another version of the ever-changing wall
the macaroni cheese
I adore Jacques Erasmus. I wrote a
blogpost on him and his
Hemelhuijs October 2010 and the only thing that has changed is the menu and that I like him even more than I did then. I also wrote a press release for him recently, which I'll post as is because I'm lazy and it's weekend and I'd like to get of here and onto the road. I'd also like to hurry up and eat the leftover Macaroni Cheese before we pack up the car and the dog. Because this Macaroni Cheese is sublime. It's the Macaroni Cheese served at Hemelhuijs. Enough said. But in case you're still wondering, it's nothing like the one your mother made or the one that you ate at boarding school. Jacques gave me his recipe. He's wonderful that way. And I'll give it to you, so that you all think I'm wonderful as well.
Hemelhuijs
- A Heavenly Space
‘It is
at the crack of dawn each day that we add the happiness of bubbling yeast to
flour. Strong hands knead soft dough and heirloom bread tins are gently
filled to the brim with the day's manna – in anticipation of a the warm
oven. The coffee grinder groans with the perfume of coffea rubusta and citrus fruits sacrifice their
last moments of wholeness…’ This is Jacques Erasmus’s reply when asked if the
breakfast bread at his restaurant is freshly baked. He has the soul of a poet,
is an artist, a designer, a stylist, a chef, a baker, a curator and creator of
all things beautiful and Hemelhuijs is his home from home. It is in this
welcoming, beautiful restaurant that serves as a showcase of all that Jacques
does so exceptionally well, that you will be able to experience, in some small
measure, the passion of a man obsessed with beauty in all its myriads forms.
Since
its opening in October 2010, the intimate space has undergone several
transformations, the initial black walls gave way to a particular shade of
green, before grey was introduced, the art changed, the displays were
reinvented, the floral art styled according to mood, the menu is seasonal. The
restaurant is a showcase of all Jacques’s talents, the talents his clients for
whom he consults and visitors to his restaurant have come to know and
appreciate. His is not a static style. Nor is it the whims of a man unable to
make up his mind. His creative expression is a fluid fluctuation of mood and
time. At Hemelhuijs there is an unspoken, constant invitation to return again
and again and be inspired.
The
menu is both sophisticated and authentic. While beautifully presented on an
array of handmade and precious crockery, there is no pretention, only elegant
simplicity and a sincere regard and respect for food. At Hemelhuijs Jacques invites
us to ‘ Imagine a world with celebration, even for the smaller and simpler
things in life.’ Which is exactly what he does so exceptionally well. Foreign,
exotic flavours as well as the comforting, nostalgic tastes of childhood are
both present on his menu.
This
season offers nostalgic melkkos and breakfast favourites such as
soft poached eggs and lightly smoked trout, ladled with warm buttery
hollandaise. Lunch celebrates the simpler things with milk stout braised
beef brisket topped with snails and oyster mushroom butter or pan fried porcini
mushrooms with persimmon and feta. The pan fried lamb kidneys with brandy cream
and marmite toast soldiers are the perfect combination of grown-up pleasures
and nursery comforts While a warm baby beetroot, roast duck and walnut praline
salad with naartjiecelebrates
the winter garden. Preserves are homemade by his mother and the fruits come
from their country garden. Glasses are filled with dulce du leche swirled in warm frothy milk or freshly
made citrus juices and cappuccinos wear mocha crown in ceramic bowls.
As a
tribute to his heritage Jacques offers visitors to Hemelhuijs a version of his ouma’s traditional mosbelletjies, the smell of
which reminds him of being four years old and helping his grandmother bake mosbolletjies as a child. Baking and in
particular the baking of this particular bread, has always fascinated him. It
is the temperamental alchemy of dough that he loves. And which he so generously
shares.
A visit
to Hemelhuijs, will leave you feeling inspired. You’ll be seduced by the
creative sophistication but also comforted by the nostalgic and unpretentious
authenticity of a creator who believes that art should reach all the senses.
Hemelhuijs
71
Waterkant Street, Cape Town
Telephone:
021 418 2042
Monday
to Friday 9:00 – 16:00
Saturday
9:00 – 15:00
Jacques
Erasmus’s Macaroni Cheese
(This
recipe should give you 10 portions)
Cheese
sauce
1litre
cream
1tbsp Dijon
mustard
1 tbsp
garlic
1cup
grated boerenkaas
½ cup
grated parmesan
30ml
lemon juice
Salt
and pepper to taste
1kg al
dente cooked macaroni
300gm
crispy chopped bacon
300gm
potato cubes, par-boiled
Apple
sauce
8
granny smith apples, peeled and cored
Pinch
of salt
250ml
water
2 tbsp
sugar
Crumb
mix
Toasted
breadcrumbs
1/2c
parsley, chopped
½ c
grated parmesan
Apple
sauce Method
Cube
apples, place in a pot with enough water to cover, add salt and cook.
Check
liquid continuously throughout cooking, add more liquid if necessary so apples
do not stick to the bottom.
When
the apples are soft, transfer only apples to a blender and blend until
smooth. Retain cooking liquid if any.
If the
consistency is too thick, add little cooking liquid until it has a puree
consistency.
Add
sugar just before finish.
Cheese
sauce Method
Fry the
garlic very lightly in a pot with a little oil for about 1 min on a low
heat. This should not change colour.
Add the
cream and reduce about a 1/3 of the quantity.
Add all
the other ingredients except for salt and pepper and stir through until all
cheese has melted.
Season
with salt and pepper if needed.
Assembly
In pan,
brown the potato cubes in a little oil. Add bacon and cook 1min.
Add
sauce and macaroni and stir through until macaroni is hot, on a low heat.
Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
Transfer
macaroni to a dish, sprinkle with the crumb mix.
Grill
the dish until crumb mix is golden brown.
Serve
with applesauce on the side.
Sam’s
Notes
I
couldn’t find Boerenkaas at ‘Club Engen’ so I used mature cheddar.
I also
used Grana Padana instead of Parmesan (and used 1 cup instead of ½ cup because I believe that more is better)
I also
used 500g of bacon (same more is better rule applies)
How
decadent is a mac and cheese recipe that requires you to add fried potato
cubes? How decadent and totally divine.
Apple
sauce with mac and cheese? Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.