Last week Friday (15th of June) we celebrated #DrinkChenin day with a notable stormy chill in the air. I love and enjoy the occasional Chenin Blanc but in winter I tend to enjoy a full bodied red wine more over a perfectly chilled white. So to make it a little more suitable for an icy winter’s day, I’ve made a chicken pot pie with this delicious Chenin Blanc from Kleine Zalze. The renowned wine estate has recently won an array of awards from the Decanter World Wine Awards, John Platter Wine Guide, and the International Wine Challenge just to name but a few.
For those who aren’t aware, besides being known for award winning Chenin blanc and Shiraz, Kleine Zalze is also home to one of the most esteemed and revered restaurants in South Africa, Terroir. Having opened in 2004, and won two EatOut top 10 awards since, with Micheal Broughton at the helm of this local gem, I have yet to visit and tick Terroir off of my bucket list.
It is said that South Africa’s Chenin Blanc is known to be up there with the world’s finest! Chenin Blanc has a long history. It’s thought to have been established in the Anjou region of France as long ago as the ninth century and was probably known then as Chenere. The variety was renamed Chenin Blanc, after Mont Chenin, in the 15th century soon after being exported to the Touraine region in the Loire Valley. The unique white wine also has a long and interesting history in South Africa and is believed to be amongst the first vine cuttings that arrived here in 1655.
Chenin Blanc Chicken, Spinach and Thyme Pot Pie.
Makes 1 big pie or 6 individual pot pies.
Ingredients:
- 4 chicken thighs, deboned, shredded and skinned (skins saved to make chicken crackling)
- 200 g spinach
- 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 sheet of store-bought butter puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 50 ml flour
- 340 ml chicken stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 60 ml chenin blanc
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 leek, rinsed well and roughly chopped
Method:
On a high heat in a large pan or pot, sear the chicken until golden brown. Remove and set aside. Reduce the heat, then add the butter, olive oil, chopped shallot,leek and thyme, cook for 2 minutes. Then add the spinach and garlic, cook until the spinach is wilted. Add the chicken to the pan, stir to combine.
Add the Chenin and let the alcohol slowly cook away. Add the flour, then the stock and continue to stir until a thick consistency is achieved. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes stirring continuously, until the chicken is cooked through. Take off the heat and set aside to cool.
Working quickly with the pastry, roll it out and place in your preferred dish, add the chicken mixture to the dish, and add another sheet of pastry to the top to seal the pie. I made one with a wonky lattice, an open one with pastry only at the bottom and another one completely closed marked with a fork. Brush with egg-wash and bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes until puffed up and golden. If baking in ramekins, place on a baking tray. I’m not particularly sure how true this is, but it reduces the occurrence of soggy bottoms.
To make the crispy chicken skin crackling: remove any fat off from the inside of the skin and place on a paper towel season with salt and pepper (be mindful of how much salt you use, as the skins shrink and could be a bit too salty) Place on a parchment lined baking tray at 200 degrees C. cover with another sheet of parchement and another baking tray to stop the skins from curling up. Bake for 15 minutes until crisp. set aside to cool. Serve as a snack or alongside your pie as an added extra crunch.
Enjoy with a chilled glass of Chenin Blanc.
Cheers! x
**Information supplied by the Chenin Blanc Association website. This is not a sponsored post, all views are my own. The costs of making this blog post I have paid for out of my own expense**
In Celebration of Groot Constantia’s 333 years as South Africa’s oldest existing wine estate, I was gifted a bottle of their award winning Grand Constance Muscat wine to do a series of blog posts where I let my imagine run wild in the kitchen with the fruity wine. Most recipes I kept it as simple as I could, not altering the taste of the wine, but in each dish, making it shine and making it the centre of the dish as it was intended when made at Groot Constantia.
Grand Constance, the French translation for Groot Constantia, was an established brand revered in the time of Napoleon Bonaparte, King Louis Phillipe of France and Frederick the Great of Prussia, when they were clients of Groot Constantia. Modelled on remnants found in the USA, Scandinavia, Europe and the U.K dating back to the late 1700’s. The Wine has an intense liquid amber colour and is produced from Muscat grapes sun ripened on the vines, pressed, fermented and aged in oak barrels. It has notes and nuances of pears, apricots, peaches, rose petals, and nutty flavours.
I will be sharing all three posts one per week, to commemorate the 333 years. This is a project I am super excited to share with you all, and best of all I had loads of fun experimenting in the kitchen. I don’t get to do much of baking these days being stuck behind a desk (even in the comfort of my own home). 
This Cheesecake recipe is an adaptation of Helen Goh and Yotam Ottolenghi’s Apricot and Amaretto cheesecake. I replaced the apricots with seasonal sweet and crunchy pears and of course substituted the Amaretto with the Grand Constance. The cheescake, I found was not overly sweet or too rich (I could be biased, I do love a good cheesecake!) I loved how the delicate flavours of the Grand Constance shone through in the filling and roasted pears that I topped the cheesecake with. 
Local craft beer is something that is loved and celebrated in my household. I do consider myself somewhat of a beer drinker and I take pride in my very basic knowledge and ability to tell a Weiss apart from a Lager. I received an invite from 
I was lucky enough to be invited to an exclusive sneak peak of an upcoming High Tea at the quaint cakery, Sweet Cillie’s. Nestled perfectly in the bustling Tokai road opposite the Blue Route mall, Sweet Cillie’s is a local gem that locals love and revere. The Owner and baker, Priscilla De Jonge, affectionately known as, ‘Cilla’, officially opened Sweet Cillie’s only just 6 months ago! But already has the feel of a old trusted community business where everybody’s name is known by Cilla and her close knit staff. 
I sat down and had a cup of coffee with Cilla to discuss the imminent High Tea and her love for baking at the beloved “cakery shoppe”. I got to sample a few treats that will be a part of the decadent high tea spread. The sweet stuff: a deliciously moist chocolate brownie, a yummy custard slice with possibly the best custard filling I’ve had; and a petite scrumptious scone! The savoury stuff: three variations of dainty but filling pies, one being a moreish feta and spinach, asparagus and balsamic caramelized onions, and a hearty chicken and mushroom pie. All savouries are made by Cilla’s new chef, who also makes the most incredible pastry! So much so, I tried to twist Cilla’s arm for the recipe! (better luck next time!).
The idea for having a high tea was inspired by the space at Sweet Cillie’s, quite ladylike, almost Parisian themed, yet warm and welcoming in atmosphere. Cilla found herself daydreaming of a meeting or cosy gathering place for women, enjoying each others company with coupled with great food and drinks. The high tea will be hosted after the official store hours on a Saturday. The first high tea will take place on the 19th May, to celebrate Mother’s day. Book now to avoid disappointment!
I recently purchased myself a copy of Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh’s book, Sweet. Having read the book numerous times cover to cover, and making mental and actual notes of what to bake and when. For me, Sweet reminds me of one of those CD’s (yes, I am that old) that you could listen to without skipping a track. The only dilemma I face, is to not scoff my face with all the deliciousness from this decadent book.
Helen Goh’s Chocolate ‘O’ Cookies.
The Corkless Mind 