Geiger’s Gourmet Recipes, by Head Chef Grace Mnisi - Chapter 2

In Chapter 1 (Blog number 24) we told you about how Grace Mnisi became a part of the Motswari team back in the 1990’s.

Grace worked her way up through the ranks from scullery maid to pastry chef, to sous chef and then to Head Chef in 2004. She is, without a doubt, an invaluable member of our team and a highly respected member of staff. Her passion for cooking is evident in the delectable delights she creates for the Geiger’s Camp and Motswari guests. Grace loves to hear the ooh’s and aah’s of people tasting her food, it’s one of the main reasons she still loves what she does.

Here we have added three more recipes to the first three in Chapter 1, all totally delicious (I can vouch for that as I’ve tasted all of them, writer’s perks!) We very much hope you enjoy these new recipes and we will share more later in the year.

Thai Beef Salad

• 400g beef rump steak
• 2 small white onions
• A variety of green, yellow and red pepper (sliced thinly)
• 1 red Thai chilli, seeded (sliced thinly)
• 250g cherry tomatoes (halved)
• ¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• ¼ cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves
• ¼ cup loosely packed Vietnamese mint leaves

Grace’s dressing

• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 red pepper diced
• 30ml red wine vinegar
• 1 chill

Method –Cook beef in heated oiled grill pan until browned on both sides and cooked as desired. Cover and rest for 10 mins then slice thinly. Just before serving, gently toss beef and remaining ingredients in large bowl. Blend all ingredients of the dressing together in a blender and add to the mix.

Bacon and Onion Quiche

• 6 sheets of filo pastry
• 25ml melted butter
• 6 rashers of rindless back or shoulder bacon (chopped)
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 100ml cream
• 3ml dried or 10ml fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

• Method –Brush filo pastry layers with the melted butter and place on top of one another. Line a greased quiche dish with the prepped filo pastry. For the filling –fry bacon until crisp then drain. Sauté onion in rendered fat until translucent. Beat together eggs, cream, cheese, seasoning, bacon and onion.Pour the filling into the pastry shell and bake at 180 degrees centigrade for 35 minutes or until set.

Milk Tart

Crust:

• 1 packet (200g) nutty crust biscuits
• 60ml (1/4 cup) melted butter

Filling:

• 1 can (397g) condensed milk
• 700ml hot water
• 15ml (1 tablespoon) butter
• 45ml (3 tablespoon) cold water
• 2 extra large eggs, separated
• Pinch of salt
• 80ml cornflour
• Vanilla essence
• Fresh strawberries for decoration

Method –For the crust, grease a 25cm pie dish. Mix the crushed biscuits and the butter, then press onto the bottom and sides of the pie dish. For the filling, bring the condensed milk, hot water and butter to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Mix the cornflour and cold water to a paste, add egg yolks, stirring continuously with a whisk. Bring to the boil, then simmer until the mixture thickens and is cooked. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla essence and then leave to cool. Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks form, fold into the crust and chill until firm. Top with fresh strawberries to finish.

Enjoy these delights and don’t forget to tell us about them if you try Grace’s recipes at home!

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