Seared Scallops and Tomato Mousse on Ratatouille Salad

It sounds delicious, but wait, it is actually just half of the recipe. Yes there is more! The tomato mousse and ratatouille salad are served with olive oil fried scallops and a capsicum vinaigrette. A lovely and light starter that is so easy to prepare.

I have done white tomato mousse before, so this time we are doing a red tomato mousse. It is the same way, cooking the tomatoes, then blending and straining, cool down, add gelatine and whipped cream.....finish...sounds easy enough? No worry, it is easy you will see when you follow the recipe.

Then there is the ratatouille salad, cut the vegetables in small cubes....not just anyhow, no, try to have them exact, 5 mm by 5 mm. I know it is a pain, but that is me, it has to be right. Then cook it like a normal ratatouille, cool down and just add a touch of balsamic vinegar.....yes an old one it will be nicer

Then you quickly prepare the capsicum vinaigrette, something you can even do a couple of days ahead of time, it keeps well in the fridge and can be used for all sorts of salads. Just roast the capsicum in the oven, peel, de pip, blend and add the other ingredients of the vinaigrette, voila and finish....now that was really easy

Then you plate everything and just before serving and adding the vinaigrette, flash fry the scallops. They have to be fried hot and very quick, you don't want to overcook them. I cut them in half, so it goes very fat with the cooking.

Isn't it amazing how easy this dish is to prepare? Mmmmmmm yes, I have to admit, it is not all that easy, it is a bit time consuming and one needs to have a bit experience in cooking the scallops, but let me tell you one thing.....don't be afraid to try something new, just follow the recipe step by step and you will see that you can make a starter at home you usually would only get in a fine dining establishment! Try, just try it out

10 Each Tomatoes
2 Each Basil
1 Each Thyme
50 Ml Champagne
2 Each Egg white
Salt, Pepper
3.5 Each Gelatine leaves
1 Lemon juice
10 Gin
10 Ml Champagne vinegar
Ml Salt, sugar
120 Ml Whipped cream

100 G Zucchini
100 G Eggplant
100 G Onions
100 G Tomatoes
25 G Tomato paste
25 Ml Olive oil Salt, pepper

600 G Scallops
50 Ml Olive oil Salt, pepper

150 G Red peppers
70 Ml Olive oil
30 Ml Cider vinegar
salt, pepper

Chop tomatoes, put in a pot with basil, thyme champagne and egg white

Blend everything, then bring slowly to boil, season

Strain through a Chinoise

Take 300 ml of the puree

Melt the soaked gelatine in it, add lemon juice gin and champagne vinegar

Cool down and fold in whipped cream

Cool in the fridge

Cut the vegetables in 5 mm cubes

Heat olive oil and fry vegetables

Add tomato paste

Simmer till still al dente

Season to taste

Cool completely

Season the scallops and fry quickly in olive oil

Roast the peppers in the oven, cool and peel

Take just the meat of the peppers and blend

Add olive oil and vinegar, season to taste

For the plating put the cold ratatouille in a round ring

Make a quenelle of the mousse and place it on top

 

Put 2 scallops around it and drizzle with vinaigrette

Poached Sole and Salmon Roulade

This is another dish from our new weekly menu, something I haven't done since my training....yes that is a while back. A Sole and Salmon Roulade.

I am not sure why, but sole, Salmon, Spinach. Potatoes and White Wine Sauce just go well together, the flavors bond and the dish is exceptional. It always worked and I never had a bad comment about it. The flavors are subtle but still strong, the go together not against each other. The dish is light, but not really light in Calories as there is a bit of cream and butter in the sauce. The cooking method is healthy so overall it is a timeless dish, one that has worked well in the past...... many years!

Of course there needs to be a bit work to make this dish nice. The salmon has to be blended, strained, mixed up with cream, then the sole is laid out, the salmon goes on top of it, it gets rolled and then wrapped in plastic. I like to make one roll per person and then cut it just before serving

What is really important is that the Salmon and Cream are ice cold when blended together. The speed of the blender tends to heat up the fish mix and the danger comes that the cream splits....not what you want. Make sure you blend the salmon a bit, then add the salt as it will help emulating the fish and the cream. You need to work quite fast as well as it will help keeping the mix cold

So now, lets go to work and make this lovely dish, here is the recipe

Recipe

900 g Sole fillet
400 g Salmon fillet
250 ml Cream
10 g Salt
5 g Pepper
30 ml Noilly Prat

300 ml Fish Stock
100 ml White wine
250 ml Cream
10 g Corn starch

1 Kg Fresh Spinach
50 g Garlic
70 g Shallots
50 ml Olive oil
10 g Salt, Pepper

1.20 Kg Potatoes
50 g Butter

20 g Parsley

250 g Tomatoes

10 ml Olive oil

10 g Basil

Method

Blend salmon finely in a blender, make sure it stays cold all the time

Mix in seasoning and cream, season to taste

Clean sole fillet and lay them next to each other on a plastic wrap
Spread the salmon mix carefully on the sole fillets

Roll everything like a roulade

Close the ends tight and prick the plastic carefully with a knife. This will help to infuse the roulades with the flavor of the stock

Combine ingredients except cream and starch for the fish stock

Poach the roulades in the stock for about 10 minutes, take out and let rest

Then boil up fish stock, add cream

Mix corn starch with a little white wine and thicken the sauce

Turn the potatoes and boil till soft

Just before serving heat them up, saute in a bit butter and chopped parsley

Saute the cleaned spinach, season to taste

Semi dry the tomato with olive oil and seasoning

Springbok with Spinach Spatzle

Today I make a traditional game dish from Europe but with a different game, one from South Africa. Springbok is a small antelope with incredibly tender meat, especially the loin and fillet. But even the legs don't require to long cooking times.

 

The recipe below looks like this huge amount of work, but to be honest, it is not. Of course there are short cuts you can take, often one can buy the braised red cabbage already, one can use something else than spatzle....of course it is not the same anymore, but it is possible

 

Then on the other side, nothing in this recipe really takes long. The cabbage is cut quickly, and the marination doesn't take time, OK, then you leave it over night in the fridge, but you are not really cooking during that time. The apples are really quickly made and the butternut is the same. Just make sure that you don't add any water when you cook the butternut, it has to be low heat and covered. There is enough liquid int he vegetable to make a perfect puree

 

This is a dish we serve on our second weekly menu, OK, the first one took nearly 3 week, but we wanted to sell out first all the New Zealand beef before we made a new one.

 

The whole menu is lovely, here it is

Tomato mousse on ratatouille salad

Olive oil seared scallops and capsicum vinaigrette

 

Tender Springbok loin with Spinach Spatzle and red cabbage

Caramelized butternut puree

or

Sole and Salmon roulade

Spinach, Chateaux potatoes and chardonnay cream

 

Caramel Foam with Saffron poached Mango

Recipe
2.00 Kg Springbok loin

500 G Flour
40 G Butter
4 Each Eggs
200 Ml Milk
5 G Salt
2 G Nutmeg

0.50 Kg Red cabbage
0.10 L Red wine
0.10 L Orange juice
0.05 Kg Oranges
0.05 L Red wine vinegar
0.05 Kg Sugar
0.05 Kg Honey
0.20 Kg Apples
0.20 Kg Onions
0.01 Kg Bayleaves
0.00 Kg Gloves
0.01 Kg Peppercorns
0.05 Kg Potatoes

0.50 Kg Butternut
0.03 Sugar
0.00 Salt
0.5 Kg Apples
0.1 Kg White wine
0.1 Kg Water
0.05 Kg Sugar

Method
Cut the loin in 200 g pieces, season and fry in oil

Sieve the flour
Mix all the other ingredients except the butter
Mix the liquid quickly with the flour
Beat the dough with your hand until the dough has blisters
The dough must be smooth and slightly runny
One can add Rocket, Spinach, Wild Mushroom flour or Tomato Paste to flavor the Spätzle

Slice the red cabbage very fine, preferably on a slicer
Cut the onions and apples in fine slivers
Mix all ingredients well, except the potatoes
Marinate over night
Simmer slowly in the oven till the cabbage is tender
Peel and grate the potatoes
Use them at the end to thicken the red cabbage

Peel the butternut, saute with sugar in a bit butter add salt simmer covered till soft
Puree and season to taste

Peel the apples and cut in wedges
Poach in white wine, water and sugar till al dente

Exploring Accra: The Deli @ the Moevenpick

No, it is not a restaurant revue, not at all. It would be silly to write a restaurant revue about the restaurant we just opened, no, no. We leave that to others

 

So yes, I am here now since good eight month and had a fabulous time at the Moevenpick. We changed a lot, implemented a lot, are doing new things all the time, but the one major task I had this year was the opening of our Deli Shop.

We had many meetings, brain storming sessions. then had trials and we had an opening date.....which of course passed, then a new date.....which passed and then, one beautiful morning in the GM briefing we got the news. The plans had arrived and the containers with all the furniture and everything else was on the way....together with a new opening date.

Never less, that opening date still passed, but the building was already so far that we know quite exactly when to open......which was today!

It feels strange, after 8 month knowing what we wanted to do, we are actually doing it.....not exactly the way we planned, but we are pretty proud that it is working. I am proud, it is working well from day one and will get better every day.

Since one week I actually stay in the hotel as I start just before 6AM to make sure everything is going over to the Deli and is good, I help with preparation, with the set up, change a bit here and there, write new recipes as we see the original ones are not working as we want it and then of course still run the kitchen. Then at night around 10 PM I make sure everything is getting packed away, transfers are written and nothing is wasted.

The past nearly 3 weeks were really intensive. We employed new staff and started the training, most of the staff we employed because of their personality, not knowledge of sering. We wanted the right Vibe.....we got it and the knowledge is so much better than at the beginning, it is great to see the team in The Deli

So what is on offer?

There are of course the sandwiches, especially the Panini. Of course I am byist, but I have to tell you that there are no nice Panini in Accra except here. And that does not come from me, but from several guests I have chatted to today. You can have about anything on it, Parma Ham, Smoked Salmon, Ham and Cheese, Curried Chicken Salad, Tuna Mayonnaise, anything goes. So either you have a panini or a freshly baked baguette.

The we serve sushi, we got 6 individual flavors and then they go as well as a combo, very nice to have them on a Friday night before going out.

The next station is Pasta and Asian soups. You choose from Penne and Spaghetti and then have a choice of 5 Sauces. The portion is nice and big, so even the big eaters are catered for. Asian soups are prepared a la minute and you say what you want inside. Egg noodles, rice noodles, vegetables, beef or chicken

What we see is a total runner is the little lunch buffet we have with the local food. Jolof Rice, Plain Rice, and daily changing specialities like goat light soup, tilapia light soup, Agushi Stew and of course for Sunday we have Ebunuebunu with Fufu......want some recipes???? OK, they will come soon

We have as well salads, freshly squeezed orange and pineapple juice, all sorts of drinks from juices, beer, wine and even bubbly. Yes, why not indulging in some sushi and smoked salmon sandwiches and having a glass of bubbly, it comes in half bottles, so perfect for a little tete a tete.... you can even sit outside on the terrace and enjoy the evening breeze

Of course we have a wide range of pastries, but what I want to mention is the Macaroons.......homemade and lovely, I have some of them every day.....no you will not see a photo of me enjoying them and see what happens to my belly, hehehehe

Last but not least our Ice Cream. We import our own Moevenpick Ice Cream, 7 flavors and yes, they are lovely, again, there is nothing that comes close to this flavor in...no not just Accra, but the whole of West Africa. OK, I am exaggerating, but I just love Moevenpick Ice Cream. I grew up with it, love it and eat it whenever I can

I hope you like the photos and when you are in Accra, pop in and say hello. It is a great place to chill. Maybe even hop in the pool, have a great afternoon, chill out and relax.

Oilve oil seared grouper with octopus

This is the fish dish of my weekly menu, grouper and octopus. It is a lovely combination served on fondant potato and a tomato fondue.

Fondant potato is a classic, it is actually cooked in chicken stock and then at the end glazed with the reduction. For this dish I leave the glazing away, but I still cook the potatoes in a light chicken stock.

The octopus gets braised in red wine, nice and slow, so it takes the color and the flavor of the wine. Don't take just wine, but add some water, fish stock, root vegetables, mmmm I get hungry just from writing it.

 

It is such a simple dish, but each flavor is coming out nicely

2 Kg (4lb) Grouper
1.3 Kg (2.6 lb) Potatoes
1 L (1qt) Chicken stock
0.25 Kg (10oz) Spinach
0.05 Kg Butter
0.01 Kg Salt
0.005 Kg Pepper

0.5 Kg Octopus tentacles
0.5 L Red wine
0.01 Kg Salt
0.005 Kg Pepper
0.5 L Court Bouillon
1 Ea Bay leaf

0.75 Kg Tomatoes
0.25 Kg Onions
0.01 Kg Salt
0.005 Kg Pepper
0.05 Kg Basil
0.1 L Olive oil

Season the grouper with salt and pepper

Clean the octopus and braise with red wine and court bouillon till tender
Cool down and let it marinate over night
Cut the potatoes into the typical fondant size
Simmer carefully in the chicken stock till soft

Saute the spinach just before serving

Cut the tomatoes in quarters, add the onions
Saute in a bit olive oil, add salt and simmer at low temperature till everything is properly cooked Blend and strain
Mix up with Olive oil, season to taste

Pour the tomato fondue on the bottom in the deep plate
Add a fondant potato on top
Then put a layer of spinach
The fish on top of the spinach
Drizzle the braised octopus legs on top of it

Lobster Terrine

Today we are attempting a different terrine, a lobster terrine. As usual it looks a lot more difficult than it actually is, the only thing you need a lot, is time. It takes a lot of time to prepare everything as you need all your ingredients ready when you start doing it.

I like to take whole lobster tails in the terrine, they have to be poached separately. I usually take a kebab skewer, stick it lengthwise through the peeled tail, then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then poach them in court bouillon till they are just cooked. I then put them in the fridge immediately to stop the cooking process. Like this the tails will stay the same in the terrine, if they are put in raw they will curl up and the entire terrine will be messed up.

Then I like to put herbs in the terrine, just some parsley and dill, not too much, just for color. I have added some mushrooms as well, some wild ones and then some salmon that I cut in small cubes.

0.5 Lobster meat
0.6 White, firm fish fillet
0.01 Salt
0.005 Pepper
0.05 White wine
0.5 Cream
0.4 Lobster meat
0.4 Oyster mushrooms
0.4 Salmon fillet

Frisee lettuce
Radiccio lettuce
Rocket

Cider Vinegar
Saffron powder
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper, white ground

Season and wrap the lobster tails in plastic like a sausage
Poach in court bouillon till glassy inside
Cool down in the blast chiller
Take the white fish meat, preferably grouper
Make sure it is half frozen, then add to a blender
Blend till fine, then add salt and pepper
Put the mix in a new bowl on ice
Cut the lobster and salmon meat in cubes
Fry the mushrooms in olive oil, season and cool
Carefully mix the ingredients under the mix
At the end add roughly chopped parsley
Put cling film in a terrine form, then add half of the fish mix
Add the poached lobster tail in the middle, press gently
Finish off with the rest of the fish mix
Poach in the oven in a bain marie for about 45 min at 80 C

New Zealand Beef Fillet in Ghana

I actually just wanted to write about our latest addition in the restaurant, the new 3 course menu. We have created a 3 course menu where the guest can as well eat the individual courses "a la carte" but basically if you order the whole menu you get the dessert for free. We will change this menu every week, so there are so many more recipes just waiting to be posted.

But then I thought about the menu, one of my suppliers came and said that he has beef fillet from New Zealand. Now I have to be honest, I have no idea how it got here. I know this supplier well....and you do too! It is my fish supplier with whom we went fishing in Krokobite. Yes he deals in many other things, Parma Ham, Parmesan, flour, cheese bacon....anything that sells.

He got the fillet through some dark corners and thought he would send me one to taste.....wow, this was nice. The color is really dark, not like the usual beef I have from South Africa. It is super tender, tasty and just simply great.

That is how my new menu should start. so I looked what else I have and found some lovely Salsifys....a root vegetable that is best eaten in a creamy sauce....just if you ask my humble opinion. Then we made some nice turned potatoes and some green beans on top of the fillet, yes, and believe me, it goes well.

So with no further ado and mumbling and long story, here is the recipe.....and I still wonder how he got it!!!!!!

Ingredients

2 Kg New Zealand Beef Fillet
0.05 Kg Salt
0.01 Kg Pepper

1 Kg Salsify
0.1 L Chicken stock
0.2 L Cream
0.05 L White wine
0.01 Kg Maizena

1.5 Kg Potatoes
0.05 Kg Parsley
0.05 Kg Oregano
0.05 Kg Butter

0.3 Kg Fine green beans
0.03 Kg Butter
0.005 Kg Garlic

0.1 L Demi Glace

Method
Season the fillet with salt and pepper
Fry in oil to the desired temperature
Saute the salsify, then add chicken stock and cream
Boil up, season and thicken with Maizena
Turn the potatoes and boil them in salt water till soft
Chop the herbs very finely, then toss potatoes with herbs and butter
Blanch the green beans, cool down in ice water
Saute in butter with a bit garlic, season to taste
Put the salsifys on the bottom of a deep plate
Place the meat on top, potatoes around, a little jus
Put one bundle of beans on top of the meat

Duck Breast, Sweetcorn Puree, Wild Mushrooms

I haven't cooked with duck breast for a while and have to say that I missed it. Duck is such a beautiful product, the flavor is amazing. It has some gaminess to it, but is not overpowering. It is a strong meat, dark red in color and therefore is best eaten medium to medium rare.

Of course the cooking point is always something one can debate. For me personally a good cut of red meat should be eaten medium rare, except a rib eye which is best consumed medium. Why?? Because there is a lot of fat in it and if the temperature is too low, the flavor won't develop and it is not nice to eat. But then of course on the other side, if a guest, friend or fiance would like to have their meat more cooked (or less), it is no problem. From a chef point I feel that it is my duty (and to a certain extend pleasure) to cook the meat to exactly the cooking point wanted. If somebody doesn't like blood in the meat, this person doesn't like blood in the meat and it is not up to me telling that person that this is not good......because it is good, it is the way that person enjoys the meat best.

So, after all this long story, cook the duck the way you like it, not the way I like it, because I want you to enjoy your meal.

Today I made my duck breast with a sweet corn puree, marinated red cabbage, rosemary potatoes and a berry jus. Duck pairs well with sweet items like sweet corn or the red cabbage which is marinated with red wine, sugar, honey, cinnamon, onions, apples and more. I have added some berries to the jus (gravy) to give it a bit of a different flavor.

Lastly a tip when you cook the duck breast. You won't need any fat to cook it. I usually take a non stick pan, heat it up and then fry the breast skin down. You will see, within no time there is a lot of fat in the pan. Be careful with the heat, as it takes a bit time for the heat to penetrate through the fat and cook the meat, if the breast is not long enough on the skin side, it will still be undercooked under the skin. I like the skin crispy, so it takes good 5 to 7 minutes on the skin side, then I turn the breast around and finish it off under a salamander or the oven with more top heat.

When the meat is cooked I let it rest. You should do that with every red meat, the resting will help that the juices stay in the meat and don't just run out as soon as you cut it. As a rule of thumb, you let the meat rest in a warm place for the same amount of time you cooked it....ok, with a big piece of meat you don't have to wait that long, but 10 to 15 minutes is the best time.

Recipe
2 Kg Duck breast
1 Kg Sweet corn
0.5 L Cream
1.3 Kg Potatoes
0.1 l Olive oil
0.05 Kg Rosemary

1 Kg Red Cabbage
0.5 L Red wine
0.25 Kg Onions
0.25 Kg Apples
0.1 L Cider Vinegar
0.05 Kg Honey
0.05 Kg Sugar
0.5 L Orange juice
0.1 Kg Cepes
0.1 Kg Chanterelles
0.1 Kg Oyster mushrooms
0.1 Kg Shimeji mushrooms
0.1 Kg Trumpet mushrooms
0.05 Kg Garlic
0.1 Kg Shallots
0.15 Kg Butter
0.05 Kg Parsley
Demi Glace

Method
Marinate the red cabbage with all ingredients and let it covered in the fridge for 24 hours
Braise slowly till most liquid is gone

Boil the sweet corn till soft and most liquid gone
Add cream, boil for another 10 minutes
Blend to a smooth puree

Cut the skin of the duck breast in criss cross
Fry on the skin side till golden brown and crispy
Turn around and leave the pan on the side.

Clean the mushrooms, then saute with garlic, shallots and butter, season to taste