THE OFFICIAL VOICE o~-~7r6~,ffiJTHAFRICAN CHEFS ASSOCIATION

ISSUE 25

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fortune ha;'"'Gffered me

~markable travel opPortunities and.

~e chance ro eat in some of the finestrestaurants in the world. Memorableplaces that I've visiced.includeRockpool, Quay, Tetsuyas, River Cafe,Fat Duck, Nobu-London, El Bu'"now Noma. What

j9urll~y.ithas,be~~amFiivrlegedto hav'ehad."the:6pportunity to

~.?mpare their respective aspectsof uniqueness. A common threadthat seems to run through theseoutstanding restaurants is that thepositioning of the restaurakey - extreme

world that night, and~r heart-warming gesture will be

remembered.

A little while ago (over a.few bof wine) an agreemeberweenm

--~.•-

. On arrival, Copenhagen waspecrarions - the big- city life

e with awe. Nyhavn is describedd is an enchanting 17'h Century

ije canal and entertainment district.pated that the whole of Copenhagen

on the other side of this canal ander on to brightly coloured townhouses.

ted.

r noon. We were there just after I1hOOecked out our destination and thenhile waiting for the restaurant toiternent when, quite by chance, wezepi, Noma's executive chef and

His wife had delivered a babye morning so he was off for the

was definitely for a reason andd to my core had I gone all

e purposely-rushed~w Orlando said

to enhancet for the

t::~

dried out piece of 4jJ'ckskin. Quite out of the ordinaryand the skin tQ.atJ'm referring to is the one that forms onthe top of a stock pot (this was dried out and the resultwas a sticky richness). While the aromas were familiar, theflavours and presentation were beyond imagination.

I appreciated the simplicity of each of the 12-courses.Rene focuses on the main flavours and he works creativelyaround each ingredient which he showcases at its best.There is no hint of intensity or boastfulness. An oyster

its shell was topped with a bit of seaweed and herbs,ot filled with hot sea stones. As the pots

romas made us feel as thouzh w<

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~~~

the beef tartar with sorrel, juniper and tarragon because I haveoften looked at-this recipe in Rene's book and I've thought howappealing it looked. There was great excitement around cookingour own duck eggs. Rainer seemed particularly put out at havingto pay to cook his own foodl.Hls comments were all in humourbut I remembered he cooked nothing at home! Our waiter, KimSander, whispered in my ear: "Sorry jackie we know it is yourday off. Sorry t9 make you cook." The staff were extremelyapproachable, ri:1ax:edyet professional. I felt no irritation orantagonism as Iasked my many questions.

The~ord foraging means to look for one's food and this comesth.u'o~gh very clearly in ever plate that is presented. The colourgreen is predominant with moss, ferns ana pines as well as manyforest shoots ana sprigs forming the main component on allplates. Flavours are uncomplicated and amazing techniquesare pulled offin a relaxed atmosphere. GtleSts almost overlookthe' incredible pace of the 'work engine' because of the peacefulambience create-d.during this fine-dining eiperience.

When shown around the kitchen I was pleasantly surprisedthat, like me; Rene had a very simple barbeque setup outside hiskitchen - except-mine is a braai! I $as thrilled at theopportunitytosee the back of house and meet the entire teaOl..I took manypictures and these will be kept as a source of inspliation on theoccasions when I fail to motivate myself ..

Themeal ended with coffee served in e1egan~ittle ceramic cups,with bone marrow toffees andlemon sweetie pies served in old-fashioned, biscuit tins. The touch of old wOf,ld charm went downwell.

This remarkable experience opened my eyes to numerouspossibiliries. My aim is to focus even more so on local ingredientsand to highlight what the land, in my district, has to offer. I havelea,rped to avoid complicated dishes and to work creatively in aSUbtle way. -

TIMJI! & PLACJI! INNORDIC CUISINE

Ran4".dz:epl

~~~

Rene Redzepi IPhaidon Publishers IR499

Noma has been voted the best restaurant in the worldfor two years running, and this book celebrates not onlythe restaurant's cuisine but also that of Denmark and theScandinavian area as a whole: To understand the area'scuisine, one must understand that the ingredients thatareavailable to work with come from a region with only 4months of sunny weather a year and is surrounded by coldseas. The ingredients used aren't the ones that we commonlyuse in South.l\frica. Remarkable ingredientssuch as applebalsamic vinegar, Zittauer onions, Swedish Prastost and Jack-by-the-hedge leaves all peppex the recipes"thi;oughout thebook.

Not having many of the ingredients meant that l-wasresrrlcted in my recipe choice, even though 'the recipes arelaid out in a manner that makes them very easy to read, witha step-by-step 011 each individual section of the dish. A,recipethat I did try out was a dish called Steamed Egg White andBirch Wine, W[ild Mushrooms: The average consumer probablywouldn't understand the skill that goes into a dish like this,but the simple explanations made a tricky dish so.verysimple and easy to cook. Although I had to subst~te a fewingredients, lwas still able to.g'et the nuances offue dish anditwas truly delicious.

This is a cookbook for the very experienced, or those withan enormous amount of confidence, and it does take a fewtries to understand the dlsb, and where Chef Rem! is goingwith it. But the book is more than just the recipes of Noma,it is a book about S~ndinavia, its regions, its culture and itsf-{jod. It is a truly ~dnating read and lneredibly inspiring - Irecommend it to any chef that is feeling stale and uninspired,or who merely wants to'look at food differently. Review byKarm Schoitz.

I~t"-'.~

~~..,;::... '" -;:::::----:-

We were lucky enough to secure a recipe excerpt from the Noma cookbook, so tryyour hand at this exquisite recipe from the world's best kitchen.

~

Blueberry sorbet450g sugar60g glucose625g water50g blueberry puree200g blueberries50g spruce shoots3.5g gelatine

Whisk together the sugar, trimoline andegg yolks. Heat the cream, milk and milkpowder in a pan to 80°C (178°F) andpour it over the egg mixture. Pour backinto the pans and cook, stirring, to makea custard. Bloom the gelatine, add andcool. When the mixture is cold, blend

the spruce shoots into it and strain.

Mf#.the sugar, glucose and water in apan.ihear to a syrup, then cool. Add thepuree, the fresh berries and the spruceshoots, blend and strain. Heat a verysmall amount of the berry mixture.Bloom the gelatine, then dissolve intothe warm mixture and add to therest. Place in Paco containers in therefrigerator to set.

Spruce granite145g sugar525gwater425g spruce shoots440g sorrelxanthan gum

Spruce ice cream38g sugar60g trimoline120g egg yolks150g cream435g full fat (whole) milk20g milk powder2g gelatine

125g spruce shoots

Heat the water and sugar to make asyrup. Cool, blend with the spruceshoots and sorrel and pass througha fine sieve (strainer). Calculate the

total weight and weigh out 0.1 % ofthe quantity in xanthan gum. Sprinklethe xanthan into a small amount of

the liquid and blend it until absorbed.Combine the 2 liquids and freeze ina deep tray. Once frozen, scrape to apowder with a fork.

to room temperature and. dissolven it. Add the flour, salt, eggs and sugar

;j~ithe dough thoroughly. Add the butterre mixing and let the mixture prove (rise) fat

hour. Knock back (punch down) the d04ghand let it prove again for an hour. Grease--a loaf

tin) transfer the dough to the tin and 'then proveagain. Prehear the oven to 18ooSS'(350°F) andbake for approximately 25 mirfutes. When cool,

cut into Lcm cubes.

T,

Blanch the thyme on its stems £o~4-5 minutesA .£ '" .

until very tende:.r:Cool in icewarer and pulltheleaves offJhe st€ms. Strain t~ 6b1.un ilie leaves,squeeze them through a Stjerbag and.ke@p·dry. Pick the y~sley leaves and blanch themuntil tender. Dry: as for the. thyme. Process thedil and herbs at full speed ar-60°C (i-400E) in.aThermomix for J2 minutes. Cool, then maceratefor 24 hours. Strain through a fine cloth, app~.pressure for a few hours, and keep in: a squeezybottle. . ~ .

-Serving28 leaves W09d sorrel8 sprigs heatherbutter, for sauteing

.'~~Before servingvpur the plates in the fteez.er tq,get

very cold. Pick the wood sorrel ::nd hearh~t ,into'ice water and dry them. Saute the brLoche until

and golde~a-nd cool on kitchen: paper (paperu. Process the ice cream in a Pacojer, shape

'!I! - ,.

ofapproximately 2')nffil diameter andof blueberry sorbet and Z balls of .

on each plate. Surround wieh 5everything wJih'rwo and,

ita and a tables;ooll.,,of:I·~d heather