inspiration: babylonstoren

In a recent trip to South Africa, after many recommendations to do so, I visited a place called Babylonstoren... and then very nearly never left. Babylonstoren is located in the wine region of Cape Town, sort of mid-way between Franschhoek and Paarl, in the Drakenstein valley which lies at the foothills of the Simonsberg, Du Toitskloof and Franschhoek mountains. It has a winery, a boutique hotel and a spa, but it was the restaurant (Babel), farm shop and breathtaking gardens which held the most interest for me. 

After trying to book lunch at the restaurant and being politely informed that they were booked out for the next 2 months, I had to console myself with a walk around the gardens and a visit to the farm shop. With the mountains as a back-drop the gardens really are the most idyllic place. Babylonstoren is the result of a complete transformation of one of the oldest dutch farms in the area, founded in 1690. The beautiful cape-dutch architecture of the original buildings has been seamlesly integrated with the new fresh and modern renovations.

The fruit and vegetable gardens are abundant with all the produce you could imagine and the entire property is surrounded by rows and rows of grape vines and fruit trees. It is this which makes the restaurant something special, with almost everything they use grown on the property or sourced from a small number of local suppliers. The restaurant is also complimented by a casual cafe situated in the green-house. The cafe serves up freshly baked rolls presented in cute wooden crates for you to enjoy under the trees in the garden.


Images copyright Babylonstoren

The farm shop sells all sorts of delicious things which I would have loved to be able to stock my pantry with, but considering the logistics of bringing them back to Australia, I had to just make do with photos.

The one thing I could take back with me was the Babel cookbook. It is an amazing showcase of some of the recipes cooked in the restaurant and really highlights the fresh approach they have towards cooking to ensure the quality ingredients remain the star of the dish. The photography in the book is quite spectacular and I have captured a few of my favourite pages to share with you below...

I will without a doubt be cooking almost everything in this book and will be sharing them all here!

cranberry, pistachio & almond nougat

Gourmet Traveller has become hands down my favourite food magazine. Absolutely everything in it looks delicious and although they are sometimes slightly more time consuming recipes, or have somewhat obscure ingredients, you find that they are always worth the effort. Every month they have a 'masterclass' recipe which gives you a more detailed break down on how to cook a certain dish including an explanation as to why you need to follow certain steps. 

The masterclass recipe in the Christmas edition was this Gourmet Traveller recipe for cranberry, pistachio and almond nougat and I couldn't resist! Nougat for me fell under the category of something I hadn't really considered trying to make, however presented with the recipe I was amazed at how relatively simple it was, and the result surpassed my expectations!

This particular version of nougat is based on the traditional persian 'gaz'. The recipe specified the addition of both glace orange and orange juice, however I decided to leave these out as a personal preference and just increased the amount of almonds and water. You can of course substitute any of the fillings for your choice of nuts and dried or glace fruit. 

ingredients

     -   100g slivered pistachios
     -   100g dried cranberries
     -   100g almonds, coarsely chopped
     -   confectioner's paper
     -   230g honey
     -   60g egg whites (about 2 eggs)
     -   380g caster sugar
     -   120g liquid glucose

method

The masterclass recipe emphasises that timing is key, and that certainly held true. You really need to keep the temperature of the nougat up so that its workable. For this reason the first step is to preheat the oven to 100 degrees celsius and place in a baking tray with the pistachios, almonds and cranberries to keep warm, ensuring that they don't rapidly remove heat from the nougat mixture when added later. 

It is important to have as much ready before you start as possible so grease a 20 cm square cake tin and line the base of it with confectioners paper, shiny side down. Although I didn't do it this time around, I think next time I will probably line the sides of the tin too as it was quite difficult to remove the nougat. I also think it is best to place the rest of the ingredients in their cooking vessels before you begin; place the honey in a small saucepan, the egg whites in an electric mixer and the sugar, glucose and 100ml of water into another small saucepan.

Next place a sugar thermometer into the honey and place the saucepan over a medium-high heat. When the temperature reaches 108 degrees celsius, this should take about 3-4 mins, begin whisking the egg whites in an electric mixer. I was using a hand held beater which later made the process a definite two-man job, and I would definitely recommend using a free standing mixer instead. You can remove the honey from the heat once the temperature gets to 120 degrees celsius and stop mixing the egg whites which should have firm peaks. 

Transfer the sugar thermometer to the saucepan with the sugar mixture, place over a medium-high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Then bring the mixture to the boil and hold it until it reaches 155 degrees celsius, this should take about 12-15 mins. While this is happening gradually drizzles the honey into the egg whites with the beater on a low speed, once all the honey is added increase the beater speed. 

When the sugar syrup is up to temperature decrease the beater speed again and slowly add the sugar syrup. Once it has all been incorporated again increase the beater speed. The mixture will be pretty thick by this stage and very difficult to beat if you are using a handheld mixer. Continue to beat for a further 4 mins or until slightly cooled. Remove the nuts and fruit from the oven and add immediately to the mixture, stirring quickly to combine. 

Spoon the nougat mixture into the prepared tin and smooth it out with a hot palette knife or metal spatula. I started using a plastic spatula and realised this was a bad idea as it began to melt! Press confectioner’s paper over nougat to cover and trim to fit. Then place a cake tin on top of the nougat filled with pastry weights, or if you don't have a second tin cover with cardboard and stack food tins evenly on top. You should leave the nougat at least over night to set, although it will require more time in hot humid climates. Once set remove from the tin by running a hot knife around the edge and then use the hot knife to cut into your desired size.

Wrap or separate the nougat with baking paper. Nougat will keep stored in an airtight container for 3 months although if you live in a warm or humid place store in the fridge. 

a few other crab ideas

So I think I have now comprehensively covered crab... but just to leave you with a few other recipe ideas in case you too ever end up with a crab overload!

One of my favourite things to eat is chilli crab, but make sure you have a shower nearby because chances are you will be covered from head to toe by the end of the meal. Its a Singapore classic and there are many recipes available, one of the best I have tried however is this Gourmet Traveller one.

Serve with warm bread, or salty chips and an ice cold beer.

A delicious corn fritter recipe which is always popular with a crowd is this Bill Granger recipe. Fresh crab meat is a great addition mixed into these fritters or even served on top. It makes for a perfect light lunch served with fresh salad greens. 

blue manna crab risotto with homemade stock

As promised more crab recipes (we really did just have that much crab!)...

One of my favourite things that I have made with crab, is crab risotto. Crab meat can have a very delicate flavour, and that's why often crab risotto's can be a big disappointment as the crab is completely overpowered. In order to retain that beautiful taste a full flavoured crab stock is the perfect base for the risotto. 

A crab stock is really very easy and doesn't require half as much cooking time as a chicken or beef stock. To start the stock follow the cooking instructions given in the previous 'blue manna crab' post, removing the crab after only 5 mins. Once the crabs have cooled you need to remove all the meat from the crabs, retaining the shells for the stock. 

ingredients

     -   3 carrots, quatered
     -   2 brown onions, halved
     -   shells of 8 blue manna crabs

method

To make the stock heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and roast the crab shells along with the onion and carrot for approximately 15 mins (or until browned). Put a large pot of water (~3 litres) over high heat on the stove, and once boiling add the roasted components. Turn the heat down slightly and continue to boil for another 30 mins. 

A crab stock should not be boiled for too long as with all seafood stocks it can become bitter.Once the 30 mins is over strain the liquid, discarding the solids, and then pass it through a very fine sieve. Return to the pot and slowly simmer while skimming off any impurities which rise to the top, and reduce until there is approximately 1.5-2 litres of liquid remaining. I always choose to refrain from seasoning stock when I make it as it is much easier to adjust to taste when it is being used. 

You can make the stock ahead of time and it will last in the fridge for a couple of days, or alternatively can be frozen for a couple of months. 

To make the crab risotto there are many variations you can choose. For this one I used your traditional arborio rice, however I have done it before with grains such as barley and this can be a healthy alternative with a delicious nutty texture. I didn't introduce too many extra components to the risotto as I had an abundance of crab meat, however if you are lighter on meat feel free to bulk it out with vegetables such as fennel. 

ingredients

     -   1 large brown onion, finely chopped
     -   2 cloves of garlic, crushed
     -   2 cups arborio rice
     -   1/2 cup dry white wine
     -   2 litres crab stock 
     -   crab meat from 8 blue manna crabs
     -   2 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
     -   butter
     -   olive oil 
     -   1/2 cup grated parmesan
     -   sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

method

Heat a heavy based saucepan on a medium heat and gently fry the garlic and onion in olive oil until soft. Once soft add the arborio rice and stir until well coated, the rice should appear translucent. Next add the white wine and allow to cook off. 

Start slowly adding the stock to the pan all the while stirring continuously. If you heat the stock before adding it to the pan, it will be absorbed faster and overall reduce your cooking time, however this is not strictly necessary. The rice should be cooked in approximately 30 mins, but test it along the way to ensure it is to your personal preference, either increasing or decreasing the amount of stock to your liking. Add the spring onions and crab to the pan about 2/3rds of the way through this process. 

Once the rice is cooked remove the pan from the heat and stir through the butter, parmesan and seasoning, cover and allow to stand for a few minutes. Serve immediately.

blue manna crab cakes with a citrus salad

One of my favourite lunches at a local restaurant is the crab cakes with a grapefruit salad. Given that I had a fridge full of crab and the variety of citrus in my fruit bowl was looking tantalising, I thought I would give it a go at home. 

The crab cakes I did are based on a Jamie Oliver recipe. Jamie's recipe most likely refers to the brown crab most commonly eaten in England as it specifies a ratio of brown to white crabmeat of 2:1. In the case of blue manna crabs you will however find the majority of the meat is white. I slightly altered the original recipe based on what I had at home. 

ingredients

     -   500g potatoes, larger ones halved

     -   sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

     -   olive oil

     -   500g mixed crabmeat

     -   2 lemons

     -   a few sprigs of fresh coriander

     -   ½ a fresh red chilli, thinly sliced

     -   3 spring onions, trimmed and sliced

method

The first step is to boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, this usually takes around 20 mins. You can peel the potatoes if you like, but I prefer to leave the skin on.  Once the potatoes are cooked through, drain the water from the pot, season the potatoes and mash. Grate the zest of one of the lemons and then chop together with the red chilli, spring onions and coriander. Add all your chopped ingredients and crab meat to the pot with the potatoes and continue to mash until well combined. Once the mixture is cool enough to handle shape into round patties (makes about 12). 

Transfer the patties to the fridge one complete and let them rest (and firm up) for a minimum of 4 hours. I made the mistake of leaving out this step and although they still tasted great they didn't hold together very well! When you are ready to eat, heat a frying pan over high heat, add olive oil and the patties in batches and cook for about 5 mins, or until cooked through, turning half way. 

The citrus salad is a Martha Stewart recipe which again underwent a few forced modifications for what was available in the pantry (becoming a much simpler salad) as I had very little desire to rush down to the shops on a Sunday evening.

ingredients

     -   ruby-red or pink grapefruit, peel and pith removed

     -   blood oranges, peel and pith removed

     -   3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

     -   1 tablespoon honey

     -   Salt and freshly ground black pepper

     -   5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

     -   1/4 cup canola oil

     -   cos lettuce

method

Using a short sharp knife peel the oranges and grapefruit, ensuring that you have removed all the pith. Once peeled segment the fruit by slice on either side of the membrane and removing each segment. Performing this over a bowl to catch all the juices, and squeeze the leftover fruit to remove all the juice once the segments have been removed. 

To make the vinaigrette combine the honey, vinegar salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and then the canola oil and some of the reserved juices to taste. To serve; arrange the citrus segments over the lettuce and drizzle with vinaigrette. 

Serve the salad with hot crab cakes straight from the pan...

blue manna crab

Although sadly that time of year is coming to an end it has been an awesome crabbing season! Come summer the Swan River is full of Blue Manna crabs and if you find a good spot all you have to do is drop down a net set with a tantalising fish head or two, sit back, relax and wait. About a drink later you can pull up your nets and with any luck you will have caught dinner.

To the question of what to do with your catch there is no single answer. The traditional West Australian approach is to boil them up, line the dining table with newspaper and allow everyone to tuck in, with a bowl of vinegar and aioli nearby for dipping.

After a few particularly bountiful sessions over the summer weekends, I had to come up with a few other ways to use up all the crab! Once a crab dies it releases enzymes which hasten the deterioration of the meat. If you don’t plan to eat them straight away you can attempt to keep them alive, or I think it’s easiest just to cook them up the day they’re caught and then they can be stored in the fridge for a few days.

To cook the crabs bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil before adding the live crabs to the pot. The moment the crabs enter the water their blue shells will transform to orange, they will also take a lot of heat out of the water, so wait until the water returns to the boil before starting the timer.  

If you plan on eating the crabs the traditional way about 7 mins is the right amount of time to cook them through, but if you plan on using them for another purpose which will involve more cooking 5 mins should do. Once they are cooked dunk them in ice cold water to stop the cooking process and allow them to come away from the shell more easily. 

If you can't wait any longer they are ready to serve as is! Serve with vinegar and warm buttered bread!

If you do however want to try something different with your catch, watch this space for recipes to follow...