of sustainability and global
planning for sustainable development.
Sustainability is about reducing the causes
and therefore the problems that will
likely jeopardize the quality of life, but
potentially also the continued existence of
the human species in the near future and;
assure current and future generations a
‘worthwhile’ existence.
And what exactly is global
warming, and why is it a problem?
Greenhouse gases (GHG) are so called
because their increasing presence traps
the sun’s heat in the earth’s atmospheric
envelope, thereby gradually increasing
global mean temperatures – just like a
greenhouse that warms the air inside it.
This is the phenomenon we call global
warming and, if left unchecked, it will
alter existing global climatic patterns.
To prevent global warming from
increasing another 2˚C, a critical
tipping point at which dramatic
change will occur, GHG emissions
must decline drastically and speedily
over the next decade. The extent of the
transformational change demanded can
only come through the disruption of
the status quo – a shift in the way we do
things in other words. This is where you,
the chef, and behavioural change will
come in.
Carbon is probably the most famous
GHG and it is mostly released from
the combustion of fossil fuels, most
obviously oil. Petrol, made from
oil, facilitates road and air transport
and allows economic activity to take
place. Oil extraction, production and
combustion is also responsible for the
release of enormous quantities of carbon
dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere.
Another is coal, whose heat when
burned is used to generate electricity,
but again releasing carbon into the
atmosphere. Synthetic fertilizers used in
modern agriculture also derive their basic
ingredients from fossil fuels and are thus
CO2 heavy.
The consequences of an increase in
global temperatures
Man and his environment share a highly
complex, dynamic relationship – man does
not exist separately from but is part of the
environment. A rise in aggregate planetary
temperature induces the melting of glaciers
and polar ice sheets, which consequently
cause sea levels to rise, potentially flooding
coastal areas. The melting of polar ice
sheets also affects oceanic temperature
and currents, effectively stilling the ocean,
with fatal consequences for oceanic life
and winds which bring rain inland. These,
together with warmer temperatures, will
also result in drought in some places.
Others will be affected by intense heat
waves. Risks to the human population
are displacement, disease, food and water
shortages.
Where sustainability and food
production fit in?
The growth of the economy is thus
constrained by the natural resources
and support systems that sustain it and
with which it is currently enjoying a
parasitic relationship. This is ultimately
rendering not only its growth but it
survival unsustainable. Issues of excessive
physical resource consumption and waste
production exceeding the regenerative
cycles of natural systems suggest that
we should start planning explicitly for
sustainability.
The food industry is responsible for much
environmental damage in the form of soil
degradation (from intensive mono-crop
farming and the use of carbon-heavy fossil
fuel-derived artificial fertilizers); water
pollution (fertilizer again, and animal
waste) and the production of greenhouse
gasses (from vast herds of cattle whose
flatulence emits quantities of methane,
another greenhouse gas and more potent
than carbon; the clearing of carbonrecycling forest for animal pasture and crops
to feed those animals and; the transport of
produce, often covering vast distances – so
called food miles). Intensive industrialized
farming, responsible for the production of
the majority of our food, thus comes with
the price tag of a heavy carbon foot print.
CHEF! Issue 19 | 53
green
Chefkitchen
Profile
Kitchen Green
Turning your
Initiating Behavioural Change
For A Greener Kitchen
Chef Morné Ströh writes that
‘going green’ has become more than
just a fleeting trend - it is quickly
becoming the only alternative. As
such, professional chefs are ideally
positioned to influence the culinary
perceptions of thousands by being
able to shape and even dictate
what customers eat at their hotels,
restaurants and eateries. In this article
he tackles the first step – our own
behavioural change.
By Morné Ströh
‘Going green’ requires a shift in the way we do things. One
of the challenges we face in doing so involves initiating
behavioural change in an a working environment historically
not designed with environmental concerns in mind. We simply
do not have an underlying appreciation to work while reducing
our environmental impact.
To ‘green’ a kitchen, you need to reduce your carbon footprint
(minimising the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere
which contributes directly to global warming and climate
change) and consumption of water and electricity. Areas
responsible for the production of carbon are multiple, for
example the way the kitchen is air conditioned; what form or
energy you use to power your ovens, stoves and fridges; how far
supplies travel to reach you; how staff travel to and from work;
how structural materials like steel and carpeting are produced
(yes, event the way you decorate your restaurant is relevant).
You also need to look at your consumption of scarce natural
resources, like water and soil in which your vegetables, fruit and
grains grow - which provide a sound argument (among others)
for opting for organic produce. Ingredients are also relevant:
meat production is carbon heavy and supplies of certain fish
are rapidly dwindling – your menu should address these issues.
In your quest to go green in kitchen, your first stop will be
the people around you - your fellow chefs, colleagues, staff and
possibly management too. Getting your staff on-board requires
persuading them to take ownership of their actions, which can
prove difficult. How do we then go about persuading them to
change their ways in a company that is most likely inflexible?
How does one go about renewing belief systems? How does one progress to being a dynamic, proactive visionary?
Here, I often reflect on a principle that was taught to me
many years ago in the military, that in order to get optimum
cooperation and objective alignment from your subordinates,
they need to understand why they should be doing any given
task. Counteraction of resistance to change requires education,
which brings understanding and hopefully, conviction. The
point is that in order to initiate change, especially in a resistant
54 | CHEF! Issue 19
environment, at whom change is directed
need to understand and fully appreciate
what they are changing and why. To do
this, first educate yourself or, better still,
get an expert in.
Once you’ve reached the point where your
staff are on-board, or at least more receptive
to change, you can start the prioritisation of
going green, beginning in your immediate
sphere of influence, your kitchen. By first
becoming a successful example yourself,
you may succeed in convincing other
departments as well, most obviously
suppliers but also accountants, decorators,
architects, landlords and equipment
manufacturers etc.
Steps you will initially need to implement
in your kitchen are:
• Formulate reasonable, achievable and
measurable green goals unique to your
kitchen environment. There might be
some research and strategic realignment
required and some possible initial startup expense, so keep this in mind
• When these objectives are formulated,
couple target dates and responsible
people to each objective and ensure
that each person knows exactly what
is expected of him / her, target dates
for achievement and standards.
Alternatively, you may decide to
set up ‘green teams’ to implement
these objectives, possibly choosing to
involve other departments to diversify
influence and support. Each kitchen
environment will be different, with
different needs. Green Teams have
proven to be highly effective and
dynamic
• Ensure that you have the necessary
consent and delegation powers from
your superiors and other department
heads if external staff is used, before
pursuing your green goals. You don’t
want to step toes, thereby loosing
support for your initiatives
• Once permission is gained to
coordinate staff activities and hold
meetings, commit to conducting
regular, scheduled meetings where
all stakeholders meet to discuss green
issues. As you have already coupled
objectives to actual tasks, people and
•
•
•
•
•
target dates, these meetings are where
you’ll monitor targets and receive
feedback on progress. Keep close
minutes of them for reference purposes
Simultaneously use these meetings to
reinforce your support of each other
and to encourage the green ethos
amongst all present
In the initial phases of the
implementation process it will also be
beneficial to identify green allies, staff
that are more sympathetic to the green
culture. Possibly make them team
captains
Be actively involved yourself. Don’t
only monitor and coordinate activities,
but personally affect change. This is
necessary not only to set an example
for your piers and subordinates, but
also to keep you keenly involved in the
process and thereby ensuring your own,
personal momentum
Once objectives are met, set new ones
and new holistic company projects.
Always keep the momentum going, as
people tend to fall back on their old
ways when momentum is lost
Continually raise awareness through
regular meetings, postings on notice
boards, circulatory emails, handing
out fliers, hanging up posters or even
printing all your correspondence on
green-coloured paper. Be creative
sure that management is included
• Publicly recognise achievers by
handing over certificates or even
green prizes. Make an event of it
and make it fun
• Be positive, be persistent and with
the right amount of motivation,
passion and influence, you and your
staff will change present company
policy to prioritise going green.
Companies often misguidedly
believe that going green is hype
and either costly or less profitable.
The truth is that although some
start-up capital will be required
to implement a green strategy
across the full business spectrum,
companies that prioritise going
green in the long term actually
use fewer resources, which clearly
means saving money, and saving the
planet - and that is the real bottom
line
Then, hold monthly or quarterly green
events, for example:
1. Invite a green expert to inform staff
of the finer details on going green e.g.
how to save energy in the kitchen
2. Serve green staff meals in biodegradable
serving vessels using organic ingredients
3. Hold competitions on suggestions to
make the kitchen or the menu greener
and inter-departmental competitions
on who can save the most on
electricity; printing paper or kitchen
waste, or even who collect the most
tinned kitchen cans
• Make changes accessible to all, like
placing recycle bins next to waste bins;
prominently displaying the month’s
green objectives or placing green
suggestion boxes in every department
• Keep records of your successes and
savings and celebrate them, making
CHEF! Issue 19 | 55
BEVERAGE
Chef FEATURE
Profile
Spicy Delight
With Wine
Never, Judith Lee was told, try to match wines with asparagus, artichokes,
radishes and curries or any hot foods. Yet in the culinary world, nothing
is absolute. You can – and should – bend the rules. So she tried asparagus,
artichokes and radishes with wine and found it not worth the effort. However
she could not resist the temptation to wash down hot chilli, creamy curries and
sharp Asian food with wine, to see if it would work. And it did.
With my curries and chillies, I tried
buttery chardonnay, spicy shiraz, fruity
chenin blanc and complex blended white
wines. What an adventure. I experimented
at restaurants, the Gourmet Chef ’s Market
at the Wanderers Club, private homes and
my own kitchen.
ions,
romot e
P
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m
in th
l Volu
of Ful t specializes
e
e
L
ith
tha
By Jud s company
t
.
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e
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Colonial India introduced curries to the
British Empire. In those days spicy meals
would be accompanied by fresh fruit juices
or gin and tonic. While fruit juice cools
the mouth and sometimes enhanced the
curry flavors, the austere experience of gin
and tonic emphasized the spices. A G&T
pairing with curry would undoubtedly
make you feel colonial, but to my taste it’s
a little too predictable and therefore dull.
The flavors and the heat of the food are
intensified, but the beverage itself is static.
What you want is the combination of food
and drink to enhance the total dining
experience and for that, the lower alcohol
content and greater complexity of wine
makes it the beverage of choice.
My first experiment was a dish of
Indian butter chicken with Riebeek
Late Harvest. Gavin Pillay and
his aunt Devi, promised a butter
chicken that was authentic. Both
chef Gavin and cook Devi were
great characters who jived and
bragged endlessly while they
were getting their pots going,
turning serious kitchen
business into a party. They
served the chicken with rice,
and when I tasted the final
dish, I was amazed that
it could be so perfect. I
loved the balance of chilli
and spices with soft
chicken cubes and rich
56 | CHEF! Issue 19
creamy flavors. I sipped the spicy sweetness
of the wine and realized that mildly
hot and rich food such as this can be a
beautiful experience with a chilled, sweet
and fruity white wine.
So, if wine enhanced an Indian curry, how
about that other great curry producing
nation, the Thai? For this experience I
went armed with a girlfriend and some
wine from Sumaridge. I have always
enjoyed 2Thai4 Restaurant on Corlett
Drive in Illovo, Johannesburg. The
venue is interesting, with an Asian look
but western comfort. We sat outside on
a clear, bright Highveld afternoon and
enjoyed the sunshine. The food arrived in
attractive blue patterned china, under lids
that initially kept us guessing. In front of
me was a Hom Mok Talay (seafood curry
mousse). This dish had a creamy and rich
texture that intensified the buttery flavor
of the Sumaridge chardonnay, a wine
that is elegantly wooded with a citrus
finish. Its combination with the flavours
of fish and creamy coconut emerged well
balanced – another successful experience.
Also on the table was a Gareng Keow Wan
(green curry with coconut milk, vegetables
and fish.) We paired this up with the
Sumaridge Maritimes, a blend of sharp
sauvignon blanc, buttery chardonnay and
unctuous semillion. Together they present
a full and multi-faceted wine that is a great
companion to mildly spicy food.
Peri-peri. Portuguese food. Prawns from
Mozambique. Great South African
food borrowed from somewhere else.
So what? It’s called merging, synergy,
blending. Which wine to drink with
this combination? Where to get these
sumptuous foods? I persuaded my friend
and tasting companion Pedro Silva of
Centre Court at the Wanderers Club to
cook these rich dishes and join me in
trying the wines for a great food journey.
D’Aria Songbird and the Sumaridge
Pinot Noir were chilled and opened
for the occasion. Pedro prepared the
prawns with a little more than a little
peri-peri as we really wanted to see how
well the wines would hold up to its
distinct and powerful flavor. Pedro used
a base of olive oil with garlic and other
secret ingredients. He added a generous
blob of butter and a long pour of beer.
When this brew thickened, he added
the prawns and just before serving Pedro
threw in a handful of fresh coriander that
soon blended into this colorful dish Mozambican prawns peri-peri.
He slipped the prawns from the pan
onto a bed of rice and we sat down to
dine. The prawns were firm and juicy but
the real delight was the sauce. Red and
“burning” on entry, but savory and tasty
on the middle palate. The flavorsome
and complex sauvignon blanc, D’Aria
Songbird, cut through its richness and
the fruit of the wine delighted the palate.
The earthy pinot noir lifted the unique
flavor of the prawns and enhanced the
gravy soaked rice. An altogether great
South African experience.
So how about the combination of
chilli and chocolate? I found the KoKo
Chocolate company at the Gourmet
Chef ’s Market (held at the Wanderers
Club) and paired its dark Belgian
chocolate with Lindhorst Max’s Tribute
- a shiraz with a fresh feel and a palate
of plums and raspberries. When I tasted
the dark square of chocolate, enrobed as
it was with butter fudge and embedded
with chilli, I had an astounding
experience: I bit into this delight, tasted
the dark cocoa, then the sweetness of
the butter fudge and then I felt
the chilli on my tongue. For
the finalé, a sip of the shiraz,
which seems to love dark,
slightly salty chocolate, and
my mouth shone with sweet,
hot spices.
The Indonesian food
made by Susanna Olivier
is exceptional as the
balance between hot
chilli and interesting
spices is alsways so
perfect. Susanna
has been living
in South Africa
for six years and
has introduced
her style of food to the
family of her South African husband.
They love it, even brag about it. I joined
them for a meal, bringing with me
bottles of Duel from Mooiplas. Everyone
enjoyed the combination. This Méthode
Cap Classique has a dry apple edge and
can be drunk on its own or stretched
to accompany food. When I drank it
with Susanna’s Rendang (Indonesian
beef curry) I did not expect to enjoy the
tactile experience of desiccated coconut,
rough on the tongue, to combine so
beautifully with the bubbles of the
MCC. The rendang was flavored with
garlic, ginger, onion, turmeric and
chilli, which were then simmered with
coconut and coconut milk. It was served
with rice and a red paste of chilli, garlic,
tomatoes and lemon. Super hot and
exciting. When I tasted the Duel with
the Indonesian beef and chilli paste, I
was surprised how fresh the result could
be. The fruit from the bubbly lifted the
savory nature of the meat and enhanced
subtle flavors that are often hidden by
the chilli – this was a combination of
opposites where great vibrant food was
enhanced by a dry and austere bubbly.
So having set out to discover the
merits of wine with spicy delights I
sought to try the obvious and unusual
-gewürztraminer, bukettraube and
viognier. As our taste for ethnic food
develops,
so we must widen
the search for lesser known varietals
which have distinctive fruit qualities and
are complex enough to match the flavors
of spicy foods. To experience these wines
I made a simple Asian chicken curry
with coconut milk, chilli, garlic, ginger
and lemon grass. I invited friends and
when we sat down to eat, I poured three
wines at the same time. We ate, sipped
and tasted until we concluded that the
Delheim Gewurztraminer was unaffected
by the spicy food. The lemon Turkish
delight and litchi flavors of the wine
shone through clearly and enhanced the
food by making it taste even sweeter
and spicier. It represented a perfect
balance of sweet, acid, hot and spicy.
The Simonsvlei Bukettraube’s floral
and vanilla nuances matched the curry
while the Bain’s Way (Wamakersvallei)
Viognier emphasized the layers of flavor
as the ginger and lemon from the wine
were repeated in the food. Subtle and
interesting.
Therefore, to adventurous oenophiles,
try wine with spicy food. It is often a
great match that plays on the palate with
multiple layers of complexity. The two
do go together, often with unexpectedly
good results.
CHEF! Issue 19 | 57
Books
Books
Books
Gizzi’s
Kitchen Magic
Gizzi Erskine
Virgin Books R330
Taste’s of Africa
Justice Kamanga
Random House Struik R230
For anyone stuck for a reasonable answer to where contemporary African (not just
South African) cooking is at, flicking through this book would be a good place to
start. Chef Justice Kamanga (a Malawian who has put in time working at the US
Embassy in Lilongwe and Cape Town) embraces dishes from all African cultures,
from countries of the Maghreb in the North to chicken or fish dishes from West
Africa. The beauty of most of them is that he uses local ingredients with creativity
and elegance, like fishes snoek, yellowtail and red roman (Kamanga strives to be
SASSI compliant) – and you’ll never be stuck for finding any of the vegetables
or fruit his fresh, beautiful recipes require, except maybe for plantain. Dishes are
inevitably simple and, in keeping with the times, he also includes one full chapter
on vegetarian options.
58 | CHEF! Issue 19
What
initially looks like a light, unreliable
read turns out to be the opposite:
Something packed with thoughtful
information and very useful. What I
like is the barrage of tips on techniques
and recipes, which seldom extend
beyond a basic level but are thoroughly
researched. Sound boring? It isn’t.
For example, take a simple recipe for
traditional gravy, but which embellished
with 5 ideas for different variations
according to the meat it will be
accompanying, be it pork, chicken,
lamb, venison or sausages and mash.
All on the same page. The chapter on
puddings contains one full page of tips
and variations on meringues. While
it might be aimed at the domestic
cook, for anyone just starting out in
the kitchen it could provide a useful
reference work. Gizzi herself is a Prue
Leith College of Food&Wine (London)
graduate, who has gone on to develop
a career in television and publishing...
more inspiration for new graduates out
there, into avenues open to the trained
chef.
ow to publish your own cook book
h
s
i
l
b
u
p
o
t
How
your own cook book
So you’re toying with the idea of putting together a cook book of your own? Publisher’s Random
House Struik offer a writing course designed to take students from having the idea all the way
signing a contract with a publisher. The course consists of 10 modules, which cover:
negotiation and admin for you, either for a set fee or
for a percentage of your eventual royalties. Whichever
you choose, the process is the same: you need to
introduce yourself and your manuscript in a concise,
well-thought-out query letter, and should include
a synopsis and sample chapters for review. If your
proposal is good enough, the publisher will ask for the
full manuscript.
3. Publisher reviews the manuscript
The publishing house’s editor, who gets the manuscript
either from you or your agent, reviews it and assesses
its publish-ability and sales potential. The editor can
get anything from a few to a few dozen manuscripts
every day, so make sure yours stands out: follow the
submission guidelines, have a concise cover letter and
summary, and make sure your first few pages grab the
reader right away. If the editor wants to publish your
manuscript, you will enter into a contract with the
publishing house.
1. Finish your manuscript
This part is essential, especially for
previously unpublished authors.
Publishers won’t option a theoretical
book – you must have a completed and
corrected manuscript ready. For added
measure, you could hire an editor to
go over your work and make sure it is
presentable. As with all things in life, a
good first impression is vital.
2. Contact agent or publisher
Your manuscript is ready. You now have
two options: if you want to publish
in South Africa, get in touch with the
appropriate publishing houses directly.
If you want to publish in the UK or
US, you will need an agent. A literary
agent is the middleman between you
and the publisher and handles all
4. Editing
The manuscript passes to the publisher, who deals with
the following steps with the assistance of the author.
First, the text is edited, corrected and assessed for
coherency. The author is generally required to approve
all changes.
5. Typesetting and design
Then, the polished manuscript is typeset (put into its
actual book format) and the text, headings and cover
are designed.
6. Printing
The book is ready! It’s just a matter of printing it and
distributing it to the bookshops.
7. Promotion
If your book is going to be formally launched, you will
need to do some promotional activities – book launch
presentations, talks, conventions and other shows.
To find out more about
the Random House
Struik publishing course,
call Karin on 021 685
4775 or email her at
[email protected]
CHEF! Issue 19 | 59
Wine World
Wine
Compiled by Kim Hoepfl
Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show
One of the most credible in the cluster of South
African wine shows, the goal of the Trophy Wine
Show is to identify the best wines in South Africa
in each of the major classes, be it style of wine ,
like a blend, or a varietal, like chardonnay. It also
seeks to identify the best winery overall - this year
Stellenbosch winery Tokara walked away with that
title. In case you’re wondering what to put on your
wine list here are some ideas:
• Best Red Wine: Eagles’ Nest Shiraz 2008
• Best White Wine: Flagstone Word of Mouth
Viognier 2008
• Best Value: Pulpit Rock Reserve Chardonnay
2008
• Best Sparkling Wine: Anura Brut 2008
• Best Cabernet Sauvignon: Stark-Condé
Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
World
New ultra violet light technology to purify wines
The use of ultra violet light energy for the purification of wine during wine making
has recently been legalized. The upshot of this is less chemical intervention,
including the use of sulphur, which is helping clear the way to more organic wine
making methods. For more information on this method, visit www.surepure.co.za
Obikawa Shiraz
(R23) Probably one of the most satisfying cheap and cheerful reds
I have tasted this year and winner of South Africa’s Best Value
Shiraz at Wine Magazine’s 2010 Global Trader Shiraz Challenge.
It possesses a sweetish, medium-bodied smoothness and is great
value at the price. Bottled under screw cap which makes for easy
and effective short term sealing, it would do for high turnover
not-too-serious red wine by the glass.
• Best Shiraz: Eagles’ Nest Shiraz 2008
• Best Wooded Chardonnay: Paul Cluver
Chardonnay 2009
• Best White Blend (Wooded): Tokara Director’s
Reserve White 2008
• Best Bordeaux-style Red Blend: Neil Ellis
Woolworths Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot
Reserve 2007
• Best Riesling: Klein Constantia Rhine Riesling
2009
• Best Chenin Blanc: Rijk’s Chenin Blanc with a
Touch of Oak 2009
• Best Sauvignon Blanc (Unwooded): Cederberg
Sauvignon Blanc 2009
• Best Semillon: KWV The Mentors Semillon
2009
• Best Viognier: Flagstone Word of Mouth
Viognier 2008
• Best Niche White Variety: Feiteiras Verdelho
2009
• Best Pinot Noir: Chamonix Reserve Pinot
Noir 2008
• Best Pinotage: Tokara Pinotage 2007
• Best Malbec: Vrede en Lust Mocholate Malbec
2009
60 | CHEF! Issue 19
Lomond Coneybush Syrah 2007
(R230) This syrah is made from grapes that grow a mere 8km
from Southernmost tip of African (Cape Agulhas) where a cool
climate replaces the lush, ripe sweet fruit of warmer climate
counterparts with freshness and spiciness. An excellent wine:
Mineral, complex and smooth with lovely flashes of white
pepper. It will compliment dishes such as poultry, grilled meats
and charcuterie (Platter gave this wine 4 Stars and it recently won
Gold against French counterparts at the 2010 Syrah du Monde.)
Eagles’ Nest Shiraz 2008
(R190) A powerhouse of a wine that comes alive in the mouth,
superbly balanced, savoury and fresh with characteristic white
pepper flavours. This wine is almost too lovely to add any
additional flavours to, so try drinking it on its own first. Then
knock it back with slow roasted lamb shanks.
Spirits
Gentle
By Kim Hoepfl
South African Brandy
Les Follies de Napoleon
Foundation starts PotstillForum
Serves 1
• 25ml Grey Goose vodka
• 10ml single cream
• 5ml sugar syrup
• 6 fresh raspberries
• grated white chocolate
• ice cubes
Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini cocktail glass and serve.
Foam
• 125ml raspberry liqueur
• 25ml chocolate liqueur
• 4 grams gelatine
• 50ml low calcium mineral water
Hand mix all ingredients until combined and pour into a cream
siphon. Garnish glass with grated chocolate or pink sugar crystals
around the rim and top with the raspberry and chocolate foam.
The South African Brandy Foundation has created a potstill
forum, open to all brandy producers, where they can meet,
debate and discuss all matters pertaining to the production of
brandy. The meetings will be held every six months and among
conversational issues will be brandy quality as well as local
and international brandy and spirits trends. The forum will be
convened by Dave Hughes, brandy guild member and expert
in the spirits industry. The Potstill Forum is aimed at creating
greater awareness and understanding of factors influencing
brandy quality and styles, global brandy styles and products
relating to South African brandy. For more information call the
SA Brandy Foundation on 021 809-7617 or
email [email protected]
Twilight Chocolate
Serves 1
• 25ml Grey Goose vodka
• 15ml cherry liqueur
• 4 strawberries
• 1 squeeze of fresh lime juice
• 10ml sugar syrup
• ice cubes
• liquid dark chocolate, to serve
Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and muddle. Add
a few ice cubes and shake, then strain into a chilled martini
cocktail glass. Garnish with a chocolate oyster (dark liquid
chocolate), served on a tea spoon.
We’re the best in the world, again
A South African brandy, Laborie Alambic Brandy, has again been voted ‘Best Brandy in the
World’. The accolade was awarded at the 2010 International Wine & Spirits Competition
(IWSC) held in London and marks the fourth consecutive year a South African brandy
triumphs. The winning brandy is a 5 year old estate brandy made in limited quantities from
mainly chardonnay grapes grown on Laborie, the KWV’s Paarl wine estate, and was distilled
by master distiller Kobus Gelderblom. To the chardonnay he added a touch of pinotage
for its peach and apricot aromas, matured the lot in old oak red wine barrels and finished
the blend with a splash 10-year-old brandy to add complexity. The IWSC is regarded as an
international benchmark test of technical excellence and stylistic quality of the world’s finest
wines and spirits.
CHEF! Issue 19 | 61
Who, where nd what
pirley
on Tem ury
R
d
n
a
lsb
ser
rom Pil
uan Vis
with J Leathwhite f
m
a
h
g
n Billin s, with Craig
Stephe
& Guild
it
of C y
Kim Hoep
fl of Chef
! Magazin
e, Nic
Martie Hat
tingh from olette Curtiss and
Pillsbury
Anna Etter, Michelle fro
m MLK Consulting and
Braydon
Etter from Wizbake
Professional, Stephen
Barend Minnaar from Nestlé
from Southern Sun
Billingham, David van Staden
Ntokozo Dlamin
i and Macdonald
Satikge from th
Southern Sun Ce
e
ntre for Culinar
y Excellence
1 Year Course
Who, where
and what
Kgomotso Rasepae, winner of the Pillsbury Bake-Off
Junior Finals, with a friend from HTA School of
Culinary Arts
SACA’s been busy with an assortment of events,
and the highlights of these include the Southern
Sun Centre for Culinary Excellence one year
anniversary and the Pillsbury® Bake-Off™ Final.
: Suhayl Hamid from UJ’s School of Tourism and
Hospitality, with Mrs Hamid
Pillsbury Bake-Off Finals
Mariette Smit an
d Chani Mare fr
Shaun Smith and Greg
om Dough Cater
Poulos from Rich’s, Dir
k Maritz
from Southern Sun
62 | CHEF! Issue 19
ing
Anthony Mulder from Vulcan Catering Equipment,
from
Hillman Hunkin from Caterplus, Manfred Muellers
UJ’s School of Tourism and Hospitality
I make no apologies whatsoever, I'm definitely a sniffer. It drives my wife
mad but every time I'm confronted with a piece of food my first reaction is
to sniff it before putting it into my mouth. Now to me that makes perfect
sense, it's what your nose is there for after all. Since time immemorial man
has been sniffing his food supply and picking up clues about its suitability
for consumption. "If it smells good, eat it", has always been our motto.
Of course this is much too simple a concept for scientists and so when
it comes to sniffing they have divided us up into culinary neophobics
and neophilics. Neophobics are shallow sniffers who are afraid of new
culinary experiences and have no intention of consuming a new piece of
food. They simply sniff half-heartedly and then wrinkle their noses have
disdain. They take no delight in enjoying the different or unusual. They
are in fact flavour challenged individuals who suffer anxiety when trying
out new foods. The truth is they’re not the sort of people you want to be
catering for or eating with. Culinary neophilics on the other hand sniff
enthusiastically and accept unfamiliar and novel foods with gusto and
although not yet scientifically proven, I’m sure they enjoy a few glasses of
the red stuff with their food, my kind of people!
By Brian McCune
The men in white coats with clipboards have conducted experiments
whereby they fitted out volunteers with a ‘sniffometer’ to measure the
depth of their nasal inhalings and then exposed them to a variety of food
smells from canned asparagus to fresh mangoes. Neophobics or those
deeming themselves hesitant to try new things, found the smell of strange
foods less pleasant and tended to sniff with less vigour than their neophilic
or more culinary adventurous counterparts. Of course it makes sense not
to eat just anything but the ability to embrace new things is the key to
gaining knowledge and if left to their own devices neophobics, especially
children, can limit dietary variety and miss out on essential nutrients.
So get sniffing and if you've got any youngsters around you, encourage
them to start sniffing too and foster their curiosity in food. Once you're
sniffing with vigour you're halfway to tasting and trying out the new and
unfamiliar foods. Get a T-shirt printed "Down with neophobia - I'm
proud to be an alcoholic neophilic" and wear it with pride but please
remember if I ever invite you round for Sunday lunch to leave your
sniffometer at home - I don't think the missus could handle half a dozen
sniffers around the lunch table at one time.
Culinary musings from Cape Town by Brian McCune.
His blog can be accessed daily at
www.kitschnzinc.blogspot.com
CHEF! Issue 19 | 63
the last word
sniffer?
Are you a
64 | CHEF! Issue 19