Tag Archives: fine dining

Recipe: Black Qwehli Prawns poached with lemongrass, stuffed chinese chard and papaya chutney

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This delicious and surprisingly easy seafood recipe comes from Chef Dominique at Constance Belle Mare Plage. The Black Qwehli prawn is an exceptional organic prawn that comes from Mozambique. If you can’t get these prawns, use the best quality prawns with tails that you can.

Black Qwehli prawns

Black Qwehli prawns

Serves 4

Ingredients

15-20 prawns

For the papaya chutney

  • 150g papaya
  • one piece of lemon
  • green chilli
  • 30g onion
  • 4g garlic, thinly chopped
  • 20g spring onions
  • 2g curry powder

For the stuffed chinese chard

  • 4 pieces of Pak Choi
  • 80g fresh fish, thinly chopped
  • 1 onion
  • 2g corn flour
  • 4g ginger pasta
  • 4 leaves of Pak Choi, chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • Chilli powder

For the lemon grass foam

  • Shrimp stock infused with a good quantity of crushed lemon grass
  • 100g whipped cream

Decoration to serve 

  • 1 piece of tomato
  • Lemon rind
  • 100g watermelon

1. Crush the lemongrass and infuse in the shrimp stock. Then poach the prawns in the stock, and place in the fridge.
2. Prepare the papaya chutney – dice the papaya into small pieces, chop the onion, chilli and spring onion.
3. Cook this in olive oil, add the curry powder and blend very quickly. Allow the mix to cool down.
4. To prepare the lemongrass foam – whip the cream, reduce the stock and blend.
5. Place the tomato, watermelon and lemon rind onto cocktail sticks. Serve as shown in the photograph above.

When nature inspires design – Constance Ephelia Resort

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Tableware at Constance Ephelia Resort, Seychelles

Tableware at Constance Ephelia

Bruno Le Gac, our Corporate Executive Chef, gives you an insight into the design of the tableware we use at Constance Ephelia Resort, Seychelles. 

When you visit Constance Ephelia, you’ll notice the design of the table tops are inspired by the beautiful nature of the Seychelles.

Plates, bowls and cutlery are gently curved to reflect the sensual curves of the famous Seychellois granite rocks. In Corossol restaurant, table lamps are made out of resin, and shaped like a large pebble. The table linen is light grey, the shade of the rocks under the sun. And the glasses have the color of the incredible Seychellois sunsets.

Weekly round-up, 22-28 August 2011

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Constance Le Prince Maurice water villas

Constance Le Prince Maurice water villas

This weekly feature offers a roundup of the content on our blog from the past week, in case you missed anything.

Split into categories, it’s another way for you to easily find the posts of value to you.

This week we’ve got a fantastic special offer at Constance Le Prince Maurice, highlights on Madagascar, beauty tips, our Friday recipe and more.

Offers

Long stay special offer at Le Prince Maurice

Stay at Constance Le Prince Maurice, Mauritius, for 7 nights and you get 15% off your stay.

Events

Edinburgh International Festival 2011

It’s not too late to enjoy the sights, sounds and culture of the 2011 Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe Festival. Find out about what’s on, as well as editor’s top picks from the Guardian.

Culinary

Recipe: Pizza dough – Constance style

Want to create some of our chefs’ amazing dishes yourself at home? Every Friday, we post some of the most amazing, delicious and popular recipes online.

Spa and sport

Top tips to get your feet sandal-ready this summer

Sophie Demaret, Spa Manager at Constance Le Prince Maurice, has some great advice to get your feet looking sexy in this season’s hottest sandals.

Insider tips

Top 5 beach beauty bag essentials

Get expert tips on what to pack for head-to-toe fabulousness as you head to the beach.

Inspiration

Top 10 highlights of Madagascar

We’ve put together our must-see list of the island for a truly epic experience, with links to more useful information.

Water villas at Constance Le Prince Maurice

The water villas are perched along the edge of a natural fish reserve, offering tranquility and beautiful views across the lagoon. Find out more, and see photos on our Facebook page.

Recipe: Pizza dough, Constance-style

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Get set for a relaxed weekend supper with this pizza dough recipe from Constance Ephelia executive pastry chef Shahine Mohammad.

Pizza

Pizza

Serves 4
Preparation time: dough should be made the day before you want to use it

Ingredients 

For the dough

  • 1 kg strong plain flour (a mix of 500g of type 55 + 500g type 45 flour)
  • 50g extra virgin olive oil
  • 100g liquid ‘levain’ (a mix of 50g plain flour and 50g water)
  • 20g salt
  • 10g fresh or dry yeast
  • 500g water (at 14˚C)

 1. Firstly, prepare the ‘levain’.
2. Then pour all the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl of your mixer, and knead at speed 2 with the hook for a few minutes until all ingredients are perfectly mixed. Alternately add the ‘levain’ and the olive oil, then the water. Keep kneading for a few minutes until the dough is thoroughly mixed. Important: the temperature of the flour should be 25°C and the ideal temperature of the room 25°C as well.
3. Stop the machine, remove the dough from the bowl and finish kneading by hand for a further 5 or 10 minutes, on a wooden board sprinkled with flour.
4. Cut small portions of dough of 150g each, then roll them by hand to give them a nice round shape. The surface should be smooth.
5. Sprinkle more flour on top and under the balls of dough.
6. Cover with a humid towel and leave in the fridge until the next day.
7. When you are ready to bake the pizzas, take each ball of dough and form it by hand to the shape of the pizza. The edges should be thicker than the centre. The thickness of the dough depends on your own taste.
8. Garnish the dough with tomato, mozzarella and other toppings of your choice.
9. Bake in a very hot preheated oven for approx 7 minutes, at 250°C. 
10. Once the pizza is cooked, brush the edges with extra virgin olive oil.

Recipe: Chilled tomato and green papaya soup with cucumber-coriander salsa

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Try our delicious chilled summer soup from the kitchens of Constance Le Prince Maurice. Similar to gazpacho, this soup includes tropical papaya and hot red chilli.

Mauritian chilled tomato and green papaya soup

Mauritian chilled tomato and green papaya soup

Serves 4 
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 30  minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 kg small, ripe tomatoes
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1/2 green papaya
  • 1 small fresh red chilli
  • 1 white onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 50 cl tomato juice
  • salt and pepper

For the salsa

  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 2 sprigs coriander
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 level tsp cumin seeds
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper

To serve

  • olive oil
  • 4 coriander leaves

1. Peel and chop the garlic and onion. Dip the tomatoes into boiling water for a few seconds, then cool them immediately in iced water before peeling them. Halve the tomatoes and remove their seeds.
2. Peel and seed the green papaya. Seed the red bell pepper. Finely dice both.
3. Fry the chopped onion and the halved red chilli in a little olive oil without colouring. Add the chopped garlic, diced bell pepper and papaya, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato juice, season with salt and pepper. Cook at a slow boil for 20 minutes.
4. Cool this mixture in a deep freezer, then blend it and strain it through a fine sieve into a bowl. Correct seasoning and keep refrigerated.
5. Make the salsa: peel and finely dice the cucumber. Chop the coriander. Mix cucumber, coriander, olive oil, cumin seeds and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.
6. Drop a little salsa in the middle of each soup bowl; pour the chilled soup around it. Add a thin streak of olive oil onto the soup and a coriander leaf on the salsa.

You can also purchase the Constance Prince Maurice recipe book from our online store.

Recipe: Seafood vindaye with white haricot beans

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Perfect for a Saturday evening meal with friends, this spicy seafood vindaye is an authentic Creole dish from Mauritius.

Let us know how you get on making this vindaye. You can comment or send photos to us via Twitter, Facebook or the comments section below.

Seafood vindaye with white haricot beans

Seafood vindaye with white haricot beans

Serves 4
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 1 1/4 hours
Soaking time (for beans): 12 hours
Marinating time: 24 hours

Ingredients

For the vindaye:

  • 8 scallops without roes
  • 4 fillets white fish, approx 50g each
  • 6 shelled camaron tails (large prawns)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 onions
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 tsp finely chopped ginger
  • 2 fresh green chillies
  • 4 tbsp vinegar
  • 1 tbsp turmeric
  • 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • salt and pepper

For the fricasséed white beans:

  • 200g white haricot beans
  • 1/2 chopped onion
  • 1 tsp chopped garlic
  • 1/2 tsp finely chopped ginger
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 2 small ripe tomatoes
  • 1 fresh green chilli
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 2 sprigs parsley
  • salt and pepper

1. One day in advance, prepare the seafood vindaye: peel and coarsely dice the onions. peel the garlic, halve each clove ad remove the germ. Slice the chillies in 2 lengthwise and remove the seeds.
2. Soak the beans 12 hours before cooking.
3. Season the squid, camarons and scallops with salt and pepper. Sear them separately in a frying pan with 2 tbsp oil for 5 minutes. Keep warm.
4. In a saucepan, sweat the onions, garlic, ginger and chillies for 5 minutes with the olive oil without colouring. Mix vinegar and turmeric, add them to the saucepan.
5. Take off the heat and add wholegrain mustard, mustard seeds and finally the seafood. Mix well, let cool. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
6. On the day you are serving the recipe, make the bean fricassée: drop the tomatoes for 30 seconds in boiling water, cool them in iced water, then peel them. Halve them and remove the seeds. Chop the tomatoes.
7. In a heavy cooking pot, sweat the onion, garlic and ginger in oil for 4-5 minutes without colouring. Add the tomatoes, stew for 5 minutes, then add the beans. Add water to barely cover, add thyme, parsley and the green chilli, split in two. Cook on low heat for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring frequently to prevent drying. Add a little water if necessary.
8. Correct seasoning.
9. Reheat the vindaye and serve it just warm, with the fricasséed beans and some plain white rice.

You can also purchase the Constance Prince Maurice recipe book from our online store.