The Corkless Mind

Tag: Festive season

Celebrate NYE with my Top 5 List of Bubbly

With just one day left to the end of the decade and the end of 2019, there’s plenty to celebrate and toast to with a glass of delicious bubbly. If you’re stuck for choice and want some suggestions, look no further than my top 5 favourite bubblies:

1. L’Ormarins Blanc de Blancs 2013 Vintage

Αn absolute favourite of mine! This L’Ormarins MCC is cultivated from 100% chardonnay grapes, is deliciously fresh with tangy lemon, ripe peach, grapefruit and crisp green apple on the palate with an intriguing flinty character on the nose, then broadens out on the mid-palate with a creamier, fuller-bodied richness taking over before it tightens once more with a defined, dry and crisp tail. Pairs well with seafood, sushi and grilled chicken.

L’Ormarins Brut Rosé

Cultivated from 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay grapes, with grapes grown in Franschhoek, Overberg, Darling, and Robertson. I adore the sparkly salmon hue and summery notes of strawberry, raspberry and yeasty brioche on the palate and nose. Pairs well with dessert, soft cheese, seafood, and whitefish.

2. Haute Cabriere’s Pierre Jourdan Belle Rose

The Belle Rose is a fruity Méthode Cap Classique which owes its salmon pink colour to the Pinot Noir varietal. The palate reveals a lively presentation of rich strawberry and cherry flavours derived from Pinot Noir – with an elegant, long dry finish. Made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes. Pairs well with salmon, trout and a delicious summer cheeseboard.

3. Simonsig’s Kaapse Vonkel Brut Rosé

A celebration of refreshing flavours tantalises the palate with a sublime finish of quince notes. The subtle yet crisp acidity causes an array of lingering high notes. This vibrant Sparkling Rosé reflects elegance, style and finesse with notes of red berry and delicate hints of candyfloss. Pairs well with seafood, dessert and light summer snack platter of seasonal fruit and soft cheese.

4. Creation’s Elation MCC

This Walker Bay local has the potential of an international superstar. Cultivated from 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir Grapes. This beautiful MCC has aromas of lemon blossom and dried apple, followed by wild strawberry and hints of freshly baked brioche. On the palate, well-integrated flavours of grapefruit and dried apple are accompanied by fresh flinty character – elusively savoury like wet pebbles and shells on a beach.

5. Le Lude Brut

Last, but certainly not least, is the fantastic award-winning Franschhoek MCC. The Brut is a classic blend of 91% Chardonnay and 9% Pinot Noir.

Elegant citrus blossoms with fresh lime aromas. Secondary aromas of nougat, roasted nuts and hints of proving dough.Bright, fresh and elegant palate entry. Aromas of grapefruit, ripe zesty lemon and pear form a structured mid-palate. The mousse shows effortless finesse and texture with a restrained presence. Elegant length develops delicately on the palate with fine tertiary aromas of caramelised honey, vanilla and dried fig. Pairs well with freshly shucked oysters, seafood and a complex flavoured cheese board. Drum roll, please… this is my top MCC pick for 2019!

Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous 2020!

Cheers! x

December 30, 2019
A Very South African Christmas – A Food24 Recipe Round-up

Recently I was tasked with developing summer dessert recipes with a South African twist for Food24. So it is official, I am now a Food24 contributor in recipe development. This enables me to go back to my first passion which is being in the kitchen, playing around and adapting recipes. With a week to go until Christmas, I thought I’d share my recipes I developed and photographed for Food24 with you!

I love making and experimenting with meringue. It’s stiff, glossy peaks are reminiscent of a Christmas snowy summit that I can only dream to experience (for now) The brief was to make summer desserts with a South African twist. The pavlova wreath I made, was topped with decadent caramel, flecked with chunky bits of peppermint crisp chocolate and studded with raspberries to create balance and give a bit of tart flavour. This is my ode to the very South African festive dessert – peppermint crisp fridge tart.

A Lolly to Make You Jolly!

Christmas in the Southern hemisphere is a scorcher, so to keep cool and calm, I made rosè, rooibos (the South African twist) and strawberry Ice lollies.

Creme Soda Gummy Bears

I’ve been looking for a gummy bear mold and dropper set for ages! Imagine my elation upon finding an affordable set on Takealot! The South African twist you ask? The legendary green fizzy drink that is our version of creme soda. It only takes 20-30 minutes in total to make and set in the fridge. Such a fantastic idea to make with the kiddos in the school holidays. Here’s the recipe.

Tropical Fruit Meringue Roulade

Inspired by my mom’s famous swiss roll cakes she used to magically conjure up in the kitchen, I made my own modern twist on the traditional by making a roulade with seasonal summer fruits. You can find the recipe here

What will you be making for your festive table this year? Recreating any of my recipes? Let me know and share a photo of your lovely festive fare 🙂

Wishing you and yours a joyous and safe festive season!

Happy feasting x

December 17, 2019
A Grand Christmas
The sweet smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, brandy and molasses wafts through my mind reminding me of every Christmas past from my childhood. My mom, without fail, would bake her famous heavily-soaked brandy Christmas cakes on order for family or friends every year, these were the scents I recall wafting out of her kitchen, that would announce only one thing: CHRISTMAS IS HERE! As you can tell from the excitement, I loved and still do love this time of year, one thing I however did not care for much was funny enough, Christmas cake because of it’s richness in so many spices and of course ageing the cakes makes it that more pungent in taste and smell. One thing I learn as I am getting older, is a lot of the things I disliked as a child I strangely begin to have a newfound liking for now. I’m going to go ahead and say my palate has (thankfully so) evolved and for the better!

Opening up a bottle of Groot Constantia’s Grand Constance, the scent fondly reminds me of so many great festive seasons past. So in the spirit of creating my own traditions, starting this year I have vowed to make my own pavlova wreath every year to celebrate the festive season or have it as a great showstopper on my table at Christmas lunch, sure to wow any guest! To keep it light and seasonal, I made a Pavlova topped with boozy peaches and cranberries, roasted in a mixture of maple syrup, vanilla extract and of course Grande Constance. The marshmallow texture and taste of the Pavlova pairs so incredibly well because of the hints of marshmallow on the palate and nose of this Grand Dame.

Being an avid fan of Groot Constantia, they approached me to ask if I would like to be a part of their Grand Constance Festive Table campaign, naturally I jumped at the chance and said yes! I had so much fun styling my bespoke festive table and pairing the Grand Constance with something as equally delicious and sweet.

Top wine tip: pair sweet wines with something sweet. This ensures both the food and wine complement each other.

There’s only one holy grail recipe I always revert to when making pavlova, this is without doubt the queen of pavlovas, Donna Hay. Her recipe I find works best and is the most consistent in terms of outcome. The other pairing that I find works so well with Grand Constance are mince pies. Again, equally sweet and spicy. Serve with a scoop or two of your favourite vanilla ice cream, and you have an entire dessert! Warm the mince pies for best results. Yes, there are some of us that enjoy them cold (I won’t mention any names. *gives the fiancé the stink eye*).

The colour of the iconic Grande Constance reminds me of amber Christmas trifles with dollops of the famed caramel spread and warm twinkly lights that set the tone for festivities galore. To get well into the spirit of the festive season I naturally paired this delicious natural sweet wine with a dessert and even used some of it in the making of it.

Top Entertaining Tip: Pairing idea – use the boozy roasted peaches along with the sticky sweet syrup on a cheeseboard to wow guests this festive season. The sweet, tart flavours will complement pungent Stilton easily or Brie or better yet bake together with a wheel of Camembert.

Pavlova Wreath with Grand Constance Roasted Peaches

Ingredients:
- Eggwhite of 6 eggs
- 330g caster sugar
- 11/2 teaspoons of white vinegar
- 4 dessert or cling peaches, chopped into wedges
- 1/4 cup of dried cranberries
- 50ml of Grand Constance
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
- Double cream thick yoghurt to serve or whipped cream if you wish.
- 100g chopped pistachios
- light dusting of cinnamon and nutmeg
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 150°C . Place the eggwhite in a bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks begin to form. Gradually add the caster sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking for 30 seconds before adding more. Once all the sugar has been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and whisk for a further 6 minutes or until the mixture is stiff and glossy.
2. Add the vinegar and whisk for a further 2 minutes or until the mixture is glossy and combined. I used my silat and freehanded this part, but if you like a little more neat looking wreath, you may take a pencil and draw intertwining circles resembling a wreath, very important to turn the baking paper over and then spoon the meringue accordingly into the circles (it’s okay of a little is not coaxed perfectly in the shape of the wreath, a bit of imperfection is what makes it stand out!) onto the baking tray lined with the non-stick baking paper. This recipe makes 2 wreaths which you can stack and dollop yoghurt in-between to keep in place and of course to make It homogenous.
3. Place in the oven, reduce the temperature to 120°C and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the meringue to cool, with the door closed, for 1 hour do this with both wreaths. Serves 6. (or in my case 2!)
4. Set both Pavlova wreaths aside until assembly. Heat the oven up to 180°C and in a roasting dish, add the chopped peaches and cranberries, drizzle with the Grand Constance, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg. Roast for 15 minutes until soft, but not completely macerated. Set aside to cool.
5. To assemble, place your first wreath (in my case the wonkiest looking one) at the bottom, then dollop with double cream yoghurt taking a teaspoon take some of the liquid in the roasting dish and drizzle a little over the yoghurt. Place the show stopping perfect wreath on top, dollop with more yoghurt however much you would like, use your discretion, place the peach wedges on top as well as dotting the cranberries around, drizzle again with the Grand Constance infused liquid, then finish off with the chopped pistachios and seasonal pansies if you wish. I tend to go a little overboard, so of course I added edible glitter, gold stars and shimmer for good measure too! Because what’s Christmas without a little sparkle!
From my home to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Dominique x

**Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.The bottle of Grand Constance was supplied to me by Groot Constantia. All views and opinions are my own**
December 21, 2018
Festive fare – Canapés.

We all know how stressful hosting can get, especially this time of year, I’m going to make it my mission to take the pressure off and make it a little easier for you. Everybody loves canapés at a party,it’s a great ice breaker for something different to talk about, and when you’ve been waiting ages for the food, because the host decided to try out a new recipe and the tension is high in the air because hangry, canapés seems to save the day.

With this post i’d like to show you a few ideas, some rather different to the norm and some old trusty ideas we rely on that never gets old. I was lucky enough to get a copy of a rather elusive Delicious Australia December issue recently, there are so many recipes I need to try out(of course, giving myself ample time to perfect before Christmas) one of my favourite recipes in the issue, is a Jamie Oliver recipe for Brioche Mince pies. The change from the usual mince pies, is quite refreshing. The brioche as a vehicle for the fruit mince is perfect as a sweet textured little hollowed bun, the creme patissiere adds a lovely smooth velvety contrast the sharp mince needs. The fruit mince I made, I deviated from the store bought stuff and made my own, using chopped Pink Lady Apples, Medjool dates and Cranberries, with of course the usual Christmassy spices to spruce it way up. The recipe can be found in the issue or in Jamie Oliver’s latest cookbook, called “Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook”
For the Grana Padano cheese sticks and pinwheels, I got my hands on some store bought Pastry (because life is far too short to make your own for canapés guys!) my theme for these canapés is a little effort coupled with minimal fuss(if that makes sense) cut the pastry into strips brush with eggwash sprinkle over grated cheese, twist (for the sticks)and brush with egg, for the pinwheels repeat, but roll up into a wheel brush with eggwash and sprinkle both with sesame seeds. Bake for 15 mins until golden and crisp.
For the baked fig and cranberry Camembert, I spotted some lush seasonal figs at my local deli that I couldn’t resist to take home with me. I scored the top of the Camembert in a cross cross pattern, this makes the cheese ooze out, and the flavours of the honey, fig and cranberries really infuse the cheese with more flavour. Drizzle over honey a quarter fig with a few dried a cranberries. Bake for 20-25 minutes on 180 degrees. Serve warm with the cheese sticks and pinwheels and relish in the complements of being a a complete domestic goddess!
A few tips for hosting:
-never make a recipe for the first time whilst hosting, practice makes perfect!

-keep guests fed with plenty of little canapés to keep the wolf at bay

-prepare a few carafes of homemade iced tea or watermelon juice that you can spike with some gin or vodka.

-keep it simple yet stylish, add a little sparkle with decor on the table by spray painting pine cones and if you can make your own wreaths before the time, get the kids to help if you like.

-lastly, enjoy every second of having all your loved ones in one room, life gets a little crazy sometimes so much so that we are all guilty of not taking the time out for each other.

If you’re taking a social media/blog hiatus during the festive season, in that case, enjoy every moment making new memories with your loved ones and be safe on the roads if you’re traveling.
Happy holidays!

Dominique x

December 15, 2016
Festive fare.

Welcome to December! How quick did this year go by!? Every week to celebrate the festive season and to of course give you ideas for your next dinner party, I will be doing at least one festive themed recipe per week. This week I wanted to create a light snack for summer, something for anyone and everyone to enjoy and a refreshing drink that all can enjoy too.

I found a recipe from the renowned Chef Liam Tomlin from the revered Chefs Warehouse in Cape Town that he recreated for Woolworths Taste Magazine. The recipe is incredibly simple to recreate at home with very little effort involved, doesn’t that sound good? And of course I added a little(a lot) of sparkle because tis’ the season!

I’ve been a weekly regular at a certain awesome bacon themed restaurant in my area, and they serve the most delicious, refreshing locally made artisanal iced tea. Mesmerized by its unique flavour and texture, I have been racking my brain to recreate it at home. This is a recipe that I have developed.

Ingredients:

4x Rooibos tea bags

500ml boiling water

200g strawberries

100g blackberries/any other berry of your choice

A drop or two of rose water

250g castor sugar

Juice of one lemon
Method:

Over a medium to low heat, bring the berries, sugar, lemon juice and rose water to a simmer until the berries are macerated and the juices of the berries have covered the berries and sugar dissolved, take off the heat and leave to cool.
Brew the rooibos tea in the boiling water and let the tea draw for 10 minutes, leave to cool and place in the fridge. Once both the tea and the berries have been cooled, pour the compote mixture into a tea pot or carafe with the rooibos tea, serve with a slice of lemon and a few sprigs of mint.
This is the ideal drink for long scorching summer days or switch it up and add alcohol to make a crisp cooler.
Happy festive season!

Dominique x

December 2, 2016
Cocoa powder dusted Pavlovas with Blueberry compote.

Pavlovas are without doubt one of my favourite desserts! I’ve always found them quite daunting and intimidating to make, until yesterday I took a leap of faith and tried out a recipe from Donna Hay,that leap of faith and trust in a legend’s recipe truly paid off! I’m slowly getting into the festive season spirit, and what better way to start it off then with a festive pav! I added a little something extra(as always) I had a punnet of Blueberries sitting on my fridge shelf about to go off, to accompany and top the Pavlovas I made a quick blueberry compote using castor sugar to equal parts of water(a few tablespoons until it just about covers the blueberries)

Okay, time to let the cat out of the bag…remember that piece of news I’ve been teasing you all about? So, last week with the release of the December issue of the Food&Home Magazine, I was chosen and featured in this issue as their ‘Blogger of the month’! Exciting right?! 🙂 I feel incredibly honoured and so grateful to be chosen by Food&Home Magazine, check out my Instagram feed for the photo of the feature. If you’re in South Africa head out to get your copy of the issue, not only to read the feature, but there are so many gift ideas and amazing recipes for entertaining this festive season!

I shot this series of photos this morning and took me a while to shoot and edit thereafter, feeling like a train hit me, down with the common cold. So, to cheer myself up, I experimented with different backgrounds, aperture settings and light exposure, yes these are things that cheer me up! The above photo with blue backdrop, I crinkled up some tissue paper and painted it with water based paint to get that effect. I can never get enough of backdrops and backgrounds, I’ve recently noticed that there are online stores in the United Kingdom and Russia that make and sell backdrops for food photography. There are some incredibly beautiful backdrops at both stores, all of which are rather expensive if you have to include shipping costs too! I would love to make my own backdrops using stone and wood, but have no idea where to start…

Do you have any backdrops you love or know how to make? Share in the comments section.

November 22, 2016