ASPARAGUS WITH POACHED EGGS AND TRUFFLE HOLLANDAISE
8 Quail's Eggs
1 tbsp Wine Vinegar
16 Asparagus Spears, Blanched
2 tbsp Melted Butter
16 Rocket Leaves (optional)
8 thin slices Black Truffle (optional)
Selection of Chopped Herbs to Garnish
1 Tomato, peeled, deseeded & chopped

TRUFFLE HOLLANDAISE
1 Shallot, Finely Diced
50ml/2fl oz White Wine
1 tbsp Chopped Fresh Thyme
4 Egg Yolks
250g/ 8oz Butter Diced
2g/ 1/8oz Black Truffle, Finely Diced
8 thin slices Black Truffle (optional)
Selection of Chopped Herbs to Garnish
1 Tomato, peeled, deseeded & chopped

Method
Place the shallot, white wine and thyme in a medium-sized pan. Bring to the boil and cook until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Rinse out the pan, fill with water and bring to the boil. Add the egg yolks to the bowl and whisk, then place the bowl in the pan of boiling water. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually add the diced butter, whisking continuously. Each time, allow the butter to melt and the sauce to thicken before adding more. If you think the sauce is going to separate, take the bowl out of the pan and add a few teaspoons of cold water. Continue until all the butter has been added. Add the diced truffle and keep warm in a bain-marie until ready to use. Bring the water back to the boil and preheat the grill. Add the vinegar to the pan and poach the eggs until soft, then transfer to a bowl of cold water until ready to use.

PEAS & MORELS WITH FRIED QUAIL'S EGGS
1kg Fresh Shelled Peas
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 tbsp Olive Oil
50g Butter
6 Shallots, diced
2 tsp Chopped Rosemary
2 tsp Chopped Thyme
2 Cloves Garlic, Crushed
205g Morels, stems trimmed
300ml Chicken Stock
150ml Double Cream
100ml Beef Jus
4 Quail's Eggs
Flat-Leaf Parsley Sprigs, to garnish

Method
Cook the peas in a pan of boiling salted water for 2-3. Refresh in cold water, drain, pat dry and set aside. Rinse out the pan.
Place the olive oil and 40g of the butter in the pan over moderate heat. Add the shallots, rosemary, thyme, and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the peas, morels, chicken stock, cream and beef jus to the pan and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and keep warm. Rinse out the pan. Melt the remaining butter in the pan and lightly fry the quail's eggs. Serve the peas and morels with the eggs on top and garnish with the sprigs of parsley.

HAZELNUT PRALINE
150ml Single Cream
100g White Chocolate
100g Hazelnut Nougat
2 tsp Paté Noisette
1 Gelatine Leaf, soaked in small amount of water
250ml Whipping Cream, lightly whipped
Ice-cream and Chocolate Curls, to serve
Finely Chopped Hazelnuts to decorate

Method
Put the cream in a pan and bring to the boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes, then add the white chocolate. When it starts to melt mix in the nougat and paté noisette. Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly, then add the gelatine as the mixture starts to cool down.
Fold in the whipped cream. Pour into dariloe moulds and freeze until set. To remove from the moulds, dip the base in boiling water for 10 seconds and then invert on top of a plate. Serve with vanilla, chocolate or white chocolate ice cream and chocolate curls. Sprinkle with finely chopped hazelnuts.

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• Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
• The maximum speed that raindrops can fall at is around 18mph, depending on their size.
• Because of thermal expansion the Eiffel Tower is 15cm taller in summer.
• Elephants have only four teeth.
• Most frogs do in fact have teeth.

AN IDEAL MATCH
Asparagus can easily make wine taste thin and metallic, particularly red wines - we are halfway there. We need a powerful white wine, and the recommendation would be a viognier, like the Graham Beck Viognier 2004 or the Backsberg Viognier 2004.

AN INTERESTING MATCH
Chocolate goes better with a sweet and fortified wine than any other - that's because of the rich, heavy flavour of chocolate. This dessert has a softer, creamy element; here an interesting match would be a tawny port - less fruity than the vintage ports but with caramel and toffee flavours, silky and smooth, and a great balancing act. De Krans Cape Tawny Port 2002 is a good place to start.

RUSTIC TABLEWARE GOES CHIC…
I decided on chocolate and white plates, since fresh Italian fare would look best on simple plates, rather than ones with a heavy pattern. Using fresh herbs and other seasonal ingredients is of essence with anything I cook, so each plate was topped with a fresh sprig of rosemary – enhancing the table’s rustic feel. But to keep things from becoming too rustic, I used ‘curly’ napkins, with a ruffled edge, to give the table an ethereal touch. A good find at a local flea market were the collection of little cutting boards, which are perfect for bread platters. Miniature wooden bowls and vintage Moroccan spoons paired nicely with the cutting boards. Using the wooden bowls for something unexpected always gives uniqueness to the table.

Vintage pewter salt and pepper shakers (another good find at a local flea market) add an antique accent to the table.

The geometric patterned runner down the centre of the table is a nice element of surprise, since it serves to “mix” things up a bit and adds a twist in this rustic tabletop.

I used stemless glasses, to avoid the chance of the inevitable spilt glass of red wine, and also so guests can see each other without peering over towering wine glasses.

• Use the little wooden bowls for olives, nuts, butter or even salt and pepper with spoons
• To avoid spills, use stemless wine glasses
• Source unique vintage pieces at local flea markets for the table such as the pewter salt and pepper shakers
• Instead of candle holders, place the votives on the cutting boards to hold the melted wax

Sauté

Definition: To fry lightly in fat in a shallow open pan.

If you only have one pan in your kitchen cupboard, make it a sauté pan. It should be made of lined copper, but stainless steel is more common. The wider the pan, the better, and it should have low sides to allow steam to escape. The lid is optional, but it does help in some recipes which require a lot of heat. If the handles are also steel, the sauté pan can be transferred to the oven to finish off cooking.

Conrad Gallagher and partner Candice Coetzee have developed an intense and intimate programme for both amateur and advanced chefs alike. The 2 day course has been designed to give you a first hand view of how a Michelin Star Chef turns out masterpieces in a domestic kitchen using all the frills, thrills, tools and equipment to create the best looking and tasting food you can imagine.

The course starts with the basic breakfast dishes like boiled eggs, fried eggs, poached eggs, scrambled eggs, eggs Benedict, Scotch woodcock and many other gourmet breakfast delicacies.

After the basics of breakfast you will learn all about salads, salad dressings, the best ways to cook and dress fish and fish dishes. As well as special One Pot Wonder dishes, you will also learn to cook many of Conrad’s famous signature dishes.

Students will also learn elegant table dressing, simple flower arrangement and the best way to entertain at home, easily and without too much strain. Each student will have the opportunity to cook with the master chef himself. Each day will end with cocktails in the garden with your convivial hosts. Click here to download the full program of the course.

All Conrad’s students will receive a complimentary Conrad Gallagher apron and a selection of recipe cookery books.

“Desperate Housewives”
A special 1-day course for ‘ladies of leisure’. The first and last Saturday of the month from December 2005 at R1,000 per Saturday.

Price – R1,850 pp

To join Conrad's Gourmet Cooking Course, book online or simply download and fill in this form.
Then either mail it to candice@conradgallagher.com or print it and fax it to (021) 434 6106.

Bramasole House
31 Alphen Drive,
Constantia,
Cape Town

(p)  021 794 0111
(f)  021 794 0112
(m)  082 906 4444
(e) conrad@conradgallagher.com
www.conradgallagher.com