Dec 9, 2015
I was invited to the “Your first taste of our Christmas” party by Woolworths (aka the Mothership) and took my Mom along. From arrival, I knew it was going to be a good party … the black runway carpet led us into the building, where we were whisked up by a waiting elevator to the Inner City Ideas Cartel building’s roof top bar (What a great venue for a function!) in Waterkant Street, Cape Town. As the elevator door opened, we were greeted with a glass of bubbles – Yes please ! A second later, we were handed this delicious snack platter for 2 …
Two very happy customers
Jenny D from Top Billing was there and let’s just say my Mom was a little star struck (She’s a big fan) …
Woolies had a beautiful display of their festive food on show … some old favourites and some new items too.
(if you haven’t already, you have to try the Chocolate Brownie Mince Pies – OMW!)
They had Chef’s cooking up a storm in a make shift kitchen downstairs, churning out the most delicious canapés, using the Woolies products on display and the results were delectably delicious !
The Canapé Menus – each prepared by a different Chef
Some of the delicious canapés we sampled – The Gammon Bitterballen Balls were a favourite, as was the pulled duck salad
Creative and inexpensive cutlery holder idea !
The gift bag we were spoilt with when leaving …
Thank you Woolies, we had a ball !
Dec 2, 2015
Photography by Darren Bester
Yield: Approximately 250ml
Ingredients:
Thinly sliced french fries baked / fried & placed in canapé cones
2 Egg Yolks
1 Heaped tsp Dijon Mustard
Squeeze of Lemon Juice
1 Garlic Clove Mashed
125ml Canola Oil
125ml Olive Oil
Pinch of Salt
Method:
In a blender, combine the egg yolks, mustard, garlic, salt & lemon juice and give a quick blend on a low speed to combine (bout 10 or so seconds). Slowly start trickling the oil into the mixture until you can see that it starts to thicken, once it starts thickening you can increase the flow of oil into the blender until all the oil has been combined. Taste and season accordingly. If too thick, add another dash of lemon juice.
Cooks Notes: Refrigerate if not serving immediately. Will keep for 3 days in the fridge.
Dec 1, 2015
Photography by Darren Bester
Yield: 30
Ingredients:
1 stale baguette
Approximately 250g Beef Fillet, cooked rare
2 heaped tsp Horseradish Cream from a jar
200ml Creme Fraiche
Handful Rocket Micro herbs
30 Thin slices of red onion
200ml Oil (Canola or Olive Oil)
Salt & Black Pepper
Olive Oil for drizzling
Method:
In a small bowl, combine the horseradish & creme fraiche and set aside. Cut the baguette into thin rounds. Heat a griddle pan until hot, pour the 200ml oil into a bowl and dip the bread in until both sides are covered in oil, pop onto the griddle pan and turn once crispy and marked by the grill pan, repeat on the other side. Remove from the heat and place on a cooling rack until cool. Thinly slice the beef. To assemble, dollop the horseradish cream onto each bread round, top with a piece of beef, micro herbs and slice of red onion. Grind over some salt & black pepper, drizzle with olive oil & enjoy!
Oct 5, 2015
Photography by Darren Bester
Maybe it’s because Easter is around the corner and I always associate Easter with seafood (after chocolate of course), or perhaps it’s the desire to indulge in one last al fresco lunch under the sun, before winter arrives in the Southern Hemisphere, or maybe it’s that case of ‘you want what you can’t have’, due to the baby boy currently growing in my belly and shellfish therefore being taboo… but for whatever reason, the desire to cook prawns, was one I finally gave into this past Sunday !
I made something quick and easy …toasted baguette with garlic & chili prawns and a fresh guacamole salsa for hubby and some friends (I ate mine minus the prawns). So quick and easy, yet so tasty and moreish. Something you could serve at a party as a canapé, as a starter or perhaps, like we did, as a lovely al fresco snack… Minimum effort for maximum results – just look how beautifully these pretty pink babies plate up … a quick and easy way to impress your guests. 
Recipe Yield: Makes 10
Ingredients:
Olive Oil
30 prawns (deveined & peeled) (you could get away with 20 – 2 per slice of baguette)
2 clove garlic
2 fresh red chilli’s
For the salsa:
1 red onion finely diced
2 salad tomatoes finely diced
4 tablespoons coriander chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Avocados
10 Baguette slices – slightly toasted
Method: For the salsa – combine the chopped tomato, red onion, coriander, lime juice and seasoning and set aside. Mash your avocado and add seasoning and a squirt of lime juice. Toast your baguette slices either in a pan, coating lightly with some oil or in the oven for 5 minutes. In a pan, heat olive oil, fry your prawns for a minute before adding the garlic and the chili, fry for another 3 minutes or until your prawns are pink and cooked through. Dollop a good amount of avocado onto each baguette slice, followed by a dollop of salsa and top with the prawns and there you have it… a fancy little treat in no time! 
Darren Bester of Darren Bester Photography and Ashton Van Graan of The Sweetest Things and I, had fun styling this & Darren took all the mouth watering photographs! The first of many joint food styled shoots to come …
Mar 13, 2014
Photography by Darren Bester
Yield: 20 – 25
Ingredients
3–4 Tsp Wasabi Powder
5 – 6 Tbsp Creme Fraiche
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Maldon Salt & Black Pepper to taste
4 – 5 Sunflower Seed Rye Bread cut into small rounds
225grms Smoked Salmon
Dill Sprigs to garnish
Method:
Combine the Wasabi Powder, Crème Fraiche & lemon juice, season to taste. Cut your bread rounds using a circular round cutter or any shape cutter you desire. Place a generous amount of salmon on each round, place a quenelle* of wasabi cream on top of the salmon and garnish with a dill sprig.
Notes: Shape a quenelle by warming 2 teaspoons in hot water, shake off excess water and run spoon along the surface of the cream mixture, transfer the mixture from spoon to spoon until a neat oval shape forms, carefully slide the quenelle off the spoon and onto the salmon.
Cut your bread rounds ahead of time and store until required, you can make your cream mixture ahead of time too and trim your dill garnish so that 15 minutes before you guests arrive, you can plate up with no mess and no fuss.
