It's amazing what these Chefs can do with chocolate! Truly a unique art form! 
For more information on the World Chocolate Mster

Please vote for Ruth (she's a born and bred Eastern Cape chef) at the World Chocolate Masters happening now in Paris. A South African born chocolatier needs our support! Get voting please!!!

Summer berry souffle

Soufflé is traditionally served with a helping of fresh creme anglaise, braking open the top of the soufflé and pouring the creme anglaise inside.




Ingredients 

• 34g butter 
• 34g flour 
  
• 100 ml mix berry puree 
  
• 20g caster sugar 
  
• 2 yolks 
  
• 2 egg whites 
  
• Pinch of salt 
  
• 17g caster sugar 
  
• Butter to bush ramekins with and extra caster sugar

Method 

1. Pre-heat oven to 200C 
2. Soften the butter you will use to brush the ramekins with, and then take a pastry brush and butter the base of the ramekin as well as the side brushing upward as to create a ladder affect for the soufflé to climb up when baking. 
3. Now use the extra caster sugar and line the ramekins with it removing the extra sugar 
   
4. Place the butter and berry puree into a sauce pan and allow for the butter to melt. 
   
5. Now add in the 17g of sugar and mix well followed by the flower making a paste, place back on to the heat and allow to thicken. (remove when thick) 
6. Now wish egg white to foamy stage( see glossary on www.chefdewet.co.za) and then add in the salt and continue whisking till stiff peak and then gradually add in the 20 g of sugar. 
7. Once the berry paste has cooled down add in the yolk and mix well 
   
8. Now gently fold in 1/2 the whisked egg whites till half way incorporated and then add the rest and continue folding till fully incorporated. 
9. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins till overflowing and then use a pallet knife to make it even with the ramekin removing the extra mixture 
10. Run your thumb all the way around the rim of the ramekin, creating a space between the mixture. 
11. Place ramekins into a bain-marie (water bath) and into the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes at 200C 
12. Soufflé should be baked al a minute, once ready sprinkle with icing sugar. 

Glossary

Al a Minute: Prepare on order, should not be prepare in advance.
Bain Marie: Also know as a water bath, using a deep baking pan, filled with water. 

As I promised, Japanese inspired dishes. This is a very simple yet divine dish using one of Japans unique ingredients, Yuzu! It's similar in appearance when next to a lemon but a completely different taste. 
Yuzu: Also known as citrus jujus. Is a popular citric fruit used in Japanese cooking. It is also used to make a wonderful dipping sauce called "Ponzo Joyu" which is a mixture of Yuzu juice and soy sauce. The origin of this fruit is form East Asia and is a bright yellow color when ripe.   

Recipe:

1. 1/2  Red Onion Brunoise 
2. 7 tbsp yuzu juice 
3. 1 tbsp  pumpkin seed oil
4. 1 tbsp soy sauce 
5. 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6. 300g fresh salmon fillet, skinned
7. 3 tsp chives chopped

Method:

1. Now in a sallow bowl place the onions, yuzu juice, pumpkin seed oil, soy sauce and fresh black pepper. Allow for the mixture to infuse for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. While marinade is infusing, thinly slice the salmon fillet.
3. Once the time has elapse, place the thinly slices salmon in the marinade for three seconds on each side.
4. Get your plating dish and lay the salmon onto it, allow for them to overlap ever so slightly 
5. Garnish plate with chopped chives and pour remaining marinade over the top.

So while I was studying to become a chef in Cape Town, I had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. The reason for that was due to me staying in a commune with 7 other people, of which only three people including me stayed there for the whole year. The 5 other rooms where always occupied by different people from all over the world almost every three months. One of these people was a girl by the name of Pauline, she was from Belgium and was always interested in what I was learning at school. The one night we where talking about food and how its so different all over the world. Anyways we got on the topic of her countries national dish. To my surprise it was two items i would have never thought to be paired together. On the one hand you had French Fries ( which for those of you who don't know actually originated in Belgium) which is a cheap and easy food to make yourself, and on the other hand you have luxuries Mussels which are not cheap. At first I did not believe her at all, but then as all of us do now days  being the "google it" generation, she got her laptop and google it to proof to me that she was not joking. 
The Belgium term for this dish is: Moules Frites 

So today i'm going to give you a nice and simple recipe for the unique National dish of Belgium! 

Ingredients
Mussels

1. 1 kg of fresh mussels
2. 1 large onion-finely chopped (brunoise) 
3. 2 large cloves of garlic-brunoise
4. 1tsp chopped fresh thyme
5. 1 tbls fresh chopped flat leaf parsley 
6. 1 tbls chopped chervil
7. 50 ml olive oil
8. 150 ml good dry white wine (if you won't drink it don't use it!)
9. 1 tsp Pernod ( it's a french anise-flavoured liqueurs) optional
10. 2 tbls creme fraiche

French Fries 

1. 2 large potatoes peeled and cut into even chips
2. oil to fry
3. salt to taste

Method 

1. Cut the chip 2mm by 2mm, or to what ever size you feel comfortable doing
2. Heat up your deep fat fryer to 160 C, or place a pot on the stove with a thermometer and heat to 160C Sunflower seed oil is fine.
3. Rinse the chips with salted water and then dry off with kitchen paper before placing into the deep fat fryer for 4-5 minutes ( if your chips are larger I would recommend you par-boil them to achieve a soft smooth inside texture and crisp outer texture) 
4. Once the 4-5 minutes are done remove and cool, now turn the heat up to 190C
5. When mussels are place chips back into 190C oil for 1 minute till golden and crisp
6. Remove once ready and sprinkle with salt, serve chips in a side dish along with the mussels

Mussels

1. If you are using fresh mussels (which you should be) you'll need to clean them first before you cook them. Rinse them off in cold water and then proceed to remove the bears. When removing the bears make sure you pull then across the mussel and not to the closest end. You will also need to check if they are still firmly closes and smell of the ocean and not fishy! Any mussel that smell fishy or are mostly open discard them.
2. Now get a big deep pot with a tight fitting lid on the stove over a low to medium heat, place the garlic and onions with the olive oil in the pot and sweat will onions soft and translucent.
3. Once the onions are ready remove from pot and put over high heat and allow the pot to become very hot
4. Once pot is hot, add the onion mix along with the herbs back into the pot, then quickly add the mussels, then white wine and Pernod. (Must be in this order) Immediately place the lid on making sure its tight and secure
5. Allow to steam for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pot once or twice.
6. Remove from heat and check for any closed mussel, and discard them. 
7. Now stir in the creme fraiche  
8. Serve mussel in a deep bowl dish. 

Hope you enjoy and try it out!


PLease can i ask that you leave feed back, and if you decide to try it out to post your picture either on my website or on my Facebook page please.


Thank you

 

Today I bring you my Mac & Cheese recipe with mature cheddar cheese!

Recipe

Ingredients 

1. Conchiglie pasta 
   
2. 200 ml of plain white flour
3. 200 ml butter
4. 1 L milk
5. 200g Mature Cheddar (or cheese of your choice)
6. 2 Bay leafs 
7. 4 black peppercorns 
8. 1 tsp nutmeg
9. salt to taste
10. 5 back bacon strips 

Method

1. Big pot of water on the stove and bring to the boil, then add 1 tbls of salt to the water and add your pasta.
2. Place a pan on a high heat, once hot place the bacon in the pan and cook intill nice and crispy, once done place on kitchen paper and allow to cool.
3. Use fat renderd from bacon later to add to the roux
4. Place another medium sized pot on the stove, then add the butter and allow to become slightly brown
5. Now add your flour to the butter and mix well, allow to cook for 2 minutes while stirring
6. Now gradually add in the  room temperature milk to the roux and stir constantly till all the milk has been added. 
7. Turn the heat down to medium and add your nutmeg, bay leaf peppercorns and salt to taste
8. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes checking every few minutes that its not catching on the bottom
9. Now check on your pasta, remember you want it al dente so don't over cook the pasta 
10. If your pastas ready place it in the colander and get back to your sauce
11. Once sauce has simmered for 10 minutes get a fine strainer and strain it to ensure there are no lumps and also allows you to remove the peppercorns and bay leafs
12. Cut your cheddar cheese is small cubes and add to the strained sauce (Bechamel) and stir till mostly melted.
13. Now place your pasta back into the big pot and then pour the sauce over the pasta.
14. Mix well and and chop bacon into small pieces and sprinkle over the top, Enjoy! 

Side note: If you don't feel like using Conchiglie pasta, then try and use another type of pasta that will allow for the sauce to stick to it or store it in the cavity.
I like to use the Conchiglir because it acts like a small spoon that scoops up all the sauce. 


Here are a few other good types of pastas to use:

1. Fusilli
   
2. Gomiti
3. Rigatoni
4. Pipe
5. Rotini
6. And of course macaroni 

The reason I've made this blog post about Japan and what its most know for is because of the opportunity I've been given. In December I will start my new job in a Japanese cuisine restaurant,  and the great thing is, that they will not just be focusing on sushi but also on other traditional Japanese dished. Which most of us in South Africa don't know much about. This gets me really excites, i've always admire the amount of skill they(Japanese)  show in the way they prepare there dishes and the precision that goes into every cut! I'm also very interested in the way they live with great discipline and respect for one another. Eventually I would love to go to Japan and actually get to work alongside a Sushi Master (Normal sushi chefs have to study/train for 7 years before they can be qualified to be REAL sushi chefs.)

So you can expect to see much more of Japan on my site from now onwards.  

Easy buttermilk flapjacks:

•  2 1/3 cup flour
  
• 750 ml buttermilk, 
  
• 2 large eggs 
  
• good pinch of salt & 
  
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda. 
  

Method
Mix everything together till no lumps, rest for 10 minutes. 

Use a 60 ml measuring cup to spoon into hot non-stick pan. 

Once ready stack 'em up and add a cube of butter on top (I prefer salted butter) and loads of honey, golden syrup or maple syrup! 

Fresh berries also go nice with the pan cakes with a mix berry coulis, or flambéed caramel bananas with a cream cheese and peanut frosting. 


Enjoy!

Much better than those pre-mix crap you buy at the stores! & just as easy to make!