Entertaining

A summer barbecue with Corlea and Bertus Fourie

Posted by Fiona Beckett on May 30 2024 at 16:46

If you want inspiration for a barbecue ask a Saffer. Braais are an integral part of South African culture bringing together the vibrant flavours of Cape Malay cuisine with their passion for cooking over coals.

In the first of a new series of guest posts where winelovers share their entertaining tips, South African winemaker Corlea Fourie, winemaker of Bosman wines and her husband Bertus reveal the food they make when they have people round.

Do introduce yourselves

Bertus and Corlea Fourie with chef friend Ashley Dokter
of Fyre

We're Corlea and Bertus Fourie and live in Wellington in the heart of South Africa's wine country.

Bertus earned the nickname ‘Starbucks’ for his skill in producing the first coffee-flavoured Pinotage which made waves in the early 2000’s. I decided on a career in wine while working in pubs and restaurants in Scotland and England during a gap year after school. The social side of winemaking and the science behind it was the combination that I was looking for. After completing a winemaking degree at the University of Stellenbosch, I did an internship at a Wellington winery where Bertus was making said wine, as I too wanted to know the secret to this new style. Now 21 years, 3 children, 2 pugs, and a cat later we still live in Wellington and wine and our love for food has been a constant theme.

Tell us how you entertain

Our gatherings often centre around a traditional braai (barbecue), where friends and family come together to enjoy good food, great wine, and lively conversation. We are fortunate to have a terrace on which we have multiple fire pits/hubs on which several dishes can be prepared at once. Fire is a wonderful focus for entertaining. It adds theatre when needed but also a warm sense of welcome.

So what’s the menu - and what are you drinking?

We focus on doing the staples well so, in this case, the prawn and meat will be key, fresh vegetables and ingredients for the sauces and a few hearty side dishes borrowed from our diverse cultures. For dessert Bertus loves to prepare quirky ice creams as one can finish them well in advance. Knowing basic techniques like preparing flatbreads and ice cream bases takes you a long way

The menu should serve 4-6

We’ll kick off with a glass of our Methode Ancestrale Chenin Blanc 2022. A methode ancestrale made of chenin with its crisp natural acidity is always a sure way of getting taste buds alive and ready for the onslaught of a meal. I also personally think that a methode ancestrale is the closest way of showing someone what drinking wine from a tank in harvest time tastes like. Pure!

Starter: Bhutte ka kees and prawns

We love this simple dish of spiced, grated corn which is delicious with grilled prawns. You can find the recipe here. If you’re vegetarian serve the bhutte ka kees on its own with flavoured oil.

Pairing: Fides skin contact Grenache blanc 2019

The Bosman Fides has beautiful, precise savory, and mature notes. The 21-day skin contact on the Grenache has this pithy, dry taste which contrasts beautifully with the sweet, fruit-led, flavour of the prawns.

Main course: Spice-rubbed skirt steak and chimichurri served on flatbread

It’s worth making your own flatbread dough because you’re going to need to cook it at the last minute and serve it warm. Pick any chimichurri recipe you like - there are loads online including this one from Bon Appetit.

For the meat you’ll need 1.5-1.8 kg of skirt steak, brined if you like (see footnote), patted dry and lightly sprayed with olive oil.

Here’s the rub we use

1 tbsp coriander

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp cloves

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 tbsp Maldon salt

1 tbsp muscovado sugar

1 tsp instant coffee

1 tsp Chinese salt or Aromat

Toast the coriander, cumin, cloves, black paper and mustard seeds in a dry pan to release the flavour of the spice. Cool then coarsely grind with the salt with a pestle and mortar. Add the rest of the ingredients.

Massage the rub onto the meat. Put onto the grill on a very high heat. It will be the complete opposite of low and slow.

Whilst cooking dust generously with the rub and cook until medium rare - about 4-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat. Take care not to overcook.

Rest while you cook the flatbreads on a hot griddle or skillet. Smother them with butter as you take them off the heat.

Carve the meat in slices and load onto the flat bread. Top generously with chimichurri, fold over and enjoy!

Sides: Spicy cauliflower steaks with mustard cream

Ingredients

· 2 small or 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into 2 cm thick chunks

. 4-6 medium-sized shallots

· 2 tbsp olive oil

· 2 tbsp butter

· 1 tbsp dried chilli flakes, or urfa pepper (pul biber)

· 2 tsp cumin seeds, roasted

· Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

· 250 ml sour cream

· 1 tbsp whole grain mustard

· 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

· 1 tbsp honey

· 20 g almond flakes, toasted

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan

Add olive oil to a cast iron pan, and sear the cauliflower steaks until brown – about 2-3 minutes. Add half the butter pieces between the steaks, and season with spices and salt. Turn and repeat but add butter pieces on top of the cauliflower steaks. Season. Once brown, put into oven and bake until tender – 15 to 20 minutes.

Pop the shallots directly onto the warm coals until soft to the touch of your BBQ tongs. Anything between 5-10 minutes. Then peel them, cut them into halves or quarters and transfer to a pan over the fire to brown up.

Mix the sour cream, mustards & honey together, and drizzle over the finished cauliflower steaks. Scatter over the grilled shallots and toasted almond flakes.

(This is crazy good! CF)

Pairing: Bosman Family Vineyards Twyfeling Cinsaut 2021

Having a medium-bodied wine that is full of fruit sweetness and flavour with grilled meat is a win. The tight cranberry profile and crunchy tannins of this wine would , I think, make a lovely pairing.

What else do you enjoy drinking?

While our wines will undoubtedly make their way to the table, we also enjoy exploring bottles from further afield. Here are a few memorable wines of which we have fond memories, which we would love drinking with this meal too

Vincent Carême Vouvray Plaisir l’Ancestral from the Loire (as a welcome wine and it is chenin!)

La Gitana Manzanilla, Bodegas Hidalgo with the starter

Greystone, Muddy Water Pinotage from Canterbury in New Zealand with the main

Dessert: Malva Pudding ice-cream in a brandy snap basket

“Malva-pudding” is a sweet pudding of South African origin. It mostly contains apricot jam and has a spongy caramelised texture. A sweet cream sauce, much like condensed milk, is always poured over it while it is hot, and it is usually served warm with cold custard and/or ice-cream.

This ice cream takes all the elements of a malva pudding and is a firm family favourite!

Ingredients

For ice cream

· 250 ml full cream milk

· 125 ml double cream

· 125 ml condensed milk

· 1 tbsp apricot jam

. 1 vanilla pod

. 60g sugar

· 10 large egg yolks

· 2 tbsp finely chopped semi-dried Turkish apricots

· 2 heaped tbsp marshmallow fluff (optional but there’s a recipe here if you want to make it yourself)

Brandy snap baskets (bought in is fine but again there's a recipe here)

Method

To make the ice-cream put the milk, cream, condensed milk, jam and vanilla pod in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and let the pod steep for 15 minutes. Scrape the seeds from the pod into the milk-cream mixture with a paring knife. Discard the pod, or dry and add to a jar of sugar.

Combine the sugar and yolks and whisk vigorously for around a minute or so until light and moussey.

Fill a large bowl with a mixture of ice and water, and place a second bowl into the ice bath. Set a fine-mesh strainer over the bowl.

Over a medium heat, bring the milk-cream mixture to a simmer, then pour it slowly into the yolks while whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the pan and continue stirring over a low to medium heat until the mixture starts to thicken - it should be pourable, but if you dip a spoon in it, it should be thick enough on the spoon to draw a line through it.

Pour the sauce through the strainer into the bowl set in the ice bath. Stir the sauce with a rubber spatula until it is cold. Add the fluff, if using, and apricots – the fluff will create little clouds in the custard and will not dissolve completely. The colder it is before going into your machine, the better.

Freeze according to your machine’s instructions.Transfer from the freezer to the fridge about 20 minutes before serving to allow the ice-cream to mellow and make it easier to scoop into the brandy snap baskets or cones.

About Bosman: In 2008, a landmark joint venture between Bosman Family Vineyards and the Adama Workers Trust saw the formation of the biggest Black Economic Empowerment deal in the South African wine industry to date, with eligible workers receiving co-ownership of 430ha of farming land. Many of the 260 full-time workers on the estate are from 5th generation families who together own 26% of the business. In 2009, the Bosman's’ ethical and sustainable methods of producing and trading their wine received official Fairtrade certification. In 2015 the wine farm was the runner-up for Ethical Company of the Year at The Drinks Business Green Business Awards and is the Editors's Choice Winery of the Year in the 2024 Platter's Guide. You can read more about them on their website.

Tags: ice cream steak shrimp prawns braii barbecue
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A simple spring supper for 4

Posted by Fiona Beckett on April 24 2019 at 07:29

This is the kind of easy meal I like to make for friends. The soup can be made in advance (or buy one of the excellent ready made chilled soups there are nowadays and dress it up with some fresh herbs), the steak is finished in the oven and the dessert literally takes minutes.

Pea, broccoli and mint soup with goats’ cheese crostini

The first of the pea crop is coming through now but frankly, frozen peas will do just as well. The slight bitterness of the greens offsets their sweetness perfectly.

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
15g butter
1 small to medium onion peeled and roughly chopped or 5/6 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
1 small head of broccoli (about 225-250g)
225g fresh peas (podded weight) or frozen peas
500ml light chicken or vegetable stock (or stock made with organic vegetable bouillon powder)
10-12 mint leaves
1 heaped tbsp finely chopped parsley and chives
For the goats cheese crostini
8 crostini bases*
100g very fresh young goats cheese

Warm the oil in a large saucepan then add the butter and the onion, stir and cook over a gentle heat for about 4 minutes until soft. Cut the broccoli florets off the stalk then cut them in small, even-sized pieces. Add the broccoli and peas to the onion, pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer until the vegetables are soft (about 4-5 minutes). Strain off and reserve the liquid. Tip the vegetables into a blender or food processor, add a little of the liquid back and whiz until smooth, gradually adding the remaining liquid (you may have to do this in two batches), Pour the soup back into the saucepan. Finely chop the mint, add to the soup and warm through but don’t leave on the heat or the colour will go. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread the crostini bases with fresh goats cheese. Serve the soup in small bowls with a scattering of fresh herbs and a couple of crostini on the side.

To drink: You could either go for a minerally Loire Sauvignon like a Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé, a young Chablis or a top quality pinot grigio from the Alto Adige

Seared fillet steak with asparagus and mushrooms

One of my favourite recipes from my latest book Meat and Two Veg. If you’re making steak for more than two it’s easier to flash it in the oven than cook them individually.

Serves 4

1 tsp mixed peppercorns
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 dsp plain flour
600g piece of fillet steak
1 tbsp olive oil
15g butter
For the asparagus and mushrooms
1 bunch of fresh asparagus
350g chestnut mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 230°C/Gas 8/450°F. Put the peppercorns, sea salt, rosemary in a mortar and crush to a fine consistency. Mix in the flour and tip into a shallow dish. Pat the steak dry and roll in the spice mixture. Heat a large frying pan for about 2 minutes, add the oil, heat for a minute then add the butter. As the foaming dies down place the steak in the pan and sear briefly on each side. Put the steak in a shallow dish or roasting tin and transfer to the oven for 10-15 minutes, depending how well done you like it. Remove and rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. Meanwhile trim the woody ends off the asparagus, cut them in two then cut the larger spears in half lengthways. Steam or microwave for 3 minutes until just tender. Wipe or rinse the mushrooms clean and slice roughly. Heat a tablespoon of oil in the pan and toss the asparagus spears in it for a couple of minutes until they begin to brown and char. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining oil and butter and fry the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes. Return the asparagus to the pan and warm through. Season with a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour any juices from the beef into the roasting pan then slice the beef thinly. Serve with a spoonful of juices poured over with the asparagus and mushrooms alongside. We quite often eat this without potatoes but if you want to serve some you could serve some boiled or roast new potatoes (put them in before the steak if you’re roasting them)

To drink: The steak and mushrooms are a more important factor than the asparagus in this match though you might want to pick up on its flavour by choosing a red that has some herbaceous notes of its own like a cabernet franc or a cool climate cabernet sauvignon or cabernet/merlot blend.

Smashed strawberry meringue

A very easy English pudding, commonly known as Eton Mess

Serves 4-6

450g ripe strawberries
1 tbsp caster sugar + 2 tsp for the cream
1 pack of meringue nests (Marks and Spencer do really good ones that taste just like homemade meringues)
284 ml carton double cream
150 ml carton whipping cream

Pull the stalks off the strawberries and slice them thickly. Save a few slices then sprinkle 1 tbsp of the sugar over the rest and set aside. Break up the meringues into chunky pieces. Mix the two creams together with the remaining sugar and beat with an electric or handheld whisk until the mixture just holds its shape and forms a floppy peak. Layer up the strawberries, meringue and cream in individual glass dishes or a larger bowl, finishing with a layer of cream. Chill in the fridge till you’re ready to eat it then decorate with the remaining strawberries

To drink: Meringues and cream always suggest bubbles to me so pick a semi-sweet sparkling wine like a Clairette de Die or demi-sec Champagne.

Tags: strawberries meringue Eton Mess mushrooms food:desserts & cakes asparagus food:veg & salads steak food:beef & lamb soup pea soup
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A steak and Malbec supper

Posted by Fiona Beckett on November 8 2017 at 11:26

This menu was created as part of a series of pieces I wrote for Sainsbury's magazine. The idea was to invite your friends round for a wine tasting then all have a slap-up meal afterwards. This meal was based on a tasting of South American reds from Argentina and Chile but it would be just as fun to base it round Malbec (Malbec being the perfect wine for a steak).

If you want to serve some nibbles while you get the steaks ready I suggest making or buying some guacamole and some fresh tomato salsa and serving them with lightly salted plain tortilla chips (which you could accompany with a Margarita or a Sauvignon Blanc)

Menu:
Chargrilled steaks with chimichurri salsa
Stove-top potatoes
Warm cinnamon pancakes with cajeta and raspberries

Chargrilled steaks with chimichurri salsa

The Argentinians are not only great steak eaters but tremendous barbecuers - a dish like this would always be cooked on the ‘asado’ (open grill) Do the same if you’re one of those people who barbecues year-round. Otherwise cook them on a ridged grill or in a large heavy frying pan
Serves 6

6 evenly cut rib-eye or sirloin steaks
A little olive oil

Trim any excess fat off the steaks and smear them lightly with oil. Heat one or two ridged grill pans or heavy frying pans until smoking hot and cook the steaks rare or medium rare to taste. Put them on a warm serving dish to rest for 5 minutes as you finish them. Put a steak on each plate with some salad and stove-top potatoes (below). Shake the chimichurri salsa vigorously and splash it over the steaks and salad
(You may want to have a simple vinaigrette dressing to hand for those who find the chimichurri salsa too fiery!)

For the chimichurri salsa
This very odd-sounding salsa tastes wonderful on steak but you must leave it overnight for the flavours to infuse.

110ml (4 fl oz) olive oil
55 ml (2 fl oz) red wine vinegar
1 level tsp dried oregano
A small handful (about 20g) fresh flat leaf parsley, stalks removed and leaves roughly chopped
1/2 level tsp crushed chillies
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
110 ml (4 fl oz) salmuera (salt water solution made from 1 level tbsp sea salt dissolved in 4 fl oz warm water and cooled)

Mix the ingredients for the sauce together in a large screw-top jar, shake
well and refrigerate overnight. Shake well before using

Wine suggestion:
The slightly salty, garlicky salsa will have the effect of softening the tannins of any red you put with it so this is an opportunity to drink a big tannic young red without worrying if it's going to overwhelm the dish. As well as Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Tannat would also work well.

Stove-top potatoes

Baked potatoes are a staple of South American cuisine but develop a wonderful earthy flavour from being cooked in an earthenware pot. If you don’t have one use a cast-iron dish

1 kg even sized small waxy salad potatoes

Scrub or wash the potatoes if necessary and place in a shallow earthenware pot or very lightly greased cast iron dish. Cover with a lid or a piece of foil and cook over a very low heat for about an hour and a quarter, turning them occasionally, Pierce with a sharp knife to check they’re cooked through.

Simple mixed salad

2 romaine hearts or a bag of iceberg lettuce leaves
2 large or 3 medium sized tomatoes
1/2 a cucumber
A packet of chives

Wash the romaine hearts and tear each leaf into two or three pieces. Slice the tomatoes and cucumber. Cut the chives in three. Arrange a salad on each plate starting with the lettuce, then a few slices of cucumber and tomato and sprinkle with the chopped chives

Warm cinnamon crepes with cajeta and raspberries

I was introduced to cajeta - a divinely caramelly sauce from Mexico - by American food writer Rick Bayless. This is an adaptation of a recipe in his first book Authentic Mexican and is one of the most irresistible desserts I’ve ever eaten. You can make both the cajeta and pancakes in advance - or buy both ready-made to save time (see below)
Serves 6

6 cinnamon pancakes (see below) or bought pancakes
250g curd cheese
100ml (3 1/2 fl oz) whole milk
1 rounded tsp caster sugar
375g fresh raspberries or a 300g carton frozen raspberries, just thawed
100g toasted almonds
About 175ml of cajeta (see below)

Mix the curd cheese with the milk until smooth and stir in the sugar. Reheat the pancakes if you haven’t just made them by heating them briefly on each side in a lightly greased pan (or, with some ready made pancakes, in the microwave) Spread a generous dollop of the curd cheese over the pancake, scatter with raspberries and drizzle over a dessertspoon of cajeta. Roll up each pancake and lay in a shallow dish. Repeat with the remaining pancakes. Spoon over some more cajeta and sprinkle with toasted almonds
* You can fill the pancakes with vanilla ice cream if you prefer

For the cinnamon pancakes
Makes 6-8 24cm (9 1/4 inch) pancakes

110g (4 oz) organic plain unbleached flour or ordinary plain flour
1/2 level tsp ground cinnamon
A pinch of ground cloves or mixed spice
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 large free-range eggs
275ml (9 fl oz) semi-skimmed milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp brandy (optional)
25g cooled melted butter + another 25g melted butter for greasing the pan

You will need a 24 cm (9 1/2 inch) pancake pan or large frying pan
Mix the flour, spices, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Make a hollow in the centre. Beat the eggs lightly with the milk, vanilla extract and brandy then add the butter. Gradually pour into the flour stirring all the time. Or place the flour, seasonings, eggs and half the milk in a food processor, whiz, then slowly add the remaining milk to make a thin batter. Leave it to rest for half an hour then beat again.
Heat the pan for about 3-4 minutes over a moderate heat. Dip a crumpled piece of kitchen towel in the remaining melted butter and wipe it round the pan. It should sizzle. Pour in a ladle or coffee cup of batter and swirl it round quickly so that it covers the whole pan.
Cook for about 30 seconds till the edges begin to brown then flip over and
cook the other side. Stack the pancakes on a plate with a piece of greaseproof paper between them to prevent them sticking.

For the cajeta
This makes more than you’ll need for the recipe but you’ll also find it a fabulous topping for ice cream (or quite wicked spooned straight from the jar)

1 litre of goats milk + 200ml full fat (i.e. not semi-skimmed or skimmed) cows milk
225g (8 oz) golden caster sugar
1 tbsp glucose syrup
1/2 a stick of cinnamon
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Pour the two milks into a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the caster sugar, glucose syrup and cinnamon and heat over a moderate heat stirring occasionally until almost at boiling point. Remove from the heat and stir in the bicarbonate of soda mixed with 1 tbsp of cold water. (The mixture will fizz up but shouldn’t come over the sides if your pan is big enough) Return the pan to the heat and keep the mixture at a brisk simmer, stirring occasionally for about 45 minutes to an hour. It will gradually turn pale golden then towards the end of the cooking time a richer brown caramelly colour. At this point the bubbles will become larger and the mixture begin to rise in the pan again like milk boiling. Keep stirring to make sure it doesn’t catch. Once the mixture has become quite syrupy take it off the heat and strain into a measuring jug. You should have about 400-450ml of cajeta. Cool, stirring occasionally to stop a skin forming then pour into a clean jam jar or jars and refrigerate for up to a month.

Cheat’s cajeta
You can also make a good cajeta sauce by mixing equal quantities of Dulce de Leche with natural goats milk yoghurt. Make the recipe as above using ready made pancakes.

Wine suggestion:
A late harvest Muscat or southern French Muscat should go pretty well with this dish, if you fancy a pudding wine (though bear in mind the dessert is already quite sweet).