Celebrating Effortless Summer Fare

I am so inclined to repeat my menus that a luncheon with friends inspires me to delve into old recipe books, files, and faded food magazines I hoard. Sharing my personal tips often sparks new ideas and keeps the process fun. 

Our guests arrived dressed to the nines, their lavish hats befitting the occasion. It was a festive affair, with laughter ringing well into the night. I had no leftovers to speak of—a success. Here are the detailed recipes I used so you can recreate the same magic.

We kicked off the festivities with a self-help Gin Bar. Guests did their own thing, adding one or more of the following botanicals, laid out in small bowls or cocktail glasses.

Star anise, green cardamom, lemon, lime (slices of orange and blood orange are also winners), strawberries, blueberries, ginger root, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, juniper berries, edible flowers, elderflower, mint and basil.

We had a good selection of locally crafted gins and filled them with excellent tonics. Keep things pink with Angostura bitters. Do keep in mind that not all guests take alcohol; supply non-alcoholic beverages; these can be dressed up too. We always keep a dozen or two Duchesses for the occasion. Have plenty of ice. A pestle and mortar was available for anyone who wanted to free the oils from spices. Tongues are loosened as the party gets into full swing. A great way for guests to mingle and reacquaint before being seated.

When I cook for a crowd (more than 12 guests), I prefer a buffet-style setup with enormous platters, which keeps hosting stress-free and my preparations confidence-boosting.

I plan my menu meticulously, preparing dishes in advance and garnishing them beautifully two hours before guests arrive, helping you feel accomplished and ready.

---oOo---

BEEF TONGUE WITH A FRESH APRICOT SAUCE

A South African favourite festival dish, it always goes down well with guests and is simple to prepare. Make it two days in advance and keep it in the refrigerator. Buy your tongue from a reputable butcher (Van Blommenstein in Hermanus is excellent; orders must be placed in advance)

In a large saucepan, cover the corned tongue with cold water and soak overnight.

Remove the tongue from the water and discard the water. Wash the tongue thoroughly with a food brush. Return the tongue to the saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients and cover with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a very low simmer. Simmer for 3-3.5 hours until tender. Remove from the saucepan and let stand for a few minutes until the temperature has dropped enough to remove the skin without burning. Start at the wide end of the tongue and work downwards.

Place the prepared tongue in a bread tin, cover with tinfoil, and weight it down with a heavy object. I cover it with two washed bricks wrapped in two layers of foil. Refrigerate overnight. Before serving, carve the meat into thin slices and drizzle a little warm sauce over it.

FRESH APRICOT SAUCE

Serve at room temperature in a pretty jug with some sauce dribbled over the tongue before serving.

A sweet mustard sauce goes just as well with this dish.

---oOo---

GAMMON WITH CHARRED ORANGE SLICES AND BLUEBERRIES

Wipe the gammon with a clean, damp muslin cloth, place it in the middle of two sheets of tin foil, shiny side in. Add the rest of the ingredients. Fold securely. Bake in a 180֩C pre-heated oven. Calculate time as follows: 20 minutes per 500g, plus 20 minutes. Remove from the oven once cooked. Cool. Remove the rind. Score the skin in a diamond pattern, apply a glaze, return to the oven, and grill for another 20 minutes, until the glaze caramelizes and the orange rind chars slightly.

ORANGE HONEY MUSTARD GLAZE

Brush the honey mustard mixture over the entire gammon. Place slices of orange over the top of the gammon, and secure with toothpicks. Grill for 20 minutes, until the orange rinds have charred.

BLUEBERRY COMPOTE

In a saucepan, combine one punnet of blueberries, 5 star anise, and 3T sugar. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until some berries pop and ooze.

Garnish your Gammon by spooning some blueberry sauce over the gammon.  Pour the remaining coulis into a pretty jug or bowl, set aside, or pool on the platter.

---oOo---

MY OLD FASHIONED SWEET MUSTARD SAUCE

This recipe is an excellent store cupboard addition, kept refrigerated and used for leftover slices of tongue, gammon or beef on the days following parties.

Mix all the ingredients, whisking well. Bring back to a gentle boil, stirring the whole time to prevent burning. Remove from the heat. Some whole mustard seeds can be added for extra texture and flavour (30ml)

Stir well. Bottle until required.

---oOo---

RARE BEEF FILLET WITH MARINATED VEGETABLES

1 Fillet (approx. 1,5kg)

Seasoned. I used a butter made with 2T olive oil, 2T Dijon mustard, 2T cracked black pepper, and 5ml Maldon salt. Rub all over the meat, place it on an oven rack, and bake in a preheated oven at 160֩C for 30 minutes. Turn up the oven to Grill and brown the meat quickly. This should take no more than 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Cool. Slice once cold; you can carve the fillet into very thin slices or slightly thicker, as you wish. Plate on a platter and serve with the marinated vegetables.

MARINATED VEGETABLES

Sauté peppers in a little oil until wilted. Fry the mushrooms in a little oil until soft, but do not let them steam and become watery. Remove from the heat, season, add capers, and fold in all the vegetables and herbs.

In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, wine vinegar, lemon rind, and juice, then season. Pour over the vegetables. Keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Arrange the carved meat in a circle along the outer edge of a platter, and heap the marinated vegetables in the center.

---oOo---

BAKED RED ONION AND BEETROOT WITH WALNUT SALSA

2 bunches of small beetroot, well-scrubbed and washed. Leave the stalks and leaves on if they’re still in good condition and not too long.

Place on a baking tray covered with baking paper or tin foil (saves the elbow grease needed to clean the tray later)

Rub the entire root with a good dollop of olive oil

Bake in a preheated oven at 200֩C for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and, while still hot, refresh the vegetables with more olive oil, a good squeeze of fresh orange juice, and two generous tablespoons of pomegranate seeds.

WALNUT SALSA

In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients.

To serve:

On a platter, arrange the onions and beetroot together with the rocket leaves and slices of goat’s cheese. Carefully spoon the salsa over the salad. Serve.

---oOo---

FAMILY FAVOURITE BAKED BUTTERNUT WITH CRÈME FRAÎCHE DRESSING

Cut a medium-sized butternut into wedges, keeping the skin on. Place on a prepared baking sheet (cover the baking sheet with baking paper/tinfoil)

Cover the wedges with a generous sprinkling of olive oil.

Season with a mixture of ginger powder, curry powder, coriander and a little salt and pepper. Add a good finger of fresh ginger, cut into very thin slices, and sprinkle it over the butternut.

Bake in a preheated oven at 220֩C for 40 minutes, until the butternut is cooked, the skin is soft, and the outer edges are slightly charred.

Remove from the oven and serve with the Crème Fraîche sauce ladled over the vegetables.

Mix all the ingredients. Arrange the butternut on a large platter, then sprinkle finely sliced red chili over the vegetables along with the coriander leaves. Spoon the sauce over the vegetables. Serve a little sauce on the side for guests to add later.

---oOo---

GET YOUR GREENS

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add half a lemon cut into chunks and 5ml salt.
Steam various green vegetables, e.g. asparagus, young beans, long-stemmed broccoli and sugar snap peas, individually for a few minutes. Not more than 3 minutes. Asparagus and sugar snap peas for 2 minutes. Dunk the vegetables in ice-cold water to stop the cooking process immediately. Refresh with a good splash of Virgin Olive Oil (use local oils), salt and a good grind of black pepper. Plate on a large platter, add dried cranberries, cracked walnuts, and snipped chives. A good squeeze of lemon juice will add panache! Serve at room temperature. To ring the changes, shave some Parmesan cheese and add that too.

---oOo---

Bake a punnet of Rosa tomatoes on the vine for 15 min.

Slice the aubergines, brush both sides with olive oil, and bake in a hot oven at 200֩C for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool down.

Pack the aubergines into a buttered ovenproof dish; fill the gaps with the tomatoes.
Beat together the cream cheese, egg and cream. Add the seasoning and herbs, then fold in the Feta cheese.

Pour over the aubergines. Bake at 180֩C for 35-40 minutes until the custard has set.
Remove from the oven, dust with a good grating of Parmesan cheese and garnish with baked Rosa tomatoes and oregano.

---oOo---

THAI MELON MELANGE SALAD

Cut 1 small watermelon into WEDGES; using 1 wedge, peel and cut it into thin slices (the slices will be triangular). Cut just enough for the table – approx. 2 slices for each guest.  Wrap the rest of the watermelon in cling film, keep cold for the children returning from the beach later!

Repeat the above with 1 Spanspek (sweet melon).

Arrange the fruit, rocket leaves and radishes on a large platter, keeping the various varieties separate. Sprinkle the mint, coriander and basil leaves on all the ingredients. Dress with the Thai dressing. Garnish with the nuts.

THAI SALAD DRESSING

In a small jar, shake the dressing ingredients; dress the salad just before serving.

---oOo---

HOW TO DOLL UP VANILLA ICE-CREAM

Line a bread tin (any mould will do; I always use a half-round tin or bread tin, which makes portioning easier) with two layers of cling film (cut two strips of cling film, place one on top of the other on a flat surface, then line the tin). It doesn’t have to look perfect; it will work as long as the tin is covered on all sides.

Half-melt good quality 1 liter full-cream vanilla ice cream (here one must splurge to impress)

HAZELNUT ICE CREAM

(Ice cream can be made a few days in advance)

Leave the ice cream out to half-melt in a large bowl. Lightly fold in the nuts, then the dark chocolate, then the Brandy, and lastly swirl in the Condensed Milk. Do not overwork the ice cream.

 ---oOo---

BERRY ICE CREAM

Line a bread tin with two layers of cling film, making sure all the sides are covered.
Leave the ice cream out to half melt in a large bowl. Gently fold in the berries and liqueur. Remould in the lined tin, then freeze.

Remove the ice cream from the tin, plate on a large platter and garnish with fresh berries, mint leaves and a dusting of icing sugar.

---oOo---

ORANGE FLAVOURED ICE CREAM

---oOo---

CRUSTLESS TARTE AU CITRON AND CARAMEL SAUCE

Pour the sugar into a frying pan, add the water, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Heat the pan quickly, then turn the heat down to low. Leave the sugar to melt. It takes quite a while. Once the sugar melts, watch carefully as sugar burns quickly once it’s bubbling and really hot. A good caramel has a dark colour; the sweet sauce with a slightly bitter edge is what makes a good sauce.

Pour this sauce into a cake tin, making sure the sides are covered before the caramel settles on the base and hardens.

TARTE CITRON

Whisk the eggs with the castor sugar and zest until light and creamy. Stir in the lemon juice, then gently fold in the cream. Remove any froth before pouring into the tin.

Place the tin in a water bath by carefully setting it into a larger baking tin half filled with boiling water. Bake for 30 minutes or until the filling has set. Cool completely.

To serve: loosen sides with a rounded blade. Place a rectangular plate on top of the mould; turn over swiftly.

---oOo---

MY EASY FESTIVE PANNACOTTA AND BERRIES

Heat cream slowly to just below boiling point, add sugar and vanilla and stir until completely melted. Add soaked gelatine and stir until completely melted. Pour into a cling film-lined bread tin or mould. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours until gelatine has set properly.

To serve: Turn the Pannacotta out onto a rectangular platter, pour granadilla curd over the top, and garnish with a selection of festive berries.

UPDATE:

Whenever I make pannacotta (often), I halve this recipe, making 4 servings.

---oOo---

GRANADILLA CURD

Store-bought lemon curd is just as good.

Bon Appétit, amigo!

---oOo---

Of course, the showstoppers were two desserts made by my dear friend, the Queen of Tarts: a Berry Pavlova and a heavenly Chocolate Mousse by my celebrated friend, the barefoot cook! I hope to inherit their recipes!

I didn’t have time to photograph my dishes, but a friend kindly took some pictures. Photo credit: Lilly la Cock. Thank you. My inspiration for this menu came from Yotam Ottolenghi, who has mastered the art of cooking with vegetables. Add his books PLENTY and PLENTY MORE to your wish lists!