The Corkless Mind

Tag: summer

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
An Evening of Food and Wine Pairing at Kunjani Wine Estate

*Please note, Kunjani winery hosted me to attend the dinner, however, all views are my own*

I recently attended the very first wine and food pairing dinner at Kunjani wine estate in Stellenbosch. You may recall I was at their label launch earlier this year. The dinner consists of six courses and will be a regular occurrence at the boutique winery which will feature a fresh, seasonal menu with every dinner hosted by co-owner Pia Watermeyer.

The first course was a beetroot goat’s cheese salad, pistachio goat’s cheese balls, fig compote, grapefruit perfectly paired with the Kunjani Stolen Chicken Rosé 2018. It was quite a warm evening so this went down quite a treat! The second course, line fish, grilled artichoke, cauliflower puree, broccoli, pak choy, white wine chive sauce paired with an equally delicious Kunjani Chenin Blanc 2018.

The third course, was a refreshing palate cleanser of lemon sorbet to prepare us for the next course which was North-West Kudu carpaccio, quail eggs, horseradish, parmesan shavings, radish, pickled vegetables paired with my personal favourite, Kunjani Shiraz 2015. Next was an incredibly delicious biltong-spiced sirloin, king oyster mushrooms, carrot & cauliflower quenelles, asparagus, broccoli paired superbly with the Kunjani Cabernet Sauvignon 2017. Dessert always being my favourite course, was a chocolate-mint nougat mousse, pistachio crumbs, frozen yoghurt, and a brandy snap paired with the Kunjani Merlot 2017.

The dinner costs R550 per person, including wine and gratuity.
Bookings essential, prepayment secures your seat. Limited to 30 guests.

Note: bookings are subject to availability. Cancellations 7 days or less prior to the date of the dinner are non-refundable. T&Cs apply. This is a special event and due to space restrictions long/mixed tables are allocated and not individual tables. To book your spot for the next dinner call: +27 87 630 0409, or email: info@kunjaniwines.co.za For more information visit their Facebook page for updates: https://www.facebook.com/Kunjaniwines/

Thank you Kunjani for graciously hosting my husband and me, we can’t wait to be back again soon!

December 4, 2019
Top 5 things to do in Lamberts Bay this Festive Season.

It’s that time of year again, all the pushing and shoving and craziness in stores. If you’re feeling end of year burn out like most of us are this time of year, why not give yourself a well deserved break from all of the hustle and bustle of city life and get some emergency R&R with your loved ones in the coastal sleepy town of Lamberts Bay. With that said here’s a list of all to see, do and taste in Lambert’s Bay:

Die Plaaskombuis

Enjoy traditional country food (boerekos), seafood, farm breakfasts in a restored farm house more than a century old. It is situated on the scenic farm Steenbokfontein, 9km south of town. Be sure to make a booking first. If you’re lucky enough Tannie Kitta will show you around all the relics in the restaurant accompanied with all the fascinating true stories of the history in the area and how her family came to be in the area. For those wanting to stay a little longer On site are also self-catering cottages on the Steenbokfontein sea farm to enjoy a little R&R by the sea.

Lambert’s Bay Harbour and beach front

Take a leisurely stroll along the harbour and beach. Watch the local fisherman come in with their catch of the day and clean them right on the harbour docks to sell fresh to suppliers through app, Abalobi or private sales.

Walking Tour

Put your walking shoes and learning cap on. Starting at the oldest seaside factory and all throughout the town stopping at local landmarks.

High Tide Restaurant

At the helm of this gem is a Cordon Bleu trained chef. Besides her warm reception, along with that of the staff, Chef Bertina Engelbrecht’s food is seasonal, fresh and inspiring. Being a oenophile, I gladly stopped by the quaint tasting room next door to purchase some of the deliciously crisp Teubes wines that was served in the restaurant. I absolutely couldn’t go all the way home without a little bit of Lamberts Bay in a bottle. I plan to pair my wines with a dish, coming soon to the blog! We were also treated to a professional food and wine pairing. Which reminded me of WSET Level 1. Knowing how salt, umami, sweet and bitter affects wine is life changing and incredibly fascinating.

Visit the Sandveld Museum

The museum houses 15 different exhibits, “Old” Lambert’s Bay, HMS Sybille Gunboat which ran aground in 1901, Photograph collection, Fish industry and fishing community, Book & Bible collection, Archaeological display, Horsemill and Farm implements and Clothes and embroidery from bygone days.

Lamberts Bay has so much coastal charm and I love how locals are always welcoming you with a smile. Certainly worth the drive out of Cape Town, but I would advise to stay a little longer, the tranquility is infectious!

*Information supplied by Lamberts Bay Tourism and West Coast Way**

November 30, 2018
Fig and Speck Salad with Parmesan Crisps.
This recipe is inspired by two amazing women, Donna Hay, and my sister. My sister texted me some food inspiration when I really had none at all, she had a vision of me making something delicious with luscious figs she spotted in store, with that in mind I recalled a recipe from Donna Hay I have been saving, not sure why though. With Figs in peak season, I knew this was the perfect time to make this gorgeous recipe.

I’ve noticed and made a mental note that the figs I see in store are a lot smaller than previous years, and makes me wonder, if at all, there is some sort of correlation between that and the ongoing drought the City of Cape Town is experiencing.

Recently I have started a journey of mindful eating and fitness, so whilst I won’t be posting as many indulgent recipes any time soon, I will surely not deprive myself, nor you! I am on the hunt for delicious yet healthy recipes. If you have any ideas on how to spruce up healthy foods with ‘oomph’ please do let me know in the comments section, I would love to hear from you!

Fig and Speck Salad with Parmesan Crisps.

Ingredients:
- 4-6 Black Figs, or any figs for that matter
- 4 slices of Speck or prosciutto roughly torn into strips
- 100g Rocket and Baby Spinach
- 5 Samphire sprigs
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 100g Grana Padano, or any other Parmesan
- a little salt and freshly ground black pepper to serve
Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Grate the Parmesan and spread out evenly on a silpat on lined baking tray. Bake for 5-6 minutes until golden and crisp. Set aside to cool and harden. To assemble, wash the rocket and spinach and place onto a plate. Place the speck, then the figs and samphire, drizzle over the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Break the Parmesan crisps into shards and add a little salt and pepper. Serve as an entree or snack.

*side note: if it does happen that you have any leftover Parmesan crisps, you can keep it in an airtight container for a week.*

Happy eating and happy weekend! x

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February 23, 2018
Watermelon, Rose Water and Gin Slushy
Summer has reached its peak in Cape Town and with the consequences of one of the worst droughts we’ve seen in decades means there aren’t many ways available to cool down in this exhausting heat. Cue the watermelon! One of a few things I do love about summer, is the bounty of delicious tropical fruit available for sweet pickings.

This recipe is inspired by one I spotted in the latest Summer issue of Donna Hay’s Magazine. Instead of the doing the Frosé version, I am not much of Rosé drinker, but instead added some of Malfy’s delicious Gin. Malfy Gin, of Italian origin off the Malfy coast to be exact, has refreshing zesty citrus notes with hints of juniper. I chose this particular gin, to see how the lemony notes in the gin would pair with the watermelon and rose-water. To describe the finished product, I’d like to think of it as an alcoholic watermelon, rose-water flavoured frozen lemonade. I know, a mouthful in description, but it’s damn delicious and best of all so easy to make at home! I omitted sugar too, because the watermelon adds the much needed sweetness that this slush requires to be, well a slushy.

Watermelon, Rose water and Gin Slushy

Ingredients:
- 1/2 small-sized Watermelon
- A few drops of Rose water (tread lightly, this stuff is potent)
- 4 – 6 tall tot glasses of Malfy Gin, depending preference.
- 500 ml of watermelon tonic or any tonic water will do.
Method:

Chop up the watermelon, ensuring all of the seeds are taken out. You may spot a few pieces of black seeds in my photos (oops). So expect to find a few in your slushy mix here and there, if you miss a few seeds, that’s perfectly okay. Place the chopped watermelon, rose-water, gin and tonic into a blender, and blitz until smooth. Pour the slushy mix into a loaf pan or tray that can easily fit into your freezer. Freeze for 6 hours. Enjoy chilled!

**Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. All ingredients were purchased and supplied by myself. All views in this post are as a reflection of my honest opinion.

Happy weekend! x
January 26, 2018
Grilled strawberries and cream.

There’s something so unmistakably classic about the combination of strawberries and cream, that will always transcend food trends. That to me is the very definition of classic food. Inspired by the breathtaking food photography and styling in the March issue of delicious Australia, I couldn’t resist recreating this recipe at home. This recipe is by chef Matt Wilkinson for the March issue of delicious.
Like many others scrambling to the stores to indulge in the last little bit of summer produce available before its all vanished off of shelves for a good couple of months and before regret sets in that I didn’t attempt this gorgeous recipe, I knew I had to give it a go!
Grilled strawberries with cream and meringue shards.
Ingredients:
– 250g strawberries

– 1 tsp of olive oil

– Black pepper to taste

– A few basil leaves to garnish

– Vanilla ice cream to serve

– 2 egg whites

– 120g castor sugar
Method:

Preheat oven to 95 degrees C. Starting on the meringue shards first, in a stand mixer or with an electric beater, beat the egg whites until soft peaks have formed. Gradually adding the sugar a little at a time, whilst the mixer is on. Beat until stiff and glossy. On a parchment lined/silpat lined baking tray spread the meringue thinly on the baking tray, and bake for 40 minutes. Break into shards and set aside.
Coat the strawberries in olive oil and a little freshly ground black pepper. On a high heat, sear the strawberries until black grill lines are visible (take care to space the strawberries apart)
Serve with the meringue shards, a scoop or two of ice cream, basil leaves and freshly ground black pepper.

March 15, 2017