Chef Jackie Cameron
Midlands born and raised Jackie Cameron’s heart is in KwaZulu-Natal where, since 2002, she has filled the position of head chef at Hartford House, a five-star boutique hotel in rural Mooi River.
Having only recently reached 30 years old, her list of achievements is what most aspiring chefs dream of. She graduated from the Christina Martins School of Food and Wine in 2001 and cut her teeth at Mount Grace Country House and Spa.
For the past 10 years Jackie has been reaping the rewards of her commitment to her career. Under her guidance the Hartford House restaurant, having achieved national Top 10 status four times in recent years, is mentioned regularly in magazines such as Food&Home, Taste, Eat Out and House and Leisure; and it has achieved many accolades including Top 10 Eat Out, American Express Platinum Fine Dining Programme and People’s Choice awards. The latter was in the La Motte Restaurant of the Year competition. With her input, Hartford House was recently presented with the Inspirational Award in the Top 100 SA Short List Wine List for 2013 awards; Top 10 in the 2012 Eat Out/DStv Restaurants Awards as well as a Diamond Award for its 2012 wine list, as recognised by Diner’s Club International.
In her personal capacity Jackie has the distinction of being “one of Victor Strugo’s three favourite woman chefs”. She was voted by South African Tourism as one of the Top 10 Young South African Chefs and has appeared on TV programmes such as Top Billing and with Justin Bonello in The Ultimate Braai Master. Jackie was a part of the Real Food Movement, is a Chaine des Rotisseure member, and is on the KwaZulu-Natal committee for the South Africa Chefs’ Association.
Her culinary career has taken her to Germany, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Australia, England, Dubai, Shanghai, Spain, Copenhagen and Denmark where she has represented South Africa at exhibitions, enjoyed work experiences, or - for the benefit of her career - experienced eating in restaurants such as Nobu, Le Gravoche, Fat Duck, Gordan Ramsay’s Hospital Road and River Café, Noma and El Bulli.
In her endeavour to share her knowledge, Jackie writes a monthly column for The Witness newspaper where, through her stories and her recipes, she encourages readers to experiment with food – and to enjoy culinary feasts, however simple.
Jackie leaves no stone unturned. Tired of the conventional 'kitchen clothing' she recently entered the world of fashion and designed the chic, fashionable Jackie Cameron chef's range. Watch this space for her next accomplishment!
Peanut butter semi freddo
Makes a 18 × 14 cm tray
Ingredients:
115 g chunky peanut butter
60 ml cream
4 egg yolks
60 ml castor sugar
1 cup cream
½ cup crème fraiche
Method:
1. Heat the peanut butter and cream over a double boiler.
2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a double boiler until light and frothy.
3. When you can form a figure of eight above your mixture, and coat the back of a spoon it is ready. If a double boiler isn’t available, place a pot of water on the stove and put the egg yolks and castor sugar into a stainless steel bowl that will sit over your pot. Ensure your bowl does not touch the boiling water below.
4. Combine the two mixtures.
5. Whisk the cream and crème fraiche together to form stiff peaks.
6. Fold into the peanut butter mixture.
7. Place in a deep tray and put in the freezer.
8. Serve with maple syrup ice cream and fresh or caramelised bananas.
Ostrich Tartar With Borage Flowers and Susu
Serves 4
Ingredients:
160g Ostrich Fan Fillet
2g Fresh Red Chilli, thinly sliced-seedless
5g Fresh Ginger, grated
4g Fresh Garlic, grated
30ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pinch Salt
Pinch Freshly ground Black Pepper
Method:
1. Mix all the above ingredients together and allow to stand for at least an hour before serving
2. On a surface measure out 40gr ostrich mixture and place onto a serving plate with a 6.5cm round cutter
- Avocado
1 Soft Avocado, skin and pit removed, and press through a sieve
15ml Freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
Pinch Salt
Pinch freshly ground Black Pepper
1. Mix the avocado, lemon juice, salt and pepper together
2. Check for seasoning and set aside
- Borage Cream Cheese
50ml Cream Cheese
15g Borage Flowers and Leaves, chopped
1. Mix the cream cheese and chopped borage together
- Marinated Cucumber
¼ Cucumber, thinly sliced with a peeler (remove seeded bit within)
5ml White Sugar
20ml White Wine Vinegar
20ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pinch Salt
Pinch Pepper
1. Mix all the ingredients together and allow to marinate for at least 4 hours
- Susu-Vegetable Pear
1small Susu, skin removed and cut in small blocks (3 per person)
1. Bring a pot of water to the boil, blanch the SUSU until cooked for about 5 minutes, refresh in iced water and the set aside.
- Butter enriched Melba Toast
12 slices Thinly sliced long white bread (melba toast)
15g Butter Melted
1. Lightly brush the thinly sliced bread with the melted butter, then place into the oven to allow an even browning until crispness
2. Reheated on serving
- Tomato Powder
1 Tomato, thinly sliced
1. Place the tomato slices onto greaseproof/silicone paper on a tray in the oven
2. Dry out at 50°C dry overnight
3. The next morning, remove from the oven, allow cooling and then place the dried tomatoes into a blender. Blend until a fine powder. Place into an airtight container
- Extras
3 Cherry Tomatoes, cut into ¼
1 Pickled Quail Egg, cut into ¼
4 Individual Half-moon slices of Red Onion
4 Caperberries
½ Lemon, cut into 4 wedges, this gets placed on the side of the tartar
20ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil, drizzle over
12 Fresh Borage Flowers, placed on top of the Borage Cream Cheese
Freshly Grinded Black Pepper
• All the above gets placed on top of the tartar together with the susu
• The avocado get piped around the tartar in three nice-sized blobs and the cream cheese gets piped on the tartar in three small blobs
• The marinated cucumber gets rolled and placed on top of the tartar
• The crisp melba toast gets placed on the side of the tartar
• The Tomato Powder gets sprinkled over the tartar
Health Loaf
Makes 4 loaves
Ingredients:
1 kg nutty wheat flour
175 g digestive bran
210 g pecan nuts
100 g white sesame seeds
130 g sunflower seeds
155 g raisins
3 tablespoons bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon fine salt
1½ litres plain yoghurt or amasi
1 cup honey or golden syrup
Method:
1. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the centre, add yoghurt and honey. Combine all ingredients.
2. Spoon into greased loaf 12 × 22 cm bread tins, ensuring that all the raisins have been pushed into the bread mixture to avoid them getting burnt.
3. Bake at 180°C for 50 minutes. Take the bread out of the tins and bake at 160°C for 20 minutes.
Amadumbi Bread
Yields: 2 Large Breads
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups steamed and mashed Amadumbi
560 ml Water, warm
2 packets Instant/Dry yeast
1 kg Cake Flour
45 ml White Sugar
20 ml fine Salt
30 ml salted Butter
Extras
Flour for dusting and baking
Sunflower Oil
1 Egg, lightly whisked - for glazing
Method:
1) Sprinkle yeast over ½-cup warm water and allow standing
2) Sift the flour, sugar and salt together
3) Rub in the butter amount using your fingertips and then rub in the yeast mixture. Follow this by rubbing in the Amadumbi mash
4) Then start cutting in the remaining liquid, little by little, remember this is a guideline but you want a dough with moisture that is easy to knead
5) Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 6-8 minutes until smooth and elastical
6) Place dough into an oiled bowl and prove for about an hour or until double in size
7) Knock down and cut the dough in half, shape the dough into two presentable loaves
8) Dust two trays with flour, place bread dough on top. Glaze the dough with egg wash and dust the dough with flour. Take a sharp knife or blade and score the top
9) Cover with a damp cloth and allow rising until double in size about 35 minutes
10) Bake at 180˚C for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 150˚C for 15 minutes and then remove oven tray and cook for a further 15 minutes
11) Cool on a cooling wrack and serve
Mealie Bread
Makes 1 loaf or 10 mini portions
Ingredients:
1 can sweetcorn, cream-style
3 eggs, lightly whisked
3 tablespoons melted butter
60 g white sugar
140 g cake flour, sifted
pinch salt and pepper
3 teaspoons baking powder
Method:
1. Mix the sweetcorn, eggs and butter in a bowl. Add the dry ingredients and season to taste.
2. For mini breads, put a greaseproof paper base into a small tomato paste can. Grease well and half-fill with mealie-bread mixture. Bake at 180°C for about 10 minutes.
3. Otherwise put all of the mixture into a well greased standard bread tin and bake for about 40 minutes.
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