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february 2004
Valentine's Day Brunch.Fresh Asparagus with Cheese Sauce
Grilled Mushroom and Tomato Kebabs
Bacon and Perfect Fried Eggs
Wholewheat Toast with Fresh Butter, Marmalade and Strawberry Jam
Coffee with Homemade Almond Biscotti
Sparkling Tropical Refresher
Serves 4
Buy a good quality organic mango juice or buzz two ripe mangoes in a blender.
1 cup (250 ml) thick mango juice or pulp of two mango's
pulp of 3 fresh granadillas
1 cup (250 ml) chilled sparkling white wine or mineral water
Mix the mango juice and granadilla pulp with the sparkling wine or water in a jug, add a few ice blocks and curls of lemon or lime peel.
Serve in chunky glasses.
Cook's Tip : If the mango is not fully ripened, a little sugar can be added to the juice.
Fresh Asparagus with Cheese Sauce
Serves 2
Cook this ultimate breakfast as a team – then it is easy to have everything ready at the same time !
1 x 200 ml Ina Paarman’s Cheese Sauce
1 small punnet asparagus, well washed
2 T (30 ml) water
2 t (10 ml) olive oil
Ina Paarman’s Lemon & Black Pepper Seasoning
Snip the corner of the packet of cheese sauce and stand it in a jug of boiling water to warm up gently. Microwave the asparagus with the water in a covered container for 2½ minutes on high. Toss with olive oil and season. Serve coated with warmed cheese sauce
Grilled Mushrooms andTomato Kebabs
Serves 2 Kebabs per person
A quick and stylish alternative to slicing is threading the mushrooms and tomatoes onto kebab sticks. This method also makes turning during cooking simpler.
12 cherry or rosa tomatoes
8 portabellini mushrooms
olive oil (if grilling)
Ina Paarman’s Garlic Pepper Seasoning
Alternate the tomatoes and mushrooms on four kebab sticks. Brush lightly with olive oil if grilling and sprinkle with seasoning. Either grill or pan-fry according to your preference.
Bacon and Perfect Fried Eggs
Serves 2
BACON
6 rashers of smoked rindless streaky or back bacon
Flatten and stretch the bacon slices by running the back of a cooks knife over the rashers, putting a little pressure on the blade. This prevents excessive shrinkage during cooking. Grill or pan-fry the bacon, once again depending on the most convenient method for you.
PERFECT FRIED EGGS
Use fresh eggs – they are less inclined to be watery and to spread out in the pan. Use 1-2 eggs per person. There is no taste difference between brown and white eggs but free range eggs do have more flavour. Quails eggs look pretty and are fun to cook – but once again make sure they are fresh. Add 1-2 T olive oil or butter to a solid heavy frypan. Warm the oil and tilt the pan to coat the base.
Remove the pan from the heat and break the eggs into the pan.
Cook the eggs over moderate heat until the whites begin to set. Add 2 T of water to the pan and cover the pan (I often just use a newspaper folded in half, no lids to wash!) – the steam from the water will cook the slimy white over the yolk – therefore you don’t ever need to turn the eggs. Cook until the yolk is set to your liking. Season eggs – our Lemon and Black Pepper Seasoning is a very good choice!
Cook's Tip : For a perfect presentation, make use of egg rings. (Egg rings are stainless steel rings which are placed in the frying pan before cooking. Breaking the eggs into the rings prevents the whites from spreading - once cooked, lift the rings and a perfectly round fried egg is shaped. Egg rings are available from most home or camping stores.)
Homemade Almond Biscotti
Makes 24 large or 36
The classic Italian flavours of this biscotti will always find favour. They keep in an airtight container for up to a month.
2¼ cups (270 g) cake flour
1 t (5 ml) baking powder
¼ t (1 ml) salt
4 T (45 ml) butter
1 cup (200 g) sugar
2 large eggs
½ t (2,5 ml) vanilla essence
¼ t (1 ml) almond essence
1 cup (100 g) whole almonds with skins; toasted in a dry pan, cooled, and chopped coarse
2 T (30 ml) grated rind from 1 orange
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Beat butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla and almond essence. Stir in almonds and grated orange rind with a spatula. Sift dry ingredients over egg mixture, then fold in with a spatula until dough is just mixed.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 180°C. Halve dough and roll each half, using well-floured hands, into a rough 30cm x 5cm roll for bigger biscotti. For daintier ones, make the rolls longer and thinner. Place them about 8cm apart on a baking paper lined baking tray. Pat each dough shape to flatten it a little and to smooth it.
Bake, turning pan once, until rolls are golden and just beginning to crack on top, about 35 minutes.
Cool the rolls for 10 minutes, lower oven temperature to 160°C. Slice each roll diagonally into 2cm slices with an electric or serrated knife. Lay the slices about 1cm apart on a cooling rack placed over the baking tray and return them to the oven. Bake until crisp and golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely. Biscotti can be stored in an airtight container for 1 month.
DUNK THE BISCOTTI
It is traditional to briefly dunk biscotti into coffee or a sweet wine like sherry or masala. This way it soaks up a little moisture but remains crisp inside.