Food Wine Sleep

This juice blends a traditional juicing fruit with a very unlikely ingredient into a smooth and refreshing concoction. Ensure to use very young bulbs of fennel only, as they have much less "bite"in taste and have a very fruity flavor. Chill the fruits well before juicing them.

This is one of my favourite classic recipes. The name originates from and was made famous by the Tatin Sisters of France in the early part of the last century, I believe they had a Restaurant/Hotel in Paris but don't quote me on that. In fact, feel free to quote me if you wish, what should it matter if I have the geography wrong, the important thing is that I have the recipe right. What I find most appealing about this dish is its simplicity of ingredients and the ease of preparation. Try it out and I'm sure it will become one of the main stays of your dessert repertoire.

When I was 18, a few friends and I were backpacking around Australia and during that time we held all sorts of odd jobs. One of which was fruit picking, pears in particular. From those weeks on the ladders and in the trees we all learnt many things, namely not to take for granted the amount of work that goes into getting produce into our supermarkets, but also 1001 ways to eat pears. To be totally honest with you for 5 years afterwards I couldn't look at another pear. Anyhow long story short, after my 5 years of a pearless diet since, I was ready to gradually start eating them again. I am now back to loving them again as I'm no longer a backpacking teenager eating the...

I know it's not overly creative of me, but hey can I help it if throwing mascarpone at any fresh fruit makes a wonderful dessert all on its own. Thank god for the Italians; they've created perfection in so many simple ingredients that lazy Chefs like me can impress with very little effort. With that said, I did stew the fruit and toast the almonds.

Some of the best beef comes from Argentina and with it comes one of my favorite steak accompaniment. This thick parsley-olive oil paste is as commonly eaten in Argentina as ketchup is in the rest of our world. There are several variations and I guess every chef in Argentina has his own special twist to it. However it always features Italian flat parsley, virgine olive oil, vinegar and garlic.

For a grain that mankind has been eating for over 5000 years and helps feed over 2/3rds of the world's population, it really is amazing that so many of us still don't know how to cook it. I suppose that may have something to do with the fact that there are close to 40,000 different varieties of rice on the planet, all differing in size, shape, absorption rates and just as many intended uses. The method of cooking rice explained here is equal to and not superior to the traditional absorption method but it is easy and very consistent and what I recommend to anyone having problems getting a consistently good result. It will give you perfectly cooked consistently fluffy in...

Artichokes are native to the Mediterranean countries and are widely used in the cuisines of southern Europe. They make a great addition to any salad or appetizer buffet. The edible flesh is hidden within the base of the leaves and in the artichoke bottom itself. The tender inner lower part of the leaves is of very subtle in flavor and great with a dip of either aioli, roast pepper salsa or simply drizzled with vinaigrette. Often on hot summer days, artichokes are served as a 'snack' or appetizer in bistros and street-side cafes with a nicely chilled medium to dry white wine. Young baby artichokes are of the same species and are great for grilling and roasting with roasted...

The great thing about corn fritters is that they are perfect anytime of the day. Have them at breakfast with a little wilted spinach, some bacon and roast tomatoes. Serve them at lunch with a salad of arugula, fetta and salmon. Use them for dinner as the base to any seafood or chicken dish. When entertaining serve mini-fritters as a canape topped with a little smoked chicken and mango salsa. The options are endless and I trust that once you give this recipe a try, you will soon be adding to the list of endless possibilities. This recipe makes about 12 fritters so depending on what you are using them for adjust it accordingly.

What Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" is to a beginning guitar player, the Creme Brulee is to the apprentice Chef. It is the first real Restaurant dessert that they learn, and like playing "Stairway" they can now impress their friends. Over the years in restaurant kitchens I have found there to be as many recipes for Creme Brulee as there are Chefs. This is the recipe I have perfected over those years. Some recipes you will find need to be in the oven for half a day before they set, others set like a rock, and some curdle as soon as they see the oven. If you stick to this recipe, you will consistently produce a perfectly balanced beautiful creme bru...

Dukka, a.k.a Dukkah, is an Egyptian spice blend comprising of toasted nuts, seeds and spices. It can be sprinkled over cooked meat, poultry or vegetables, as a seasoning mixture, but mostly is used as a dip for bread. Dukka/Dukkah seems to be one of these recipes where every chef has his own take on what is best. There are very lightly toasted to heavily roasted varieties and there are some that include walnuts, chickpeas and even pistachios. Personally I feel that this is great, as it gives some creativity and individuality to our recipes. For best results; dip bread into a quality virgin olive oil and then into the dukka mix. Alternatively, combine the dukka into...

You will feel guilty after eating some of this chocolate cake. 'Chocoholics' and chocolate fanatics love the rich, smooth and creamy texture and the full flavor of bitter sweet chocolate. I prefer to use Valrhona chocolate for this recipe, but if it's not available use a good quality high cocoa butter content dark chocolate.

Fresh pasta is so easily done one actually wonders why it is not used more often. Fresh egg pasta is essential for all homemade filled or stuffed pastas such as ravioli, agnolotti and tortellini and more. Ribbon pastas like fettuccini, pappardelle and cappellini (angel hair). Alternatively if you do not have a pasta machine, then you can roll the dough as thin as poissible with a rolling pin, cut the pasta it into ribbons, or any other shape you like, by following the side of a ruler with a pizza wheel inb the exact shape you desire.

There is nothing better than a homemade dressing. This one lives in my fridge all the time as I find it indispensable. I use it as a dressing on salads, on steamed vegetables, on virtually any seafood and even dress my chicken with it when once I take it off the barbecue. It will last about a week so don't bother making too much if you don't plan on using it.

These individual chocolate marbled cheesecakes are easy to do, simple to assemble and very versatile.

Mash Potato, sounds like a recipe right there doesn't it. Pretty simple dish to prepare, one would think, yet based on the amount of times I have ordered it and received something closer to cemented or watered potato, I thought it appropriate that we put a recipe of it out there. That and the fact that we receive countless emails requesting us to. Proper mash potato is something most of us remember from our childhood, rich, creamy, buttery flavour all whipped up into something that is surprisingly light and fluffy in texture. I think the reason for it reminding us of childhood is that, since adolescence most of us, (the western world anyhow) have been running to the hi...

A mirepoix is a finely diced mixture of; carrot, celery and onion. It is often sweated off in the first stages of a recipe to enhance the flavour of sauces, soups, stews and numerous other dishes. Although usually finely diced, some recipes, such as a stock recipe might call for, 'mirepoix roughly chopped' in this case it simply refers to the three vegetables of carrot, celery and onion. 'Mirepoix au gras' is simply mirepoix with meat and usually refers to the addition of bacon or ham.

Although you could just go out and buy premixed spices making them yourself will give you a much nicer flavour and the comfort that you will not be consuming all sorts of preservatives, sugar, and anti-caking agents. For this recipe I have quoted the ingredients in parts in order that you can make as much mix as you like, whether that be a few tablespoons or a couple of kilo's.

If you don't love quality extra virgin olive oil and saut�ed golden garlic, then you won't understand this recipe. Those of you that do, well you'll know exactly what a simply magnificent Italian creation this is. I have said it numerous times before and I stand by my words to this day, "If there were no such things as good extra virgin olive oil and garlic I would not have become, or continue to be a Chef!" They are my absolute 2 favourite ingredients and in this dish, the Italians let these ingredients shine in simplicity.

Ever wonder how they get the skins off the tomatoes you buy in cans? It's really quite a simple process. In this tip I'll show you exactly how and also how to take the seeds out.

Another one of those dishes that once you make it a few times you will wonder why you didn't do it sooner. The delicacy of the flowers and the rich stuffing make them very appropriate on the most formal of occasions. Or leave them un-stuffed au'naturale and serve their golden fried goodness with a simple squeeze of lemon on the most casual of occasions.

I usually make pesto when basil is at its best, fortunately when basil it at it's best it's also abundant and cheap so I usually end up making it in big batches. I leave some in my fridge, jar some up for friends and freeze the rest. The freezing affects it slightly but in winter when there is no fresh basil I've still got better pesto than I can buy from any deli or shop. In those colder months I toss it through my pastas, dollop it in my soup or spread it on toasted French bread.

This pineapple salsa is ideal for summer barbeques. Serve it as a dip with white corn chips, on top of grilled fish, throughout a salad of prawns or along side any chicken dish. The best time to make this is about 1/3rd of the way into pineapple season as that is when they are at their sweetest and luckily also when summer is in full swing.

Polenta is one of those things I despised as a child and only really got to appreciate when I became a chef. Polenta is a great alternative to pasta, rice and potatoes and goes well with chicken, rabbit and grilled sausages. Polenta traditionally is cooked in saltwater only, but different chefs prefer to use beef bouillon, milk or a mixture of it. It really depends on each individual's preference. For different taste and textures, replace the Parmesan cheese with Mascarpone, Ricotta or soft goat cheese. Grilled mushrooms, vegetables or crisp Parma ham also make a great addition to polenta.

Gnocchi were originally served as an extra course or pasta/warm appetizer course during a traditional Italian meal. These days they are often used as an starch / side dish to main courses. Gnocchi are fairly easy to prepare, can be done ahead of time. They are very versatile in the sense that they can be flavored with anything from Spinach to smoked salmon and because they are fairly bland in it's original taste they suit any sauce that they may be served with.

I created this dish some time back while browsing the fridge, (to be honest I was giving the fridge the weekly clean and got hungry in the mean time). I looked in the crisper drawer and found a couple heads of radicchio lettuce, 'what can I do with these' I thought. I moved to the cheese drawer and found a little piece of neglected blue cheese, it had been over looked for the last few cheese platters due to its small size, but this neglect had also meant it had aged nicely. 'Blue cheese and radicchio, bitey and bitter' I thought. 'Better get something a little sweet to balance it a touch.' I went to the pantry and pulled out a few handfuls of walnuts tossed them in a pan...

This recipe for marinated mushrooms is an absolute breeze, it keeps for weeks and can be done in large batches. So go on, make some now and the next time you have friends over you'll have one more homemade item you can serve with your antipasto platter. Did we mention they are delicious.

This dish is great to cook if you are vegetarian and just as good if you are not. As a person that is completely content in their carnivore ways, I can happily attest that this is one vegetarian dish that I am more than happy to put in front of me in place of a meat laden dinner plate. The grilled polenta provides a delicious and substantial foundation, the roasted mushroom is a tender and juicy centre piece, the fresh beans offer the crisp spring factor while the roast pepper and port reduction is the perfect naturally sweet and slightly decadent sauce to unite it all. Enjoy this dish, no matter what side of the carnivore/vegetarian fence you are on.

Although Capsicums really don't come into their own until spring, this is a dish that is too good to wait for, try it around the end of winter as that is when the first Capsicums start to appear. The mushrooms add a clever twist on it and the parsley oil adds a bitter to the sweet of the peppers as well as a nice colour contrast.

This is not so much a recipe as a guideline, as every time I make it, it is slightly different depending on what's in the fridge. The quantities however stay the same but allow your imagination to run when making this soup. I know that personally I enjoy the different flavours every time I make it.

This sauce is so simple and tasty that you'll find yourself making it over and over. Try it with coconut crumbed fish, or grilled chicken. Play around with it and you will find uses for it as a canape or mix it with some sour cream and serve as a cold dip. The possibilities are endless.

This is a great winter soup. At a time of year when we are probably eating a little bit too much of the good stuff in life such as butter, cream and rich desserts, this soup is the perfect option to lighten our dietary load. You'll find that thanks to the sweet potato's much lower glycaemic rating than regular potato you won't find the inevitable post eating blood sugar spike and subsequent crash of many energy rich winter meals. Add to that ginger's excellent properties as a digestive aid and you have a great start on helping your body deal with a lot of those richer meals you've been eating. Then take the ultimate comfort spice; cinnamon and your soul will also thank yo...

Bell peppers (capsicum) are pretty delicious and tasty as nature makes them, however roasted or grilled they become all the more tasty and more versatile. Once roasted they are the ideal addition to any antipasto, beautiful in a salad, perfect in a pasta and not to mention an amazing base to many beautiful sauces or soups

I know what you're thinking, didn't we see enough of this dessert in the 90's. Well yes I think we did, but no we don't see enough of it now. It went from hip to passe overnight, and I am usually the first to bid good riddance to a dish that is eaten simply because it is in fashion, but the sticky date should never have been fashionable. It is a humble dessert, a dessert that was never suited to being trendy, it's old, and it's a classic and should be treated accordingly. You don't dress your grandmother in the latest hipster jeans, off the shoulder top, Gucci sunglasses and hang with her at the latest clubs every weekend for the entire summer, no of course not. You love...

This is stuff I grew up on and it is still one of my favourites. Although mainly used as a breakfast cereal, back in my childhood it was also occasionaly served as snack on hot days or even as a light meal or fruity dessert at times. Muesli was invented/created around the turn of the century by Swiss doctor Maximilian Bircher for the patients in his hospital in Zurich, Switzerland. He was a pioneer in nutritinal research and "healed" his patients with a balanced diet of raw fruits and vegetables, a revolution, considering the eating habits of the people at that time. The term "muesli" comes from the Swiss dialect word of "mus" lite...

The term concasser as defined by the Larousse Gastronomique (The Chef's bible) defines it as: The French term for chopping or pounding a substance, either coarsely or finely. When skinned deseeded tomato pulp is finely chopped it is known as tomato cancassee. In this recipe it is the latter definition referring to the tomatoes that we explore. Tomato concasse although used in many traditional sauces, it can also be used many other ways; tossed through pasta, garnishing, salsas, bruschetta's and soups.

This is a great salad for the warmer months of spring and summer. Easy to assemble, good for you, great with barbecues or picnics, it's a perfect match to many white wines, it's more substantial than a leaf salad and most importantly it's not another mayonnaise based potato or pasta salad.

In multi course menus this is an ideal amuse bouche or starter. It does not clash with anything that might be served during the later courses, is very light and not filling and very adaptable and versatile to match with as an accompaniment as well. You may want to serve the white tomato mousse with a few drops of truffle oil, a small herb salad or on a rye bread or pumpernickel as a canapé