Basque Country (and Silwood)

When I started writing this blog post my social media students had just completed their blogging assignment which prompted me to look at my own blog. At the time (April) I had literally not blogged in over 3 months- shocking, atrocious and not a very good example to set. It's just been extremely busy with studying patisserie at Silwood. The course is part time (2 mornings a week) but as most of you who have worked  or studied part-time know,  you end up putting way more hours in. Class starts at 7:30am and ends around 1pm. Just like working in a kitchen we don't really have a break, so its a full on 6 hour day! The prep work before each prac is very time consuming and consists of studying for a weekly test,  shopping and sourcing ingredients, weighing them up and then packing everything. Not to mention the costings and production schedules which we need to put together so that we know what order we need to make everything in. In our Fridays Pracs we can make up to 5  things at a time so we need to plan our processes pretty carefully. Who thought Pastry could be so stressful? This may be a bit naive but I always pictured myself  in a Julia Child type scenario, wearing my red lipstick and pretty apron, singing along to the radio whilst whipping up whimsical treats to melt the hearts of those I love so dearly.  (Okay, so I kind of knew this would not be the case but I really wanted to believe it). The kitchen environment is generally a high stress environment- not sure why it has to be this way but I've come to accept that it's just the way that it is! 

We're half way through term 2 and exams are looming ahead, and I've learnt to make all kinds of pastries, cakes, puddings, breads and confectionary. One of the easiest and most simple desserts we've made is Mousse Au Chocolat Basque (Basque Chocolate Mousse) which I thought I would share with you. Its easy, simple, rich and super delicious.  This dessert is probably one of my best presentations out of all of my pracs, mostly because it was so early on in the year and I reckon I nailed it with my modern interpretation of this traditional dessert.

 Mousse Au Chocolat Basque  (Silwood recipe)

(Makes 4-6 small pots)

Nailed it!

160 g dark chocolate (below 50% cocoa)
5ml instant coffee dissolved in 1tsp boiling water
10 g butter
10 ml liquid
Pinch of salt
2 eggs separated 
Chantilly cream (to garnish)

Method 
Melt 160g chocolate chips with 5ml coffee (dissolved in 5ml hot water), 10ml sherry and pinch of salt over warm Baine marie. Remove from heat and beat in the 2 egg yolks one at a time. Allow to cool and thicken.Whisk the egg whites until soft peak stage and stir in 1/3 into chocolate. Then fold in the remainder. Pour into mousse jars/dishes.

To Garnish Make chantilly cream by whipping 250ml whipping cream to soft peak stage and fold in a few drops of vanilla essence and sifted icing sugar to taste.   Fill piping bag and pipe or spoon on top. Top with chocolate chards or grated chocolate and serve immediately. Double the recipe to make 8 -10 pots. 

Food and fun times from Oviedo to Barcelona. July 2014

 In August last year I was luckily enough to visit Basque country (a unique part of Northern Spain and France). It was a very good friend Natalie's  wedding in Oviedo, her moms home town.  A handful of us (Lisa, Ali, Steve, Sam and myself) decided to make a road trip of it.  Soon after the wedding we made our way to San Sebastian in Basque Country via The Guggenheim  in Bilboa and 2 nights in the rural mountains of Cantabria where we stayed in a quaint B&B called Casona de Quintana .

We eventually made it to San Sebastian with both Steve and our car intact. Here we literally ate ourselves into a a coma. San Sebastian is the food capital of modern and molecular cooking. Whilst known for their molecular cooking their traditional  Pinxtos ( Norths version of tapas) it is an important aspect of daily life in basque country. In fact Parte Vieja (The Old Town) has more bars per square metre than anywhere else in the world. There are so many different types of Pinxtos bars- day and nights spots, coffee bars, noisy bars, foodie bars that have put San Sebastian on the map and more traditional Pinxtos bars laden with Pinxtos and people spilling out on the streets.  As a tourist you generally visit a couple of bars a night for dinner. Nights in San Sebastián start late and go until the wee hours making it very different and exciting social eating experience. Do yourself a favour if you are planing to go to Spain- visit the North for the experience of the food. This is something you have to experience for yourself if you are ever afforded the opportunity. 

After San Sebastian we treated ourselves to one night at Casa de San Martin in the Pyrenees  via Pamplona and then made our way to Barcelona for 3 nights. Naturally I fell in Love with Barcelona- a vibrant city filled with art, historic sights,  awesome people and again fantastic food. Below are a few memories shared with awesome friends on the trip! If you have any questions about Spain and where to go or stay , please  just leave a comment :-) Spain is my most favourite European holiday destination, if not in the world.

  Happy holiday dreaming and happy eating!

The crazies we travelled and ate with...

Yummy and healthy home-grown take away options in the southern suburbs

I’m not one to get Take-away very often. I think it also has a lot to do with how I was brought up. Take-away’s were never an option in our household and eating out was a big occasion, which we would get excited about for days. (Some things never change though- I still get excited days before trying out a new restaurant or cooking a new recipe). 

When I was young the Tomblin household would make use of the Spur Kids Club membership where you get a free burger meal and a chico the clown for your birthday. (Not sure if it still exists but I guess I will find out when I have kids). This guaranteed both my sisters and I at least three Spur outings a year! Score :-)

My taste buds have 'grown up' since then yet some things never change- Spur is still one of my favourite happy places. I’m not sure if it is the nostalgic feeling of eating food we weren’t allowed at home, the smell of Spur’s basting sauce, or leaving home with helium balloons which we would suck the life out of to impersonate Alvin and the Chipmunks.

But moving along to my blog post… There comes a time when I feel completely uninspired to cook dinner and I really don’t feel like going out for dinner or missioning in general. The only option is to not eat which is not an option, or get  a healthy home-grown take-away option. I choose the latter.

Here are some options in the southern suburbs area where you can get healthy home made tasty food from.

1.    Eat out the box:

Based in Wynberg and Rondebosch they deliver throughout the southern suburbs for free. Menu options include burgers, salads, pasta’s, pizzas, ribs and whole chicken meals for the family. The owners Deon and Marius whom I‘ve both worked for back in my waitressing days (circa a decade ago) started this yummy alternative to regular take away food.  I can vouch they are both awesome chefs who really care about their end product and people in general. (And no they have not asked me to write this post they have no idea.)

What do I love about the concept?

All their food is fresh and hand made using locally sourced ingredients sans preservatives and the packaging used is 100% biodegradable.  They also provide a carb-free banting option for pasta’s using courgette noodles.  Their pizza menu comes with a gluten-free option, which you pay a meagre extra R10 for. And did I mention the food is delicious and oozes wholesomeness?

My menu favourites:

• My favourite meal is the Fetamari Pasta- succulent tubes of calamari with creamy feta, roasted cherry tomato’s and freshly tossed spinach – its yummy with the carb-free courgette noodle option.
• My favourite burger is the Rhino burger with bacon, avo and feta. You simply cannot go wrong with his option- Bacon and avo the two most inseparable ingredients in the world and R5 goes to The Saving Private Rhino Organisation .
• And finally the Castaway salad is divine and it comes with an awesome dressing on the side. Whatever you chose you won't be disappointed. 
• Download a PDF of their menu here.

How to make an order?

You can call to make an order depending on where you are located Rondebosch: 021 674 0813 Wynberg: 021 761 9831 or better yet just hop online where you can place and pay for your order here www.eatoutthebox.co.za.  The system keeps you updated with sms’s and emails. Great service, excellent food and it’s easy!

2.     SushiBox Newlands

SushiBox in Newlands which is quite easy to miss, is tucked behind the corner near Melissa’s. This sushi establishment does incredible sushi at an incredible price. You can collect orders; eat at the simple asian set-up or request delivery.  To indulge try the fusion box, not far from Willoughby’s 4 x 4 platter. And if you are a salmon junkie try the Omega 6 box. I especially love how they package their sushi. Call: 021 674 0820 or visit www.sushibox.co.za for more info.

3.     Make an Omelette

If you have a little bit of energy- make an omelette. This is the best way to use up leftover ingredients in your fridge and all you need is egg to add to it! Which reminds me- you can get amazing organic free-range eggs from Gogo’s very close to SushiBox in Newlands. Their meat is fantastic too. I only buy my fillet from there these days… Visit their Facebook page to find out more: https://www.facebook.com/GogosDeli

More than just city planning...

Having recently visited New York for the very first time I had to share this inspirational Ted Talk- "How public spaces make cities work".  Not because it's a city I fell in love with, but because the talk outlines the importance of making the world a better place to thrive in. The speaker is Amanda Burden who was appointed the director of the New York City Planning. She was given the arduous task of creating more space in New York to accommodate the city's growth. So how did she do this?  

She did this by understanding people's intrinsic social and spatial needs which gave her the insight to create public spaces and places that people actually want to spend time in.

This inspiring talk goes into detail about how important it is to make public spaces a place where people want to be, meet and share - a fundamental human need, which I feel we could all pay more attention to personally and professionally.   I particularly love how she ends off her talk with this analogy: "Public spaces are like parties, people stay because they are having a good time."  So simple. But it sums up why we choose to be where we are or want to be. 

In Cape Town we are are so privileged to have beautiful natural public spaces and parks surrounding us (something I admit I take for granted). But a city like New York can only go up so any under-utilised spaces need to be carefully considered. Despite the odds Amanda Burden did this successfully by planning  New Yorks innovative park- The High Line.  The park is an elevated rail line that's been transformed into a public park on the West Side of Manhattan, which has become a favourite public space for local New Yorkers as well as a visitor destination for tourists. Particularly beautiful in summer this is a must see attraction if you get the chance to visit this awesome city.

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Do you have any public spaces you've visited in Cape Town or in other parts of the world that you would like to share? A personal favourite of mine is a small walkway next to the Liesbeek River canal that runs alongside Paradise Road near the circle. A local resident has made it his mission to maintain the park with beautiful timber swings, stools and plant beds so that it can be enjoyed by families in the area. It's such a privilege to live so close by and my border skollie dog buzzy "digs" it too!

Our 'border skollie' Buzz at Paradise Park