Monthly Archives: November 2017

Octopus On a Blue Plate #From The Pass

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Octopus on blue plate

Octopus with a spek-boom salsa

Dion’s description of his run next to the ocean brought this blue plate to life, with foam that occurs when the waves hit the side of the rocks and the aroma that lifts from the seaweed smashing on the rocks. “I pictured the octopus shying away in between those rocks and the tentacles just peeping out, I could taste the saltiness from the ocean water, which inspired the speckboom salsa verde, giving homage to the octopus and putting it back into its natural environment”

Wellington

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Wellington B

We are keeping the wellington on the menu for this season. What makes our wellington different?
Well a couple of years ago we wanted to not only show the prime cut as the hero, but also showcase the secondary, at the time we making a sirloin en croute, using sirloin and wrapping it in all the trimmings, but what made it special was the pulled braised tail and short-rib that we worked in around the sirloin. It gave the whole dish more depth and more savouriness. So we continued to di this with our wellington, half is done with mushroom duxelle and the other half with braise. In addition we wanted to use black forest ham instead of bacon. This allowed the less moisture being released and the wellington backing a lot dryer.
We still serve it with all the trimmings including our famous béarnaise sauce.

Restaurant Week, 5 YEAR Anniversary 2017 Winners edition.

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Restaurant Week, 5 YEAR Anniversary 2017 Winners edition Extension. From 23 November to 3 December. Based on the votes from the public on the quality of the menu/value for money, the service and ambience during this culinary event. The top 10 Winners are taking part in this extension of restaurant week, giving dinners an opportunity to visit their favourite spots again. So we are in great company with Greenhouse, Ben Wei, Myoga, Dash, Lou Lou’s, Reuben’s, The Stack, The 41 and Spice on Main.

Reservations start on 11 November

Menu will remain the same with Starters, Beef carpaccio with twist, we have added some extra beefy bits with crispy fried beef tendons and pulled oxtail fried in a pokora batter served with a spiced chick pea puree.
For the main course we are serving a poached sea bass with coal cooked potatoes and a mussel velouté, with seaweed and grilled tender stem broccoli.
and to finish we have combined a couple of interesting flavours with popcorn, miso, Tonka beans and sencha tea

R400 per person, for more information go online at http://www.restaurantweek.co.za

We have been plated! JHP Gourmet Guide 2018.

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Jhp

Gourmet Guide

“It is the ingredient that creates possibilities for innovation” Rudi Liebenberg

In the first addition of the guide we were fortunate to be featured, this year the JHP Gourmet Guide featured 90 restaurants, with the top 21 Restaurants receiving a plate rating. I am humbled and honoured that we received a one plate rating for excellent cuisine. Congratulations to my Chefs Table Team for a job well done.

Other restaurants we share the One plate rating with for excellent cuisine, Aubergine, Camphors at Vergelegen, Chefs Warehouse & Canteen, Hartford House, Luke Dale-Roberts X Saxon, Marble, Myoga, Nobu, Terroir and The Roundhouse Restaurant.

Two plates, for exceptional dining that demands a detour, was awarded to Chef’s Warehouse at Beau Constantia, dw eleven-13, Foliage, Greenhouse, Indochine, The Pot Luck Club and The Restaurant at Waterkloof.

Three plates – awarded for world-class destination dining worthy of a flight, was awarded to three restaurants that were plated in 2016/17:

La Colombe, Restaurant Mosaic and the The Test Kitchen.

Gnudi.

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Malfati

Spinach Ricotta Gnudi

This dumpling either Malfatti or called Gnudi…. essentially gnocchi, because of the rough look called Malfatti in Siena or Gnudi as it is called in Florence translating to naked basically without an outer dough like ravioli. We like serving it with a tomato sauce or a burnt sage butter with hazel nuts and more parmesan. In this recipe we have a lot more parmesan than in some, but then that is how we like it, cheesy. With a lot of the older recipes the egg is omitted as it is rested for longer in semolina before cooking forming a barrier. Use some of the liquid when finishing in the butter, gives some body to the sauce.
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Ingredients
  

  • 200 g Ricotta Cheese
  • 200 g Parmesan Cheese grated
  • 180 g spinach sliced chiffonade or chopped very finely and cooked (steam or boil and drain well)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 eggs yolk
  • 1 Tbsp 15 ml fresh sage, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp 15 ml fresh parsley, chopped
  • 60 g flour
  • salt
  • white pepper
  • roughly ½ C 125 ml semolina
  • Sage Beurre Noisette
  • 100-120 g butter
  • 12-16 sage leaves
  • 50-80 g macadamia nuts coarsely crushed and toasted
  • Parmesan shaved or grated as needed

Instructions
 

  • Gnudi (best made a day ahead)
  • Combine the Ricotta, Parmesan, spinach, eggs and egg yolk and chopped herbs. Fold in the flour and combine, add more flour if the mixture is too sticky (must be able to roll into balls). Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
  • Line a dish that you can seal to refrigerate with a thin layer of a semolina. Portion the gnudi mixture and roll into equal sized balls. Roll the gnudi in extra semolina making sure each is coated. Place the gnudi into the dish with the layer of semolina, don’t let the gnudi touch each other or the sides of the container as they may stick. Refrigerate.
  • Repeat this step every 2-3 hours. Do this about six times. Remove from the semolina.
  • Sage Beurre Noisette
  • Method
  • Place the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat, allow to bubble and froth. Do not burn, it should become nutty as the butter browns. Add the sage leaves and allow to cook and crisp up..
  • To cook the gnudi, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Place the gnudi into the water until they rise to the surface and float (±2-3 minutes).
  • Remove from the water and gently coat in sage beurre noisette and top with crushed macadamia nuts. Serve with shaved or grated Parmesan.