The Cookbook, by Michael Broughton

The Cookbook, by Michael Broughton. Random House Struik Lifestyle. Cape Town, South Africa 2014. ISBN 9781432302559 / ISBN 978-1-4323-0255-9

"Terroir: The Cookbook" is a culmination of Michael Broughton’s techniques and skills that he has acquired over the years, a collection of recipes that are authentic and true to the Terroir style, much of which is grounded in the French classics and, by default, technically challenging.

Michael Broughton  

[...] In the following chapters, the story of Terroir is told through trled-and-tested recipes, each one painstakingly developed in the restaurant over the years. All of these recipes have appeared on our signature blackboard menu, sometimes repeated or reinvented the following season due to popular demand. These are the dishes that have won us awards, brought thousands of feet onto the farm and keep customers coming back year after year. The majority of the recipes are, by their very nature, challenging and lengthy as they accurately reflect what is produced In the Terroir kitchen. We don't take short cuts, and that's the overriding philosophy of everything that happens on the farm. Life revolves around the seasons, both In the kitchen and the vineyards. We make artisanal breads from a starter dough that is as old as the restaurant; we are known for our sauces and reductions. When it comes to cooking, the over-used adage 'practice makes perfect' is the truth. While there is definitely a time and place for casual, thrown-together food, there can be Immense satisfaction In pulling together all the elements of a more complicated dish, balancing sauces and accompaniments that will add layers of flavour designed to enhance the star Ingredient on the plate without stealing the limelight. As a self-taught chef, the process of perfecting a recipe is something that is very close to my heart. Many of my best recipes have taken years to develop, often evolving over time and changing with the seasons. Sourcing quality, seasonal ingredients of local, traceable, ethical provenance is ncreasingly at the heart of the Terroir kitchen, as well as the one that I share with my family at home. I live by the statement that what you leave off the plate Is just as important as what you put on It. A large part of being creative is about exercising restraint and keeping things simple. Less is always more. Every element on the plate must be hardworking and there for a reason textures, flavours and colours all have to work together - rather than to look pretty. Even If a dish is technically advanced and comprised of many elements, what you get on the plate should not be intimidating or inaccessible, neither In terms of flavour nor appearance. I have never cared for food that is artfully plated for the sake of appearances. No matter how simple, my food is never shy and retiring but rather characterised by bold, punchy flavours that remain true to the original ingredients. Not surprising then that my tasting spoon is either in my hand or in the top pocket of my chef's jacket. To balance flavours and 'deliver' on the plate, you have to taste continually. Besides practising as much as possible, much of the success of cooking is being organised. A recipe should be approached logically and sequentially, breaking it down into a series of tasks so that the overall process becomes less daunting and time consuming. My suggestion with most of these recipes is to have another pair of hands in the kitchen so that It does not seem like a mountain of mise en place to get through. Figure out what can be done the day before or even further in advance and frozen. To learn and understand the cornerstones of cooking is to master the basics, and by basics I mean the often menial tasks of soaking, cleaning and chopping bones for stock, clarifying stocks, making puff pastry and getting It right, feeding the sourdough starter correctly and regularly, knowing the exact moment to stop cooking a sugary caramel, and knowing that the difference between perfect caramel and burnt caramel is a mere few seconds. [....]

This is an excerpt from Terroir: The Cookbook, by Michael Broughton.

Title: Terroir
Subtitle: The Cookbook
Author: Michael Broughton
Publisher: Random House Struik
Imprint: Lifestyle
Cape Town, South Africa 2014
ISBN 9781432302559 / ISBN 978-1-4323-0255-9
Hardcover, 19 x 24 cm, 224 pages, throughout photographs