Jhb North - Feb 24
A love affair
A love affair
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Homestyle<br />
happiness<br />
When a Lebanese man and a Portuguese woman fall for each<br />
other, the love affair is bound to include food.<br />
That’s exactly the case for Melissa and Emile Eblen,<br />
whose legendary get togethers are a celebration of life.<br />
“Food is a big thing for us,” laughs<br />
Melissa. And it always has been – both<br />
she and Emile spent a lot of time in<br />
the kitchen, even as kids.<br />
For Melissa, it was all about trying<br />
to replicate her granny’s cooking,<br />
especially her cal verde and<br />
tuna soup.<br />
Emile, meanwhile, was also influenced<br />
by his family’s recipes, although he<br />
found his true culinary calling on the<br />
coals. In fact, his talent with tongs<br />
earned him an entry on The Ultimate<br />
Braaimaster last year – which he<br />
admits took him by surprise, especially<br />
when he was announced the runner<br />
up. “I know the basics – when the<br />
coals are ready, how to rest the meat<br />
– and I love mixing up my own spices.<br />
But I never thought I’d get so far in a<br />
competition like that!” he laughs.<br />
Braaing is, in fact, the secret to the<br />
Eblens’ effortless entertaining. They<br />
agree that the formal plated style of<br />
hosting, with hors d’oevres, mains and<br />
dessert served separately, is rather old<br />
school – and so much more stressful<br />
than lighting the fire as guests arrive,<br />
allowing them to mill about and snack<br />
10 Get It Magazine <strong>Feb</strong>ruary <strong>24</strong><br />
and, most of all, give you time to chat<br />
with them. “We’ve found that the key<br />
is to make sure you dish up before<br />
your guests have had time to lose<br />
their appetite,” Emile says.<br />
The best way to make sure you’re able<br />
to do that, he continues, is by keeping<br />
things simple. Emile is a big fan of<br />
homestyle cooking. “There’s really no<br />
need to reinvent the wheel. Just stick<br />
with what works.” And what works, for<br />
him, is mixing a few flavours together,<br />
making sure the meat, or fish, is well<br />
seasoned, then tasting as he goes.<br />
“People often don’t taste their own<br />
food, and that’s a problem – you don’t<br />
actually know if it's good,” he points<br />
out. He’s not a stickler for ingredients,<br />
nor does he follow recipes rigidly.<br />
Although he might consult a cook<br />
book for inspiration, he finds that<br />
international chefs develop recipes<br />
for taste buds which prefer food that’s<br />
far more bland. “We love spice!” Emile<br />
says. “We put chilli on everything.”<br />
Of course, drinks are just as much a<br />
part of the perfect day as the food.<br />
“Keep them flowing!” Melissa advises.<br />
Her own preference is for bubbles –<br />
although, since she’s pregnant with a<br />
sibling for Juliana (8) and Daniella (5),<br />
she’s sticking to water at the moment.<br />
She’s also in charge of music, typically<br />
choosing an 80’s inspired playlist<br />
including the likes of Fleetwood Mac<br />
and Elton John.<br />
Melissa gives just as much<br />
consideration to the crowd, taking<br />
care to invite people she knows will<br />
get on. Since the Eblens are familyoriented,<br />
they like to start their<br />
gatherings early in the day, so that<br />
there’s time to swim and for the kids<br />
to play together.<br />
The Eblens’ home lends itself to this<br />
kind of laidback get-together. They<br />
designed the house with an eye to<br />
making entertainment easy, with<br />
the kitchen flowing seamlessly into<br />
the gorgeous outside area which<br />
is, undoubtedly, the hero area. “We<br />
love being outdoors – we even nap<br />
out here sometimes – so we wanted<br />
to make it as homely as possible,”<br />
Melissa says.<br />
The home includes two braai areas<br />
- one with a full outdoor kitchen (it<br />
even has a smoker and a herb garden,