Verjuice is derived from the
French for green juice, "vert jus". This Verjuice is made from
green, under ripe Semillon grapes grown on Allandale’s Creek Flat Vineyard
in Lovedale, Hunter Valley.
Verjuice is also available at:
Jo-Ann & May's Gift Hampers & Online Gourmet Foods
Allandale Verjuice Cocktail
120 ml Allandale Verjuice
30ml Bacardi
10ml Cointreau
- Optional: Touch of Mint and Ice
- Served in a High Ball Glass
Scallops With Warm Butter and Shallot
Dressing
Ingredients:
- 16 scallops on their shells
- 3 shallots, finely chopped
- 120ml Allandale Verjuice
- 100g butter, chilled and cut into 1cm cubes
- 1 tomato, finely chopped
- 2 spring (green) onions, green part only, thinly sliced
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
Method: Remove the roe and black muscle from the scallops, then
remove the scallops from their shells. Rinse and dry the shells for
serving. Place and set aside fro serving. Place the shallots and Allandale
Verjuice in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook for 2
minutes, or until reduced by a third. Remove from the heat and whisk in
the butter, a cube at a time. Stir through the tomato and spring onions
and season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat the olive oil
in a frying pan cook the scallops in batches over a high heat for 1 minute
on each side. Return the scallops to their shells and drizzle over the
warm butter dressing. - Serves 4
Deglazing
with Verjuice
Set aside your roast/fries/grills and any vegetables that you have added
to the pan with the meat except those that are meant to flavour the gravy.
Remove any excess fat from the pan, leaving approximately 1 teaspoon. Over
medium heat, add 1 cup of Verjuice and using a wooden spoon, scrape up the
brown bits, incorporating them into the Verjuice. Reduce until
"jus" is just beginning to coat the spoon. Resist thickening the
"jus", but add a knob of butter for richness and shine. Strain
into serving dish.
Millionaire's
Dressing for Salads & Vegetables
75ml Verjuice
75ml Walnut oil
75ml Olive oil
1 ½ t Dijon mustard
2 crushed garlic cloves (or to taste)
Black Pepper & Sea Salt to taste
Shake together all ingredients or blend with hand blender for a thicker,
creamier emulsion.
Variations: For a cost-effective dressing, substitute the walnut oil for
more olive oil; add your favourite herbs, eg. parsley, chives, oregano,
basil, etc. ; replace smooth Dijon mustard with coarse-grain Dijon mustard
for potato salads; reduce oil and add 4T Fromage Frais or Crème Fraiche -
drizzle over ostrich or beef carpaccio.
Baby
Beetroot with Verjuice
Boil or roast beetroot –
removing outer skin. If beetroot are large, then halve or quarter. While
still very hot, slosh over Verjuice and allow to sizzle. Dress with good
Olive oil, oregano, salt and black pepper. (Also works well with pan-fried
tomatoes or boiled potatoes and freshly chopped parsley).
Roasted
Pumpkin on Rocket with Pumpkin Seed & Verjuice Dressing
Roast 500g pumpkin on baking tray sprinkled with olive oil, salt and fine
black pepper in a (high) 250° oven for 20 minutes or until tender and
slightly caramelized. Spread rocket leaves on flat platter and top with
roasted pumpkin chunks. Blend pumpkin seed oil and Verjuice and
immediately drizzle over pumpkin chunks and rocket. Scatter 2 tablespoons
of toasted pumpkin seeds over (toast separately while pumpkin roasts) and
sprinkle with Maldon or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Red Pepper
Coulis
Grill or roast 3 medium Red Peppers. When charred, remove from oven and
allow to sweat in paper bag for about 10 minutes. Remove from bag and peel
off charred skins. Trim and discard seeds and any membranes. Place in food
processor with 4 tablespoons warmed Verjuice and process to a smooth
paste. Press through sieve. Add olive oil and more Verjuice and mix well.
Great with fish.
Fish
Cerviche
Use a firm fish, eg. Tuna, Kingklip or Marlin. Cape Salmon and Norwegian
Salmon are good too.
Slice fillets of fish into very thin slices (like sliced smoked salmon)
and reconstitute in a snug dish (or spread slices on a shallow platter)
with crushed garlic or saffron and dill/fennel. Boil and reduce Verjuice
by half with sliced shallots/onion and peppercorns. Whilst hot, whisk in
olive oil and pour over fish. When cooled, it’s ready to serve.
(Chill reduction, whisk in a dollop of crème fraiche or horse radish and
drizzle over ostrich carpaccio).
Barbequed/ Grilled Fish with Verjuice
Basting Sauce
Sprinkle butterflied fish with sea salt, 2 tablespoons black and yellow
mustard seeds and 1 sliced onion. In saucepan, sauté 2 teaspoons crushed
garlic, add 1 cup Verjuice, 250g butter, 1 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons
smooth apricot jam (or pesto) and salt & pepper. If you’ve used
apricot jam, add chopped parsley to sauce just before basting. Baste fish
with sauce as it gently cooks from skin side up. (Tip: If cooking on braai,
place a piece of tin foil over the fish to retain the heat between
bastings – or cover with kettle-braai lid - but do not turn fish over).
Chicken
& Bacon Hot-Pot with New Potatoes
Brown seasoned chicken portions and bacon chunks in butter and olive oil.
Add crushed garlic just before the end of browning. Add new potatoes,
white wine and Verjuice plus 2 bayleaves and spices of choice. Close dish
with lid and simmer gently on top of the stove or in the oven for 45
minutes. Add more Verjuice if necessary and 1 whole shredded or roughly
chopped cabbage. Return to plate/oven for a further 15 minutes – or
until cabbage is cooked but still crisp. If you wish, add a teaspoonful of
corn flour to slightly thicken the juices. (Tip: Add extra veggies for a
complete meal, eg. carrots, beans, butternut.)
Pork Spare
Ribs
2 kg Ribs (serves about 6)
Barbeque sauce: Whisk or blend together: 300ml Verjuice; a few shakes of
Worcestershire sauce; Ground coriander; 100ml Fruit Chutney; 250ml Tomato
Sauce; 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard & 1 teaspoon crushed Garlic. Place ribs
in dish and pour sauce over. Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour or
more. Braai over open fire or under grill in the oven – basting
throughout cooking.
Roast or
Kettle Braied Leg of Lamb
Marinade: Massage meat with 250ml Verjuice, 200 ml Olive oil; (emulsify),
ground black pepper, garlic and rosemary. Allow meat to marinade overnight
or at least 4 hours. Rub with sea salt and roast in the oven at 200? for
30 minutes then reduce to 180° and continue to roast basting with
marinade throughout cooking for 1 ½ to 2 hours. You should have enough
juices for gravy. If not, deglaze pan with 2 Cups Verjuice scraping up all
the brown, pan bits. It you wish, you can add a few teaspoons flour or
corn flour before adding the Verjuice, stirring so as to avoid lumps from
forming. You will then probably need to add meat or vegetable stock to
thin. If you are kettle-braaiing, then place in roasting cradle with drip
tray below (add quartered onions and chopped carrots for flavour) to catch
juices as you baste with marinade throughout cooking +- 1 ½ - 2 hours -
depending on how “pink” you want it to be. (Variation: Reduce Verjuice
and make up quantity with Red Wine).
Ostrich
Neck or Lamb Knuckle Stew
Make stew as you would normally using favourite vegetables and spices and
add 1/3 Verjuice to 2/3 beef stock as the stewing liquor or, only Verjuice
or, 75/25 Verjuice/red wine. Cover and gently simmer for 2 – 2 ½ hours.
Poached
Fruit in Verjuice Caramel Sauce
Poach pears, peaches, nectarines, apples and other seasonal fruit in a
caramel sauce of 100gm butter, 4 T honey, 1 C cream and 6 T Verjuice. Or,
use as topping over vanilla ice cream. Or, add hazelnuts or almonds (or
nuts of choice) and continue to cook for a further few minutes. Turn out
onto baking sheet allow to cool, and crack into pieces for a sublime
praline.
Verjuice
Granita
Boil 500ml Verjuice, 100ml water with 150g Castor sugar and thin strips of
grated lemon or lime rind. Simmer for 6 minutes. Add 8 mint leaves and
allow to cool. Place in freezing tray and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Every 2 hours break up the icy particles with a fork. Before serving,
transfer to the fridge to allow to soften. Use a fork to break up again if
necessary.
Try using
Verjuice and you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.