Recipe(tried): Father's Day In South Africa - Pumpkin and Ginger Soup, Roast Chicken with Maple and Walnut Glaze, Potatoes Boulangere, Berry Chocolate Tart with Pecan Crust

Hello There,
Well another weekend is over!I trust you all had a gastronomic Fathers Day!We did!It was very cold but the sun was out.All in all we had nice full Tummys at the end of the day.I was going to do an avocado starter but unfotunately they were,t ripe enough!I had planned to do a Plain Roast chicken(well 2!)with traditional sage and onion stuffing ,but then I remembered a recipe I took of the Internet some time ago and decided to do that it was a success!Any way here is the whole menu........

Pumpkin and Ginger Soup
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I served this with fresh crusty rolls

60 ml (4 tbsp) butter
5 ml (1 tsp) sunflower oil
30 ml (2 tbsp) grated fresh ginger
or 10 ml (2 tsp) ginger paste
1 kg pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks
2 large parsnips, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 sprig celery leaves
7 ml (1 tsp) medium-strength curry powder
2 ml ( tsp) dried chilli flakes
freshly grated nutmeg
30 ml (2 tbsp) cornflour for thickening
500 ml (2 cups) homemade chicken stock
500 ml (2 cups) milk
salt and milled black pepper
60 - 125 ml (4 tbsp - cup) cream

Heat butter and oil until foaming in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add ginger, vegetables, curry powder and spices. Stir-fry for 2 - 5 minutes, then cover and cook very gently over low heat until vegetables have softened, 15 - 30 minutes, depending on size of chunks. Stir with a wooden spoon from time to time. Sprinkle with cornflour and stir in. Gradually add chicken stock, then milk, stirring constantly. Continue cooking, stirring, until soup thickens slightly and comes to the boil. Remove from stove and cool for 10 - 15 minutes. Process, blend or pur e until smooth. Return to saucepan and reheat over low heat. Season to taste. Stir in cream and serve in piping hot soup bowls.

Now for the chicken dish...

Roast Chicken with Maple and Walnut Glaze
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The Rainbow Room
A seasonal specialty from Chef Waldy Malouf.
Serves three or four (I made double the amount)

1 3-pound chicken
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 shallots, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
3 springs fresh thyme
Glaze:

1/2 cup walnut meats, chopped fine but not ground
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Sauce:

1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub the chicken all over with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, season it inside and out with salt and pepper, and put about one-fourth of the shallots, garlic and thyme in the cavity. Truss the chicken, put it in a roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes. Add the remaining shallots, garlic and thyme to the pan, set the chicken on top, and roast for 15 minutes more. Turn the oven down to 300 degrees and pour off any fat that has accumulated in the roasting pan.

Make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, maple syrup and vinegar. Spoon half the glaze over the chicken.

Add the stock to the roasting pan and return the chicken to the oven. After 20 minutes, baste with the remaining glaze and continue to roast the chicken for 25 minutes more. Turn the oven off, remove the chicken to a platter, and return it to the oven while you make the sauce.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter, whisk in the flour and cook, whisking frequently, over low heat for a minute or two, until the mixture is tinged with color. Strain the pan juices into the pan and stir the sauce over medium-low heat until it is smooth and slightly thickened. Let it simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and stir in the vinegar.

Carve the chicken and serve the sauce in a sauceboat on the side.

With it we had...

POTATOES BOULANGERE
Serves 4-6

6-8 medium size, thinly sliced potatoes
2 onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp coarse sea salt
milled black pepper to taste
4 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped garlic
3 tbsp butter
1 cup chicken stock or boiling water

Layer potatoes and onions together. Sprinkle each layer with seasoning, parsley garlic and butter.
Pour over boiling water and bake at 180 C until potatoes are crusty and the water has cooked away.

Steamed baby carrots and corn

and of course dessert...

Berry Chocolate Tart with Pecan Crust
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Serves 6-8

Change the berries according to the season

Crust
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1-cup (100g) pecan nuts
10 tennis biscuits (this is a local biscuit with a coconut tang to it, so use digestive or what ever you feel will work)
4T (60 ml) soft brown sugar
t (2.5ml) ground cinnamon
4T (60ml) melted butter

Filling
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1-cup (250ml) cream
200g(6 1/2oz) dark chocolate, broken into squares (use the best you can as it does add to the taste!)
250g(8oz)( cherries (stoned) or raspberries, or 500g(1LB) strawberries
4T (60ml) strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 170 C.(350F) Chop pecan nuts and biscuits in a processor until crumbed. Add the sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Pulse until blended and moist clumps form. Press the mixture up the sides and onto the base of a 22cm spring form tin or a fluted porcelain flan dish. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and crispy. Leave to cool. To make the filling, bring the cream just to the boil. Remove from the heat and pour slowly over the chocolate. Stir to melt the chocolate. Pour the mixture into the baked crust. Leave to set in the fridge for about 4 hours or overnight. Arrange the stoned cherries of berries over the top. Melt the jam over a low heat and brush over the fruit. Keep refrigerated.

I wish you all a wonderful Monday
Love Julie