Woolworths_Taste__January_2019

PLUM,GOAT’SCHEESE

ANDHAZELNUTSALAD

Serves 4

EASY

GREAT VALUE

Preparation: 15 minutes

Woolworths sweet and tangy salad

1x140gbag

plums8–12 halved, quartered and sliced

chevin200 g, sliced

hazelnuts50 g, roasted and chopped

pea shoots,to garnish

For the dressing, mix:

garlic 1 clove, chopped

wholegrain mustard 1 t

Dijon mustard 1 t

red wine vinegar 1 T

lemon juice a squeeze

canola or olive oil ¼ cup

honey 1 T

sea salt and freshly ground black

pepper, to taste

Toss all the salad ingredients and drizzle

over the dressing.

HEALTH-CONSCIOUS, MEAT-FREE,

WHEAT- AND GLUTEN-FREE

WINE: Boschendal Elgin Series

Sauvignon Blanc 2017

UPSIDE-DOWN STICKY

PLUM CAKE

Serves 8 to 10

A LITTLE EFFORT

GREAT VALUE

Preparation: 30 minutes,

plus cooling time

Cooking: 1 hour

Honey Punch plums 8–10

caster sugar 150 g, plus extra

for sprinkling

free-range eggs 3

vanilla extract 1 t

flour 240 g

baking powder 1½ t

butter 150 g, melted

white chocolate 200 g, chopped

fresh thyme 5 g

milk ½ cup

honey, for drizzling

mascarpone or plain yoghurt,

for serving

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Halve

and quarter the plums and remove

the stones. Arrange in a greased 24 cm

springform cake tin. Sprinkle with 1–2 T

caster sugar. 2 Beat the eggs, vanilla and

remaining sugar until pale and fluffy. Fold

in the flour and baking powder, then

whisk in the melted butter, chocolate,

thyme and milk. 3 Pour the mixture over

the plums and bake for 1 hour, or until a

skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool for

20 minutes, then turn out onto a serving

plate. Drizzle with honey and serve with

mascarpone or plain yoghurt.

MEAT-FREE

“What you are looking for is aroma,” says
Jannie, bringing a slice towards his mouth
with his blade. “Something that suggests
something else. Dimensions.”
The scope is impressive. There’s an
inky-skinned varietal called Ruby Kat
that fills your nose with rose flavours; the
Scarlet Punch with flesh that’s an intense
beetroot-red and incredibly juicy; the
Emerald Gem, a plum-apricot cross that
has olive-green skin and tastes vaguely
of pear. Talking isn’t high on the agenda.
The sign of a plum candidate is when
the men eat all the way to the stone;
the sign of an unsuccessful one is the swift
rejection of the half-eaten fruit. “There’s
an enormous investment that goes into
research and development each year,” says
Hans. “Sometimes it comes
down to one winner paying for it all.”
Speaking of which, a tray of cherry
plums is passed around. They’re on the
verge of being ready for harvest, so
Jacques, Jannie and Hans are tasting them
almost daily. True to their trademarked
name, the fruit is diminutive and
delicate; its red-and-orange mottled
skin giving way to sunshine golden flesh
that’s crunchy, but not at the expense
of juiciness. The men chew in silence.
There’s a pause before Hans asserts:

“They’re close, but not quite there yet.”

In a couple of days they will be, though.

If experience has taught them anything,

it’s that this isn’t a rush job. W

“The sign of a plum

candidate is when

the men eat all the

way to the stone;

the sign of an

unsuccessful one

is a half-eaten fruit ”

104 TASTE JAN/FEB 2019

SEASONAL FRUIT

JannieandJacquescheckthefruit

dailyjustbeforetheharvest.