Summer essentials

The

summer

PHOTOS: DONNA LEWIS RECIPES AND STYLING: LIEZL VERMEULEN

essentials

Cool off this season with the hottest ice-cold scoops, super salads and sweet in-season produce. It’s a celebration of all things bright and fresh

Watermelon and raspberry fro-yo

WATERMELON AND RASPBERRY FRO-YO

This no-churn iced treat requires only 30 minutes of hands-on prep, so you can spend the rest of the day soaking up the sun while the freezer does the work.

Slice a large watermelon (about 2kg) and discard the skin. Cube and deseed the pink flesh so you have a total of 1.5kg (about ¾ of a watermelon). Blitz watermelon cubes in a jug blender or using a handheld blender to make juice. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding fibrous residue. Blitz 2 cups (500ml) PnP double-cream pomegranate & raspberry yoghurt, ²/³ cup (160ml) honey and 2 punnets (100g each) raspberries. Pour into a 3.5L sealable container and freeze for 8 hours or overnight. Blitz mixture a few hours before serving and refreeze until firm (at least 3 hours). Scoop for serving, or blitz a third time for a soft-serve consistency. MAKES ABOUT 2.5L

FISH SALAD WITH COCONUT GREMOLATA

Inspired by a buddha bowl but served with warm coconut-milk poached fish.

½ can (200g) coconut

milk

Salt and milled pepper 800g sustainable white fish (such as kingklip or hake), skin on, defrosted Juice (120ml) of 2 lemons 1 stalk lemongrass, crushed (optional) 1 packet (400g) baby marrows, sliced into ribbons and blanched 2 packets (200g each)

Make it no bake

sugar snap peas, blanched 2 avocados, sliced 1 packet (3’s) baby gem lettuce, quartered 2 radishes, sliced

Gremolata:

1 tub (160g) fresh coconut cubes, grated ½ punnet (10g) each fresh dill, coriander and mint ½ cup (80g) cashews, finely chopped Juice (120ml) and grated peel of 2 lemons 1/³ cup (80ml) olive oil + extra for drizzling Red or green chilli, chopped, to taste

SERVES 4

Pour coconut milk into a deep, ovenproof dish. Season fish on both sides and place skin-side down in coconut milk, making sure it doesn’t cover the top of fish. Season, add lemon juice and lemongrass (if using) and cover loosely with baking paper. Bake at 160°C for about 10 minutes, until fish turns white but is not cooked through. Combine gremolata ingredients, either finely chopping or blitzing. Remove fish from oven and turn on oven grill. Spoon 3/4 of the gremolata over fish, drizzle with olive oil and grill for 5 minutes to cook top of fish slightly. Transfer fish portions into bowls, add salad greens and sprinkle with leftover gremolata. Serve with coconut milk (from baking dish) spooned over fish salad.

STOVE-TOP NECTARINE COMPOTE CRUMBLE

Great for those almosttoo-soft stone fruit. Serve with plain doublecream yoghurt or ice cream. It also works well served for breakfast with yoghurt and granola.

Compote:

5 nectarines, halved 5 plums, halved ½ cup (125ml) honey ½ cup (125ml) water 1 star anise 1 vanillapod, halved, or 2 tsp (10ml) vanilla

extract

Crumble:

½ cup (50g) oats ½ cup (70g) nuts ¼ cup (25g) dried

coconut flakes

½ cup (60g) pumpkin

seeds

¼ cup (60ml) honey or sugar 3 Tbsp (45ml) butter

SERVES 5-6

Combine compote ingredients in a medium- sized pot over low heat. Bring to a very gentle simmer, cooking for 10-12 minutes. Place oats in a large pan over high heat and toast for 5 minutes until browned. Add nuts, coconut and pumpkin seeds and brown for 5 minutes or until toasty. Stir in honey or sugar and butter (using a silicone spatula) and mix to ensure everything is well coated. Serve compote scattered with crumble.

Fish salad with coconut gremolata

PRICES CORRECT AT TIME OF GOING TO PRINT AND MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE Make it fresher

PAIR WITH

DURBANVILLE HILLS LIGHT CHENIN BLANC 750ML, R85 Opt for light wines in January – enjoy more with less alcohol.

Tomato and stone fruit salad

Make it a salad

Make it lighter

TOMATO AND STONE FRUIT SALAD

Fruit is not just for snacking and desserts, and this moreish salad with sweet and tart flavours proves it! Burrata cheese is a spoil, but ricotta or feta work well too.

4 nectarines 4 plums 2 peaches ½ tub (50g) fresh cherries (optional) 2 punnets (300g each)

PnP medley tomatoes

½ red onion 3 Tbsp (45ml) PnP

Crafted Collection sherry vinegar

¼ cup (60ml) olive oil

blend

1-3 tsp (5-15ml) basil

pesto

Salt and milled pepper 2 tubs (100g each) PnP

Crafted Collection burrata

Handful fresh basil or rocket ½ packet (50g) pumpkin

and sunflower seed

mix, toasted and roughly crushed 1 loaf ciabatta, toasted, for serving

SERVES 6

Cut stone fruit into wedges or thick slices. Halve the tomatoes and thinly slice the onion. Toss fruit with tomatoes and red onion in a bowl. Whisk together vinegar, olive oil and pesto, and season to taste. Toss vinaigrette through salad. Place cheese in the centre of a platter and scatter salad around it. Top with basil or rocket and scatter crushed seed mix over. Serve with ciabatta.

HEALTHY-ISH, ALMOST-BOOZY TIRAMISU

Celebrate la dolce vita with this take on the Italian classic. We’ve used a low-alcohol brandy liqueur, swapped cream for yoghurt and used fresh dates to avoid refined sugar.

Syrup:

2 cups (500ml) strong

coffee

10-12 (about 200g) medjool dates, chopped 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla

essence

¼ cup (60ml) low-alcohol

KWV Jackson Brown Brandy Liqueur

1/³ cup (80ml) honey

2 tubs (250g each)

mascarpone

2 cups (450g) PnP plain

double-cream yoghurt

2 tsp (10ml) vanilla essence or paste 2 Tbsp (30ml) honey 1 packet (200g)

boudoir biscuits

¼ cup (60ml) KWV

low-alcohol Jackson

Brandy Liqueur (or slightly sweetened coffee works too) Cocoa and dark chocolate shavings, for serving

MAKES 6

Combine coffee and dates in a saucepan and bring to a quick simmer on medium-high heat. Simmer for 15 minutes until sauce is reduced by two-thirds. Remove from heat, cool slightly then blitz until smooth. Stir in vanilla, brandy and honey and set aside. Whisk together mascarpone, yoghurt, vanilla and honey. Dip biscuits in brandy (or coffee), cutting biscuits as needed to fit ramekins or serving glasses (see below). Spoon a layer of mascarpone mixture in each glass or ramekin, top with coffee syrup and place a layer of biscuit on top. Repeat to create 2-3 layers. Dust with cocoa powder and top with chocolate shavings.

Good idea: To make layering in glasses easier, serve the biscuits on top instead of inside the tiramisu

PAIR WITH

JACKSON BROWN BRANDY LIQUEUR, 750ML, R99.99 We used the first locally produced low-alcohol brandy in this tiramisu, making it a lighter dessert for summer.

Easy summer

Nothing adds a pop of flavour like fresh ingredients. Juicy, delicious plums elevate this summer dish.

PLUM AND PORK SAUSAGE TRAY BAKE

Justine Drake says: “This is based on a wonderful recipe for the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen… I’ve simplified it somewhat.”

3 red onions, cut into wedges 3 baking potatoes, cut into wedges 6 cloves garlic, sliced Glug of olive oil 1 cup ( 250ml) chicken

stock

Salt and milled pepper 8 plums 8 pork sausages 2 sprigs fresh rosemary 2 Tbsp (30ml) balsamic

vinegar

2 tsp (10ml) brown

sugar

Fresh parsley, roughly chopped, for serving

SERVES 4

Place red onions, potatoes and garlic in a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Pour over half the chicken stock, season well and toss so all vegetables are coated. Roast at 180°C (with fan) or 200°C (without fan) for 30-40 minutes, giving it a shake halfway through cooking, until vegetables are tender, and stock has all but evaporated. Add plums, sausages and rosemary. Mix balsamic vinegar, sugar and remaining stock together. Pour over sausages, plums and vegetables, season and toss to mix everything well. Roast for a further 30 minutes, turning the sausages halfway through cooking. Turn on the oven grill for the last 10 minutes to brown. Serve in the tray, garnished with parsley.