What sup: Bronwyn's Scallop Surprise

This was a work of art in a  half shell! The scallop was removed from the shell and fried in butter. A lettuce leaf was placed in the shell with pea puree,then the fried scallop was placed on the puree and topped with truffle mayonnaise. Yummmmy Its great to have such a talented chef friend!

Sweetpea: What Sup: Canapes- watermelon and danish feta with...

Sweetpea: What Sup: Canapes- watermelon and danish feta with...: "Cut the watermelon and danish feta into cubes (same size)and stack. Top with a mint leaf and a little balsamic. Presto you have a great ca..."

What Sup: Mussels in a coconut broth

You will need 1 pack mussels (frozen are fine), 1 tin coconut milk, Thai Curry paste, crushed garlic,ginger and chillies, chopped red onion,celery, butter ,1 chicken stock cube and  fresh coriander.



Fry in butter: onion, garlic and ginger with the curry paste. Now add 1 cup water and stock cube amd stir. Add in mussels (the mussels should be cleaned and steamed prior to this in a separate pot, throw away any mussels that do not open after steaming for 10 min). Allow the mussels to cook in the broth for a min and add the tin of coconut milk. Lastly add the chopped coriander and stir.  Serve with rice or fresh bread.



What sup: The Grand Granger Bay Cape Town- must go!

http://www.thegrand.co.za/

This is a fantastic spot to enjoy a sundowner on a sunny day.



The atmosphere and service was good and I loved the fact that the tables are in
the sand, so you can take off your shoes!

Love The Grand!

What Sup: prawns on potatoe rosti

You will need: 4 prawns (without shell and vein removed), butter, 1tsp lemon juice,1 clove garlic,1 can baby potatoes, 1 packet instant mash, 1 onion , flour, egg, 1 red pepper. To garnish: cucumber and little parsley and baby tomatoes.
These are perfect for snack or even a starter. Fry prawns in butter garlic and lemon, add tsp on mayo once prawns have cooled to room temp.

Set aside while making potatoe rosties: (these are available in frozen section at Woolworths) or you can make them:
Grate a tin of drained New Potatoes using a coarse grater
Add an egg and season to taste
Add finely chopped onion
Make a runny mix of instant mash (about 1/3rd the amount of grated spud you have)
Gently mix it all together use milk to adjust the runnyness so you have a spoonable mixture.
Spoon into frying pan and pat down- Fry for a few minutes on each side. Also you can substitute the instant mash for flour and you can also use raw potatoes but it is much harder to get them cooked correctly without burning.

Spoon prawn mixture onto rosti and decorate with cucumber and herbs.

Sweetpea: What Sup: Dinner party nibbles that will impress a...

Sweetpea: What Sup: Dinner party nibbles that will impress a...: "You will need: smoked salmon,Crème fraiche (a delicious, thinner form of sour cream first developed by the French. It has a slight hold an..."

What Sup: Canapes- watermelon and danish feta with mint / parma ham with basil and cheese

Cut the watermelon and danish feta into cubes (same size)and stack. Top with a mint leaf and a little balsamic. Presto you have a great canape!

Find good quality Italian cold meat and cheese. Cut the cheese into blocks and wrap the meat around the cheese, I added some basil into the wrap. Decorated with mustand and basil flowers.

Same as above:  smaller and added more basil.

What Sup: Sweetpea's Salmon Roll Canapes

 
Salmon Rolls
This is quick, easy and delicious. It honestly takes 10 min to prepare and can be stored in fridge till your guests arrive. This one is a winner!

You will need: smoked salmon,Crème fraiche (a delicious, thinner form of sour cream with tanginess that goes so well with the salmon), wasabi sauce, soy, honey and chives.



Cut the salmon into ribbons (4cm by about 15 cm), spoon a small amount of the mixture on one side of the ribbon(mixture: wasabi, 6 tbsp Crème fraiche,black pepper, chives and salt). Roll and stand up,to finish sprinkle chives on top. I served it in a spoon with little soy and honey.

What Sup: Sweetpea's Italiano Salad

This salad has simple Italian flavours and could be a side dish or a main.
You will need smooth feta cheese, onions,basil, good quality Italian cold meat (Parma ham or Prosciutto ),cucumber a little grated Parmigiano and tomatoes. Dressing balsamic reduction:

• 2 cups chicken stock (one stock cube dissolved in water)
• 1  large garlic clove, chopped
• 1/3  cup  balsamic vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  butter
• pinch of salt and 1 tsp sugar
• Freshly ground black pepper

Simmer in saucepan until it becomes thicker and cool before pouring over salad.

30th birthday: Mad Hatters Tea Party

The big 30 was great and had the time of my life. The mad hatters theme was a hit!

What Sup: Starter with prawn,avo and salsa and eggnog

This was a delicious starter we had over Christmas: There are 3 layers, the first consists of  2 mashed avocado with black pepper salt and a splash of lemon juice. The second layer is a salsa consisting of 1 red pepper a little onion and  2 chopped tomatoes cooked (fry chopped onion and onio, add toatoes and let simmer for 10 min) and then coolbefore spooning over the avo. The last and most decadent layer is the avo with a mayo dressing (i was very lazy and bought precooked prawns and added 2 tablespoon good quality french may and 1 tsp tomatoe sauce to make pink seafood dressing. A little coriander to finish it off and presto...you have a great starter.

We also had some eggnof this festive season:

I served it in shot glasses (little bell on the straw for a real Christmas feel)

Eggnog Ingredients

6 eggs
2 + 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups whole milk
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground or grated (fresh is best)

Indulgent Eggnog Directions

Begin with pre-chilled ingredients for the greatest end result.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs together hard until they're very frothy.
Add sugar and continue beating.
Sprinkle in nutmeg and vanilla.
Continue beating.
A little at a time, add in the whipping cream, continuing to beat.
Again, only a little at a time, beat in the milk.
Finally, beat in the rum and brandy.
Give your arms a break from all that beating by putting the eggnog in the fridge to chill for 1 or 2 hours.
Serve cold.

Sweetpea is back from vacation and got alot to blog about!

This Decemeber has been full of fun,sun and devine food! We went to wine farms,beach cafes and had fabulous food all over Cape Town. Christmas was a highlight and I created a fab starter with prawns,avo and salsa(photos will follow as soon as I get to work so I can upload them).I also had a dinner party that was OTT, it went down really well and had a blast!I also turned the big 30! It was a mad hatters theme with loads of tiny cakes and savouries,can't wait to post all the pics.Watch this space!