When Cailin Wandrag invites you to lunch … you don’t hesitate. Accept with glee!
Cooking. Eating. Entertaining. When you do it right, you do it with love. And it’s so obvious, when chatting to Cailin Wandrag, that love – and family – take centre stage.
“My mom and my gran both had a huge influence on my love for cooking and entertaining. I come from a long family history of cooks and entertainers.
“Naana, my gran on my mom’s side, was an exceptional cook … the whole family still uses all her recipes today. In fact, I’d love to do a Naana cookbook one day. Each of her daughters and my cousins have a few of her handwritten recipes … each filled with lovely anecdotes and Naana quotes.
She was ahead of her time with everything she did and she started experimenting with curries, spices and chillies early on. And there was no such thing as a curry in our family … every dish had to be called by its proper name, proper pronunciation and the proper region it came from. I wish she was still alive to read one of my favourite cookbooks, Dishoom – From Bombay with Love – she would have loved it!
“One of my favorite memories is my gran helping put together a Moroccan menu for my matric final home economics prac. I used her authentic clay tagine, she helped me mix and roast my spices, and taught me how to make flat bread,” Cailin recalls, adding that the effort helped her achieve an A.”
Her mum, too, plays a part in her foodie background. “My mom is a self-taught professional cook, and a very talented entertainer. She has an incredible knack for flavours – she makes the BEST of everything and then never remembers how she made it. I love cooking with her, with a glass of vino, sharing new recipe books and brainstorming ideas together. She also has green fingers and she, and my gran, instilled the love of growing my own herbs and flowers for picking for my home and table.
“My sister took a bit longer to start on the cooking journey, but she is now one of those incredible inventive cooks who hates following a recipe. We call her the queen of sauces and salads. I’d love to enter a cooking competition with her … I’m better on the technical stuff but she’s brilliant at inventing dishes and styling.”
Cailin, who lives in Parkview with husband Erik and two sons, Jaydon and Riley, along with three dogs, a gorgeous tiny Siamese, Coco, a frog and six fish, adores entertaining. “I love a more informal style of cooking, so my favourite way of entertaining is a harvest-style table, with breaking bread and an eclectic array of dishes from all over the world. One of my favourite chefs is Ottolenghi … all his recipes taste incredible, and his cooking style lends itself to Alfresco style dining. I love experimenting with new dishes and I will make a dish over and over until I perfect it. My boys – Jaydon, who’s 20 and studying engineering in the Cape, and 18 year old Riley, who is writing matric this year, remember the Oxtail Winter, the Pavlova Summer, The Lamb Curry July and The Noodle November! But my favourite was the lockdown sourdough bread baking … our neighbours, friends, and family would receive a regular loaf of freshly baked sourdough bread during the worst months of lockdown. I even made hot cross buns for the first time (many times actually, until I got them right!).”
Thinking of a favourite go-to dish is a tough decision, she says. “In winter, definitely a good lamb curry, I loved making the Nihari Lamb Curry and Awadi Lamb Biryani from Dishoom this winter, with all the accompanying dishes such as raita, Daal and Naan. The sourcing of the different spices is all a part of the journey, and the best part is making your own roasted Garam Masala! In summer a quick and easy whole hot smoked salmon from Lavish Foods, with a sour cream, dill and horseradish cream, accompanied by a salad with seasonal charged veggies and fruit, and a generous cheese board, would be the go-to dish. Drinks wise, I’m loving the new Starlino Peritivo Rose Aperitivo … it has a zesty and citrusy taste, is a gorgeous pink colour and when served with lots of ice, is perfect for lazy Sunday lunches on the patio.”
Any failures? “Oh … my biggest failure was when I had family over for a prawn and cashew nut curry. I had bought gorgeous king prawns for the curry and I was so busy chatting to my cousin while cooking that I accidently added a cup of vinegar at the end instead of a table spoon. Nothing I did could dilute that vinegar taste!” On the other side of the kitchen scale … her best dinner was an end-of-year celebration with a large group of mates. “I planned it for months and I did a huge harvest table with beetroot cured salmon gravlax, gammon – with my gran’s homemade mustard recipe, smokey aubergine dips, pate’s, artisanal breads … the dessert was decadent Persian fruit and nut cakes and homemade nougat.”
Cailin dishes up food made with love. Be it a recipe handed down from her Naana, or something put together from her favourite deli (minimum cooking, maximum results), it’s always impressive and generous and utterly delicious.
Table decor …
I’ve collected most of my table décor over many years. One of the most important aspects of entertaining is touching all the senses … so the table needs to look beautiful with seasonal flowers, smell lovely with fragrant candles – which also add to the ambience of feel good and taste good! I love buying inexpensive ‘fashion’ items from H&M … they have gorgeous dish towels which can be used as napkins, and also have a lovely range of inexpensive scented candles and candle holders. MRPH has small inexpensive glass vases of different sizes … mixing them on your table is great way to vary flower height and you only need a few flowers in a vase. Akanaka Blooms is a local JHB based grower of beautiful seasonal flowers and have open days where you can pick a bucket.
Musts …
Five table décor pieces essentials everyone should have … neutral place mats or a good quality tablecloth – preferably one that hangs to the floor. Generously sized napkins. Candles, candles, candles. Large platters for salads, veggies and protein. Large round or square wooden serving boards. And an eclectic mix of vases.
Never …
Never run late with the food (I have done this a few times). Never leave your guests unattended for long periods. Never forget to top up or offer new drinks … and never sit in direct sun or the freezing cold.
Little black book …
Lavish Foods – Annie 082-781-5045
Greenside Butcher – 061-381-4374
Cheese Gourmet Linden – 011-888-5384
Dunkled Fruit and flowers – 011-341-0101
Akanaka Blooms – 071-854-7712
Hotel Starlino Rosa Spritz
Hotel Starlino Rosa is a naturally light aperitif from Italy made with natural Elderflower, Grapefruit and Thyme. It is a zesty and complex citrus forward blend of Italian pink grapefruit, lemon and orange with an intriguing bittersweet botanical distillation.
To make: 1 part Hotel Starlino Rosa Aperitivo; 3 parts Prosecco; 1 part soda water; garnish with a fresh sprig of rosemary.
Baby tomato and burrata salad with basil and lemon dressing
Burrata is becoming more widely available now, I first tasted it at Ice-Dream Land in Plett a few years ago and have been hooked ever since. The Cheese Gourmet in Linden has a great one but try order beforehand as it often sells out. As with any salad use the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can find. Some of my favourite recipe’s with burrata are from Ottolenghi – anything fresh and zesty goes with burrata and it’s a great starter.
Ingredients: 1 punnet mixed baby tomatoes, large tomatoes cut in half; 2 to 4 fresh burrata; loaf of sourdough or ciabatta bread thinly sliced, brushed with olive oil and toasted; handful of basil leaves; handful of basil leaves sliced; 2 tablespoons Balsamic glaze; juice and rind of 1 lime; 125ml extra virgin olive oil; flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper
To make: Toss the tomatoes in the balsamic glaze with salt and pepper about 30 mins to 1 hour before serving to marinate. Mix the sliced basil, olive oil, juice and rind of the lime and seasoning for the dressing. When you are ready to serve mix the marinated tomatoes with the whole basil leaves, place the burrata on top or next to the tomatoes and dress with the dressing. Serve the toasts on the side to spread with burrata filling and tomatoes.
Pampelle Tonic cocktail
Made from handpicked grapefruits from the sun-drenched French island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea, Pampelle is a complex aperitif. The hero is the Star Ruby Red Grapefruit that is responsible for its sweetly bitter disposition. Whether you like it stirred or tossed in a cocktail shaker, tonic water makes an excellent addition to any cocktail. To make: 1 part Pampelle; top up with tonic water (we suggest Fever-Tree); build over ice in a tall glass; garnish with a slice of grapefruit.
Whole hot smoked salmon with creme fraiche and dill sauce
This is such an easy dish and so rewarding, the salmon is light and moist and the creme fraiche sauce finishes it off beautifully. You can keep a salmon in your freezer for emergencies and it will defrost out of the freezer very quickly.
Ingredients: 1 whole smoked salmon from Lavish Foods – defrosted overnight in your fridge. 250ml punnet creme fraiche; 1 heaped tablespoon of Horseradish sauce; 2 tablespoons of olive oil; a large handful of fresh dill finely chopped; rind of one lime; juice of 1 lime; seasoning
Method: Mix all the sauce ingredients together, serve with salmon on a large platter garnished with fresh dill, lime cheeks and freshly ground black pepper.
Helen’s Frozen Cheese Cake
My beautiful Swedish friend Helen shared this lovely recipe with me when our boys were tiny. I often make it as it’s very easy, it can be made up to a week before and is always a hit!
Ingredients: 250g good quality cream cheese; 3 eggs (whites and yolks separated); 250ml whipping cream; 200ml sugar; 1 ts vanilla extract; 1 box digestive biscuits; pinch of salt
To make: Pulse or crush the biscuits until they are fine crumbs, press them evenly into a cheese cake tin.
Beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and creamy, beat in the cream cheese, then the salt and vanilla until combined. Whisk the eggs white, then whisk the cream, both until stiff peaks. Fold egg whites into the cream, then fold cream mixture into the sugar mixture and pour over the biscuit base. Freeze overnight. Take out of the freezer five minutes before serving and serve on a platter or cake stand with frozen raspberries. Yum!
Asparagus and flaky pastry tart
This recipe is so easy and you can always keep a roll of pastry in your freezer, you can use many different options of seasonal veg on the top, for example, tenderstem broccoli, butternut or courgettes.
Ingredients: 1 punnet Asparagus – trimmed lightly charged on a griddle; 1 roll frozen flaky pastry – defrosted overnight in the fridge; Creme Fraiche; Large handful of fresh coriander – roughly chopped; 1 small red chili finely diced; I punnet soft goats cheese; 2 tablespoons pine nuts or pumpkin seeds 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Method: Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Lay the pastry on baking paper on a baking tray and prick with a fork (pastry must e cold before cooking). Mix the chili, olive oil and coriander in a bowl. Brush the base of the pastry with a thick layer of creme fraiche leaving a 2cm gap around the sides place the asparagus on top of the creme fraiche, crumble the goats cheese and brush with the olive oil mix. Sprinkle the pine nuts on top and season with fresh black pepper and flaky salt. Bake for 25 minutes (or until the pastry is cooked through and nicely browned).
Fresh Seasonal Garden Salad and Lili’s Gorgeous Dressing
The dressing is what makes this salad so special, it’s one of my sister’s special salad dressings and it light and zesty so will go well on most salad. The presentation of this salad is important as it’s more of a veggie platter, be generous with your serving and be as creative as you want with your favourite fruit, cheese and veggies.
Seasonal Veggies such as: Sugar Snaps Peas; Asparagus; Peas in the pod; Carrot and/or courgettes thinly sliced with a peeler; Seasonal stone fruit pip removed and quartered; Colourful veggie options such as radishes, tomatoes or baby beets cut in half or wedges.; Whole baby lettuce – quarted; Cheese of your preference such as parmesan shavings or ricotta
Dressing: ; 1/2 cup white wine vinegar; 1/4 cup olive oil; 1/4 cup grapefruit juice; 1/4 cup sparkling wine; 2 Tbs Pampelle; 1 Tbs honey; 1 Garlic Clove; 1 Tbs lime; 2 Tbs finely sliced mint; Flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper
To make: Lightly char the veggies and stone fruit on a griddle – they must still be crunchy (this can be the day before and just assemble on the day). crush the garlic in a mortar and pestle with the flaky salt until creamy, slowly add the olive oil until mixed in well. Then mix other ingredients and check the seasoning. Assemble all elements on a large flat platter. Serve the dressing in a lovely dish with a spoon on the side.
Whole Camembert with nut brittle
I have been making this dish for years and it’s a favourite on my cheese baord.
Ingredients: 1 whole round of camembert (choose one to your liking, my favourite is the goat cheese option from Woolies); 1 cup sugar; 2 cups nuts of your choice; 1 teaspoon flaky salt; a few fronds of fresh thyme; Pinch of chili flakes
To make: Place the nuts onto a roasting dish and roast in a slow oven until brown, then roughly chop. Place sugar evenly spread in a cold heavy bottom non stick pan. Place on a medium heat and watch very closely, it will take about 10mins to melt – do not stir. You will notice the sides will start to go brown and it will get a slight burnt sugar smell, give it a gentle swirl to incorporate the darker and lighter bits, and some of the unmelted sugar. When is gets to a rich caramel colour add in the nuts until coated, then quickly transfer to a piece of baking paper on a tray. Smooth it out with a spoon and sprinkle with flaky, salt, thyme and chili flakes. Once cool roughly chop. This can be stored for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
Complied by: KYM ARGO & MEGAN BRETT • Photographer: Nicole Moore Details: nicolemoorephotography.co.za • Make-up artist: Bronwyn Goddard. Details: 076-876-1300.
