16

ARTS

Weekend Witness

January 31, 2015

January
andnewbeginnings
Createbalanceinyourlifeandkeepit
MYNewYearsresolutionisto
createbalanceinmylifeand
keep it.
Opening Jackie Cameron
School of Food & Wine has
meant long hours and a lot of
pressure.
I thought a chefs life was
hectic;openingabusinesstakes
demandingtoanotherlevel.Im
workingearlierinthemornings
andlateratnight,andalthough
I have managed an hour a day
in the gym, there are other
aspects of my life that require
attention.
Iwasnudgedintothephysical
phasewhenacaringsomeone
left a gym contract in my
Christmas stocking.
Another positive pointer to
wardsmyresolvewaschefElaine
Boshoff my righthand per
son; and sometimes my left
handtoounexpectedly,andto
my relief, joining the team.
Quiteoutoftheblueshehas

Jackie Cameron
becomeafitnessfreakandIm
determinedthatshewontshow
me up, so to the gym it is.
While training, Elaine is in
chargebecausehersister,Yvette
Trollop a personal trainer in
Durban, designed our pro
gramme,soitsacaseofmysay
ing,YesChef,inthegymbe
cause I know my limitations.
IfElaineisanythingtogoby,
her sister must be pretty
determinedtogettopresultsfor
her clients. I believe you cant
out exercise a bad diet so this
monthsrecipesrelatetohealth
and fitness.
Iknowyoullenjoythesuper
fresh asparagusavocadoand
pomegranate ruby salad with

thick dollops of cream cheese.

OverthisIsuggestyoudrizzle
a simple lemon vinaigrette.
Asparagus, avocado and
pomegranates help alleviate
anxiety so, during stressful
times you now know what to
serve for dinner.
The sheer beauty of these
ingredientspromisestoinduce
a relaxed ambience.
Itwilltakesomeseriouschoc
olatetart recipe to surpass my
chocolatetartwithraisins,and
remembertheresnoreasonto
changearecipeunlessyoucan
add,considerably,totheflavour.
Thosewithhighbloodpres
surewillbepleasedtoknowthat
darkchocolateaswellasraisins

help reduce this condition.

Ginger,freshmintandlemon
maketheperfect,refreshingiced
teaonahotsummersday.Add
afewfreshberryiceblocksfor
asplashofcolour.Icantresist
addingthesesameiceblocksto
my gin and tonic.
Ginger, mint, lemon and
berries help reduce nausea so
this recipe is dedicated to my
manyfriendswhoarepregnant
right now.
If you are having a problem

sleeping then bananas should

formpartofyourdessertoption.
Givemeawholebananaanyday
butamushybananaisanogo
forme.I,however,enjoybanana
whitechocolate ganache.
Inthepast,ImadetinySmart
iesizedbiteswhichwecovered
inhandtemperedchocolateand
servedtoaccompanyadessert.
For home consumption I sug
gest eating it by the spoonful.
Thelongholidaybreakmight
bemakingitdifficultforyouto

VISIT www.jackiecameron.co.za to find out more about

my womens chef range mens to come shortly; Jackie
Cameron Cooks at Home and all my foodie adventures.
I always look forward to hearing from you. Email
jackie@jackiecameron.co.za for information on Jackie
Cameron School of Food & Wine in Hilton.
For the latest on local foodie news, add me as a friend
on Facebook, or find me on Twitter @jackie_cameron and
Instagram jackiecameronincolour
Food styling and recipe development: Elaine Boshoff.

get back into your everyday

routine. A blueberry, coconut
milk and walnut smoothie
promises to revitalise you and
helprestorethefocusyouneed
for a day in the office.
My
almondandpotato
dauphinoise (fancy name for a
creambased potato bake) is a
firmfavouriteandIwishallchefs
would put as much love into
cookingasElainedidwhenshe
madethisforourrecipetestand
photo shoot.
Hands down its the best
dauphinoiseIhaveevereaten.It
hastheperfectbalanceofcrunch
to creaminess.
ElaineandIhavealoveaffair
withpotatoes,whichmeanswe
could never go on the Banting
diet.Potatoesandalmondshelp
relieve headaches so I know
whatIlldowhennextIfeelone
of those coming on.
Here is to a happy, healthy
2015.

AVOCADO AND
ASPARAGUS
SALAD
(serves: 2 4)

ICE TEA WITH FRESH GINGER, LEMON, MINT

AND BERRY ICE BLOCKS
(serves 4)
8 raspberries, cut in half
4 strawberries, cut in quarters
Water
In a 16block ice tray place a piece of each cut
fruit into the blocks, fill up with water and place
in the freezer overnight.
6 Five Roses tea bags
1,5l boiling water
1 (120g) fresh lemon, cut in slices
50g fresh ginger, skin removed and cut into slices
30g fresh mint
Mix all the above ingredients together in a big
jug and leave in the fridge overnight.
The next day remove the tea bags and ginger
pieces.
Add fresh mint and the berry ice blocks.
Serve with extra berries on the side.

Assortment of let
tuce, fresh herbs
and flowers
200g fresh aspara
gus, blanched
1 avocado, sliced
75g pomegranate
rubies
125g cream cheese
30ml freshly
squeezed lemon
juice
125ml olive oil
ORYX salt
Freshly ground
black pepper
On a serving dish
arrange the green
leaves with the as
paragus, avocado
and pomegranate
rubies on top. Place
blobs/spoonfuls of
cream cheese in
between and on
top.
Whisk the lemon
juice and olive oil
together. Season
with the ORYX salt
and freshly ground
black pepper.

January 31, 2015

CHOCOLATE TART
WITH RAISINS
(makes one large, 30cm tart
or two smaller ones)

Weekend Witness

ARTS

17

brush them with the egg yolk,

place them back in the oven
to bake a further five to 10
minutes. This prevents the
bases from going soggy.

Sweet pastry
250g salted butter
125g white sugar
1 whole egg
470g cake flour
5ml baking powder
1 egg yolk, lightly whisked

Chocolate and Raisin Filling

450g salted butter
675g dark Belgian chocolate
250g raisins
675g caster sugar
10 whole eggs

Whisk the butter, sugar and

whole egg together.
Add the flour and baking
powder and bring the pastry
together by kneading it slightly.
Using your hands, thinly line
the tart cases with the pastry.
You wont use the whole
amount of pastry and can
freeze the extra.
Using a fork, dock or prick
the base and sides of the tart
cases. Place the tart cases in
the fridge to rest for at least
30minutes.
Bake blind, in a preheated
oven of 150C for 30 minutes.
Then remove the tart cases
from the oven, then lightly

Melt the butter and choco

late together, remove from the
heat, add the raisins and allow
to slightly cool.
Beat the sugar and eggs to
gether until thick, about 5min
utes.
Fold the cooled chocolate/rai
sin mixture into the egg mix
ture, stirring well to combine.
Pour the mixture into the
tart cases and bake at a
150C for about 50 to 60
minutes or until starting to
firm up
Allow to cool completely and
serve.
Serve with fresh pouring
cream.

PHOTOS: KAREN EDWARDS/KAREN E PHOTOGRAPHY

POTATO AND ALMOND BAKE

(serves 4 6)
250ml sour cream
500ml cream
15g fresh garlic, grated
Fine ORYX salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 (1,2kg) potatoes
100g almonds, roughly chopped and roasted
100g parmesan cheese, grated
In a large bowl mix the sour cream, cream and gar
lic together. Season this well with the salt and pep
per.
Peel the potatoes. Then peel slices of potato so as
to cut really thin pieces and place them in the cream
mixture straight away.
In your baking dish place layers of the potatoes
with the almonds in between. So potato, cream and
almonds all layered up and nicely compact. If there is
any cream mixture left over keep this to the side.
While cooking keep adding more of this creamliquid
so making it even more creamier.
Place in a preheated oven of 160C for about two
to three hours, until the potatoes are really soft. Test
it by sticking a sharp knife into the potato bake you
shouldnt feel layers of potato.
In the last 20 minutes, sprinkle the cheese over the
top, place back into the oven to get crispy and gold
en on top. Place some greaseproof paper or tin foil
over this once cooked, top with another dish and
place a weight on top to ensure even compression
for later heating and serving.

BANANA SMARTIES
300g white Belgian chocolate, or the best quality money can afford
75ml cream
30ml banana liqueur
250g white or dark chocolate for covering the smarties
Over a double boiler melt the chocolate.
In a small saucepan heat the cream and banana liqueur.
Combine the chocolate, cream and banana liqueur.
Line a small flat tray, pour in the melted chocolate mixture, place
into the fridge to set overnight.
Cut the set banana chocolate ganache into small little blocks, then
roll these into ball shapes using your hands, place these back into
the fridge to slightly firm up again.
Melt the chocolate you wanting to use, using two forks dip the lit
tle smartie balls into the melted chocolate, covering all over, remove
from the melted chocolate and place onto greaseproof paper. When
the chocolate has set you can roll these in cocoa powder or icing
sugar for extra flavour.
You are welcome to contact us if you want to learn how to cover
the smarties by properly handtempering methods.

BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE
(serves 4)
125ml instant oats
250ml plain yogurt
1 whole banana
250ml fresh blueberries (use frozen if not in season)
30ml maple syrup
1 tin (400ml) coconut milk
50g walnuts
Method
Combine the oats and yogurt, cling wrap tightly and leave in the
fridge to soak overnight.
When ready to serve the smoothie, place all the above ingredients in
to a blender. Blend until you have a smooth drinking consistency.
This will be great for an onthego breakfast. Drink this straight away
as the consistency and colour can change.