Gabriel's finale in Margot's Kitchen

Gabriel Vidolin - in MK's , April 2011

Last Saturday we ran the last “Margot’s Kitchen invites” with Gabriel Vidolin. I would like to thank all of you who came to my supper club. I would especially like to thank Gabriel for all the enthusiasm and energy he put into the first MK supper club. He is not only a creative and talented chef but a very generous and humble person with a great charisma. He shared some of his own experiences, gave me lots of tips and showed me lots of tricks to use in the kitchen. So, thanks Biel for your support and for being an angel!

I would also like to thank the Merry Widows wine team (Charlotte, Lynn and Keith) who presented us with the dessert wine Samling 88 and impressed our diners with their excellent wines and knowledge.

Dean and I loved hosting the diners, who really appreciated good food and created a lovely atmosphere.

I opened Margot’s Kitchen as a way of sharing my love for healthy cooking – and by that I don’t mean the sort of cooking that’s obsessed with calorie counting and strict diets. Healthy, here, means real, nourishing, rooted in tradition.

As most of you know, I am a trained Nutritional Naturopath, so of course I believe it’s important to pay attention to what you eat and drink (But to pay attention with moderation.) I believe in fresh fruits and vegetables, milk/butter and meat from grass fed animals, chickens who were allowed to roam freely (and their eggs), sustainable fish and properly prepared wholegrains – organic, if possible. I believe in cooking that plays with our senses, that is mouth watering... yummy (as Nina, my daughter, would expertly say).

In Margot’s Kitchen, we welcome culinary traditions from around the world, and the meeting of new and old.

The food cooked for the supper club was made with organic, real and sustainable ingredients and treated with real care. For those who couldn’t make it this time, I hope to see you one day here. Watch this space for future events.

The kitchen staff after the last shift

The chocolate bread!

Gabriel has kindly given me one of his recipes to be published here (as I promised). As per many requests, the chocolate bread was the chosen one.  

Chocolate bread by Gabriel Vidolin

I personally find this recipe very special, as this was the first of Gabriel’s creations, when he was only 8 years old, bless! Let the indulgence begin...

INGREDIENTS

4 organic eggs

1/3 cup olive oil

3 cups sugar

3 cups flour

2 cups organic milk

1 cup raw cocoa powder (or Green & Blacks)

a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg (optional)

4 teaspoons baking powder

METHOD

Mix all ingredients by hand in the order above (don’t overmix it as we don’t want a a very light batter). Pour the mixture into a cake tin or bundt (20cm diameter), place  in a cool oven, turn it to 180°C and bake it for 45-50 min.

Salted Caramel Ice cream

The amount of the ingredients given by Gabriel in this recipe was used for the supper club. So, if you are making it for a small party halve all the ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

3 litres organic milk

6 egg yolks

600g sugar

200g organic butter

A pinch of sea salt

METHOD

Place a pan on the stove to heat. When it starst to get hot add 500g of the caster sugar and sea salt into the pan. Let the sugar melt to a good caramel colour, almost let it burn.

Add the milk and let it boil. Take off the heat.

In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks and remaining caster sugar until pale.

Pour a little of the warm milk on the egg mixture and whisk well. Then pour the egg mixture into the pan. Put it bacj to the heat and mix it until it reaches a consistency of a thick cream. Let it cool and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours.

Then churn in an ice cream maker.

Caramelized Spiced nuts and seeds

INGREDIENTS

300g pumpkin seeds

300g pecans

300g rapadura sugar (I would also try using 200g)

Cayenne pepper to taste

METHOD

Melt the sugar (until it reaches 117°C). Add the nuts and the cayenne pepper. Turn off the heat. Mix until cool.

Serve the chocolate bread with the ice-cream and caramelized nuts/seeds.

Some of the main ingredients and their healthy benefits

Raw cocoa powder: contains high levels of the antioxidant flavonoid which promotes cardiovascular health (it helps to regulate heartbeat and blood pressure). It helps to repair damage caused by free radicals, and to reduce PMS symptoms. It raises levels of serotonin in the brain, acting as an antidepressant promoting a sense of well being. It also stimulates the secretion of endorphin. Contains magnesium, sulphur and essential fats like oleic acid (also found in olive oil).

Note: the chocolate I am talking here is not the commercial one. The health benefits come from the flavonols and antioxidants found in the real cocoa. Cheap brands of commercial chocolate replace the good cocoa butter with milk fats and hydrogenated oils. When buying chocolate bars try and choose the darkest ones with at least 60% cocoa. 

Till next week!