Olive Bruchetta with Tomato and Basil
Serves 6-8BRUCHETTA
1 French-style loaf, cut into slices ± 1 cm thick
canola or olive oil
Ina Paarman's Reduced Salt Garlic & Herb Seasoning
Brush the one side of the bread lightly with oil and then sprinkle lightly with Garlic & Herb Seasoning. Bake at 200°C for ± 10 minutes until golden. Serve straight away - or leave to cool down completely and then store in an airtight container.
TOPPING
1 x 125 g Ina Paarman's Olive Pesto
1 x 200 g punnet very ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
½ t (2,5 ml) sugar
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning
¼ punnet fresh basil leaves
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
Spread the bruchetta with the Pesto. Be quite generous. Halve the tomatoes and toss them with the sugar and Green Onion Seasoning. Top the bruchetta with fresh whole basil leaves and tomatoes. Drizzle each slice with a little olive oil and add a good grinding of black pepper.
Peppered Salmon on the Braai
Serves 4I know Norwegian Salmon costs an arm and a leg, but it is so good on the braai and such a healthy choice. See suggestions for alternatives below.
400-500 g side of Norwegian Salmon, skin on
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Garlic Pepper Seasoning
olive oil
Place the salmon on a longish plate. Season it generously with Garlic Pepper Seasoning on the meaty side only. Drizzle olive oil over and spread the oil lightly over the fish with your fingers. Leave for 20 minutes at room temperature.
Place salmon on a medium fire with the meaty side down and the skin side up. Cook until nicely browned.
Carefully flip the fish over using two egg lifters and cook on the skin side - you may get flare-ups as there is a lot of oil in, and just under, the skin. Do not overcook. The flesh must just start to flake when you test it with a fork.
Serve straight away.
VARIATIONS:
Also delicious when basted on the braai with our Lemon Marinade. In the unlikely event of leftovers, outstanding with pasta the next day. Instead of Norwegian Salmon use Cape Salmon, Yellowtail or Salmon Trout.
Lemon Chicken Wings
Serves 4 (allow 3 wings per person)These wings find favour with everyone. The big secret is to microwave them first (drizzled with a little marinade) and then to baste them often with fresh marinade while braaing gently.
12 fresh chicken wings
Ina Paarman's Braai & Grill Seasoning
Ina Paarman's Lemon Marinade
Place the wings in a round shallow pie dish that fits into your microwave. Season them on both sides with Braai & Grill Seasoning.
Drizzle with Lemon Marinade. (You need about ¾ cup).
Microwave on 50% power for 15 minutes. Leave to rest for 5-10 minutes (can be prepared in advance).
Braai over a slow fire while turning and basting regularly with fresh Lemon Marinade. This builds up layers of flavour. Dab the marinade on with a brush and don't be skimpy. Also delicious cold the next day.
Tomato Halves with Basil Pesto and Parmesan Crisps
Serves 4-6Tomatoes are such delicious braai vegetables and the crispy Parmesan wafers give texture contrast. Braai the tomatoes on the skin side only.
¾ cup (187 ml) finely grated Parmesan
2-3 very ripe large tomatoes
1 t (5 ml) sugar
Ina Paarman's Seasoned Sea Salt
Ina Paarman's Basil Pesto
TO MAKE THE PARMESAN CRISPS:
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Place heaped teaspoons of the grated cheese well spaced onto the paper.
Bake for ± 10 minutes until the cheese is golden brown. Remove and leave to cool. Store, on the paper, in an airtight container if preparing in advance.
Halve the tomatoes through the waist, season lightly with sugar and Seasoned Sea Salt. Cook on the braai, skin side down, until beginning to soften. Spread cut sides with Basil Pesto and top with Parmesan Crisps for serving.
Potato Salad with a Creamy Mustard Sauce
Serves 4This combination is a classic one and it is a perfect match for the Peppered Salmon and the Lemon Chicken Wings.
6 medium/large potatoes
2 eggs
Ina Paarman's Potato Spice
Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning
1 x 200 ml Ready to Serve Mustard Sauce
½ cup (125 ml) fat reduced cream or Greek yoghurt
2 T (30 ml) finely sliced chives
Cook the potatoes in their skins until just done. Strain off all the water and cover with a cloth, folded double, to absorb the steam and dry the potatoes. Leave until cool.
In the meantime gently boil the eggs for nine minutes. Pour off the boiling water and cover the eggs with cold tap water. Crack the shells and leave them to sit in the water until cool enough to peel easily.
Peel the potatoes and slice. Season with Potato Spice. Peel the eggs, keep the yolks on one side and chop the whites. Season the whites very lightly with Green Onion Seasoning.
Mix the Mustard Sauce with the cream and gently toss with the sliced potatoes and egg whites. Top the salad with chives and yolks rubbed through a sieve. This salad can stand, out of the fridge for about 3-4 hours without spoiling.
VALENTINES DECORATION:
Garnish the salad with a heart of egg yolk. Make a heart cut-out on a piece of paper, place over the salad and sprinkle the sifted yolk into the heart shape.
Herb Salad with Camembert
Serves 4This salad is also an excellent starter. It is really good dressed with our French Vinaigrette - the light mustard flavour of the dressing enhances both the cheese and the herbs.
1 punnet rocket or watercress
1 punnet basil, pick off the leaves
1 x 100 g camembert cheese
Ina Paarman's French Vinaigrette
Toss the rocket and basil leaves together. Top with slices of camembert. Dress and serve.
VARIATION
Also excellent with our Tuscan Vinaigrette.
Three Tier Chocolate Ice Cream Cake
Serves 6-8This cake is a real show stopper. You need 3 round containers of various sizes to freeze the cakes in. Best to freeze a day or two in advance.
Line the bases of 3 round containers with a double layer of baking paper.
Base layer 20 cm
Middle layer 12 cm
Top layer 9 cm
1 cup (250 ml) cold tap water
1 x 310 g Ina Paarman's Chocolate Mousse Mix
3 cups (750 ml) fresh whipping cream
Measure the water into a medium sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle the Chocolate Mousse Mix over the water and beat until well blended. Cover with clingfilm and leave in the fridge for 10 minutes. In a smaller mixing bowl, whip the cream until soft peak stage. Remove the mousse mixture from the fridge, and using the same beaters, whip the mousse again for 1 minute until smooth. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mousse mixture using a spatula or metal spoon and stir until evenly blended.
Spoon the mousse mixture into the containers, cover with clingfilm and freeze overnight or longer.
TO DECORATE:
You will need:
3 cardboard circles cut marginally smaller than the containers in which the ice-cream was frozen
light foil
8 sosatie sticks
malted chocolate balls
3 red or cerise coloured roses
TO ASSEMBLE:
Cover 3 circles of firm cardboard neatly with foil. Turn the cakes out on the foil covered boards. Trim 4 of the sosatie sticks to ½ cm higher than the base layer. Roughly mark the cake into 4. Push the sharp ends of the trimmed sosatie sticks into the cake 4cm away from the centre.
Repeat this with the middle layer but push the sticks in 2cm from the centre. Refreeze.
TO SERVE:
Position the middle layer on the sosatie 'stilts' of the bottom layer and then finally place the top layer in position. Decorate the cake with chocolate balls or hearts. Top with one perfect rose and scatter petals over the cake.
Wine suggestion:
The following wines have been paired with each course to best compliment :
Starter:
Perfectly complimented by Van Loveren Sauvignon Blanc
"A refreshing summer Sauvignon blanc, the wine has a fragrant tropical nose with attractive gooseberry and green fig
character."
Bussell Retief, winemaker
Main Course:
Perfectly complimented by Wolverine Creek Chardonnay
"A full-bodied, perfectly balanced showcase Chardonnay. The wine was matured in new French oak barrels and has intense citrus flavours followed by hints of hazelnut."
Bussell Retief, winemaker
Dessert:
Perfectly complimented by Papillon Vin Doux Sparkling Wine
"This sweet aromatic sparkling wine has an abundance of stone fruit flavours and goes beautifully with desserts."
Bussell Retief, winemaker