Toffie Food Festival’s Secret Dinners (Part 1)
The Cow Shed at Spier was the dramatic setting for the
first of the Toffie Food Festival’s secret dinners, where Taste’s Abigail
Donnelly dazzled diners with a surprise feast
When it launched three years ago, The Toffie
Pop Culture Festival was a niche event with a sprinkling of in-the-know
followers. It's now a popular highlight on Cape Town's cultural calendar,
attracting a slew of forward-thinking local and international speakers in the
design, art, culinary and publishing fields. This year, the two-day food fair
is happening at Spier Wine Farm in Stellenbosch and the theme is The Secret
Festival.
The
Cow Shed at Spier was the dramatic setting for the first of the Toffie Food Festival’s
secret dinners, where Taste’s Abigail Donnelly dazzled diners with a surprise
feast
As with previous Toffie festivals, an
esteemed bunch of chefs and foodies will be revealing fresh perspectives and
innovative ideas in a series of presentations, talks, tastings and workshops.
But, says The President's Hannerie Visser, the Toffie Festival's organizer,
"this year is slightly different from previous events because Toffie has
come to the farm! Not only will there be some very high-profile international
food designers and artists, like the Jellymongers from London and the OFF MENU
team from Barcelona, but exciting hands-on outdoor activities are also on the
agenda. Plus, the focus will be on the culture of food and dining: where it is
right now and where it's headed."
In addition to the Saturday wine-and-food
market and the Sunday Eat Out braai-off, rumor has it that age-old family
recipes will be divulged by some of the country's top chefs. But what we're
most excited about are the 20 secret dinners, which will be hosted - in
association with TASTE - at private homes around Stellenbosch. It's quite
something to find yourself in a stranger's home, breaking bread with 10 people
you've never clapped eyes on!
The first secret dinner at The Cow Shed,
specially filmed for a forthcoming episode of Pasella, offered a revealing
glimpse into what guests can expect. Considering the theme, I knew we were in
for an evening of surprises. My curiosity was piqued when, upon entering the
venue, we were handed a pin and greeted by a roomful of white balloons that
completely concealed the dining area. “Pop the balloons with your pins,"
instructed the evening's hostess and chef extraordinaire Abigail Donnelly. And
just like that, our dinner table was exposed. (I'm definitely stealing the
balloon idea for my next do!)
When the first course arrived, my fellow
diners and I leaned forward simultaneously to try and make out what was hidden
beneath the smoke-filled glass domes we had been presented. As we lifted the
cloches, the smoke wafted upwards, exposing a delicate portion of perfectly
smoked mussels. For mains, we had to crack a dome of rock salt to reveal
ostrich tartare served with a deep-fried quail egg. Ingeniously, the salt
shield doubled as seasoning.
Spier's 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2010 was the
perfect accompaniment to our meal, not only because its well-balanced fruity
nose complemented the ostrich superbly, but also because this lesser-known
varietal is one of the Cape's best-kept wine secrets. Conveniently, Spier's
marketing manager Marina Vermeulen, a qualified winemaker herself, was seated
next to me, so I quizzed her about South Africa's most widely planted grape.
Previously only used for cheap "box" wines and brandy, Chenin Blanc
received a status upgrade in the late 90s, when winemakers started using it to
make rich, heavily oaked wines. SA is currently recognized as one of the best
producers of Chenin Blanc, on par with France. Diverse styles of this wine will
be revealed at the festival by the Chenin Blanc Association.
Hidden inside a caramelized-sugar pillar,
the peanut-butter crème brulee was a revelation in more ways than one. Soft and
creamy on the inside, with a crunchy shortbread crust on the outside and a dab
of salted strawberries on the side - you had to see and taste it to believe it.
By that stage, I'd guzzled more than a polite quantity of Chenin Blanc, so when
a fellow diner couldn't eat hers due to a nut allergy, I helped her clear her
plate, which she passed to me, secretly, of course.
Watch Pasella or SABC 2 at 7.30 pm on 1
August to see the pop-up dinner in action.
Smoke-Encased Mussels With Chorizo Crumbs, Confit Rosa
Tomatoes And Pickled Onions With Pink Peppercorns
Serves 8
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 2½ hours, plus resting time
Smoke-Encased
Mussels With Chorizo Crumbs, Confit Rosa Tomatoes And Pickled Onions With Pink
Peppercorns
·
Mussels in the shell 8-10
·
Pink peppercorn sprigs, to garnish
·
Microherbs, to garnish
For the comfit tomatoes:
·
Olive oil 3T
·
Salt 1t
·
Garlic 3 cloves, peeled and finely sliced
·
Thyme 4 sprigs (leaves only)
·
Bay leaf 1
·
Rosa tomatoes 10, blanched, peeled and halved
and seeded
·
Sugar 1t
For the pickled onions:
·
Red onion 1, sliced
·
Pink peppercorns 31
·
Apple cider vinegar ¾ cup
·
Brown sugar 3 T
·
Water ¼ cup
·
Salt ½ t
For the chorizo crumbs:
Chorizo 125 g, finely diced
Cream 1 cup
Parmesan 25 g, grated
- Place the mussels in a large saucepan of
boiling water, cover and cook until the shells open. Drain, remove the
beards and discard any mussels that have not opened. Remove the mussels
from the shells, clean the shells and set both aside.
- To make the comfit tomatoes, preheat the
oven to 100*C. Line a baking tray with foil and pour 2T olive oil evenly
over the tray. Sprinkle over the salt, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Place
the tomatoes on the tray, cut-side down. Lightly brush with the remaining
olive oil and season with more salt and sugar. Bake for 2½ hours, turning
halfway, and open the oven for a second every 30 minutes. They should be
very tender but still hold their shape. Remove from the oven and allow the
tomatoes to cool to room temperature on the tray until ready to use.
- To make the pickled onions, alternately
layer the onion slices and pink peppercorns in a jar. Bring the remaining
ingredients to the boil in a saucepan, then pour over the onions and
peppercorns. Cover and leave to pickle for at least 1 hour.
- To make the chorizo crumbs, fry the
chorizo for 2 minutes until golden. Remove from the pan and drain on
kitchen paper. Add the cream to the pan and bring to the boil. Add the
Parmesan and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, then return the chorizo to the
pan.
- To assemble, fill each mussel shell with
pickled onion and chorizo crumbs. Top with a muscle and a comfit tomato
petal. Garnish with pink peppercorn sprigs and micro herbs. Serve under a glass
dome and use an electric smoking gun to fill the dome with smoke just
before serving.
Carb-conscious, health-conscious, wheat-
and gluten-free
Wine: Spier 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2011
