A day of great food

PHOTOS: Dirk Pieters | PRODUCTION: Herman Lensing

Eat like royalty for an entire day with these sumptuous recipes, as featured in VISI 44’s Table Manners decor shoot.

Breakfast

Eggs on toast: Soft poached egg with Parma ham, crusty toast and flower confetti

SERVES: 4
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

2T white-wine vinegar
4 free-range eggs
1 loaf crusty sourdough bread, sliced
2T melted butter
1 x 200g punnet Parma ham
1/3 cup selection of edible fl owers

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a slow simmer. Add the vinegar and stir to distribute evenly. Break the eggs separately into small cups. Quickly drop the first egg into the simmering water.

Repeat with the remaining eggs and poach them for 5-6 minutes or until cooked to your preference.

Toast the sourdough bread slices on both sides in a hot griddle pan. Brush each slice with melted butter, then top with Parma ham followed by a poached egg. Finish with a decorative sprinkling of edible flowers.

COOK’S TIP: For best results, use fresh eggs at room temperature. Also don’t allow the water to simmer too fast otherwise the eggs will break up during cooking.

Tea

Ginger and mixed-nut cake

MAKES: 1 cake
COOKING TIME: 40 minutes
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes

100g brown sugar
280g cake flour
1t baking powder
140g mixed nuts, crushed to a fine powder
1/3 cup milk
200g butter, melted
2 free-range eggs
2T fresh ginger, grated
1 vanilla pod, seeds removed

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Combine the brown sugar, flour, baking powder and nuts in a mediumsized mixing bowl. Add the milk, melted butter and eggs and mix well using a wooden spoon.

Fold through the grated ginger and vanilla seeds. Pour the batter into a 30cm cake tin lined with baking paper and greased well. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before turning it out of the tin.

COOK’S TIP: This is a dense cake with a coarse texture. Serve it with creme fraiche and green tea.

Lunch

Lavash with a selection of bowl food

LAVASH

MAKES: 4 flatbreads (serves 8)
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes
PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

280g bread flour
2T olive oil
3/4 cup water
2T sea salt

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and knead to create a smooth, elastic dough, adding more water if needed. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

Divide the dough into 4 and roll each piece out on a well floured surface until paper thin. Line a baking sheet with baking paper and bake the breads for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Allow to cool and enjoy with a selection of pates and dips, such as those below.

ROSE AND PISTACHIO DUKKA

SERVES: 4
PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

2 x 100g shelled pistachios
1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds
2t mixed spice
1t ground coriander
2T rose water
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt crystals

Use a mortar and pestle to pound all the ingredients together until coarsely ground. Add just enough olive oil to moisten and bind the mixture. Season with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.

CONFIT OF ORANGE PEEL

SERVES: 4
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes
PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

1 large orange
200g sugar
1 cup water

Peel the orange, keeping the skin in one piece. Use a teaspoon to scrape out the pith. Bring
the sugar and water to a slow simmer. Add the orange peel and cook for 15-20 minutes or until
translucent and sticky. Remove from the syrup and allow to cool.

LEMONGRASS AND APPLE PRESERVE

SERVES: 4
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

2 large green apples
100g sugar
1 cup water
1 stalk lemongrass stems, bruised

Slice the apples into 8 segments each and remove all the seeds. Bring the sugar, water and lemongrass to a slow simmer. Add the apples and reduce the heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the apples go soft and translucent. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the syrup to infuse the flavours.

LIME-INFUSED HUMMUS

SERVES: 4
PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained
2 cloves garlic
2 limes, juice and zest
1/3 cup olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt crystals

Blend the chickpeas, garlic, lime juice and zest to a course pulp in an electric blender. Add the olive oil and blend to form a coarse paste. Season well with black pepper and sea salt.

ORANGE-BLOSSOM AND DUCK RILLETS

SERVES: 4
COOKING TIME: 35 minutes
PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

2 duck breasts
2T butter
1 onion, diced
2T peach brandy
2T orange blossom water
1/3 cup cream
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt crystals
1T brandy

Heat a large frying pan until hot. Add the duck breasts, skin side down, and cook for 10-15 minutes, turning them halfway. Remove the breasts from the pan and reserve the fat. Remove the skin from the breasts. Using a sharp knife, shred the duck into small pieces.

Heat the butter in a pan and add the diced onion. Fry for 5 minutes until fragrant. Add the shredded duck and fry for a further 5 minutes. Pour in the brandy, orange-blossom water and cream. Let the liquid reduce. Remove from the heat. Season with black pepper and sea salt.

Place the duck in a suitable dish and pour over the reserved fat. Refrigerate the rillets until the fat sets.

Dinner

Tagliatelle noir with flash-fried squid and coconut shavings

SERVES: 4
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
PREPARATION TIME: 25 minutes

280g cake flour
2 free-range eggs
3T olive oil
1 x 5ml sachet squid ink
2T butter
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 small chilli, seeded and diced
1 x 200g packet baby squid tubes
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt crystals
Coconut shavings, toasted in a pan

Combine the flour, eggs, olive oil and squid ink in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mix to form a firm dough and knead well for 8-10 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes before rolling it out on a well-floured surface using a pasta machine or rolling pin.

Cut the sheets of pasta into 5mm wide tagliatelle strips. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the tagliatelle. Cook it for 5-8 minutes and drain. Drizzle the pasta with olive oil to prevent
it from sticking.

Add the butter to a large frying pan and allow the garlic and diced chilli to gently sweat. Add the squid tubes and fry for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Toss the cooked squid with the tagliatelle. Season with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Serve topped with shaved coconut.

COOK’S TIP: To make the coconut shavings, cut a fresh coconut into large pieces. Scoop out the white flesh with a knife. Shave the flesh with a vegetable peeler and toast the shavings in a hot pan.