You Are Viewing Brunches and lunches

Babotie and apple pie gets bad press because of the sultanas and raisins. What is it with men and those teeny little innocuous shrivelled grapes that makes them shudder? Like a truffle hog, men will sniff them out regardless of how many ingredients you throw in along with them.

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Mother’s day printable card from the gorgeous  http://www.pumpkinsandposies.com/. Go to free printables.

My suggested  Mother’s Day lunch for you is a simple soup (but one of my favourites), an unpretentious but unbelievably flavourful baked chicken dish and an easy (make-the-day-before)  sweet and luscious Lemon Posset (like the velvet middle of a lemon meringue). The Posset and the soup are featured on my blog and the chicken is from an old course but still a favourite according to the COOK clan..Actually it’s just what I feel like for lunch!

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YUM YUM YUM! This salad is just delicious!

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There are two reasons why I don’t eat corn fritters as often as I would like to: Because they are fried and they have to be served immediately.

So oil aside, this is why, in my opinion, food establishments should refrain from adding fritters to their menu unless they are prepared to cook them on order.

There is nothing worse than a sloppy fritter-especially one that has been re-heated in the microwave.

If you need to prepare these in advance, then try not to serve them with a salsa and crispy rocket. Salsa type toppings, with onions, should be paired with a fresh crispy fritter only.

Pre-made sloppy fritters, I discovered, can be  instantly lifted by a smothering of crème fraîche and some sweet onion marmalade or tomato jam.

So if the fat content was not an issue, I would happily consume these all day long.

Pair the fritters with a halloumi and roasted peppers salad. See recipes…
Corn fritters
3 Mealies *
½ cup self raising flour
½ cup milk
½ cup grated parmesan *
A handful of chopped coriander
2 eggs
1 tsp salt and ½ tsp course black pepper
Oil to fry

1. Sift flour into a bowl, add parmesan, combine the milk and egg and add to the flour.
2. Remove the corn from the cob and add to the mixture
3. Heat a pan and add the oil and then add dollops of the batter and fry on each side
4. Serve with crème fraîche and a dollop of onion marmalade, or sweet tomato jam or an avocado salsa made with chopped onions, pickled peppers, coriander, avocado and squeeze of sweet chilli sauce.
5. Smoked Salmon, cream cheese and Woolies spicy guacamole makes a great topping.

COOK’S Notes
Use Woolies mealies, they are sweeter and juicy than other varieties and require no cooking, otherwise substitute with a can of corn (not sweetcorn)

The parmesan cheese I used is Cremona, from the cheese factory in Carrera shopping centre. If you are grating your own parmesan then do not add the milk-wait till everything is combined and add milk if necessary. Grating your own parmesan makes a light and airy serving of cheese which needs less moisture.

Fresh fig salad

I have been working on my Italian. By this I’m referring, of course, to food. I had a rather short-lived adventure into the language and made a decision to keep my upcoming menu in English only!

Figs are abundant. This very Mediterranean delicacy is catching on in South Africa and I am delighted to find that the availability increases every year.

So the Italian word for fig is FIGA, or so I thought. It’s actually FICA derived from Figa and while Figa sounds exotic and strong (Feeeega!), I found out soon enough that it’s it is also very offensive.

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 The classic Tarte Tatin is an upside down caramelised apple tart which was accidentally created by Stéphanie Tatin, who served the “mistake” to her guests at her hotel and a signature dish was born!
This recipe combines 2 popular variations of the classic: Firstly, it uses savoury tomatoes and secondly it is made into bite size canapés instead of a whole tart.

The basic recipe requires nothing but a sprig of fresh thyme and can be served as a canapé, alongside a roast chicken for dinner or instead of a salad for a braai (just use a bigger muffin pan)
Here, I have transformed these little gems once again with the addition of parmesan cheese and Kloovenberg olive jam. They are absurdly easy to make and can also be topped with some torn buffalo mozzarella or crumbled feta cheese.

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There is nothing worse than a sloppy fritter-especially one that has been re-heated in the microwave, and this is why I avoid ordering corn fritters from most establishments.

If you need to prepare these in advance, then try not to serve them with a salsa and crispy rocket. In my opinion, salsa type toppings, with onions, should be paired with a fresh crispy fritter only.

Pre-made sloppy fritters, I discovered, can be instantly lifted by a smothering of crème fraîche and some sweet onion marmalade or tomato jam.

(more…)