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December 22, 2011

Decemberitis: The fear of cooking failure


Mageirocophobia: The fear of cooking. I am not a sufferer. But every year I fret from a dose of what I call Decemberitis: the fear of flops.  It creeps up on me towards the start of the festive season. After six months of my academic, student lifestyle (where I eat communally on a low budget, only cook once or twice a week, and leave my favourite kitchen equipment to gather dust in the cupboards) I start to prepare for my private cheffing stint in Hermanus.

The annoying worrying starts. What if I’ve lost my touch? What if I can’t chop fast enough? What if… what if…. They don’t like the food? I try to resist it, going through old blog posts, proof that I can. Paging through my favourite recipe books, hoping inspiration will strike. Googling away at food blogs while I should be studying for exams.

On my first day of work I get a caught by a speed trap en route to Hermanus. Then, the guests arrive late. The butcher order isn’t in yet and I go shopping elsewhere. The meat is not top notch. (I don’t recommend Woolworth’s sirloin, mine was super- stringy) A first lunch flop. This is exactly what happened last year and the year before. A tradition perhaps?

Slightly lost in the kitchen wilderness, I can’t remember where everything is kept. Do they like garlic or don’t they? Will they mind if it’s 10 minutes late? Is my intuitive taste still intact?

And then, a call at 10 30. I’m shopping, lunch is planned, and then I hear five more people will be coming through. A big knot in the belly.  But, thank goodness, my kitchen brain kicks in. I’ll combine my dinner calamari with the small fish braai I was planning. I’ll add another salad, and some baby potatoes. I panic for a second on the dessert. A slideshow of pudding pictures flashes through my mind. Sorbets, parfaits, tarts, baked puddings, mousses. None of them are instant, aarrgghhh. But I keep sieving and then I hit on grilled fruit, with crème fraiche, vanilla and mint, maybe? I get home and decide on a lime syrup, too. I buy some larny chocolate biscuits. A pretty dessert, done in a flash. I calm down then. I’ve found my feet in a day. Cooking is like swimming, or singing along to Silent Night: You learn it once, and then its yours: Engrained like the blackcurrant juice stain on my white t-shirt.  

Quick dessert: Grilled fruit with lime syrup, and other goodies

·         A selection of ripe but firm summer fruit: Mangoes, peaches, nectarines, apricots
·         A dash of vegetable oil
·         Vanilla paste
·         Slivered almonds (or whatever suitable nut is gracing your store cupboard), toasted.. Slightly burnt is ok as you can see from the picture.
·         A small slab of Lindt chocolate- I love intense mint. Or whatever chocolate. Or chuckles. This is a very freelance thing, can you tell?
·         Good quality chocolate biscuits, broken into chunks. I chanced on the kind with mousse inside. They were a hit.
·         A couple of mint leaves
·         Crème fraiche (mix with low- fat yoghurt to decrease those calories)
·         ¼ cup castor sugar
·         ½ cup water
·         Juice and zest of 1 lime

1.      Peel and prepare the fruit, halving or quartering the nectarines, peaches and apricots and cutting the mango into nice chunks.
2.      Get a griddle pan nice and hot, and then add a small bit of oil
3.      When the oil is heated, grill the fruit in batches, turning them to get a criss- cross pattern if you fancy.
4.      Remove and drain on paper towel. 
5.      Use a pastry brush to paint a dash of vanilla paste on the exposed surfaces of the fruit
6.      To make the syrup, pop the castor sugar and water in a saucepan with the lime juice, stir over low hear until the sugar has dissolved.
7.      Boil away until it’s a syrup-y consistency, then remove from the heat and add the lime zest. Serve slightly warm or let it cool down.
8.      Bang the whole lot (fruit, biscuits, nuts, mint leaves) onto a pretty platter. Use a peeler to grate slivers of chocolate of the side of the slab.
9.      Serve crème fraiche/ yoghurt and lime syrup alongside. What?! Yes. Simple and yum.

4 comments:

Mia van der Merwe said...

You have it all (the cooking, the writing and the hosting) in the bag. No worries, you're brilliant!

Mia said...

You have it all (the cooking, the writing and the hosting) in the bag. No worries, you're brilliant!

Mia said...

You have it all (the cooking, the writing and the hosting) in the bag. No worries, you're brilliant!

Mia said...

You have it all (the cooking, the writing and the hosting) in the bag. No worries, you're brilliant!