Drizzle and Dip: Cook, Bake, Share, Eat

how to make a basil mojito

by Sam on May 23, 2013

A classic Mojito is made with mint, but since mint and basil are in the same family, I thought I would play around. I love the idea of using herbs that would normally be used in savoury applications and include them with sweet dishes or drinks. It adds an element of surprise.

I did a beverage shoot last week and my client brought me these beautiful limes from her tree, so I simply had to shoot them and make a drink.

Brand Matzek of the blog Kitchen Konfidence is very experimental with drinks, and I find his flavour combo’s so interesting. A long time ago I was inspired by a basil and strawberry cocktail he made which turned into me making a strawberry & balsamic sorbet with a basil & black pepper infusion. Check out his cucumber, lime and basil martini, and you will see what I mean.

You can use sugar straight up in a Mojito, but I always prefer to use a sugar syrup. You make this by boiling together water and sugar to a ratio of 2:1 until you get a thick consistency. Once the sugar has dissolved completely, boil for about 3 minutes and then allow to cool. This can be stored in a jar for ages or years. Maybe forever.

I’ve added rum (obviously), but this is also rather tasty in a ‘virginal’ format. [click to continue…]

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pink swirl meringues with pomegranate syrup

by Sam on May 20, 2013

A blog that I have recently found and really like is Mimi Thorissons’s – Manger. Its achingly beautiful and instantly makes me yearn for Europe. Mimi lives in Medoc in France, and it kind of looks like she has the perfect life. Her recipes are lovely, and her photographs have an exquisite old world patina feel to them. Who doesnt want to be transported to another place when browsing the interwebs.

I fell in love with these gorgeous meringues the minute I saw them. Hitting my current love affair with pomegranates head on, I couldn’t wait to dive into my kitchen.

Meringues are tricky things to make. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It was the recipe that took me the longest to perfect in my cook book, and after nine tests, I finally got my mini pavlova’s exactly how I wanted them. The making of meringue is a combination of exact ingredients and ratios, as well as the temperature and time to bake them. These three variables when altered slightly here or there can have a big effect on your outcome. [click to continue…]

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mushroom and barley ‘risotto’

by Sam on May 16, 2013

I love to use dried porcini mushrooms with fresh mushrooms when making this barley ‘risotto’. Or any mushroom risotto in fact. The flavour adds such depth, and the water that re-hydrates the mushrooms makes a lovely intense stock.

This is one of the recipes I developed for Nomu for their May recipe mailer, and its perfect Winter comfort food.

I have used a selection of mixed exotic mushrooms to make up the fresh component of the dish. I love the meaty texture of shiitake, and adore the look of enoki. Use any mushrooms that you like, although I find white button mushrooms the least suitable for risotto. They are the dullest of all the mushroom varieties. They work brilliantly when pickled, but opt for brown, oyster or if you are lucky enough to have access to a few wild varieties, all the better. [click to continue…]

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pizza bianco with caramelised onion, blue cheese, figs and balsamic

by Sam on May 15, 2013

This is a delicious and easy pizza snack idea that hovers some where between savoury and sweet.

It definitely needs a glass of something to go with it, but the conflicting flavours present a few challenges. I felt compelled to consult with a couple of my wine guru friends on this. Suggestions ranged from a lovely off dry Riesling to a fruit driven unwooded Chenin Blanc, to a Gewurtztraminer. You want a wine that stands up to the sweet and compliments the salty blue cheese.

I like to use a creamy Gorgonzola which is probably my all-time favourite cheese, but a locally made Gorgonzola-style cheese like Simonsig’s Simonzola works beautifully too.

As far as the pizza base is concerned, I’m in the throws of testing a number of dough recipes to come up with the best and easiest one, and this is taking longer than planned. So as a result I have not included a recipe here. You will have to use whatever very thin base pizza recipe you can find, or use a tortilla as I love to do. The toppings are fairly light on this, it cooks really quickly, so a thin base is essential.

I caramelised the onions exactly like I did for a pissaldiere and just left out the anchovies. Cook the onions slowly until they become gooey, soft and sweet.

I spread a very light layer of Mascarpone cheese over the base, added a thin layer of onions, and dotted small chunks of blue cheese in amongst these. I scattered over a few thyme leaves and baked in a hot oven of 200 C for about 5 minutes until everything is bubbling.

Once out, I sliced figs thickly to be placed on top (you will use a bout 2 figs per pizza), and drizzled over a thick and syrupy balsamic reduction.

Delicious.

I look forward to connecting with you again in the future.

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I can also be found enthusiastically pinning beautiful food images on Pinterest.

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gourmet magazine and a couple of vegetable dishes on the side

by Sam on May 13, 2013

American Gourmet magazine was one of my favourite food magazines, and a great source of inspiration to me in my early food styling career. I used to take back issues out from the Sea Point library, gaze at the exquisite images and hope that one day I would be able to create something that looked like them. The magazines were often well worn and dog eared, but I didn’t mind, the pages were filled with so much aspiration, I was transported to another far more glamorous world around food.

Gourmet was started in 1941, and was the first US publication dedicated to food and wine. The styling was unique and edgy and stood out from all other food magazines in the world.

I scanned a few of the images that I loved at the time so that I could refer to them later on for inspiration, and here are some that I found.

I was utterly devastated when I heard the news that the magazine was closing down at the end of 2009. A decline in advertising revenue, and a change in the way readers consumed food media are the reasons for its demise. Part of me still mourns this loss.

However Gourmet.com is still a food brand to be reckoned with, and along with Epicurious.com and Bon Appetite, they fall under the Conde Nast stable. [click to continue…]

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