» reuben riffel recipes

Salmon with Mint Salsa Recipe | Reuben Riffel

Murray (Staff) — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 07:30:36 +0000

Reuben Riffel shares a Salmon with Mint Salsa Recipe as part of hie MasterChef Masterclass with Robertson’s.

This is a very quick and easy recipe to make, a perfect light weekend lunch or midweek starter.

You can substitute the salmon for Rainbow Trout if you’d like to follow the SASSI Green List.

More: Salmon Recipes | Reuben Riffel Recipes

Salmon with Mint Salsa Recipe | Reuben Riffel

Serving: 4 | Prep: 10 min | Cooking: 6 min

Ingredients:

Salmon	4	fillets
Fresh Lemon Juice	10	ml
Black Pepper
Vine tomatoes	20
For the Mint Salsa
Fresh Mint	1	bunch	chopped
Paprika	1	teaspoon
Lemon Pepper	1/2	teaspoon
Fresh Dhania	1/2	bunch	chopped
Red Onion	1		chopped
Cucumber	1/2		chopped
Olive Oil		tablespoons
Fresh Lemon Juice	3	tablespoons
Caster Sugar	1	teaspoon

Method:

1 . Start with the salsa
2 . Chop all the salsa ingredients up
3 . Mix together in a bowl with the mint and dhania leaves
4 . Add paprika, lemon pepper, caster sugar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt
5 . Preheat a little oil in a frying pan
6 . Season salmon fillets with lemon juice and salt and pepper.
7 . Add to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes each way. I normally go skin side down first
8 . Add the vine tomatoes and saute

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Red Onion & Red Pepper Pastry Tart Recipe | Reuben Riffel MasterClass

Murray (Staff) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:45:27 +0000

Rebuen Riffel is back with Robertson’s for season two of MasteChef SA and for his first Masterclass Reuben is preparing a Red Onion & Red Pepper Pastry Tart Recipe.

More: Reuben Riffel Recipes

Red Onion & Red Pepper Tart | Reuben Riffel

Serving: 6 | Prep: 10 min | Cooking: 20 min

Ingredients:

Red Onions	3		peeld and sliced
Red Peppers	2		sliced
Margarine	30	ml
Thyme	30	ml
Garlic Salt	10	ml
Egg	1		beaten
Puff Pastry	400	g
Paremsan Cheese

Method:

1 . Preheat the oven to 200°C
2 . Heat the margarine in a frying pan.
3 . Sauté the onions and peppers over a low heat until soft and translucent.
4 . Add the thyme and garlic salt.
5 . Remove and set aside.
6 . Once the onions and pepper have cooled mix in the beaten egg.
7 . Grease a baking tray
8 . Roll out the pastry
9 . Score a boarder about 3 cm from the edge all the way around
10 . Spread the onion and red pepper over the pastry within the confines of the border.
11 . Pop in the oven at 200°C for 15 – 20 minutes or until the pastry has risen and is golden.
12 . Grate over some Parmesan Cheese and serve with a salad

Perfect hot or cold

Via Robertsons Masterclass with a couple of modifications

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Meringue Recipe | Reuben Riffel

Dexter (Staff) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 07:00:00 +0000

A simple Meringue Recipe from Ruben Riffel based on the French style of making meringues.

Reuben Riffel has a passion for food and it’s history as he demonstrates in this meringue recipe video, sharing some knowledge about the history of the meringue along with one of his winning recipes.

He uses both icing and caster sugar; icing sugar gives the meringue it’s shiny glaze and the caster sugar it’s texture.

Reuben also recommends measuring your egg whites out by weight and not the number of eggs, getting the exact quantities right for meringues is critical in getting them right.

When piping your meringue take care to make sure that they are all the same size as this will ensure even cooking amongst all of them.

Meringue Recipe | Reuben Riffel

Serving: 8 | Prep: 15 min | Cooking: 30 min

Ingredients:

Egg Whites	100	g
Icing Sugar	100	g
Caster Sugar	100	g
Cornflour	1	tablespoon
Vanilla Extract	1	teaspoon

Method:

1 . Preheat the oven to 100°C
2 . Separate the egg whites
3 . Whisk the eggs on medium speed for 20 seconds
4 . Add the caster sugar and icing sugar one spoon at a time until it begins to thicken
5 . When the meringue mixture soft peaks add the cornflour and vanilla extract.
6 . Whisk for another 8 minutes reducing the speed as you go
7 . Transfer the meringue mixture into an icing bag
8 . Pipe into moulds on a baking tray covered with baking paper
9 . Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 100°C
10 . Leave to cool in the oven for 60 minutes

Tips for making meringues:

Egg whites are easier to separate when they are cold. Once separated leave for 30 minutes to reach room temperature.
The egg whites must be clean with no yolk attached.
Copper’s acidity stabilizes egg whites, so use a deep copper bowl with a rounded bottom or beat in a glass or stainless-steel bowl. Do not use wood, aluminium or plastic.
Add a pinch of cream of tartar for every 2 egg whites just as the whites get frothy.
Never add salt; it decreases stability and increases beating time.
Over beaten whites will collapse, in order to revive them, beat 1 egg white until frothy, then gently fold into over beaten whites until they’re shiny and moist again.
Humidity is not a meringue’s best friend. You can add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to the sugar if you experience high humidity in your part of the world.

A little wiki about meringue’s

The notion that meringue was invented in the Swiss town of Meiringen by an Italian chef named Gasparini is contested. It is more probable that the name meringue for this confection first appeared in print in Francois Massialot’s cookbook of 1692. The word meringue first appeared in English in 1706 in an English translation of Massialot’s book. Two considerably earlier seventeenth-century English manuscript books of recipes give instructions for confections that are recognizable as meringue, though called “white biskit bread” in the book of recipes started in 1604 by Lady Elinor Fettiplace (c. 1570 – c. 1647) of Appleton in Berkshire (now in Oxfordshire),or called “pets” in the manuscript of collected recipes written by Lady Rachel Fane (1612/13 – 1680), of Knole, Kent.Slowly baked meringues are still referred to as “pets” (meaning farts in French) in the Loire region in France due to their light and fluffy texture.

There are several types of meringue, the sweetened, uncooked beaten egg whites that form the “islands” of Floating Island, the partly cooked toppings of lemon meringue pie and other meringue-topped desserts, and the classic dry featherweight meringue. Different preparation techniques produce these results.

French meringue is the method best known to home cooks. Fine white sugar is beaten into egg whites.

Italian meringue is made with boiling sugar syrup, instead of caster sugar. This leads to a much more stable soft meringue which can be used in various pastries without collapsing. In an Italian meringue, a hot sugar syrup is whipped into softly whipped egg whites till stiff. This type of meringue is safe to use without cooking. It will not deflate for a long while and can be either used on pies and Baked Alaska, or spread on a sheet and baked for meringues.

Swiss meringue is whisked over a bain-marie to warm the egg whites, and then whisked steadily until it cools. This forms a dense, glossy marshmallow-like meringue. It is usually then baked.

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Crispy Snoek and Prawn Dumplings Recipe with Rooibos Tea Salt | Reuben Riffel

Baz (Staff) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Reuben Riffel shared his culinary talents with this Crispy Snoek and Prawn Dumplings Recipe with Rooibos Tea Salt on The Today Show in the USA.

For this Snoek and Prawn Dumplings Recipe you can use practically any local fish, in this instance Reuben Riffel recommend snoek for the South Africans and Snapper or any white fish for those in the USA and elsewhere.

The Rooibos tea salt is very easy to whip up along with some thyme and will have a variety of uses with other recipes.

Watch Reuben Riffel on the Today Show in the US preparing his, Crispy Snoek and Prawn Dumplings Recipe. (The segment ends with another Reuben Riffel Snoek Recipe with West Coast Basting and Salsa Recipe.)

Crispy Snoek and Prawn Dumplings Recipe with Rooibos Tea Salt | Reuben Riffel

Serving: 6 | Prep: 15 min | Cooking: 3 min

Ingredients:

For the Rooibos Tea
Rooibos Tea Leaves	1.5	teaspoons
Sea Salt	1/4	cup
Fresh Thyme	1	tablespoon
For the dumplings
White Fish Fillet	200	g
Prawns	250	g
Egg White	1
Sesame Oil	2
Rice Flakes
Sunflower Oil

Method:

For the rooibos tea salt
1 . Using a pestle and mortar pound together the rooibos tea, thyme and salt

For the fish and prawn dumplings
1 . Preheat the oil to 180C
2 . Chop up the fish and the prawns
3 . Blitz the fish
4 . Add an egg white
5 . Blitz some more
6 . Add 1/2 the chopped prawns
7 . Blitz again
8 . Mix together with the remaining prawns
9 . Pour in a drop of sesame oil.
10 . Season with salt & pepper
11 . Roll into balls
12 . Coat with some rice flakes
13 . Deep fry for until crispy and golden
14 . Drain oil on kitchen towel
15 . Serve hot with a sprinkling of Rooibos Tea Salt

A little wiki about Prawns

Prawns are decapod crustaceans of which there are 540 extant species, in seven families, and a fossil record extending back to the Devonian. They differ from other, similar crustaceans, such as shrimp and boxer shrimp by the branching form of the gills and by the fact that they do not brood their eggs, but release them directly into the water.

Prawns may reach a length of over 330 millimetres and a mass of 450 grams and are widely fished and farmed for human consumption.

In many contexts such as commercial farming and fisheries both shrimp and prawns are referred to interchangeably. However, recent aquaculture literature increasingly uses the term “prawn” only for the freshwater forms of palaemonids and “shrimp” for the marine penaeids.

In the United Kingdom, the word “prawn” is more common on menus than “shrimp”, while the opposite is the case in North America. The term “prawn” is also loosely used to describe any large shrimp, especially those like “king prawns”, sometimes known as “jumbo shrimp”.

South Africa, Australia and some other Commonwealth nations follow this British usage to an even greater extent, using the word “prawn” almost exclusively. When Australian comedian Paul Hogan used the phrase, “I’ll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you” in an American television advertisement it was intended to make what he was saying easier for his American audience to understand, and was thus a deliberate distortion of what an Australian would typically say.

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Milk Tart Recipe with Peaches and Almonds

Dexter (Staff) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Get adventurous with your next Milk Tart Recipe by playing with some perfect partners, Peaches and Almonds.

Did you know that biologically peaches and almonds are from the same subgenus, Amygdalus of the family Prunus . This may give some indication as to why they go so well together.

In this recipe we have included a little corn flour to add a little more fluffiness, this is a slight deviation from some of the other Milk Tart Recipes that we have on Gourmet Guys.

For a more traditional Milk Tart Recipe video, check out Reuben Riffel’s Milk Tart Recipe.

More: Tart Recipes | Traditional South African Recipes

Milk Tart Recipe with Peaches and Almonds

Serving: 8 | Prep: 20 min | Cooking: 45 min

Ingredients:

Milk	500	ml
Cinnamon Stick	1
Butter	80	g
Eggs	3
Salt	a	pinch(es)
Cornflour	25	ml
Cake Flour	60	ml
Caster Sugar	50	g
Almond Essence	1	ml
Canned Peaches	200	g
Puff Pastry

Method:

1 . For the crust use puff pastry, if you would like to make your own check out this milk tart pastry recipe by Reuben Riffel with video instructions.
2 . Grease the tart dish with butter, roll out the puff pastry and line the dish with it.
3 . Trim the edges and freeze what is left over for later use on something else.
4 . Preheat the oven to 180C
5 . In a pan heat up the milk, butter and cinnamon stick so that the cinnamon flavours infuse into the milk.
6 . Separate the egg yolks from the white.
7 . Sift the flour and cornflour into a bowl and add a pinch of salt, the sugar, milk and egg yolks.
8 . Mix together until it forms a smooth paste
9 . When the milk begins to simmer and the butter has melted add the flour paste
10 . Simmer over a low heat until the sauce is thick and smooth.
11 . Once ready, pour into a bowl, cover with grease paper to prevent a skin forming and place in the fridge for 15 minutes.
12 . In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with a drop of almond essence to soft peaks (do this just as the custard mixture has been in the fridge for 15 minutes)
13 . Fold into the custard
14 . Place the peaches on the tart pastry base
15 . Spoon the custard evenly over the base.
16 . Pop in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden and the custard has set.
17 . Dust with ground cinnamon.

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Snoek Recipe with West Coast Apricot Basting and Salsa | Reuben Riffel

Dexter (Staff) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 08:11:00 +0000

Reuben Riffel cooks up a South African style Snoek Recipe with West Coast Basting and Salsa.

Well we say Snoek but in reality in this video Reuben Riffel is using Grouper. The fact of the matter is that you can use this recipe for practically any white fish that is going in your local neighbourhood. Just because it says Snoek does not mean that it has to be.

Reuben brings a strong South African influence to this fish braai recipe by using Apricot Jam in the basting marinade. This no doubt is what gives it the “West Coast” tag.

Whether you are cooking on the braai, barbecue or in the kitchen this is a very easy recipe to make.

Watch Reuben Riffel on the Today Show in the US preparing his Grouper or in South Africa’s case, Snoek Recipe with a West Coast Basting and Salsa.

The segment begins with a Crispy Prawn Dumpling recipe before Reuben gets to his fish recipe which is nearer the end of the video.

Snoek Recipe with West Coast Apricot Basting and Salsa | Fish Braai | Reuben Riffel

Serving: 2 | Prep: 15 min | Cooking: 10 min

Ingredients:

Fish Fillets	2
For the marinade
Butter	2	tablespoons
Lemon	1
Soy Sauce	1	tablespoon
Curry Powder	1	tablespoon
Black Pepper
Garlic Clove	1
Apricot Jam	1	tablespoon
For the Salsa
Tomatoes	2
Cucumber	1
Red Onion	1
Green Chillies	1
Fresh Coriander
Olive Oil	1/4	cup
Salt
Black Pepper

Method:

For the basting marinade
1 . In a bowl mix together all the marinade ingredients; the butter, juice of one lemon, soy sauce, curry powder, pepper, garlic and apricot jam.

For the Salsa
1 . Chop up the salsa ingredients; the tomatoes, red onion, chillies, cucumber and coriander.
2 . Mix in a bowl with a little olive oil
3 . Salt & pepper to taste

For the fish
1 . Heat up a frying pan
2 . Coat the fish fillets with olive oil.
3 . Saute in the hot pan and baste the fish with marinade for 8-10 minutes. (timing will depend on the thickness of the fish fillets)

A little wiki about Snoek

Snoek or “Cape snoek“, is a long, thin, perch-like commercial food fish belonging to the Gempylidae family. It is found in the seas of the Southern Hemisphere. It is also known in Australasia as barracoutathough it is not related to the barracuda.

It can grow up to 200 centimetres long and weigh as much as 6 kilograms. It is found near continental shelves or around islands and feeds on crustaceans, cephalopods and small fish like anchovy andpilchard. This species will form schools near the bottom or mid-water; sometimes even near the surface at night. It prefers sea water temperature between 13C and 18C.

It is found off the coast of Namibia and the coast of the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces of South Africa. It was originally called the “zee snoek” (Sea Snoek) by Dutch colonists who arrived in the Cape in 1652. It is said to have reminded them of the freshwater pike they found at home in the Netherlands. The snoek is widely distributed in the colder waters in the Southern Hemisphere. It is found from Namibe in Angola to Mossel Bay in South Africa, off Tristan da Cunha in the mid southern Atlantic and off Western Australia, where it is call the barracouta, off Chile and Argentina. where it is called the sierra.Bluish-black on top with a silver belly, the snoek grows to over a metre in length.

About Chef Reuben Riffel

Reuben Riffel grew up as the middle child in a loving family in Franschhoek. Through his mother’s intermittent involvement in the restaurant industry, Reuben started work as a barman and waiter. One day he was asked by Head Chef, Richard Carsons, to help out in the kitchen. Slowly, the kitchen cast its spell on young Reuben.

As he listened to Chef Richard and started reading and tentatively experimenting the realisation slowly dawned: “This is not just a job. This could actually be interesting. This could be something you can be proud of”

Over the next few years, life took him to different kitchens, from Top restaurants in Balito Bay, the Cape Town Waterfront, Franschhoek and the UK. While in the UK, Reuben was approached by Marc Kent who had purchased a property in Franschhoek for which he had big plans and he wanted Reuben to partner with him in creating a top-notch restaurant. The two men seemed to think alike and, after two years in England, Reuben headed back to Franschhoek.

Reuben tackled this big challenge with typical gusto and within the first year he was declared Chef of the Year and Reuben’s, his restaurant, was made Restaurant Of The Year. “I count myself very lucky,” says Reuben. “Other chefs work as hard as I do and may never enjoy this kind of success.” These humble words are to Reuben’s credit. However, his success is certainly not undeserved. In the famous words of Gary Player: “The more you practice, the luckier you get.”

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Milk Tart Recipe | Melktert | Reuben Riffel

Murray (Staff) — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 06:00:00 +0000

Milk Tart is an iconic South African recipe and Reuben Riffel adds his own touch to this traditional dish.

Milk Tart or Melktert as it is often called is a traditional South African recipe that can be found across the country.

You can bring many little twists and turns to it by using biscuits as a base or condensed milk, maizena or a little vanilla essence in the filling.

Reuben Riffel reckons that his little milk tart recipe will be better than your Ouma’s recipe. We’ll leave that for you to decide, don’t forget to let us know what you think.

Serves: 6 Preparation: 30 min Cooking: 30 min

Ingredients:

For the Filling
Milk	500	ml
Cinnamon Stick	1
Nutmeg	few	pinch(es)
Butter	80	g
Egg Yolk	3
Salt	a	pinch(es)
Caster Sugar	50	g
Cake Flour	60	ml
Egg White	3
For the Base
Butter	2	tablespoon(s)
White Sugar	2	tablespoon(s)
Egg	1
Self Raising Flour	3/4	cup(s)
Salt	a	pinch(es)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C

For the Milk Tart Base:

Grease the tart dish with a little butter
Mix all the ingredients together with an electric beater or a processor
When it clumps together in a dough press into the tart dish.
Allow to chill in the fridge while preparing the filling.
Or you can use store bought puff pastry.

For the Milk Tart Filling:

Pour the milk up into a pan
Add the cinnamon stick
Sprinkle in some nutmeg
Add the butter
Warm up until the butter melts.
Separate the egg yolks from the white.
In a separate bowl add the egg yolks
Add a pinch of salt, the caster sugar and cake flour
Give it all a good stir
As the butter in the milk begins to melt, remove the cinnamon stick
Pour the warm milk into the bowl with the egg yolks
Return everything back to the pan on the stove
Allow to thicken, stirring occasionally
Remove from the stove and pour the milk tart filling into a bowl
Cover with grease proof paper to prevent a skin from forming
Place in the fridge for 15 minutes
Line the tart bowl with the pastry
Once the filling has cooled, whisk the egg whites to a soft peak
Gently fold the egg whites into the filling mixture
Pour the milk tart filling into the pastry lined tart case

Cooking:

Place the milk tart in the oven at 180C for 30 minutes
When done sprinkle with cinnamon

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A traditional South African Milk Tart Recipe with a twist, a little condensed milk.

Andrew Lieber (Ed) — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:19:00 +0000

A Milk Tart Recipe with some Condensed Milk for that little extra richness.

This traditional South African recipe comes with many twists and turns. This particular twist is with some condensed milk.

Reuben Riffel’s Milk Tart recipe forms the basis for this one which has a few changes in it to incorporate the condensed milk and relies more on its richness and sweetness for flavour than the cinnamon or nutmeg.

Milk Tart Recipe with Condensed Milk | Andrew Lieber

Serving: 6 | Prep: 30 min | Cooking: 30 min

Ingredients:

For the Filling
Milk	500	ml
Condensed Milk	200	g
Butter	80	g
Egg Yolks	3
Salt	a	pinch
Cake Flour	60	ml
Egg White	3
For the Base
Butter	2	tablespoons
White Sugar	2	tablespoons
Egg	1
Self Raising Flour	3/4	cup
Salt	a	pinch
OR
Puff Pastry
Ground Cinnamon

Method:

For the Milk Tart Base:
1 . Grease the tart dish with a little butter
2 . Mix all the ingredients together with an electric beater or a processor
3 . When it clumps together in a dough press into the tart dish.
4 . Allow to chill in the fridge while preparing the filling.
5 . Or you can use store bought puff pastry.

For the Milk Tart Filling:
1 Pour the milk and condensed milk into a pan
2 Add the butter
3 Bring to a simmer
4 In a separate bowl add the egg yolks
5 Add a pinch of salt and cake flour
6 . Give it all a good stir
7 . Once the butter in the milk melts, pour into the bowl with the egg yolks.
8 . Return everything back to the pan on the stove
9 . Allow to thicken, stirring occasionally. (It must be like a thick sauce)
10 . Remove from the stove and pour the milk tart filling into a bowl
11 . Cover with grease proof paper to prevent a skin from forming
12 . Place in the fridge for 15 minutes
13 . Line the tart bowl with the pastry
14 . Once the filling has cooled, whisk the egg whites to a soft peak
15 . Gently fold the egg whites into the filling mixture
16 . Pour the milk tart filling into the pastry lined tart case

Cooking:
1 . Place the milk tart in the oven at 180°C for 30 minutes
2 . When done sprinkle with cinnamon

A little wiki about Milk Tart / Melktert

Meaning “milk tart” in Afrikaans, melktert is a South African dessert.

It is a sweet pastry crust containing a creamy filling made from milk, flour, sugar and eggs.

The ratio of milk to egg is higher than in a traditional European custard tart or Chinese egg tart, resulting in a lighter texture and a stronger milk flavour.

Some recipes require the custard to be baked in the crust, and others call for the custard to be prepared in advance, and then placed in the crust before serving. Cinnamon is often sprinkled over its surface. The milk used for the custard can also be infused with a cinnamon quill before preparation.

Milk Tarts / Melkterts are described as a dessert that shows distinctive Dutch traits.

A little wiki about Condensed Milk

Condensed milk is cow’s milk from which water has been removed, hence the name condensed or sweetened condensed milk due to the sugar that is added. Sweetened condensed milk is a very thick, sweet product which when canned can last for years without refrigeration if unopened.

Condensed milk is used in numerous dessert dishes in many countries, including the United States, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Hong Kong SAR, Lebanon, Russia.

Raw milk is clarified and standardized, and then is heated to 85-90C for several seconds. This heating destroys some micro organisms, decreases fat separation and inhibits oxidation. Some water is evaporated from the milk and sugar is added to approximately 45%. This sugar is what extends the shelf life of sweetened condensed milk. Sucrose increases the liquid’s osmotic pressure, which prevents microorganism growth. The sweetened evaporated milk is cooled and lactose crystallization is induced.

According to the writings of Marco Polo, in the 13th century the Tatars were able to condense milk. Marco Polo reported that 4.5 kg of milk paste was carried by each man, who would subsequently mix the product with water.

Nicolas Appert condensed milk in France in 1820 and Gail Borden, Jr. in the United States in 1853. Before this development, milk could only be kept fresh for a short while and was only available in the immediate vicinity of a cow. While returning from a trip to England in 1851, Borden was devastated by the death of several children, apparently from poor milk obtained from shipboard cows. With less than a year of schooling and following in a wake of failures, both of his own and of others, Borden was inspired by the vacuum pan he had seen being used by Shakers to condense fruit juice and was at last able to reduce milk without scorching or curdling it. Even then his first two factories failed and only the third, built with his new partner, Jeremiah Milbank in Wassaic, New York, produced a usable milk derivative that was long-lasting and needed no refrigeration. In 1864, Gail Borden’s New York Condensed Milk Company constructed the New York Milk Condensery in Brewster, New York. This condensery was the largest and most advanced milk factory and was Borden’s first commercially successful plant. Over 200 dairy farmers supplied 76,000 liters of milk daily to the Brewster plant as demand was driven by the Civil War.

Condensed milk can be made from evaporated milk by mixing one measure of evaporated milk with one and a quarter measures of sugar in a saucepan, then heating and stirring the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved, then cooling. It can be made by simmering regular milk until it is reduced by 60%, then adding sugar.

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Reuben Riffel’s favourite Cape Town restaurants

Andrew Lieber (Ed) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 07:00:02 +0000

Watch Reuben Riffel talk about South African cuisine and two of his favourite Cape Town Restaurants.

Reuben Riffel chats to the “Daily Meal” about what’s hot in South African cuisine and he also shares the names of a couple of his favourite Cape Town restaurants.

When its comes to South African cuisine he is still searching for the ultimate South African dish but senses that people are returning to their roots with authentic recipes like bobotie, snoek (preferably on the braai) and our national sausage, boerewors.

His two restaurant recommendations are the World Top 100, “The Test Kitchen” and Mzoli’s in Gugulethu where you can find some traditional township fare.

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Seared Tuna Recipe, with Sesame Crust | Reuben Riffel

Murray (Staff) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 06:00:00 +0000

A simple yet delicious Seared Tuna Recipe with a Sesame and Wasabi crust from Reuben Riffel.

If you are looking for a very easy tuna recipe then this is one you should definitely take a look at. All that is required are a few tuna steaks, depending on how many you a cooking for, some wasabi, sesame seeds and a few more spices. Simply coat the tuna steaks in the spice mix, drizzle with a little oil and then pop them into a griddle pan for a few minutes each way.

You do not want to cook the tuna right through, simply sear the crust and warm up the middle of the fish.

Seared Tuna Recipe, with Sesame Crust | Reuben Riffel

Serving: 2 | Prep: 10 min | Cooking: 3 min

Ingredients:

White Sesame Seeds	1	tablespoon
Black Sesame Seeds	1	tablespoon
Fish Spice	a	pinch
Tuna Fillets	2
Wasabi
For the Vinaigrette
Ground Ginger	a	pinch
Ground Cumin	a	pinch
Lime Juice
Caster Sugar	1	teaspoon
Olive Oil
Salt
Green Chillies	1

Method:

1 . If you have a whole salmon cut into fillets, about 2-3cm thick.
2 . Pat them down to remove and excess moisture
3 . Toast the sesame seeds
4 . Mix them in a bowl with fish spice
5 . Spread a little (or lot) wasabi onto the tuna steaks
6 . Coat the tuna fillets in the sesame spice mix
7 . Drizzle a little olive oil on the crusted tuna steaks

Cooking:
1 . Heat up a griddle pan (high heat)
2 . Drop in the tuna steaks
3 . Cook for a minute or two each way
4 . You want the inside to be warm and the crust to be seared.
5 . For the vinaigrette:
6 . Mix together the ground, ginger, ground cumin, with some lime juice, caster sugar and olive oil.
7 . And a pinch of salt

Some handy tips
1 . Use the freshest tuna you can get, for best results do not use frozen tuna
2 . Buy the best quality you can afford
3 . Get you pan as hot as you possibly can
4 . Heat up a frying pan
5 . Coat the fish fillets with olive oil.
6 . Saute in the hot pan and baste the fish with marinade for 8-10 minutes. (timing will depend on the thickness of the fish fillets)

A little wiki about Tuna

Tuna are a group of salt water fish from the family Scombridae, particularly of the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of 70 km/h (43 mph). Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an oxygen-binding molecule, which tuna express in quantities far higher than most other fish. Some larger tuna species, such as bluefin tuna, display some warm-blooded adaptations, and can raise their body temperatures above water temperatures by means of muscular activity. This enables them to survive in cooler waters and to inhabit a wider range of ocean environments than other types of fish.

Tuna is an important commercial fish. The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation compiled a detailed scientific report on the state of global tuna stocks in 2009, which includes regular updates. According to the report, Tunas are widely but sparsely distributed throughout the oceans of the world, generally in tropical and temperate waters between about 45 degrees north and south of the equator. They are grouped taxonomically in the family Scombridae, which includes about 50 species. The most important of these for commercial and recreational fisheries are yellowfin, bigeye, bluefin, albacore, and skipjack.

About Chef Reuben Riffel

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Choux Puff Pastry Recipe with Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche | Reuben Riffel

Dexter (Staff) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 06:00:00 +0000

Looking for some canape ideas? Look no further than this Smoked Salmon with Creme Fraiche Choux Puff recipe by Reuben Riffel.

Reuben does not cover off the critical choux puff pastry aspect of the recipe but have no fear as we have one right here for you.

What Reuben does help out with is finding the correct balance between ingredients and some cool combinations that you might not have thought of.

When making canapes you can put together any variety of flavours and textures. When serving as a snack they are generally savoury but you can always go sweet with chocolate eclairs, cream puffs orprofiteroles, the original intended use of choux puff pastry.

Choux translates as cabbage and you can read further down the page as to how this sweet little dough ended up with such a ridiculous name.

Choux Puff Pastry Recipe with Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche | Reuben Riffel

Serving: 8 | Prep: 20 min | Cooking: 60 min

Ingredients:

For the Filling
Creme Fraiche	250	g
Garlic Salt	a	pinch
Thyme	1	teaspoon
Dijon Mustard	1	teaspoon
Capers	1	tablespoon
Smoked Salmon
Caviar
Caster Sugar	1	teaspoon
Olive Oil
Salt
Green Chillies	1

Method:

For the Choux Puff Pastry recipe click here

For the Filling:
1 . Mix together the creme fraiche, garlic salt, thyme, Dijon and chop the capers before adding them.
2 . Slice the tops of the choux pastry
3 . Stuff with the creme fraiche
4 . Layer on top with smoked salmon
5 . Finish off with the capers.

A little wiki about Choux Pastry

Choux pastry, or pate a choux is a light pastry dough used to make profiteroles, croquembouches, eclairs, French crullers, beignets, St. Honore cake, Indonesian kue sus, and gougeres. It contains only butter, water, flour, and eggs. In lieu of a raising agent it employs high moisture content to create steam during cooking to puff the pastry.

Choux pastry is usually baked but for beignets it is fried. In Spain and Latin America, churros are made of fried choux pastry, sugared and dipped in a thin chocolate blancmange for breakfast. In Austrian cuisine, it is also boiled to make Marillenknodel, a sweet apricot dumpling; in that case it does not puff, but remains relatively dense. They are sometimes filled with cream and used to make cream puffs or eclairs^.

A chef by the name of Panterelli invented the dough in 1540, seven years after he left Florence, along with Catherine de’ Medici and the entirety of her court. He used the dough to make a gateau and named it Pate a Panterelli. Over time, the recipe of the dough evolved, and the name changed to Pate a Popelin, which was used to make Popelins, small cakes made in the shape of a woman’s breasts. Then, Avice, a patissier in the eighteenth century, created what were then called Choux Buns. The name of the dough changed to Pate a Choux, as Avice’s buns resembled cabbages, choux in French. From there, Antoine Careme made modifications to the recipe, resulting in the recipe most commonly used now for profiteroles.

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Gnocchi Recipe | Reuben Riffel

Dexter (Staff) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Reuben Riffel shares a very easy Gnocchi Recipe with you and throws in a little history about the origin of gnocchi at the same time.

Gnocchi is a traditional Italian dish but it’s origins lie in the Middle East from where the Romans imported it into present day Italy.

A potato gnocchi recipe requires only three simple ingredients, potatoes, flour and eggs. Mix them all together, knead into a dough and cut up into smaller pieces.

From there you only need to boil them in some salted water until they float and they are ready.

Use about one large potato per person and if this is the first time that you are making them, cut the gnocchi dough into small pieces, it will be easier to get the cooking right and have your sauce ready so once the gnocchi are done you can mix them with the sauce immediately.

If you want to freeze your gnocchi, lay them out individually in an airtight container, layered with some baking paper, freeze them and once frozen bag them. This method of freezing individually will prevent them from sticking together.

Gnocchi Recipe | Reuben Riffel

Serving: 4 | Prep: 30 min | Cooking: 10 min

Ingredients:

Potatoes	600	g
Flour	300	g
Egg Yolks	2

Method:

1 . Boil the potatoes in salted water
2 . Remove the peel and mash the potato
3 . Add the flour and egg yolks
4 . Knead into a dough
5 . Cut into 4 pieces
6 . Roll each piece into a long snake
7 . Cut into smaller pieces (2-3cm)
8 . Mark each piece with a fork

Cooking:
1 . Bring salted water to the boil
2 . Add the gnocchi pieces
3 . When the gnocchi floats, it’s ready.
4 . Serve with your favourite sauce, Reuben Riffel likes his with Gorgonzola

A little wiki about Gnocchi
Gnocchi, pronounced “noki”, are various thick, soft dumplings. They may be made from semolina,ordinary wheat flour, flour and egg, flour, egg, and cheese, potato, breadcrumbs,or similar ingredients.

Like many Italian dishes, there is considerable variation in recipes and names across different regions. For example, the Tuscan malfatti are a sort of flour, ricotta, and spinach gnocchi; the Pugliese cavatielliare flour-based, and so on.

Gnocchi are eaten as a first course (primi piatti), alternatives to soups (minestre), or pasta. They are generally home-made in Italian and diaspora Italian households. They may also be bought fresh from speciality stores. In supermarkets, industrially-produced packaged gnocchi are widely available refrigerated, dried, or frozen. Common accompaniments of gnocchi include tomato sauces, pesto, and melted butter (sometimes fried butter) with cheese.

The word gnocchi may derive from the Italian word nocchio, meaning a knot in wood,or from nocca(meaning knuckle).It has been a traditional Italian pasta type of probably Middle Eastern origin since Roman times.It was introduced by the Roman legions during the enormous expansion of the empire into the countries of the European continent. In the past 2,000 years, each country developed its own specific type of small dumplings, with the ancient gnocchi as their common ancestor. In Roman times,gnocchi were made from a semolina porridge-like dough mixed with eggs, and are still found in similar forms today, particularly the oven-baked gnocchi alla romana and Sardinia’s malloreddus (although these do not contain eggs).

The use of potato is a relatively recent innovation, occurring after the introduction of the potato to Europe in the 16th century. Potato gnocchi are particularly popular in Abruzzo, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Ciociaria and other provinces of Latium; they are best prepared with red potatoes.

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Fillet Steak Recipe with Moroccan Dukkah Spice | Reuben Riffel

Dexter (Staff) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Reuben Riffel shares a Moroccan Dukkah Crusted Fillet Steak recipe with us, revealing a great way to add some serious flavour to your steak.

Cooking steaks, be it in the kitchen or on the braai is something that South Africans are very good at.

Reuben introduces some North African flavour to this South African standard with a dukkah spice comprising of toasted aniseed, coriander, cumin and sesame seeds. These combined with some mint and barbecue spice make for a great way to coat your fillet steak before popping it onto the braai or griddle pan.

You can also use the dukkah spice mix as a side and dip some crusty bread or fresh vegetables into it along with some olive oil.

Manage the spice quantities according to how many steaks you are planning to make.

More: Braai Recipes | Steak Braai Recipes | Fillet Steak Recipes

Fillet Steak Recipe with Moroccan Dukkah Spice | Reuben Riffel |

Serving: 6 | Prep: 10 min | Cooking: 10 min

Ingredients:

Aniseed	2-3	tablespoons
Coriander Seeds	2-3	tablespoons
White Sesame Seeds	2-3	tablespoons
Black Peppercorns	2	tablespoons
Cumin Seeds	1	tablespoons
Hazelnuts	a	handful
Fillet Steaks
Olive Oil
Barbecue Spice
Dried Mint

Method:

1 . Toast the spices and hazelnuts in a dry pan
2 . When the aroma begins to fill the kitchen they will be ready.
3 . Transfer to a pestle and mortar
4 . Add barbecue spice and dried mint.
5 . Lightly grind, keep it coarse
6 . Slice the fillet steaks to a 2 finger thickness
7 . Brush the fillet steaks with olive oil
8 . Coat the meat with the dukkah spice mix
9 . Cook in a dry pan for about 2-3 minutes each way.

Tips for cooking steak:
1 . Remove your fillet steak from the fridge at least 20 minutes before you want to cook it, to allow it to get to room temperature. This will help keep your meat nice and tender.
2 . Pat the steak with kitchen paper to remove any excess moisture, if the meat is wet, when you put it on the heat, that water will vaporise and form a barrier between the steak and the heat source. This will prevent inhibit caramelisation from where you get a lot of your flavour.
3 . Rub a little sunflower or vegetable oil onto the steak, olive oil burns at too low a temperature.
4 . Get your pan really hot before adding your steak.
5 . Always allow your steak to rest for 5 minutes before serving

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Crepes Recipe | Reuben Riffel

Dexter (Staff) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Reuben Riffel shares some handy tips while preparing a crepes recipe for everyone to enjoy.

Crepes are like pancakes but thinner and very, very French.

You get three main types, Mille crepe, which is a French cake made of many crepe layers; the Grand Marinier flambeed crepes Suzette, with lightly grated orange peel and Cherry Kijafa Crepes which are filled with cherries simmered in a Kijafa wine sauce.

Reuben isn’t really making any of these for his crepes recipe in this video and is sticking to a traditional pancake topping of cinnamon sugar and lemon juice. You can use a variety of fillings both sweet and savoury to spruce up your crepes recipe. Check out some of the related videos further down the page for some ideas.

More: Crepes Recipes | Dessert Recipes | Reuben Riffel Recipes

Crepes Recipe | Reuben Riffel

Serving: 4 | Prep: 20 min | Cooking: 15 min

Ingredients:

For the Dry
Flour	1	cup
Caster Sugar	3	tablespoons
Salt	a
For the Wet
Milk	1	cup
Eggs	2	0
Brandy	1	tablespoon

Method:

Preparation:
1 . Mix the cake flour, caster sugar and a pinch of salt together
2 . Mix together the milk, eggs and brandy, giving it a quick whisk
3 . Add the wet ingredients to the dry
4 . Whisk until smooth with no lumps
5 . Place the batter in the fridge for 10 minutes
6 . Prepare the cinnamon sugar by mixing together 1/2 cup of caster sugar with 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon

Cooking:
1 . Heat up a frying pan with a little butter (brush with a paper towel)
2 . Spoon in the batter
3 . Flip when the base is golden

Tips for making crepes, try them and see what works best for you.
Refrigerate the batter for at least one hour. Gluten forms when wheat flour and water are agitated. It’s not a good thing to happen when making cakes, pie crusts and crepes. Refrigerating the batter relaxes the gluten and makes for light, airy crepes.
Use a heavy bottomed stainless steel pan, this will ensure that it heats evenly.
Don’t flip it too early, wait until the surface of your crepe is no longer shiny and the edges are starting to brown
Beer in the batter adds a slight flavour, and carbonation, keeping the crepe batter tender and loose.
Strain the batter through a sieve to remove any lumps, if you have.
Heat the milk so that it is warm,along with some butter. The warm milk/butter combination allows the butter to ‘stay in suspension,’ which means the fat is evenly distributed in the batter and the crepes won’t stick to the pan when you flip them.
Use your hands to flip the crepes.

About Chef Reuben Riffel
Reuben Riffel grew up as the middle child in a loving family in Franschhoek. Through his mother’s intermittent involvement in the restaurant industry, Reuben started work as a barman and waiter. One day he was asked by Head Chef, Richard Carsons, to help out in the kitchen. Slowly, the kitchen cast its spell on young Reuben.

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Easy Roast Chicken Recipe | Reuben Riffel

Baz (Staff) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Looking for a simple way to prepare your Roast Chicken, try out this recipe from South African favourite, Reuben Riffel.

There are many different ways to prepare a roast chicken and this is a very straight forward way to do it. It is perfect for the kitchen novice who might be roasting a chicken for the very first time.

Watch the video and let Reuben Riffel show you how he prepares a simple roast chicken recipe.

More: Roast Chicken Recipes | Reuben Riffel Recipes

Easy Roast Chicken Recipe | Reuben Riffel

Serving: 4-6 | Prep: 10 min | Cooking: 45 min

Ingredients:

Whole Chicken	1
Sunflower Oil	1	tablespoon
Chicken Spice	2	teaspoons
Mixed Herbs	2
Salt

Method:

1 . Preheat the oven to 180°C
2 . Pour a little sunflower oil over the chicken
3 . Season with chicken spice
4 . Season with mixed herbs
5 . Season with salt and pepper (Reuben Riffel likes to be liberal with his salt).

Cooking:
1 . Roast in the oven for 45 minutes (times vary depending on the size of you chicken)

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Quick and Easy Garlic Bread Recipe by Reuben Riffel

Andrew Lieber (Ed) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Looking for a cool garlic bread recipe for the braai? Check out this Cheesy Garlic Bread recipe by Reuben Riffel

This is a very quick and easy garlic bread recipe. You can use whatever herbs you have available although when it comes to the cheese, Mozzarella is best. You can also use fresh garlic as opposed to the garlic powder in this recipe, a couple of chopped cloves will do the trick.

Simply mix your herbs and garlic together with the butter, stuff the baguette, ciabatta or which ever bread you prefer and pop it in the oven.

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