The Corkless Mind

Author: Dominique Solomon

  • Unusual Suspects: Kale

    Unusual Suspects: Kale

    With the recent craze, Kale has had its fair share of shine and praise with its abundance of health benefits. I thought it a good idea to see what all the fuss was about. Kale is a member of the Brassica family, which includes Cauliflower, Broccoli and Cabbage. Like Parsely, Kale has two types Curly and flat leaf. Just one cup of raw Kale, has about 3 grams of protein and 2.5 grams of fibre. To make it easier to go down, I usually put half a cup of raw kale in a smoothie cup and blitz in my super NutriBullet. 

    I massaged the kale with extra virgin olive oil, Sumac and smoked Paprika. Honestly, I was expecting the superfood to instantly transform into scrummy crisps that I can’t keep my hands off, alas this is not the case (for me at least) I added extra smoked Paprika, flaked sea salt to taste and a few pinches of some authentic Sumac. Yet it still tasted of, well, Kale. As healthy as it may be, I simply loathe the taste of it. 


    But I will let you decide whether you like the crisps or not. I found the recipe off of Taste Australia. As always, I deviated from the original and added the Sumac. The link is above. Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear if anyone loved the crisps. 


    The Sumac I purchased from a quaint little delicatessen called The Olive Branch, situated in Kloof street lifestyle shopping centre, walk passed it and you’ll certainly miss it. It’s a hole in a wall but it is incredibly beautiful inside evoking an old world charm with that special welcoming feel too. I certainly recommend when in Cape Town, or like me, you’re constantly on the hunt for weird and wonderful delicatessens then you absolutely must visit this gem! 
    *Nutritional information sourced from WebMD*

  • Buttery Popcorn Ice cream

    Buttery Popcorn Ice cream

    Popcorn ice cream with a dark miso caramel

    I’ve been wanting to recreate this recipe for some time now, and it’s just another excuse to use my awesome Ice cream attachment for my mixer. Combining two things I just can’t go without… 
    I’m a frequent cinema goer and for me no movie is complete without my tub of butter flavoured popcorn, the same can be said for long walks on the Promenade on a gorgeous sunny day with my favourite local artisanal ice cream. I love all the effort that goes in to making good ice cream, however it is rather complicated if tempering egg yolks is not your thing then may I suggest a no-churn ice cream, something which Nigella Lawson masters quite effortlessly, amidst many other things! (Spot the Nigella fan) Thus I can only aspire to being consistently great at making ice cream, I will however leave it to the experts. I found that the fat in the butter and double cream, if not passed correctly through a sieve and at the exact temperature it needs to be when churning, can create clumps in the mixture and thus gives a ‘sticking to your palate’ type of feel (face palm) I decided to add copious amounts of the most umami caramel I’ve ever had to make it acceptable for consumption and of course styling. I made a really dark caramel with a touch of miso and flaked sea salt. I quite like taking the caramel further, again it all depends on your palate. I love how the miso complements the dark velvety smooth caramel and makes it even more indulgent! The correct recipe can be found in the book NOPI by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully. I however used a basic ice cream guideline and deviated from there… When deviating sometimes is not the right idea, and  I certainly learned that. 

    Styling tip 101: if making a dish for a shoot that needs to be styled, the dish should look appealing and equally taste good if you want great results for the shoot. If all else fails, try and style the dish to look like the desired result that you require by (like me, if you made ice cream) drizzling over caramel or chocolate sauce with a few toppings like 100s/1000s sprinkles or chopped up chocolate or flaked/ toasted nuts or berries. 

    Popcorn ice cream with a miso dark caramel

    The photos were taken yesterday morning, taking advantage of the perfect light in my living room and that my partner was home yesterday to help pour over the caramel whilst I shoot. This I call a win-win! 

  • West Coast Mussels 

    West Coast Mussels 


    The West coast of Southern Africa has an amazing array of indigenous flora and fauna. One of my favourite places to go and visit is Paternoster where the talented chef Kobus Van der Merwe has his highly acclaimed restaurant ‘oep ve koep’. Driving past, one can very easily mistake this local gem for just a convenience store, once inside that’s when you really see there certainly is more to it than meets the eye. One of the dishes I had the last time I was there, was a beautiful mussel dish with smoked Angelfish and a umami rich broth I simply had to drink straight from the bowl. Chef Kobus has a book called ‘Strandveldfood’ that epitomizes the West coast for its lush and laid back feel. He focuses on fynbos foraging and in doing so responsibly and with thought. He utilizes the knowledge he has gained from a few sources including renowned fynbos expert Rupert Koopman,everyday he forages locally for the restaurant and uses only what he needs for that day. 


    As an ode to one of my favourite places to regroup and gather my thoughts, I recreated one of the recipes from the book minus the smoked angelfish. The photos were taken late afternoon. The photos of the West coast were taken in St Helena Bay and the first one was taken a few weeks back in Jacobsbaai.

  • Not your average doughnut

    Not your average doughnut

    I always crave doughnuts, it’s my absolute go to, like ice cream I never say no to either! These are only just a few on my list of comfort food dishes. 

    The doughnuts in the post were purchased (yes, I know store bought) shamefully so, they taste just as good anyway. Lately there’s been something of a doughnut frenzy in South Africa, with Krispy Kreme finally making its way to our shores, and a dessert bar called My Sugar in Sea Point, that creates the most insane looking doughnuts and milkshakes. With that in mind I thought I would take inspiration from all the doughnut hype and put together a few that is so easy to recreate at home with some of the store bought treats. 

    I really wanted to show how the meringue frosting should look when ready to spread over the doughnut, stiff glossy peaks is what you need. I also think that it looks so pretty gracefully glossed over the balloon whip. Please pardon the reflection in my mixer bowl, I’m not quite there yet with editing…
    The photos I took are just after 13:00 and styled and set in my usual little corner in my living room. 

  • Matcha Madeleines

    Matcha Madeleines

    Since last week I had been obsessed with all things green and this week is just another continuation of that healthy obsession. Perusing a baking feed on Pinterest I noticed a scarlet Madeleine that instantly took my breathe away I knew I had to recreate it and add my own twist to it. 
    Matcha, in recent years have been taking the western world by storm. Matcha is a fine green tea powder that derives from the same source as green tea leaves. It has been dubbed as a superfood with many health benefits. Loaded with antioxidants, if consumed regularly only then will one reap all the health benefits of prevention of cancer, lowering of cholesterol and blood pressure and strengthening the immune system. 

    The Madeleine recipe is from Woolworths Taste magazine’s website, the only difference is the addition of Matcha into the batter towards the end of folding. I had only just recently bought my very first Madeleine pan, as I really wanted to recreate the scarlet Madeleine and make it my own. I dipped the madeleines in white chocolate and with the beautiful golden Madeleine in the middle I added Matcha to the melted chocolate mixture, simply because I love the contrast in colour and who knew matcha tasted spectacular in white chocolate!? 

    The photos were all taken in the height of a very nasty storm (believe it or not). I absolutely adore the lighting as it makes everything appear so pure. 

    I’m trying to be creative when it comes to props in my photos, as good props are rather hard to find, so at this point I find myself just scavenging around my apartment looking for interesting things that would give my photos that extra special touch. 

    This post was collated whilst listening to the whimsical Si tu vois ma mère by Sidney Bechet. (Yes, I am dreaming of Paris :)) 

    In honour of her up and coming birthday, I leave you with a Julia Child quote. 

    “People who love to eat are always the best people” – Julia Child. 

    *information sourced from Eat out and Tea Mill*

  • Unusual Suspects: Celery.

    Unusual Suspects: Celery.

    For as Long as I can recall has this tall green beauty been overlooked as just a snack for dieting fundies, a flavour packed punch for many a mirepoix or that dreadful ants on a log image that comes to mind. Celery is a vegetable that derives from the Apiaceae family. That being the same family as carrot, parsley and coriander. Prior to writing this post, I had no clue that there were so many health benefits attributed to Celery. Packed with Vitamins A, C, and K and also contains folate and potassium which is good for cardiovascular health. 

    Today I decided to put this hardworking underdog on a much deserved pedestal. Instead of going the traditional inside the box route of just using celery for savoury dishes, I wanted its true beauty and potential to shine through in a dessert. This refreshing recipe is straight from Food52
    Waste not want not tip: don’t throw away the sprouting inner little ribs of the celery, remove the core place in a glass jar with a little water, just covering the base of the core and leave to fully sprout for a week then transplant into potting soil, and just like that you’re growing your very own celery! Those lush green aromatic leaves are also perfect scattered over a simple salad to add texture and taste! 

    The Granita recipe from Food52, is tweaked of course, I added fennel and Apple. I might have said this before, but I like using recipes only as a guide and adding my own unique twist to it. I think this is how one discovers what kind of cook you are. 
    The photos were taken in the early morning, with some much needed sunshine. Nothing beats natural light, especially in the early morning. I find this is when I take most of my shots that I love.