The culinary work of art takes shape with Granny Mouse’s Eaves Restaurant’s new menu

“Always cook like as if it were for the person you love the most on earth!”-  Emmanuel Stroobant

And as the saying goes, this shows our love of food, specifically with fine dining fare, where there is so much to take into account from the finest seasonal ingredients to the finished culinary work of art served on a plate.

General Manager of Granny Mouse Country House & Spa, Sean Granger, says his team are continuously crafting new creations to satisfy even the pickiest food connoisseurs at The Eaves Restaurant, one of the few fine dining establishments in the KZN Midlands.

The restaurant has just launched their entirely new degustation menu that includes wine pairing, kicking off with:

• Textures of cauliflower (pickled, marinated, purée, roasted, apple, lemon & walnuts) paired with Rijk’s touch of Oak Chenin Blanc
• Kob (ratatouille, tomato consommé & pea shoots) paired with Thelema Sauvignon Blanc
• Springbok carpaccio (cauliflower mousse, mushrooms & truffle oil) paired with La Bri Merlot
• A palate cleanser selected by our head culinary artist
• Beef fillet (sweet potato purée, cream cheese & butternut shavings) paired with Louisvale Dominique
• Enjoy chocolate marquise (red wine Soup & toast flavoured ice cream) paired with red wine hot chocolate & choc chip biscuit.

There is also a superb a la Carte option for patrons made up of many mouth-watering dishes. All of the dishes presented in the 5 course menu are also made available for guests in the Ala Carte menu with a range of new dishes, including:

• The (V) tomato & apple soup served with garlic roll
• Prawn wonton (spring onion, ginger & vinegar)
• (V) Textures of cauliflower (pickled, marinated, purée, roasted apple & walnuts)
• (V) Pumpkin tortellini (walnuts & sage beurre noisette)
• Lamb noisette (yoghurt, courgette & mint salsa verde)
• Beef fillet (sweet potato purée, cream cheese & butternut shavings)
• Bush pig belly  (cauliflower purée, honey mustard sauce & poached apricot)
• Bush pig loin (pea purée, pickled)
• Venison Loin (pistachio puree, lemon, honey and Cajun)
• Kob (ratatouille, tomato consommé and pea shoots)
• Springbok carpaccio (cauliflower mousse, mushrooms and truffle oil)
• Butter fish (chorizo, baby shrimp, mussel ragout and caper dust)
• Tuna (carrots and baby marrow ribbons, garlic pomme puree, lemon butter sauce and sesame seeds)

For diners with a sweet tooth there is a varied selection to choose from and indulge in from:

• Chocolate Marquise (red wine soup & toast flavoured Ice cream)
• Thyme infused panna cotta served with gin berries
• Textures of citrus (orange, lemon, lime & grapefruit)
• Deconstructed royal cake served with caramel ice cream
• Pastry garden (served with berries)
• South African cheese selection featuring preserves & biscuits
• Alcoholic ice cream (enquire as which flavours are the order of the day) and a sorbet trio (check out the flavours of the day with your waitron)

And as the saying goes “Part of the secret of success is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside” – Mark Twain.

“This menu has been a labour of love and we know that it will be a positively memorable eating experience for all our diners and our guests,” comments Granger.

For more information contact Granny Mouse on 033 234 4071 or visit www.grannymouse.co.za

With the winter months creeping in, soup is one of those super versatile and hearty foods that you can enjoy anytime for any meal, and we have some soup winners from around the world, and of course right here at home!

It can be fancy or simple and homely; either way, you’re sure to come away satisfied!

Soup can also be really healthy and nutritious which is a bonus. Each country has its winning soup recipe with its own unique style and captures the countries flavours.

Some examples of soups from around the world include:

• Minestrone soup, which hails from Italy and is commonly made with beans, onions, celery, carrots and tomatoes and often includes pasta.

• In China, hot and sour soup, includes a number of spices from ginger, white pepper and spicy chilli paste and has quite the zing.

• Spain is renowned for their Gazpacho soup, which is a cold, tomato-based soup typically combining ingredients such as cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, salt and pepper.

• France and their French Onion Soup is simply delicious, caramelizing onions over a low heat until it gets to that sweet flavour and is quite brothy. Traditionally topped with a slice of French bread and grated gruyere cheese then broiled before serving.

• Miso Soup is the ultimate staple soup in Japanese cuisine. It’s made with dashi broth mixed with miso paste. Along with dashi, miso is a traditional food that’s one of the fundamental ingredients of Japanese cooking

• In India the national soup is mulligatawny soup. This is a fragrant recipe that is spiced with curry and made with creamy lentils, carrots, apples and coconut milk.

• Grilled chicken tortillaMexican soup is loaded with filling toppings like grilled chicken, fire-roasted tomatoes and a tequila cream. Fast, flavourful, fun and filling! Can be served with fried tortilla strips

• Harira is the national soup of Morocco and is known to be a staple food eaten traditionally during the month of Ramadan, when the tomato-based soup is served with a side of dates and a honey-soaked sweet treat known as chebakyafollowing a day of fasting. It is filled with lentils and vermicelli noodles or rice to thicken the mixture, as well as chickpeas and a blend of fresh herbs and spices. Its roots, however, spread across the North African region known as the Maghreb, of which Morocco is a part.

Sean Granger, General Manager of Granny Mouse Country House & Spa, shares some local South African favourites that will definitely have you “heating up your kitchen for winter to keep the chill at bay.”

Artichoke Soup

Ingredients

• 800g tinned artichoke
• 3 white onions, diced
• 100g butter
• 3 large potatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 sticks of celery, chopped
• 3L veg stock
• 100ml double cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

• In a heavy based pot, melt the butter on medium heat.
• Add the onions and celery and sauté until the onions become soft and translucent.
• Add the carrots, potatoes and garlic.
• Continue to cook for about 5 min.
• Pour in the stock, turn the heat up until it begins to rapidly boil, then turn it down until it becomes a gentle simmer.
• Once cooked for almost an hour with the lid off, add the artichokes, minus the brine.
• Continue to cook for a further 15 min, adding more stock if needed.
• Remove from the stove and blend the soup until it is smooth.
• Pass the soup through a fine sieve.
• Once done, heat up the soup with some cream, add salt and pepper to taste before you serve.

Tomato & Apple Soup

Ingredients

• 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½large yellow onion,minced
• 2clovesgarlic,minced
• 5large ripe soft tomatoes
• 2large sweet apples,peeled and roughly chopped
• 4cupsvegetable broth
• 2teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1teaspoondill
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of Cayenne pepper
• pecorino cheeseif desired and to taste

Method

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat.
• Add minced onion and garlic, and cook for a few minutes, stirring often until onion is translucent.
• Add roughly chopped tomatoes and apples.
• Sprinkle with salt.
• Cook, stirring often, for 20 minutes until apples are tender.
• Pour in the boiled vegetable broth.
• Bring all to a boil.
• Remove from the heat.
• Puree in blender until very smooth.
• To serve, garnish the soup with grated cheese.

Coconut and Prawn Soup

Ingredients

• 400g raw prawns, shells removed
• 400g coconut cream
• 2tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 pinch of chili flakes
• 400ml thick cream
• 1tbsp cumin powder
• 1tbsp coriander powder
• 2tbsp turmeric
• 1tsp fish sauce
• 1tsp sugar
• 20g cucumber, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 sprig of fennel, stems removed

Method

• In a sauce pan pour the coconut cream and heat up on medium heat.
• To this, add the cumin, coriander powder, chili and fresh coriander.
• Stir the mixture together until it has completely combined.
• Add the turmeric and stir before pouring in the cream.
• Once the sauce has thickened and it resembles a thick sauce, add the fish sauce and sugar at the same time.
• Cook for a further 2 minutes before introducing the prawns.
• Continue to cook on medium heat until the prawns have cooked through.
• Check the seasoning before serving.
• Garnish with the fennel.

So, from the team at Granny Mouse, stay safe and warm! And if you can’t pop in to visit your “favourite Granny” in the Midlands, at least we will keep you snug with our hearty homemade soup recipes!