FRESH FROM THE BLOG
From the Kitchen
Preparing food in my home has been my foremost passion. I thrive on reading and researching what is fresh, locally produced and delicious, designing a menu, preparing it and serving it in the most beautiful and appetizing way possible. The joy that I have in sharing beautiful and delicious food with our friends and family cannot always be expressed in words….. but, I will try to do so!
I will include what is new and on trend in both ingredients and equipment, and of course who is influencing and tantalizing my palate via books, blogs or restaurants. There is so much to share and write about.
Dining In & Out
Enjoying food prepared by others is part of our pleasurable indulgences! We are privileged to be surrounded by some of the best restaurants in South Africa, but we don’t only dine out at so-called fine dining establishments. I am always seeking the best we can find, be it a burger, fish and chips or a hearty curry. I am not an enthusiastic baker, but a cozy coffee shop with unusual pastries and delicious cakes attracts my attention.
This is not a forum for reviewing occasions or restaurants, but it is one for sharing new experiences, flavours, textures and environments that inspire.
Travel & Adventure
The joy of retirement is that we are able to often slip away to local places of interest for a few days. At least once a year we try to get away to an interesting international location. Gourmet tourism fascinates us. Our trips are carefully planned to explore the food and wine of the area. We also enjoy the environment and cultural experiences, and of course these factors often impact on the local cuisine.
I usually bring my travel taste experiences back home and they often impact on my cooking style.
Wine & Accessories
My husband Mark, and I share an interest in wine. We both have independently completed various Certificates and Diplomas in Wine and only recently reduced our wine book library to about 1600 books!
We belong to a number of wine tasting groups, where we have the opportunity to formally taste and explore many wines and styles. We regularly spend a few informal hours tasting what is new in the magnificent Cape Winelands. In addition to this, we always taste and study the wines wherever we travel. We even found a rather delicious Chenin Blanc in Thailand!
Here I will share some of these vineous adventures with you.
From the Garden
My inspiration in the kitchen often comes from the garden. I am motivated to start cooking when I harvest a bowl of freshly picked tomatoes or a handful of crisp spinach, herb or kale leaves, but more about that as the seasons progress.
The flower garden also impacts on our meals as I always stroll around the garden to see what is available before I plan my table setting. Other than on the roses, I do not use insecticides, so edible flowers are used.
I love visiting gardens on my travels. The formal gardens of Europe and the exotic Asian gardens fascinate me.
LATEST FROM THE BLOG
Curried Roast Chicken
The dilemma was I had a craving for roast chicken and curry! And so this recipe was born: Curried Roast Chicken For roasting, I usually spatchcock the chicken. The advantages being: Nearly all the shin [...]
Pear and Chocolate Tart – 4 ingredients!
French inspired, but rustic When I peer through the windows of French Pastry shop it’s always the range of tarts that catch my eye! Nothing quite beats the crisp pastry and the beautiful fillings and [...]
Perfect Winter’s Supper- Pork Sausages With Spiced Sweet Potato Mash
A winters night supper: Sage flavoured Pork Sausages Orange Sweet potato Mash with Orange and Spices Onions with Chilli Sage Butter Steamed Broccoli This delicious supper all started with the humble pork sausage. My local [...]
Filo Apple Roses – a glamorous light winter dessert
This is one of my favourite winter desserts. For years I have been looking at these filo apple roses and pondered whether they are worthwhile making. They certainly tick all the boxes on appearance, lightness [...]
Shallot, Mushroom and Sherry Sauce
Shallots ..... At last we are able to buy packs of shallots more frequently in South Africa! I love the delicate sweetness of shallots versus onions and understand why most French recipes favour them. We [...]
Green Vegetable Miso Soup
When my husband is away my fridge and pantry stock becomes low and limited to ‘single girl’ foods….. veggies, cheese and bacon are my staples! Oh, yes, and of course there are a couple of [...]
Olive oil polenta cake with lemon, rose & cardamom – gluten & dairy free
A visit to an olive farm We visited our friends who own a beautiful olive farm near the village of Porterville in the Cape. When I offered to bring something decadent to enjoy with coffee [...]
LATEST RECIPES
Curried Roast Chicken
For 4-6 people you need 1 large fresh chicken 1 can coconut milk 5-7 cm piece of root ginger, peeled 3 large garlic cloves, peeled 2-3 chillies, deseeded (I used long red cayenne chillies) A handful of fresh coriander 15 ml turmeric 5ml cumin 5ml black peppercorns 15ml powdered chicken stock 2 medium onion sliced [...]
Pear and Chocolate Tart – 4 ingredients!
You need 1 packet butter puff pastry (frozen) ½ small jar chocolate hazelnut spread 5 small pears 250ml chenin blanc or chardonnay wine Optional: icing sugar, whipped cream or icing sugar To prepare Preheat the oven to 200°C Defrost the pastry, preferably in the fridge, or in a cool place Cut the pears in half [...]