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
Carrot Cake Roll
It dawned on me that the reason why I love carrot cake is actually about the cream cheese frosting and filling! In this rolled cake the proportion of frosting to cake is generous! A little [...]
Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
I have to serve this decadently delicious, rich, cheesy concoction at least once a year! It is almost fondue-like but it contains spinach and artichokes, so that makes it healthy, doesn’t it? I can’t trace [...]
Lamb Rogan Josh with Lentils
While the Western Cape is known for its magnificent restaurants we sadly lack good, authentic Indian Restaurants in my area so when I have a craving for Indian I start paging through my pile of [...]
Warm Sticky Ginger Puddings with Whiskey Sauce
Winter calls for decadent warm desserts. This time I combined ginger, tamarind and dark brown sugar to create a delicious warm pudding and it is finished off with a whiskey cream! WARNING: If you are [...]
Hearty winter soup with delicious variations
As soon as winter arrives I haul out my pressure cooker and it lives on my kitchen counter until springtime! In an effort to eat as healthily as possible and to avoid unnecessary carbs one [...]
Beetroot with Orange and Jalapeño
Cooked beetroot salad is quintessential South African. I think everyone who grew up here had sliced or grated beetroot salad at least once a week! My mom cooked beetroot in the pressure cooker and one [...]
Bao – steamed Chinese buns, with Barbeque Pork
Bao or Baozi (Chinese) are deliciously light steamed yeast buns that serve as a vehicle for various fillings. An ancient street food that is on trend today! With their origins in China they have spread [...]
LATEST RECIPES
Carrot Cake Roll
You need 20x30cm cake pan/ baking tray Baking paper Non-stick cooking spray Clean, dry tea towel for rolling The ingredients 500ml finely grated carrots 3 extra large eggs, at room temperature 125ml castor sugar 10ml finely grated orange zest 180ml cake flour 5ml ground ginger 5ml ground cinnamon ½ ml ground cloves 5ml baking powder [...]
Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
You need Use plump artichoke hearts (fresh, from the jar or canned) 200g cream cheese (preferably full fat) 125ml sour cream 125ml mayonnaise 1-2 cloves garlic, grated 5ml finely grated lemon zest 20ml lemon juice 300-400g fresh spinach, steamed (preparation details below) and water squeezed out, finely chopped About 300g artichoke hearts, drained, [...]