A celebration of all things "Beneath the surface". Here is some beautiful imagery (provided by talented Steph and Robin of Bubblerock, plus a few of my own), and a recipe from the Tauranga Kinfolk gathering at Ataahua Garden Venue a few Sundays ago. The gathering came together as a collaboration of talented creatives headed by the beautiful Shaye of 'On my hand' (also responsible for the stunning table styling). I styled four of the five course menu put together by Nadine of Devour Catering, while Dannielle of Spongedrop provided the lavish gingerbeer dessert. Blackbird Gem put on a fabric dying workshop using onion skins between courses. Oh what a day it was!
I'm so incredibly grateful to have been a part of all that you see in these stunning photos. Kinfolk came about when times were low, and I am honest in saying that it was in part my saving grace. A week before the event I suffered a misscarriage. Following this I spent the ensuing days sat on our living room floor with a plate from Houston Design co, planning how to style the radish salad and dandelion root main. Taking the time for myself to create something beautiful with ingredients I love, couldn't have been a better comfort to take my mind away from the circumstances.
Working together with the ladies I've mentioned above, was also an experience I will cherish. There is nothing quite like the power of a combination of passions coming together to create something special. I'm still starting out in my food adventure and so establishing new contacts, and making new friends.gave me a sense of belonging and confirmed that this is something I want to keep doing . Yay!
The salad I am compiling here and sharing with you is called 'radish'. It was the third course and chef Nadine's intention was for a light, refreshing palate cleanser between the main event 'dandelion root' and the scallop and kombu broth (pictured above). She captured this well with the cooling flovours of the radish, fennel and cucumber, married withthe zingy citrus dressing
The secret to making the salad look stunning is to mandolin the fennel and radishes thinly lengthways, and to place them in iced water prior to plating. This gives them the beautiful curl which you hopefully can see in the pictures. The same applies to the spring onion which I cut thinly cut on the bias (i.e. on an angle).
The other secret is vibrant leafy greens which make the salad ping in front of your eyes. I used an organic mesculin mix, handpicking mizuna and beet leaves for their pretty colours and shape.
I've made a few further adjustments to the recipe, compared with what is pictured. To make the dish dairy-free, I replaced the baked ricotta with avocado. I've also replaced fried capers, with dried cranberries for a burst of sweetness, and added activated pine nuts for a nutty crunch.
In my next post I plan to share more Kinfolk scenes, plus a vegan take on one of the delicious "Ottolenghi" style dips we served as a starter. Until then, have a lovely week and feel free to bombard me with any questions or to just say hi! =)
fennel & radish salad
serves 1
- 1/2 fennel bulb sliced thinly on a mandolin length ways
- 1 radish thinly sliced lengthways (about 2 mm thick)
- 1/4 -1/2 spring onion cut thinly on the bias
- 1/2 avocado
- a handful of pretty leafy greens for e.g. a mesculin mix with beet leaves, mizuna, baby spinach etc
- 10cm length of cucumber sliced on mandolin (approx 2 mm thick)*
- small handful of dried cranberries**
- 2 tsp activated pine nuts ***
- small handful of radish sprouts (optional)
how to
Mandolin fennel and radish lengthways and place in iced water for 10 mins or until the vegetables start to curl. Cut spring onion thinly on the bias and place in iced water with the fennel and radish. Mandolin cucumber and roll into curls as shown in the photos above. Remove the half avocado carefully from it's skin and place on the inside edge of a shallow bowl. Compile the rest of the components of the salad around the inside edges of the bowl (so the salad and avocado has the aesthetic of a wreath shape). Drizzle with citrus dressing and garnish.
*2 - 4 rolls of cucumber will be sufficient, you may have a few pieces left over.
** choose organic dried cranberries and be sure to check that they are not the sort injected with a lot of sugar =)
*** 'activated' pine nuts means that I have soaked the nuts overnight, and then dehydrated them in a dehydrator. This step brings the nuts 'to life' and makes for easier digestion (yay!), but can be omitted if preferred.
citrus dressing
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp manuka honey
- 1 tsp chopped shallot
- pinch of himalaya mountain salt or sea salt
garnish
edible flowers, fennel fronds, small mint leaves