Jardine vs Savoy Cabbage

THE CONTESTANTS

George Jardine, owner/chef at Jardine, 185 Bree Street, Cape Town.
Tel 021 424 5640

Peter Pankhurst, chef at Savoy Cabbage, Hout Street, Heritage Square, Cape Town.
Tel 021 424 2626

 

THE JUDGES

Lannice Snyman: cookbook author and publisher Justine Drake: food writer and editor of the dine restaurant guide

THE MYSTERY WINE

Desiderius Pongrácz 2001, the 2006 WINE Magazine Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge winner

The term 'Chef Shootout' conjures up vivid images of two adversaries squaring up for a duel at dawn, pistols drawn, trigger fingers a' twitchin'. Fortunately for the purposes of this exercise there was no bloodshed (unless you count some stray beetroot juice) and the weapons of choice were no more menacing than the odd blender or bunch of leeks!

A bit of 'mucking about' was how Savoy Cabbage's Peter Pankhurst mischievously referred to this culinary sparring. But these two seasoned professionals rose admirably to the challenge when it came to creating the ultimate food and wine match, using this year's WINE magazine Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge winner, the Desiderius Pongrácz 2001.

JARDINE

Round one commenced at lunchtime on a frenetic Friday at Jardine, where owner and chef George Jardine appeared remarkably relaxed for a man about to enter the lion's den! In London Jardine worked with acclaimed international chefs Marco Pierre White and Jean Christophe Novelli, and he was once executive chef at The Cellars-Hohenhort Hotel in Constantia, Cape Town. Having recently returned to Cape Town after a globetrotting five-year stint, Jardine has embarked on a new chapter in his career. Only three months ago he unveiled Jardine, "a safe haven for tasty food in Cape Town," he explained in his down-to-earth manner.

With its sophisticated interior and wraparound cityscape views, Jardine is an oasis of calm. Just what the doctor ordered for two frazzled foodies and a stressed out scribe! With Lannice Snyman and Justine Drake taking their first appreciative sips of the winning bubbly, Jardine floored us by referring to the winning red wine! A Scotsman with a wicked sense of humour - poker-faced Jardine is a champion leg puller.

Jardine slipped back into chef mode, rallying the troops in the open plan kitchen. "This is theatre!" exclaimed Snyman. The judges deemed the Desiderius more than suitable to sip on its own. "But then I'm a bit of a bubbles girl," revealed Drake. The wine has a slightly sweet finish, making it potentially tricky to pair with food. "My brain's leaping to see what he does," said an eager Snyman.

Shortly Jardine arrived with his Shootout entry. Reminiscent of a Japanese haiku poem - the dish was delicate and distilled to its supreme essence, but concealed within were intriguing complexities.

He'd created a trio of Saldanha oysters. The first dish an Oyster Cream with Oyster Granita served in a shot glass, the second - Oyster Natural in a half shell with Rhubarb and Chorizo dressing, and the last stanza in George's dreamy ode to the multi-faceted mollusc an Oyster and Baby Spinach Soup appropriately presented in a 'baby' cup.

The presentation was eye-catching in its elegant simplicity. But there were plenty of smaller details to delight visually, such as the way the fresh green tones of the soup and the delicately patterned plate offset the vivid scarlet of the rhubarb.

A light and summery choice for a miserable, blustery day perhaps, but Jardine reveals he'd devised his match the previous day when the weather was fine. After sampling her first mouthful Drake announced, "We've got sun in our heads and our hearts now, darling!"

"I found the wine quite rich, so I needed dishes that could stand up to its complexity," explained the chef. The idea was to begin with the cream and granita which is rich and full, progress to the natural oysters with their fresh, slightly sharp briny flavours and to round the experience off with Jardine's soothing smooth oyster and spinach soup.

The first dish went down a treat with the bubbles. "A masterpiece of deliciousness," pronounced Drake. The creaminess and a hint of sweetness from the oyster cream complemented the residual sweetness of the wine. "That's a hit," agreed Snyman. "The full flavours go well with something rich, whilst balancing the very fine mousse of the wine," added Jardine.

Next was the rather unusual variation on the theme. "You're taking quite a risk with the chorizo while the rhubarb is a challenge with any match," commented Snyman. "I wanted to give it a bit of a kick," confided the chef. "It's difficult to find the rhubarb in that with the chorizo as the defining flavour, but surprisingly the oyster was still the hero of the dish," concluded Snyman. Drake enjoyed the smokiness of the chorizo and believed it didn't detract from the elegance of the Desiderius.

Our judges felt the first dish highlighted the sugar in the wine, whilst the second brought out its tannins and was not as seamless or balanced. After sampling the soup Snyman beamed. "Now the wine is just flirting with this." "Jeez, that's green and fresh," murmured Drake.

Although the oyster was slightly muted in the third dish, the subtle flavours once again worked their magic with the wine. Both judges agreed that each dish contributed something completely different to the wine, highlighting its rich complexity - as if they'd sampled three different dishes with three different wines.

"Fabulous, interesting and innovative. The wine was happy and the food was happy," concluded Snyman. "George took something as conventional as an oyster and champagne combo and elevated it to an entirely new level," agreed Drake. "George for president!"

SAVOY CABBAGE

Chef Peter Pankhurst is coming up for his seventh year at the helm of this award-winning restaurant and shows no sign of running out of inspiration.

"I've been having such fun!" chortled Pankhurst after we arrived for round two of the contest. Offal lovers flock to Savoy to sample Pankhurst's wizardry with those unmentionable bits, so it was rather a surprise to discover he'd opted to follow the more conventional route of fresh West Coast oysters, rather than subject this fine wine to the horror of Karoo oysters!

Pankhurst was smitten with the "gorgeous" shape of the winning bottle and suggested one could fill it with perfume! "Bubbly is for celebration and romance," he explained. He'd also dubbed the wine Dezzie Dearest, "because I couldn't get my mouth around the real name!"

For his starter of oyster custard with rice encrusted oysters and leek compote and beetroot and ginger emulsion Pank-hurst had used fresh oysters from Steenberg Cove near Langebaan. "They seem to be bigger, plumper and fresher," he commented. "So they're oysters with attitude?" quipped Snyman. He'd also done a dessert ("just for fun" was his reassurance) of "Buck's Fizz" - Dezzie Jelly with orange sorbet, orange segments and brioche biscotti. "Romance on a plate is what we're after!" announced the chef.

Pankhurst's dish combined the "crunchy moment" of the rice encrusted fried oysters with the smooth creaminess of the oyster custard. The blend of flavours and textures went down a treat with the multi-dimensional characteristics of the Pongrácz Desiderius 2001. "The creaminess of the dish echoed the creamy mousse of the wine," said Pankhurst.

Each component added its magic. The crispy leeks contributed a crispness and acidity, matching that of the wine, while the sweetness of the beetroot complemented this bubbly's sugar and fruitiness. "The beetroot always makes it look like something was killed on the plate," said Pankhurst with a dangerous grin. Snyman agreed that the beetroot was a good counterpoint to the citrus and fresh green apple fruit flavours of the Desiderius.

It was famed chef Marco Pierre White who declared that oysters and leeks had a natural affinity. "When you have that crisp moment with the caramelized leeks the wine tasted completely different, it brought the deep flavours out and knocked the fruit and sweetness back," commented Snyman.

When Pankhurst's pud arrived, chef and foodies agreed that this celebratory dish was perfect for a New Year's or Valentine's Day menu. Or even as an engagement 'surprise', suggested Snyman who promptly plonked her ring into the jelly filled champagne flute. With a bit of culinary magic Pankhurst had managed to trap tiny bubbles in the jelly - simulating the wine's fine mousse.

"Frivolous beyond speech, it makes your spirit soar," said Snyman, after retrieving her ring. "It's quirky and clever and it worked," agreed Drake. The yeastiness of the brioche biscotti and tart citrus of the orange sorbet were a merry match for the bubbly, whilst the Dezzie Jelly appealed to the kid in all of us, explained the chef. Other than feeling the biscotti were a trifle superfluous, Snyman and Drake were smitten. "I could eat this for Sunday morning breakfast," said Drake with a contented sigh. Pankhurst's 'Buck's Fizz with a twist' was a triumphant finale agreed our judges.

THE VERDICT

Both chefs achieved an innovative and interesting result with a rather obvious choice for a food and bubbly match, but ultimately our judges agreed that in this contest the Desiderius Pongrácz 2001 should be the hero of the hour. Although Pankhurst's was a masterful match, Jardine's oyster trio allowed the wine more opportunities to shine. "George's three dishes in one allowed the wine many different guises, or personalities," explained Drake. "All three were so clearly thought through and each did something completely different for the wine. All the values and nuances in that glass came through singing," agreed Snyman.