There is no better day to tell, and show, family and friends just how much they mean to you than Valentine’s Day. Karen van der Merwe sure has become a household name when it comes to cooking and she shares her Valentine’s feast with us.
Alberton mum Karen van der Merwe, the recent winner of Colour your Plate with KOO and former runner-up in MNets’ My Kitchen Rules SA in 2021, is thriving as she takes 2023 by the horns and keeps the country on its toes.
The mother of two loves baking and cooking and she thrives in the kitchen. The kitchen or any place she can cook is her happy place, or at least her second happy place as their farm is first on her list.
Karen is not just a pretty face with a bubbly personality but she knows how to make food that will make your taste buds explode. Karen is a keen cook and she likes to experiment with new recipes and challenge herself with something new to cook or prepare.
‘I want to inspire other women that you can still enjoy cooking meals while being a working woman, a mum, a wife and do everything that goes with that,’ said Karen.
‘Who is passing on your grandmother’s or family’s recipes if you are not trying them or even teaching them to your little ones? Someone needs to pass down our traditional food recipes.’
Something very close to her heart is ‘PROE’, which is a brand created by Karen and her MKRSA partner, Tenille Dreyer. Their mouth-watering gourmet platters called PROE plankies have the whole of Alberton talking. They also offer private fine dining experiences where you will be guaranteed to be blown away by their extraordinary flavour explosions.
That’s not all, PROE gourmet spices will soon be joining the well-known brand with exciting flavour combinations as well as a few surprises that will awaken the chef in everyone.
Those who know Karen will know that she’s all about quality time spent with family and friends. She celebrates every occasion with memorable food and experiences.
No matter what the occasion is she will always think outside of the box. For Valentine’s Day this year, she will be setting a table for her tribe and her children.
‘This year is all about celebrating the people around me, my tribe, the ones who hold my heart and who have supported me throughout my journey. This is exactly why I’ll be preparing Valentine’s feast for everyone this year.
‘Let us celebrate love this year and be grateful for the small things we so easily take for granted,’ says Karen.
Love is in the air
When setting a table Karen always takes a stroll through her house and sees what grabs her attention. It always changes, depending on her mood, the occasion, the season or who she will be inviting.
Using different textures and heights immediately creates a mood for your table.
Don’t be afraid of letting loose your inner artist. ‘I often use empty jars or containers and spray paint them in a colour that will fit my theme.’
Once you have established which ornaments, vases, jars or candles you will be using, it is easy to choose a colour to focus on.
‘I like to choose one colour, but then I play around with different shades of it.’
For her Valentine’s Day table, she picked an earthy pink.
She is not too fond of big bouquets on a table and she would rather use sprigs of leaves or single flower stems and arrange them along the centre of the table with all the other elements she has chosen to use.
‘One of my favourite flowers at the moment (it changes with the seasons) is the glorious King Protea. It immediately just lifts a table with its presence.’
To fill those empty or odd spaces on her centre piece she will raid her garden for sprigs of leaves and if she doesn’t find anything to fit the colour palate she will immediately drive to her friend, Marietta Barnard’s garden and raid hers.
‘This happens often,’ said Karen laughingly.
Remember you know what each person who you have invited means to you and you will know sort of what they like and what not so keep that in mind.
‘There is no specific way on setting a table, you just be you and go wild.’
Some general guidance on how to set a table are as follows:
- Cutlery is set in the order of use, working from the outside inwards. Outer utensils are for the first courses with the innermost set reserved for the main course.
- Forks always go on the left of the setting and knives always go on the right.
- Glassware is set above the knives. There are different glasses for different drinks but they are all grouped together in the top right corner of the setting.
- If serving dessert, the dessert spoon and fork should be placed above the plate. The spoon handle should be on the right, while the fork handle should present to the left. This is so that the right hand can easily pick up the spoon, and the left hand uses the fork.
- Napkins can be placed either to the left of the forks, or underneath the forks. If space is limited on your table, you can also place the napkin in the middle of the setting, or on top of the charger plate.
- Use a charger plate. This is placed in the centre of the setting upon which other plates are set and it has multiple functions. It serves as decoration and adds to the aesthetics of the table. It ensures your guests’ setting is never empty during the dinner, and crucially it is a tool useful for hot plates where guests can adjust the charger plate without risking burning their fingers on a hot plate. The charger plate doesn’t have to always be a plate, it can be a traditional placemat, or something more contemporary, for example, a piece of slate, or wood.
Drink up
Another important part of entertaining others are the beverages.
‘I always like to offer my guests a welcoming drink and depending on the time of the day and season I would offer them something like mimosa, margarita or in winter even a nip glass of sherry.’
To accompany the meal, Karen chose a wine and her all time favourite go-to wine is a Rupert & Rothschild Classique or an Anthonij Rupert Optima.
‘I am also quite fond of the new Jakkalsvlei Pink Moscato for a lighter day-time beverage.’
Easy no proof Caprese pizza with balsamic reduction
Ingredients:
375g plain flour; 1 tbsp salt; 1 tbsp caster sugar; 1 packet dry yeast;
2 tbsp Willow Creek olive oil; 225 ml warm water; mozarella cheese; cherry tomatoes;
Willow Creek’s chilli, ginger and garlic balsamic reduction
Method:
Mix warm water and yeast in a separate bowl and let it stand for five minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients to an electric mixer with dough hook. Add the water/yeast mixture to flour mixture. Let machine knead for 5 minutes.
Remove dough, and divide into equal-sized balls. Roll out each ball, and place it onto floured baking sheet. Top with mozzarella, oven-roasted cherry tomatoes and salt. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt add fresh rocket or basil leaves. Finish off with a generous drizzle of Willow Creeks’s chilli, ginger and garlic balsamic reduction.
Time to feast
Karen’s Valentine’s Day menu consists of a ravioli as a starter, peachy duck as a main and as a dessert she will make ice cream with lemon. Eventhough these dishes look like they can only be made by proffesionals, Karen is here to prove you wrong and to show you that you can also make these dishes.
- Starter – Ricotta and mushroom ravioli with burnt butter
Mushroom-stuffed ravioli with burnt butter sauce is a classic Italian dish. It is one of those fancy-looking restaurant dishes which can be made at your home kitchen easily.
Pasta dough ingredients:
1 whole egg; 3 egg yolks; 2 cups all-purpose flour; pinch of salt; 1 tbsp olive oil;
2 tbsp water (or more if needed)
Method:
Mix together all the ingredients. Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it for 5-10 minutes, until it becomes smooth. Wrap dough tightly with clingwrap and rest in fridge for approximately 30 minutes before rolling out. After 30 minutes divide the dough into four equal pieces and roll out into long strips.
Ingredients for the ravioli filling:
1 punnet mixed mushrooms finely chopped; 1 brown onion finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves minced; 2 tsp thyme leaves; a squeeze of fresh lemon juice; salt and white pepper; ricotta cheese; parmesan cheese
Method:
Fry above ingredients in a splash of olive oil and set aside to cool. Once cooled mix with one whole tub of ricotta cheese and ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese. Then scoop out tablespoons size portions onto the pasta sheets. Cover the mixture with a second layer of pasta. Now firmly seal the two layers together with a touch of water, making sure to press out all air around the filling. With a round cooled cutter, cut out raviolis and boil for approximately four minutes or until al dente. Once done, remove and serve.
Burnt butter sauce:
Heat butter in a saucepan until melted and it starts to sizzle. Immediately remove the pan from heat as soon as the butter turns a slight light brown colour. Pour sauce over each serving of ravioli.
- Main – duck with crispy skin and Thai-inspired carrot and peach purée
Peachy duck:
You will need about 180g of duck breast. Bake seasoned breast in a pan at 180C for six minutes skin side down and for two minutes bottom side and set aside.
Thai-inspired carrot and peach purée:
Ingredients:
2 cups KOO’s mixed vegetable carrots; ¾ onions sliced thin; 1/2 cup coconut milk; 2 cloves garlic; 1/3 cup honey; 1 tbsp dried chili flakes; 1 tbsp butter;
1 tbsp honey; salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Sauté 3/4 chopped onions before adding the carrots of the KOO mixed vegetable sautee. Then add the crushed garlic. Add the seasoning, dried chilly flakes, butter and 1/2 cup coconut cream. Slightly reduce heat and set aside to cool before blending. Transfer to blender, add honey and blend until smooth. Reheat before serving.
Peach and corn salsa
Ingredients:
A tin of KOO peach halves; fresh corn; chopped rosemary; finely chopped red onion; white wine vinegar; fresh lemon; chopped red chillies; sugar; salt; olive oil
Method:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients until well mixed. Let rest on the counter 10 minutes until flavors have a chance to blend.
- Dessert – ice cream with lemon
Ingredients:
2 cups flour; ½ cup castor sugar; 1 cup stork bake butter; vanilla ice cream; whipped cream; Willow Creek’s lemon flavoured olive oil; mint leaves
Method:
Mix the flour, castor sugar and butter together. Press the mixture down on a greased baking sheet and bake in oven at 180C for about 15 minutes. Let it cool and crumble. Scoop servings of the vanilla ice cream on top of the homemade crumble. Arrange a few dollops of whipped cream and drizzle a generous amount of Willow Creek’s lemon-flavoured olive oil over the ice cream. Decorate the dessert with a few mint leaves and serve.
Text: ELZAAN PIENAAR. Photo: Karen van der Merwe.
