Beef Carpaccio Salad and Panacotta with a Pineapple Sauce

Starter: Beef carpaccio salad with mustard vinaigrette

Vinaigrette

5 ml (1 tsp) whole grain mustard

25 ml (5 tsp) white wine vinegar

Pinch of sugar (optional)

60 ml (4 tbsp) oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Salad

1 beef fillet

Salt and pepper

2 fresh thyme leaves chopped

1 cucumber

Spanspek, scooped into neat teaspoon balls

Wild rocket leaves

Method:

1. Mix the vinaigrette ingredients together and lightly season with salad and freshly ground pepper for taste. Set aside until needed.
2. Season the beef fillet with salt and pepper and rub the chopped thyme on it. Heat a heavy based non-stick pan until hot and then add the oil. Sear the meat for 60 seconds on one side and 30 minute or less on the other side until it forms a bit of a crust.
3. Place the meat aside and leave it to rest for 2 minutes. Thinly cut the meat into thin slices and them beat some more with some meat mallet to make it thinner if desired.
4. Serve with the cucumber, span speck and while rocket leaves as a starter.

Dessert

Panacotta with pineapple sauce

Pannacotta is Italian for “cooked cream”. This deliciously smooth, creamy dessert is perfect for a hot summer day. Prepare it at least 6 hours in advance.

You will need:

30 ml (2 tbsp) gelatine powder

60 ml (4 tbsp) cold water

250 ml (1 cup) cream

175 ml () caster sugar

750 ml (3 cups) Bulgarian yoghurt

1 vanilla pod, slit open

Pineapple sauce

500 g fresh pineapple, peeled and chopped

60-125 ml (¼ cup to ½ cup) water

60 ml (4 tsp

mint to garnish

Method:

1. Sprinkle the gelatine over the cold water and leave it to sponge. Heat the sponged gelatine until just melted, taking care not to let it come to the boil.
2. Meanwhile mix the cream, caster sugar, yoghurt and vanilla pod in a glass bowl over a saucepan with hot water, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the vanilla pod from the cream mixture and stir in the gelatine.
3. Pour into glasses or small ramekins and chill for at least 6 hours. In the meantime, place the pineapple and water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer until syrupy. Serve with the panacotta, garnish with mint and enjoy.