Shane Sauvage is no stranger to our cookbook reviews. The stunning Cape Fusion is his third book. His previous book, inFusion, won the best South African chef’s book published at the Gourmand awards in 2009.
If inFusion was a cookbook for those who don’t just cook, but indulge the senses, Cape Fusion takes fusion cooking to another level. If you’re one who eats with your eyes before taking the first mouthful, this book is for you. Sauvage produces the best in fusion by incorporating local ingredients and giving them a twist.
The stunning pictures will have you salivating, but what’s more important is that although the dishes are restaurant-quality, they’re easy enough to produce at home. Considered the fusion father of South Africa, Sauvage is the owner of La Pentola restaurants in Pretoria and Hermanus where he and his family moved to, to follow his lifelong dream to live in the Cape.
A chapter on terroir will fill you in on winemaking and what makes a particular wine exceptional or different to another.
Sauvage works with chief winemaker at KWV, Johann Fourie, and the result is an exceptional food and wine pairing chapter, which enables you to experience first-hand interaction between the two through videography and QR coding. Throughout the book, each dish is accompanied by a wine suggestion.
Sauvage offers recipes that will make you shine at a dinner party. He offers recipes suitable for everyday meals, with a twist.
A whole chapter is devoted to perlemoen, which sees this delicacy used in ways to suit most palates.
For those who live in the Cape, there is a feast of recipes using waterblommetjies, kabeljou, Kleinrivier trout, Karoo kidneys, Hermanus mussels and the famed perlemoen.
A chapter explains how to make the basic Napoletana sauce, pasta dough to make your own pasta sheets and vegetable stock.
The whole focus of the book is not just eating, but beautiful eating – a celebration of colours, textures and tastes on one plate. There is a selection of decadent desserts from cronuts and fresh fruit tarts to pasties de nata, Oreo cheesecake and a Lindt chocolate torte.
Throughout the book one can’t help, but be infected by the apparent fun that is had while the various recipes are prepared. The book would make a treasured gift to someone who appreciates fine dining.
Cape Fusion by Shane Sauvage is pub;ished by Jacana Media