SEAT OF MY SOUL

A woman should never be seen eating or drinking, unless it be crayfish (lobster) salad and Champagne, the only true feminine and becoming viands.
Lord Byron 

INGREDIENTS

• Sea salt and pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• 1.5 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger root
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander
• 2 tablespoons olive oil + more to drizzle
• 1 pink grapefruit
• 150 g (5 ¼ oz) drained cooked crayfish meat
• 1/4 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced finely
• 1 Pink lady apple, cored and diced finely, drizzled with lime juice to prevent discoloration
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced finely, drizzled with lime juice to prevent discoloration
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion + 1 teaspoon
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds, to top
• Watercress leaves, to serve

Steps:

• Have six appetizer plates ready. In a small bowl, combine a pinch of sea salt, pepper, the cumin, the zest and juice of 1 lime, ginger, coriander and olive oil, and whisk to emulsify.
• With a sharp serrated knife, peel the skin and pith from the grapefruit. Cut the fruit into segments, discarding the membrane. Dice finely and set side. Dice the lobster meat finely.
• In a large bowl, gently toss the crayfish meat, cucumber, apple, grapefruit, avocado and 2 tablespoons of red onion. Drizzle with the dressing and toss again.
• Place the ring mold on top of one plate. Pack 1/6 of the fish preparation into the mold and remove the ring. Repeat with the other five plates. Top with chopped red onion and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and decorate with watercress leaves. Serve immediately.



 “Things that excite me, be they pastry, or crayfish (lobster), or love…”  Jimmy Buffett.

The fact is,  for as long as I can remember, I had this passionate love affair with food….by far my favourite has always been seafood!  The wonderful thing about seafood is that there’s so many ways to create a wonderful dish.  With the season changing, I am totally in my element!!  I really hope you’ll give this a try, it is one of my favourites and scrum deli licious!!!

INGREDIENTS  

METHOD

INGREDIENTS

 Jumbo sea scallops (about 10)
1 small cauliflower
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch asparagus
2-4 tbs snipped fresh chives
1/2 c Greek yogurt
1/2 tbs butter
Olive oil spray 
Salt and pepper to taste
Seasoning salt

METHOD

Bring a large stockpot of water to boil. Add chopped cauliflower and whole cloves garlic. Simmer until cauliflower is fork-tender. Drain and remove from heat, mash with a fork until cauliflower and garlic are completely pureed. Add chives and Greek yogurt, stir to incorporate.

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over medium heat. Spray or drizzle asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill until just done and still crisp.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan, heat butter until foam subsides. Season scallops on both sides with seasoning salt. Place scallops in pan and do not move until they can be moved freely (not sticking at all). Turn over and remove from heat. The heat of the pan will continue to cook until perfect.

To serve, mound approx 1 c cauliflower puree in the center of the plate. Top with asparagus spears, then scallops. Garnish with chives and serve immediately.

INGREDIENTS

200g dark cooking chocolate
60g butter, chopped
2 eggs
2 tablespoons plain flour
1/3 cup brown sugar

Coulis

2 tablespoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons water
200g frozen raspberries
Double cream, to serve
Fresh raspberries, to garnish
1 tablespoon icing sugar, to garnish

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180⁰C. Grease four ½ cup (125ml capacity) ceramic ramekins and arrange on a baking tray.

2. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Remove and allow to cool.

3. Place butter, eggs, flour and sugar in a food processor and process until smooth. Slowly add the cooled melted chocolate and mix until combined.

4. Carefully spoon 1/3 cup of mixture into each ramekin and bake for 15 – 16 minutes or until cooked on the outside. Stand for 5 minutes in ramekins.

5. For the coulis, combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan, stirring over a medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.  Add berries and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and push mixture through a fine sieve. Transfer to a serving jug.

6. To serve, gently invert warm fondants onto serving plates. Garnish with cream, berries, a drizzle of coulis and a dusting of icing sugar.

INGREDIENTS

2 lamb eye of shortloin/backstraps
100 g salad leaves
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, sliced
1 red salad onion, thinly sliced
2 fresh mangoes, sliced
1 tbsp sweet Thai chilli sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp chopped coriander or mint

METHOD

1. Brush the lamb lightly with a little oil. Season each with salt and pepper. Preheat the char-grill pan or barbecue to hot before adding the meat.

2. Cook on one side until the first sign of moisture appears. Turn lamb once only.  Rare is soft, medium feels springy and well done is very firm. Remove lamb from heat, loosely cover with foil and rest lamb for 2 minutes before serving.

3. While lamb is resting toss salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumber, onion and mango slices in a salad bowl. Combine all remaining ingredients in a screw top jar and shake well to make a dressing. Slice lamb thinly on the diagonal. Toss the sliced lamb in the dressing, then with salad. Serve immediately.
Tips: Replace the with lamb eye of shortloin/backstrap with lamb fillet/tenderloin or lamb round or topside steaks.

You can use a brush to lightly oil the meat. Or you can use a light spray of oil.

Always rest meat after cooking. This gives the juices in the meat a chance to redistribute, giving a moister and more tender result. Transfer the roast to a plate and loosely cover with foil, stand the meat to rest in a warm place.