South Africa Info Forums

I just can't think....

Hubby invited some VIP's over for Sunday lunch, and I have been hacking my brains as to what to feed these lovely people.... so I devised the following menu.... Not sure if it will work tho, 'coz do you serve Red or white wine, as the starter is fishy and the mains is meaty.... so please give me your opinions, and if possible some suggestions and additions..... :mmm: ..

Starters: Creamy Fish cowder with shrips and maybe a mussel or two to make it look posh

Mains: Fillet steak (2 pieces each) on a bed of crushed creamy potatoes with Red Pepper pesto

Desert: My version of crepes.. in other words, just small boere pannekoek, but when I make the batter I will add a bit of vanilla extract in for extra flavour, served with a sugar syrup with Melon Vodka and puree Melon with Vanilla Ice Cream.

So what do you think??

sounds good - just add some sa wine and you are well away

Howzit Bean

First and foremost... you have too much cream coming through in all your menu items:
Creamy soup, creamy mash, cream ice cream
This would make it a rather rich meal to eat and if they're watching their weight then it might seem a trifle overdone

Secondly: for ease of cooking try having a 'cold' starter, hot main course and cold dessert. It makes the cooking and plating times a lot easier.

As an idea (keeping the mussels and shrimps in the menu) do a salad of autumn greens, baby corn and serve with a mustard vinaigrette. Toss the deshelled mussels and shrimps in some smoking garlic oil and serve warm astride the salad with a little Cape Seed loaf. A decent Sauvignon blanc or unwooded Chardonnay might do the trick. For red wine try a light pinot noir or a youngish Beaujolais.

For the mains:

Using the pepper theme. Crush some white peppercorns and coat your fillet steak in this. Pan fry and reserve to one side.
Roast your peppers off (you can use red, orange and yellow peppers), skin them and then place them in the bottom of a ramekin for moulding.
Bring some new potatoes (preferably ANYA potatoes - from Sainsbury) to the boil, drain them and crush them lightly with a fork. Add some of the oil from the roasting tray, some seasoning and a couple of egg yolks to 'cream' the consistency.
Serve with the natural juices and a little basil/roquette pesto.
A decent full-bodied Shiraz should offset the spicyness of the peppercorns.

For the dessert:

Make the crepes as per recipe. Ball your melon with a Parisienne scoop and leave in a sugar syrup. Drain when required.
Toss them in a little clarified butter, over a high heat, flambe with a little gold tequila and add some juice of the melon to create a sauce. Serve warm with the vanilla pod ice cream.
A decent dessert wine/ Sauternes/ Mombazilac (Spl) should do the trick.

Best of all have fun and keep it simple

Pronkertjie Wrote:Cheffie.... what do you put in the peppers after you moulded them? The potatoes?

:daisy:

You have a choice of three options:

* Leave as is and turn the mould out, leaving a vegetable mould
* Place some mash atop the peppers, turn them out and then have the fillet seated next to the mash/ pepper mould
* Slice your fillet once cooked, place first into the mould (might need a larger mould than a ramekin ), place your peppers and then your mash, so that you're left with a 'crown' or Tian of fillet, peppers and mash. This would make it easier to 'centre' on the plate and have a pool of jus around.

Cheffie Wrote:Howzit Bean

First and foremost... you have too much cream coming through in all your menu items:
Creamy soup, creamy mash, cream ice cream
This would make it a rather rich meal to eat and if they're watching their weight then it might seem a trifle overdone

Secondly: for ease of cooking try having a 'cold' starter, hot main course and cold dessert. It makes the cooking and plating times a lot easier.

As an idea (keeping the mussels and shrimps in the menu) do a salad of autumn greens, baby corn and serve with a mustard vinaigrette. Toss the deshelled mussels and shrimps in some smoking garlic oil and serve warm astride the salad with a little Cape Seed loaf. A decent Sauvignon blanc or unwooded Chardonnay might do the trick. For red wine try a light pinot noir or a youngish Beaujolais.

For the mains:

Using the pepper theme. Crush some white peppercorns and coat your fillet steak in this. Pan fry and reserve to one side.
Roast your peppers off (you can use red, orange and yellow peppers), skin them and then place them in the bottom of a ramekin for moulding.
Bring some new potatoes (preferably ANYA potatoes - from Sainsbury) to the boil, drain them and crush them lightly with a fork. Add some of the oil from the roasting tray, some seasoning and a couple of egg yolks to 'cream' the consistency.
Serve with the natural juices and a little basil/roquette pesto.
A decent full-bodied Shiraz should offset the spicyness of the peppercorns.

For the dessert:

Make the crepes as per recipe. Ball your melon with a Parisienne scoop and leave in a sugar syrup. Drain when required.
Toss them in a little clarified butter, over a high heat, flambe with a little gold tequila and add some juice of the melon to create a sauce. Serve warm with the vanilla pod ice cream.
A decent dessert wine/ Sauternes/ Mombazilac (Spl) should do the trick.

Best of all have fun and keep it simple

FAB! Thanx Cheffie.... this puts a good spin on things for me. I am going to remodel my menu! unny:

Bean of Love Wrote:FAB! Thanx Cheffie.... this puts a good spin on things for me. I am going to remodel my menu! unny:

If it seems too complex - don't attempt it. Rather do the dishes that you're comfortable with doing and do them well with love and passion.

As an alternative mashed potato - bake some Maris Piper's off on a bed of salt. (190c for 45 min ea side). Cut in half, scoop out the pulp and use that to mash up. You can reserve the baked skins for piping into later.

Let us know how the menu goes and what if any changes you make, wine etc.

Have fun

Cheffie Wrote:You have a choice of three options:

* Leave as is and turn the mould out, leaving a vegetable mould
* Place some mash atop the peppers, turn them out and then have the fillet seated next to the mash/ pepper mould
* Slice your fillet once cooked, place first into the mould (might need a larger mould than a ramekin ), place your peppers and then your mash, so that you're left with a 'crown' or Tian of fillet, peppers and mash. This would make it easier to 'centre' on the plate and have a pool of jus around.

This sounds good.... thanks Cheffie!

:daisy: