Bon Appetit and 2004 Sterhuis Chardonnay
I wanted to make something which would complement the range of flavours I found
on the wine," is what chef Emmanuel (Manu to his friends) Guillet said
after sampling the 2004 Sterhuis Chardonnay.
Guillet, who owns and runs Bon Appetit restaurant in Simon's Town, has featured
in WINE magazine's Top 100 restaurant guide no fewer than five times in the
past five years!
"The wine was delicious! Full of lovely fruity flavours and the wood wasn't
too powerful - made it nice and creamy. I didn't think just one dish would do
it justice. I thought a few different things would be better - so you have a
mouthful of wine and then a bit of the Camembert brûlée and maybe
the next mouthful is the gazpacho granité..."
This native of Brittany first arrived in South Africa 12 years ago to do a stint
at Blue Mountain Lodge in Mpumalanga. "I moved around a bit, worked here
and there, and ended up at the Ou Pastorie in Somerset West - and that's where
I met Judith."
The couple spent the next few years travelling the world before returning, six
years ago, to settle down in Simon's Town and start both a restaurant and a
family. "My son is two years old now - not old enough to help in the garden
yet!" he quips.
His love of food started under his mother's influence. "I just used to
help out at home and before I knew it I was hooked. I've been cooking since
I was 15. It's my life. I love food.
"I can't change a tyre ... but I can cook!"
Camembert and Pistachio Nut Crème Brûlée
125g roasted Pistachio nuts
1 Camembert
200ml cream
2 egg yolks
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
Use 6 shallow ovenproof dishes or, if using ramekins, only half-fill as the recipe is very rich. Place a few Pistachio nuts in the bottom of each dish. Dice the Camembert roughly and place a few pieces in each dish. Heat the cream in a pot until it reaches the boil. Beat the egg yolks very lightly. Pour the cream over the yolks, whisking all the time. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and a pinch of grated nutmeg. Pour the mixture into each dish. Place dishes in a bain-marie (a deep tray filled with water to halfway up the crème brûlée dishes). Bake for 30 minutes at 150°C - or 25 minutes if the dishes are very shallow. Cool completely and chill for one hour in the fridge. Before serving cover the tops with brown sugar and either brown under a hot grill or use a cook's blowtorch.
Gazpacho Granité
4 tomatoes
½ red pepper
1 clove garlic
1 slice brown bread
½ cucumber
¼ onion
100ml grapeseed oil
pinch of salt and pepper
1 T tomato paste
few drops of Tabasco sauce
Cut tomato in quarters and remove pips. Chop onion, red pepper and bread roughly.
Peel and deseed the cucumber and chop roughly. Place all the ingredients in
a blender or food processor and process till almost smooth. Pour in a shallow
tray and freeze for one hour. To make the granité, scrape it with a fork
and then spoon the desired amount into a glass.
Roulade of Smoked Salmon
2 nori sheets
2 small eggplants
3 T Balsamic vinegar
1½ T honey
Pinch of salt and pepper
200g smoked salmon, thinly sliced.
Dice the eggplant into small squares and pan fry in plenty of oil until soft
and light brown. Place in a bowl to cool with salt and pepper, Balsamic vinegar
and honey. Place one sheet of nori on a sheet of cling film. On the nori sheet,
place thin slices of smoked salmon to cover the whole sheet. Spread cold eggplant
over the smoked salmon. Roll the nori sheet up using the cling film, being careful
not to envelop the cling film in the smoked salmon. Cover the sausage shape
with cling film and twist the ends to make it tight. Chill for one hour. Remove
cling film and slice the smoked salmon roulade with a very sharp knife.
I wanted to make something which would complement the range of flavours I found
on the wine," is what chef Emmanuel (Manu to his friends) Guillet said
after sampling the 2004 Sterhuis Chardonnay.
Guillet, who owns and runs Bon Appetit restaurant in Simon's Town, has featured
in WINE magazine's Top 100 restaurant guide no fewer than five times in the
past five years!
"The wine was delicious! Full of lovely fruity flavours and the wood wasn't
too powerful - made it nice and creamy. I didn't think just one dish would do
it justice. I thought a few different things would be better - so you have a
mouthful of wine and then a bit of the Camembert brûlée and maybe
the next mouthful is the gazpacho granité..."
This native of Brittany first arrived in South Africa 12 years ago to do a stint
at Blue Mountain Lodge in Mpumalanga. "I moved around a bit, worked here
and there, and ended up at the Ou Pastorie in Somerset West - and that's where
I met Judith."
The couple spent the next few years travelling the world before returning, six
years ago, to settle down in Simon's Town and start both a restaurant and a
family. "My son is two years old now - not old enough to help in the garden
yet!" he quips.
His love of food started under his mother's influence. "I just used to
help out at home and before I knew it I was hooked. I've been cooking since
I was 15. It's my life. I love food.
"I can't change a tyre ... but I can cook!"
