Caxton magazines staffThere’s no such thing as too many cooks in the kitchen when medical specialists Duane Blaauw and Eftyhia Vardas entertain. From deciding what dishes to serve to pairing the wines, it’s a team effort all the way. They share their menu for a gourmet brunch
INGREDIENTS
- 500g smoked salmon or rainbow trout
- handful capers, fresh dill, cracked black pepper and lemon wedges, to serve
For the ricotta hot cakes
- 4 eggs, separated
- 360g ricotta cheese
- 200ml milk
- 120g cake flour
- 5ml baking powder
- 3ml salt
- butter, for frying
For the mustard dill cream:
- 250g crème fraîche
- 15ml mustard
- 30ml freshly chopped dill
METHOD
1. To make the mustard dill cream: mix all the ingredients together. Chill until needed.
2. To make the ricotta hot cakes: lightly beat the egg yolks, ricotta cheese and milk together. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix together to form a batter. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form and then fold into the batter.
3. Melt some butter in a frying pan. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the pan and cook for 1–2 minutes per side until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
4. Top the hotcakes with the smoked trout, capers, fresh dill and add a grind of black pepper. Serve with the mustard dill cream and lemon wedges.
This recipe serves 8.
