Sunday lunch: Chef Reuben Riffel’s 3-course stone fruit-inspired lunch

A three-course meal doesn’t have to be a complicated affair – sometimes less is more, and this is exactly what Chef Reuben Riffel proved when The Citizen recently visited his restaurant in Franschhoek with Juicy Delicious.

As it is stone fruit season in South Africa, there’s an abundance of peaches, nectarines and plums to cook with and – the perfect time for you to try and test new recipes.

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Stone fruit-inspired three course meal

Griddled fine beans and nectarine, crunchy seed salad

Ingredients

• 400g Fine Beans
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• 1tbsp whole coriander seeds
• 1tbsp caraway seeds
• 2 nectarines

For the dressing

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• Juice ½ lemon
• 1 tbsp honey
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Pinch away any stalky bits of the beans (but keep their tails)
2. Toss in a bowl with a glug of olive oil and pinch of sea salt.
3. Heat a griddle pan to high and cook the beans for 5 mins.
4. Allow the beans to cool.
5. Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a small frying pan. Add the seeds and cook for 2-3 min until golden and slightly fragrant. Drain on a kitchen towel lined plate.
6. Slice the nectarines into roughly ½ slices.
7. Combine the dressing in a bowl, add the beans, nectarines and seeds. Toss, serve, enjoy.

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Sweet soy chicken and peach skewers

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken thighs, cut into pieces
• 3 ripe peaches, cut into pieces
• 1 large red onion, cut into chunks
• 3 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
• 1 tsp garlic and ginger paste
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• ½ lemon juice

Method

1. Combine sweet soy sauce, cumin, chilli powder & ginger and pour it over the chicken pieces and marinate (overnight)
2. Preheat the grill.
3. Thread chicken, peaches and onions on skewers.
4. Grill approximately 11 min, flipping halfway. Brush with more marinade if you’d like.
5. Serve with rice and salad.

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Plum Galettes

Ingredients

• 8 plums, halved, pitted (500g)
• 25gm caster sugar
• ½ vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
• Finely grated rind of ½ lemon
• 1 egg
• 75gm raw sugar (1/2 cup)
• Thickened cream to serve

Spelt Pastry

• 250gm wholemeal spelt flour
• 90gm white spelt flour
• 225gm cold butter, cut into 2cm cubes
• 120gm crème fraiche

Method

1. For the pastry, sieve flours and ¾ tsp fine sea salt into a bowl, toss butter in flour to coat and tip onto a bench.
2. Roll butter into flour with a rolling pin until thin streaks form.
3. Scrape edges of mixture into the center with a pastry scraper, then roll until thinner ribbons of butter form in the mixture. Add cream fraiche, cutting into the mixture with the pastry scraper until a dough just forms (small lumps of butter will remain)
4. Press together firmly, wrap in plastic wrap, press into a disc and place in freezer until firm (30min).
5. Divide dough into 6 balls and roll each between 2 sheets of baking paper to 17cm diameter rounds, then place in freezer, still between paper, until firm (20min).
6. Remove paper and trim pastry to 16cm, diameter rounds, transfer to a tray lined with baking paper, wrap and place in freezer again until firm (20min)
7. Cut 4 plum halves into 4 wedges each.
8. Combine caster sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, and lemon rind in a bowl. Add plum wedges and halves and toss gently to coat,
9. Remove pastry from freezer, place a plum half in the centre and surround with 4 wedges, thin sides facing outwards, and leaving a 2cm border. When pastry becomes pliable, fold it over the edges of plums, making 6 folds.
10. Refrigerate until firm (25-30min)
11. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Whisk together egg, yolk and a pinch of salt.
12. Brush pastry with egg wash and scatter with raw sugar. Bake galettes until they start to turn golden brown 13. (20 min) reduce oven to 170°C and bake until golden brown and plums are tender (5-10 min).

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*The above recipes were created by Chef Reuben Riffle for Juicy Delicious.

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