Country Life Magazine Article - Eating Stories

7232019 Country Life Magazine Article - Eating Stories

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullcountry-life-magazine-article-eating-stories 15



At her cookery school in Hilton award-winning KwaZulu-Natal chefJackie Cameron puts her creative air to work on heritage food

WORDS A NDREA ABBOTT PICTURES CLINTON FRIEDMAN

her art as head chef at Hartford House in the

KwaZulu-Natal Midlands before beginning

this new chapter in her career This year she

realised her long-held dream of opening the

Jackie Cameron School of Food amp Wine in

Hilton ldquoItrsquos been a 15-year journey to this

pointrdquo she says The school occupies the large

thatched house that Jackie grew up in which

has been transformed over the past six years

into a superb teaching and functions venue

She shows us around the expansive

property Therersquos an impressive boardroom

a purpose-built wine cellar ndash ldquomy school

is the only one in the country thatrsquos

internationally accredited for both food and

winerdquo three kitchens a functions area where

bespoke cookery classes are held an outdoor

area where Weber braai classes take place

once a month and the School Outlet

This is a light-lled space where a couple

of gas ranges a long counter and seriously

good coffee give you a sense of being in

a trendy little cafeacute On sale are wares made

by the students that carry their names ndash

for example Carlarsquos Bread ldquoThe biggest

challenge for young chefs is to get their

names out thererdquo says Jackie ldquoThe outlet is

a chance for them to showcase their skillsrdquo

Itrsquos also where the public can seek advice

on culinary problems (that opped meringue

the rubber-like white saucehellip) and buy

products not normally available in regular

retail outlets Valrhona chocolate from France

is a mouth-watering example

While Jackie is fully behind the lsquosupport

localrsquo movement ndash ldquonot just because itrsquos

ldquoEverything I do

has a story to itrdquo

says multi-award

winning chef Jackie

Cameron as she

applies the delicate nishing touches to a dish

picturesquely named Seaside Mussel Shell

with Memories

The memories in question are of family

holidays on the beach ndash ldquoour seaside

meanderingsrdquo A much earlier memory is

of standing on a chair so she could reach the

counter in her grandmotherrsquos kitchen

ldquoI was kneading bread dough Granny Dot

was patting me on my back saying lsquoCome

on Jackie put your back into itrsquordquo

Doing things properly has become almost

a mantra for Jackie who famously honed

local but because itrsquos fabulousrdquo ndash her

exacting standards mean she sometimes

has to go further aeld And so most

of the equipment in her functions and

demonstration kitchens is imported

ldquoIt has to last so I buy the best in the

world ndash brands that have stood the testof timerdquo

In the functions kitchen we meet Jackiersquos

rst students ndash Carla Schulze Cara Conway

and Kate Cousins Theyrsquore about a third

of the way through their 18-month course

and say they love every minute of it even

the less glamorous aspects like cleaning up

The syllabus adheres to the requirements

laid down by the City and Guilds of London

Institute but Jackie has added extra modules

such as a four-day intensive baking course

a cake-icing course and a French course to

give students insight into French culinary

terms and food culture

Therersquos also a strong focus on the

business aspect of the restaurant industry ndash

sourcing products dealing with suppliers

costing accounting media promotion ndash all

vital in equipping students to succeed in

what has become a tough and competitive

eld ldquoThings have changed a lot since

I went to the Christina Martin School in

Durbanrdquo Jackie says ldquoBack then for

example the only television celebrity chefs

were Floyd and the Two Fat Ladies and

Jamie Oliver was just starting outrdquo

We watch Jackie and the students

assemble a range of unique little starters

designed to be presented on one table for

friends and family to enjoy in a casual

environment

There are little brown open bags with

beer-steamed mealie bread chilli bites and

patta withamaqheqhe (amasi strained through

a muslin cloth overnight then avoured with

herbs) nori crisp with sesame hake avocado

pureacutee and red onion beef tongue with samp

and beans grannyrsquos glazed carrots and Fredarsquos

cabbage hay-smoked beef llet with ashed

leek porcini duck with crisp roast vegetables

pork belly terrine with green apple Jackie

describes them as ldquoTaste delights that can

be served with some beautiful craft beer and

bubblesrdquo

As with the Seaside Mussel Shell each

tells a story The duck dish for example came

about after Jackie explored the forest behind

the school with her sister Sheldee

Roan He later presented her with

many different coloured and type

mushrooms that hersquod foraged ldquoI

keeping these for a special occas

says ldquoI felt that the Dargle duck

local product thatrsquos won produce

many times deserved such a trea

the slow-dried vegetables lightly

handmade butter resemble the fo

A picture such as that empha

creative air for which Jackie is

Asked how she would describe

she immediately says ldquoHeritage

denes that as food that takes he

roots Like the Seaside Mussel

Memories 983150

Map reference D8 see in

Jackie Cameron School of Fo

033 343 1784 jackiecameronc

wwwjackiecameroncoza

Eating Stories

OPPOSITE PAGE Jackie Cameron with

students Cara Conway and Carla Schulze (left)

and Kate Conway (right) create chocolate

truffles in the Functions Kitchen LEFT The

School Outlet is like a trendy little cafeacute

RIGHT Jackie has a hands-on teaching

approach BELOW Excellent cappuccino and

petit fours fit for royalty R IGHT The Functions

Room overlooks the garden and is where

bespoke cooking events are held

w ww co un tr yl if e co z a w ww co un tr yl if e co z a106 107



Bread (makes about 10 small cups)

bull 125ml our

bull 625ml cregraveme fraicircche

bull 250g fresh corn cut from the cob

bull 2 whole eggs

bull 225ml salted butter melted

bull 25g white sugar

bull 25ml ne salt

bull 25ml baking powderbull 2 cans (880ml) beer

Ramolarsquos Chilli Bites

Makes 40-50 (this recipe can be halved)

bull 250ml gram our chickpea our

bull 125ml cake our

bull 25ml turmeric fresh if possible

bull 75ml Durban masala or red masala

bull 5ml white sugar

METHOD To make the bread place all the

ingredients into a liquidiser for a few seconds

to blend the corn and mix all the ingredients

together Grease little ower pots or small metal

tomato paste 100ml tins Place mixture inside the

pots or tins put cling wrap on the top and poke

a few holes in it Place the beer into a steamer

and the pots into steamer following the operation

guidelines Allow to steam for about 25 minutes

or until cooked If you donrsquot have an electric

steamer make your own with a colander placedinside a large pot or a wire rack balanced on

an empty jam tin

To make the chilli bites heat the oil for deep-

frying Mix the gram our cake our coriander

salt turmeric masala sugar and baking powder

together Add 15ml oil and mix through Add the

warm water which will make the mixture into

a batter Add the remaining ingredients Take

teaspoons of the batter and drop them into the oil

(best for the oil to be on a medium heat as you

donrsquot want the outside to get to brown before the

inside is cooked) Turn them around and cook

until brown on the outside and cooked inside

To make the patta combine all the dry

ingredients and mix together Add the oil and

crumble together Add the remaining ingredients

to make a soft spreadable batter Scrape and thinthe veins out of the amadumbie leaves wash and

dry Lay the leaves at down shiny side down

and pointed end away from you Apply a thin

layer of batter with your ngertips on the entire

leaf Fold the sides to meet in the centre Spread

some more batter over the leaves Roll up tightly

like a Swiss roll wrap in cling wrap Place in

a pot of boiling water to poach for 15 minutes

Allow to cool remove the cling wrap cut into

slices and shallow-fry well on both sides Drain

on kitchen paper towel and serve

To make the amaqheqhe place the maas in an

oil lter attached to a sieve over a bowl and leave

in the refrigerator overnight for the maas curd and

whey to separate Remove the maas curd from

the oil lter mix with a selection of chopped

herbs and season with salt and pepper Place into

a piping bag To serve place the breads on a bread

board pipe the amaqheqhe over and add thick

lashings of butter

Beverage suggestionClockwork Brewhouse

The Pitter beer

bull 5ml baking powder

bull salt

bull 15ml sunower oil

bull 250ml warm water

bull 45ml coriander chopped

bull 75g carrots peeled and grated

bull 100g potatoes peeled and grated

bull 65g onions grated

bull extra sunower oil for frying

Ramolarsquos Patta

Makes 6 rolls


bull 250ml mealie meal

bull 125ml white bread our

bull 15ml ne salt

bull 25ml turmeric powder freshly grated if possible

bull 5ml ginger powder

bull 5ml fresh garlic grated

bull 20ml Durban masala or hot and spicy masala

bull 10ml garam masala or hot and spicy masala

bull 10ml cumin seeds

bull 15ml desiccated coconut

bull 10ml fresh coriander chopped

bull 2ml bicarbonate of soda


bull 50ml sunower oilbull 200ml vinegar


bull amadumbie leaves or spinach as a substitute


Amaqheqhe

bull 500ml maas amazi

bull selection of fresh herbs chopped

Beer-steamed Mealie Bread with Chilli Bites Patta and Amaqheqhe

METHOD To make the nori make a paste with the our and wa

the rough side of 3 nori sheets with this paste Mix the white and

seeds together Coat the 3 nori sheets with the sesame seeds then

remaining 3 nori sheets with the paste and place them on top of th

coated sheets as when making a sandwich Cut them into squares

fry in oil until crispy

To make the dressing sauteacute the onions in the butter allow to c

not to brown Add the remaining ingredients (except for the sh)simmer for a few minutes Let the mixture cool down slightly the

10 seconds

Marinate the sh in the onion-sesame dressing for about 30 mi

Arrange the cured sh beautifully on the nori crisp Garnish with

pureacutee tomato with seeds removed and cut into small blocks slic

and trout caviar Drizzle olive oil over and season with freshly gr

pepper Decorate with nasturtium leaves Eat with your hands

Wine suggestion Jordan Riesling

500g hake cut into 15cmx15cm blocks

Nori

bull 50ml cake our

bull 6 sheets seaweed nori

bull 150ml white sesame seeds lightly roasted

bull 150ml black sesame seeds lightly roasted

bull sunower oil for frying

Nori Crisp with Sesame Hake

Makes 10 tapas portions

Sesame Dressing

bull 400g onions nely chopp

bull 120g butter

bull 60ml freshly squeezed le

bull 180ml soy sauce

bull 30ml sesame oil

wwwcountrylifecoza

JACKIE CAMERON 983159 COUNTR



Seaside Mussel Shell with MemoriesMakes 6 tapas portions

Soup

bull 1ℓ white wine

bull 800g half-shelled mussels fresh if possible

bull 200g onions sliced

bull 8g fresh garlic grated

bull 75g fresh fennel bulbs chopped

bull 150g potatoes peeled and chopped

bull 15ml Pernod

bull 250ml cream

bull 250ml full-cream milkbull 250ml sh or vegetable stock

bull 35g salted butter


bull 250ml white wine poaching liquid

(kept aside from when the mussels are poached)

Baba Ganoush (makes about 300ml)

bull 3 medium brinjals skins on

bull 1 large clove fresh garlic

bull 15ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

bull 1 tablespoon olive oil

bull ne salt and black pepper

METHOD To make the soup in a large pot bring the white

wine to the boil Then poach the 800g mussels in the white

wine for about 2 minutes remove and allow to cool slightly

Remove the mussels from the shells keep them to one sideand place the shells back into the boiling wine and allow to

boil for 5 minutes to enhance the avour Strain the wine

through an oil lter keep the liquid for later use and the shells

for dishing up Melt the butter and heat the sunower oil in

a pot Add the onions and garlic sauteacute well Add the fennel

and potatoes caramelising them really well Now add the

Pernod cream milk stock and white wine poaching liquid

Cook until the potatoes are soft Add 400g of the mussels take

off the heat Blend strain and check seasoning

For the baba ganoush if you have a gas stove ignite

a burner on top of the stove and using a carving fork or long-

nose tong to avoid burning yourself char the brinjals on top of

this ame Place them into a plastic bag tie closed and allow

to cool If using an electric oven place brinjals onto a tray

lightly drizzled with olive oil and char in a hot oven When

cool remove the skins Liquidise brinjal esh with the other

ingredients and season well

To serve as pictured take a mussel shell place 1frac12 tsp

soup into it add a mussel from the remaining 400g and pipe

the baba ganoush and a good quality mayonnaise over it

Wine suggestion Cape of Good Hope Serruria

Chardonnay

Hay-smoked Beef Fillet with Leek Pureacuteeand Ashed LeeksMakes 3 tapas portions

Fillet

bull 15ml duck fat

bull 150g portion beef llet all sinew

removed and cleaned

bull smoked salt

bull hay

Leek Pureacutee

bull 100g fresh leeks

bull 250ml cream

Ashed Leeks

bull 100g fresh baby le

METHOD For the beef put the duck fat in a pan Wh

smoking hot sear the beef llet Place some hay onto

oven tray place the portion of beef llet on it season

salt and top with more hay Cover with foil Place the

oven at 260degC and smoke for about 5 minutes Remov

oven allow to rest then cut the beef llet into slices T

pureacutee blend the leeks and cream very well together S

place into a piping bag Set aside

To make ashed leeks cut the baby leeks in half width

then again in half lengthwise Place them onto a sheet of

paper and into the oven at 125degC for 30-60min Remove

at different times of cooking to ensure different coloured

golden-crisp ones to almost charcoal

To serve slice the beef llet and place onto your pl

the leek pureacutee on top and add the ashed leeks Season

grind of ne salt and garnish with freshly picked herbs

Wine suggestion Sijnn Syrah


COUNTRY CHEF 983159 JACKIE CAMERON



For J

Mushroom

Bre

wwwcou

Dark Rum and Raisin TrufflesMakes 50 tapas portions

bull 125ml raisins

bull 625ml rum

bull 80ml cream

bull 250g dark chocolate chopped

bull cocoa powder

METHOD Place the raisins into the rum and soak for a few minutes Heat the

in a small saucepan and when the mixture just comes to the boil remove from

In a bain marie place your chocolate in the top bowl and pour over the hot crea

off the heat allow the chocolate to melt When the chocolate is completely me

soaked raisins then pour the mixture into a container and place in the refrigera

overnight if possible When set using a Parisienne scoop (melon baller) roll tr

Dust the trufes with cocoa powder

VariationCandied peel and spiced trufes is a nice variation Simply replac

rum and raisins with 80ml candied peel 15ml cinnamon powder 5ml mixed

nd 25ml ginger powder

Wine suggestion Waterford Heatherleigh

Samp and Beans with Beef Tongue


Red Wine Sauce

bull 750ml red wine

bull 150g tomato paste

bull 5ℓ beef stock

bull salt and black pepper

Samp and Beanbull 30g salted butter


bull 500g onions nely chopped


bull 250g topside beef mincemeat

bull 375ml samp cooked

bull 1875ml white butter beans cooked

bull 1875ml speckled sugar beans cooked

bull 250ml red wine sauce

bull 3 egg yolks


bull beef tongue cooked

METHOD To make the sauce in a large pot bring the red wine to the

boil Whisk in the tomato paste and allow to cook for about 5 minutes

Add the stock combine well and allow this mixture to reduce by about

34 Strain through an oil lter place back on the heat keeping the

sauce hot (Leftover sauce can be placed in the fridge)

To make the samp and beans heat a pot well add the butter and

oil Sauteacute the onions and garlic until well caramelised this is very

important Add the mincemeat and cook be careful not to overcookAdd the cooked samp and beans with the red wine sauce and allow

to come to a simmer Add the egg yolks and season well with salt and

black pepper Allow the mixture to simmer for 5 minutes

Serve the samp and beans as is or you can lsquoparty it uprsquo with slices

of beef tongue horseradish carrots and sliced green cabbage

Wine suggestion Grangehurst Pinotage

wwwcountrylifecoza 113




At her cookery school in Hilton award-winning KwaZulu-Natal chefJackie Cameron puts her creative air to work on heritage food

WORDS A NDREA ABBOTT PICTURES CLINTON FRIEDMAN

her art as head chef at Hartford House in the

KwaZulu-Natal Midlands before beginning

this new chapter in her career This year she

realised her long-held dream of opening the

Jackie Cameron School of Food amp Wine in

Hilton ldquoItrsquos been a 15-year journey to this

pointrdquo she says The school occupies the large

thatched house that Jackie grew up in which

has been transformed over the past six years

into a superb teaching and functions venue

She shows us around the expansive

property Therersquos an impressive boardroom

a purpose-built wine cellar ndash ldquomy school

is the only one in the country thatrsquos

internationally accredited for both food and

winerdquo three kitchens a functions area where

bespoke cookery classes are held an outdoor

area where Weber braai classes take place

once a month and the School Outlet

This is a light-lled space where a couple

of gas ranges a long counter and seriously

good coffee give you a sense of being in

a trendy little cafeacute On sale are wares made

by the students that carry their names ndash

for example Carlarsquos Bread ldquoThe biggest

challenge for young chefs is to get their

names out thererdquo says Jackie ldquoThe outlet is

a chance for them to showcase their skillsrdquo

Itrsquos also where the public can seek advice

on culinary problems (that opped meringue

the rubber-like white saucehellip) and buy

products not normally available in regular

retail outlets Valrhona chocolate from France

is a mouth-watering example

While Jackie is fully behind the lsquosupport

localrsquo movement ndash ldquonot just because itrsquos

ldquoEverything I do

has a story to itrdquo

says multi-award

winning chef Jackie

Cameron as she

applies the delicate nishing touches to a dish

picturesquely named Seaside Mussel Shell

with Memories

The memories in question are of family

holidays on the beach ndash ldquoour seaside

meanderingsrdquo A much earlier memory is

of standing on a chair so she could reach the

counter in her grandmotherrsquos kitchen

ldquoI was kneading bread dough Granny Dot

was patting me on my back saying lsquoCome

on Jackie put your back into itrsquordquo

Doing things properly has become almost

a mantra for Jackie who famously honed

local but because itrsquos fabulousrdquo ndash her

exacting standards mean she sometimes

has to go further aeld And so most

of the equipment in her functions and

demonstration kitchens is imported

ldquoIt has to last so I buy the best in the

world ndash brands that have stood the testof timerdquo

In the functions kitchen we meet Jackiersquos

rst students ndash Carla Schulze Cara Conway

and Kate Cousins Theyrsquore about a third

of the way through their 18-month course

and say they love every minute of it even

the less glamorous aspects like cleaning up

The syllabus adheres to the requirements

laid down by the City and Guilds of London

Institute but Jackie has added extra modules

such as a four-day intensive baking course

a cake-icing course and a French course to

give students insight into French culinary

terms and food culture

Therersquos also a strong focus on the

business aspect of the restaurant industry ndash

sourcing products dealing with suppliers

costing accounting media promotion ndash all

vital in equipping students to succeed in

what has become a tough and competitive

eld ldquoThings have changed a lot since

I went to the Christina Martin School in

Durbanrdquo Jackie says ldquoBack then for

example the only television celebrity chefs

were Floyd and the Two Fat Ladies and

Jamie Oliver was just starting outrdquo

We watch Jackie and the students

assemble a range of unique little starters

designed to be presented on one table for

friends and family to enjoy in a casual

environment

There are little brown open bags with

beer-steamed mealie bread chilli bites and

patta withamaqheqhe (amasi strained through

a muslin cloth overnight then avoured with

herbs) nori crisp with sesame hake avocado

pureacutee and red onion beef tongue with samp

and beans grannyrsquos glazed carrots and Fredarsquos

cabbage hay-smoked beef llet with ashed

leek porcini duck with crisp roast vegetables

pork belly terrine with green apple Jackie

describes them as ldquoTaste delights that can

be served with some beautiful craft beer and

bubblesrdquo

As with the Seaside Mussel Shell each

tells a story The duck dish for example came

about after Jackie explored the forest behind

the school with her sister Sheldee

Roan He later presented her with

many different coloured and type

mushrooms that hersquod foraged ldquoI

keeping these for a special occas

says ldquoI felt that the Dargle duck

local product thatrsquos won produce

many times deserved such a trea

the slow-dried vegetables lightly

handmade butter resemble the fo

A picture such as that empha

creative air for which Jackie is

Asked how she would describe

she immediately says ldquoHeritage

denes that as food that takes he

roots Like the Seaside Mussel

Memories 983150

Map reference D8 see in

Jackie Cameron School of Fo

033 343 1784 jackiecameronc

wwwjackiecameroncoza

Eating Stories

OPPOSITE PAGE Jackie Cameron with

students Cara Conway and Carla Schulze (left)

and Kate Conway (right) create chocolate

truffles in the Functions Kitchen LEFT The

School Outlet is like a trendy little cafeacute

RIGHT Jackie has a hands-on teaching

approach BELOW Excellent cappuccino and

petit fours fit for royalty R IGHT The Functions

Room overlooks the garden and is where

bespoke cooking events are held





bull 125ml our



bull 2 whole eggs



bull 25ml ne salt





bull 125ml cake our















an empty jam tin


































lashings of butter


The Pitter beer


bull salt








Ramolarsquos Patta

Makes 6 rolls




bull 15ml ne salt















Amaqheqhe












10 seconds








Nori

bull 50ml cake our







Sesame Dressing


bull 120g butter




wwwcountrylifecoza





Soup







bull 15ml Pernod

bull 250ml cream




































Chardonnay


Fillet

bull 15ml duck fat


removed and cleaned

bull smoked salt

bull hay

Leek Pureacutee


bull 250ml cream

Ashed Leeks























For J

Mushroom

Bre

wwwcou


bull 125ml raisins

bull 625ml rum

bull 80ml cream


bull cocoa powder














Red Wine Sauce

bull 750ml red wine













bull 3 egg yolks





















bull 125ml our



bull 2 whole eggs



bull 25ml ne salt





bull 125ml cake our















an empty jam tin


































lashings of butter


The Pitter beer


bull salt








Ramolarsquos Patta

Makes 6 rolls




bull 15ml ne salt















Amaqheqhe












10 seconds








Nori

bull 50ml cake our







Sesame Dressing


bull 120g butter




wwwcountrylifecoza





Soup







bull 15ml Pernod

bull 250ml cream




































Chardonnay


Fillet

bull 15ml duck fat


removed and cleaned

bull smoked salt

bull hay

Leek Pureacutee


bull 250ml cream

Ashed Leeks























For J

Mushroom

Bre

wwwcou


bull 125ml raisins

bull 625ml rum

bull 80ml cream


bull cocoa powder














Red Wine Sauce

bull 750ml red wine













bull 3 egg yolks





















Soup







bull 15ml Pernod

bull 250ml cream




































Chardonnay


Fillet

bull 15ml duck fat


removed and cleaned

bull smoked salt

bull hay

Leek Pureacutee


bull 250ml cream

Ashed Leeks























For J

Mushroom

Bre

wwwcou


bull 125ml raisins

bull 625ml rum

bull 80ml cream


bull cocoa powder














Red Wine Sauce

bull 750ml red wine













bull 3 egg yolks




















For J

Mushroom

Bre

wwwcou


bull 125ml raisins

bull 625ml rum

bull 80ml cream


bull cocoa powder














Red Wine Sauce

bull 750ml red wine













bull 3 egg yolks


















Country Life Magazine Article - Eating Stories

Documents

Transcript of Country Life Magazine Article - Eating Stories