Release your inner foodie and take your braai experience to another level with Megamaster’s Apex Series 6 Burner Gourmet Plus Patio Gas Braai.
Whether you want to sear, sauté, smoke, fry, bake or braai in the “old-fashioned” way, this stud of a braai can do it all.
Here’s three sizzling reasons why you should consider investing in one:
- Cook anything, anyway, any time
It offers an all-in-one culinary experience, with four cooking methods that you can use while your braai. It’s perfect for both the foodie and the braai enthusiast. Anyone in your home who wants to quickly fire things up for a delicious breakfast off the braai, warm up that hearty stew from last night in the sauté pan or explore smoky flavours will enjoy what this new gas braai has to offer!
Importantly, the Gourmet Plus Cooking System and the grid are made of cast iron. This result in even heat and cooking long after the burners are switched off.
- Sear, sauté or smoke your way into summer
It only takes up half of your braai space, giving you the freedom to griddle or sear, sauté or fry, and even smoke. Now, you can experiment with any recipe, giving it that extra flavour dimension!
- Experimental cooking
Simply use the griddle side of the pan, with its raised cast iron bars to create striking sear marks on hamburger patties, steak, fish, eggplant steaks, or anything you want to char.
For the health-conscious, any unwanted fat will drain away into the drip tray. Then, all you need to do is flip around the griddle side to the flat surface with its raised edge to prepare a delicious sauce, sauté your veggies or fry up a big family breakfast.
All the while, you’re also able to braai your meat on the other side of your grid, not forgetting that the powerful searing side burner is equipped with 15 000 BTUs to beautifully sear steaks and other ingredients.
For those who want to explore that smoky taste, there are countless ways to layer in different flavours into your smoke – and you always have the option to enjoy a long-smoked experience or a quick smoke if you’re short on time.
Try these recipes on the Gourmet Plus:
GRILLED MUSHROOMS WITH EGGS
You’ll need: 6 Portobello mushrooms; 6 eggs; olive oil; grated cheddar cheese; freshly chopped chives; salt and pepper
Sides – 6 pork sausages; 12 asparagus spears; pack of bacon; 2 vines of baby tomatoes
How to:
Preheat the grill to medium heat. between 160°C-180°C.
Wipe the mushroom caps with a dry paper towel and remove the stems. Scrape out the black gills with a spoon and be careful not to break the edges as you need them intact to keep the eggs from spilling out.
Brush some olive oil on mushrooms caps and place them cap side down on the grill. Pack your bacon asparagus spears and sausages on the grill and crack an egg in each mushroom.
Top them with a crack of course salt and pepper. Finish them o with some grated cheese and close the lid. (The eggs will cook between 12 to 15 minutes depending on how you’d like them done.)
Lightly brush the cherry tomatoes with olive oil and place them on the grill when you open the lid to flip the sausages and bacon, roughly at the 6–7-minute mark.
Keep your bacon on the grill the entire time if you want it nice and crispy.
Crack some black pepper and coarse salt on the mushrooms and tomatoes and sprinkle some freshly chopped chives over the eggs.
Asparagus
Grab three asparagus spears and take a piece of bacon and wrap them around the asparagus and use a toothpick to keep it all together.
SALMON WITH HOMEMADE TARTAR SAUCE
Serves 2
You’ll need: 2 salmon fillets with skins on; virgin olive oil; salt and black pepper; fresh asparagus spears
For the Greek yoghurt tartar sauce – 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon capers; 3 gherkins, chopped; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 cup Greek yoghurt; fresh parsley, chopped; salt and black pepper
How to:
Rub the salmon with olive oil and seasoning on both sides. Coat the asparagus spears with a little olive oil and seasoning.
To make the tartar sauce, toss all ingredients in a blender and blend on low for 3 minutes.
Preheat your Megamaster gas braai on low with the lid down for 8 minutes.
Place the salmon fillets skin side down on the braai. Spread the asparagus spears on the top rack and close the lid. Grill until the salmon skin turns crispy and loosens easily from the grid with a slight nudge, approximately 6-8 minutes. Turn the salmon and set the gas braai on high for 1-2 minutes to lightly sear the top of the fish.
The asparagus doesn’t need too much attention and should simply be ready at the same time as the salmon.
Serve the salmon and asparagus topped with generous dollops of tartar sauce.
CREAMY MILK TART POT BREAD
Serves 4
You’ll need: For the pot bread – 5ml yeast; 2¼ cups warm water; ¼ cup sugar; 1 tablespoon salt; 5½ cups bread flour; 1 teaspoon butter; 2 tablespoons oil
For the milk tart sauce – 1 tin condensed milk; 3 “condensed milk tins” of milk; 2 extra-large eggs; pinch of salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla essence; 20ml cinnamon powder; a small bottle of creamy liqueur
How to:
Sift the flour and salt together. Rub in butter with fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
In a separate bowl, combine the warm water, oil, sugar and yeast. Leave for about 10 minutes until the yeast is activated (the mixture starts to pop and becomes frothy), then add it to the flour and combine.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in a greased, large bowl, cover and let stand in a warm place for about 15 minutes or until doubled in size.
Turn out the dough again onto the floured surface and knead until smooth. Shape the dough into balls and place them into a greased, cast iron or enamel-coated pot. Cover with a cloth and let it stand in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until well risen.
Preheat oven to 230°C. Make sure to only put on the outside burners and place your pot in the middle of your braai to help regulate the heat.
If you’re using a charcoal braai, make sure to put your bread in a cast-iron pot. Place the pot on the braai, close to the coals. You can also place 1-3 coals on the lid of your pot to mimic an oven.
Make sure that you regularly turn your pot if you’re using a charcoal braai or open fire to prevent your bread from burning.
Brush the top with water and bake on the braai for 15-20 minutes until cooked. Depending on the size of the dough balls, they might cook faster. Make sure to keep an eye on your bread to prevent it from burning.
Milk tart sauce
In a pot, mix the condensed milk, milk and eggs together. When the mixture starts to thicken, add the rest of the ingredients.
Make it your own and add any creamy liqueur to the sauce. Serve the pot bread with sauce.
Shop the Apex Series 6 Burner Gourmet Plus Patio Gas Braai with Searing Side Burner for R14 999 at leading retailers and on the Megamaster website.
