Rules and regulations
I know that yesterday my blog was filled with praise for Cape Town and its beauty... Today I have a question though: Where did Capetonians get their driver's licences?! Eskom is causing complete havoc and mayhem - power outages spell no traffic lights, and this leads to utter chaos!
Here are some rules to take note of
- I will say this only once: When the lights are out, compliments Eskom, treat the traffic lights like you would a four way stop. If you don't know what that means, figure it out!
- Sharing is good - but not when it comes to traffic lanes. You stay in yours and I'll stay in mine!
- Indicators are to warn the rest of us when you want to turn (mostly in front of us), and not to keep the kids occupied while you are in the Kwikspar!
Although there are traffic rules, I always say that, when it comes to cooking, there are no rules! The rule is to have fun! However, there are sound guidelines that have been set by the masters that should be followed...
Hollandaise Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients
500g butter
2 egg yolks
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper
Method
1. Clarify the butter by melting it on a very low heat and letting the white milk solids sink to the bottom of the pan. The butter must not bubble or sizzle.
2. Whisk the egg yolks in a pan with a splash of water and the lemon juice. Whisk over a low heat until frothy, then drizzle in the clarified butter (i.e. butterfat without the ilk solids). Keep stirring.
3. Take the pan off the heat halfway through the cooking time.
4. Season with salt and pepper, and add some extra lemon juice if you like.
Tip: Hollandaise sauce is really a hot mayonnaise. By folding in semi-whipped cream, it can be turned into a mousseline (i.e. a mousse-like preparation) Hollandaise sauce goes well with all types of fish, but also poultry like chicken, turkey and guineafowl, and with vegetables.
Béarnaise Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 egg yolks
350g clarified butter
Cayenne pepper
2T finely chopped tarragon
1T finely chopped chervil
Salt
For the gastrique (i.e. a reduced mixture of vinegar and other ingredients used in the preparation of hot sauces)
300ml dry white wine
150ml vinegar
1 finely chopped shallot
6 - 10 tarragon sprigs
Bouquet garni (see below...)
1T crushed white peppercorns
Method
1. First make the gastrique - put all the ingredients in a pan and reduce by half.
2. Mix the egg yolks with a splash of gastrique and whisk over a low heat until frothy.
3. Take the pan off the heat and slowly whisk in the butter.
4. If the sauce is too thick, add a little gastrique, water or lemon juice.
5. Season with salt and cayenne pepper, then stir in the herbs.
Tip: Serve this variation of a Hollandaise sauce with a roast, fried or deep-fried meat.
Bouquet Garni
A classic 'bouquet garni' includes parsley stalks, thyme and bay leaves. It is used for flavouring stocks, vegetable dishes and some sauces. The proportion is roughly:
½ (two quarters) parsley stalks
¼ thyme
¼ bay leaf
And there's more! Most of these rules are contained in a little black cook I bought recently, called The Basics. It's a gem!
(All of the above are courtesy "The Basics" - Homaris...)
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