We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers and supporters a happy and peaceful holiday season.
We thank everyone for their support during 2010, and look forward, with you, to an exciting and eventful 2011.
Archive for 2010
Seasons Greetings.
Posted by Clare on December 24th, 2010
What the Top Chefs are having for Christmas Dinner.
Posted by Clare on December 23rd, 2010
We thought we’d ask a number of our favourite chef’s what they will be cooking and serving up this Christmas Day.
It’s a mix of the traditional with a South African twist.
Here’s what they had to say.
Stefan Marais, Societi Bistro.
“We have an awesome tradition at Societi Bistro where we close between 3
and 6pm and all the [...]
3 Christmas desserts.
Posted by Clare on December 22nd, 2010
There’s nothing worse than overdoing it at the Christmas dinner table.
Here are three Xmas desserts which are light, refreshing, and very easy to make.
Christmas Pudding ice cream
Serves 8
1 litre ice cream, vanilla from Woolworths is the best to use.
1 Christmas pudding, good quality
Soften ice cream for 10 minutes.
Scoop into bowl.
Crumble in already cooked Christmas pudding [...]
3 Tasty Main Courses for Christmas Dinner.
Posted by Clare on December 21st, 2010
Here are three fab tasty Christmas main courses.
These dishes are exceedingly tasty, and are special enough for Christmas dinner in this great weather without having to think about the old favourites like Turkey, which I do not like.
Crayfish with Garlic Butter
It’s a classic and can’t be beaten. It’s such an amazing ingredient.
In the Cape we [...]
3 Christmas starters.
Posted by Clare on December 20th, 2010
These three recipes make the most wonderful starter for your Christmas meal.
I can’t emphasis strongly enough how delicious all three recipes taste and how simple they are to make. I’m making all three over the Christmas seasons.
Asparagus with Serrano Ham
Serves 4
The secret to this recipe is to dip the asparagus in lemon and butter.
16 asparagus [...]
Neil Pendock’s 10 great Christmas wine recommendations.
Posted by Clare on December 17th, 2010
Ho Ho Ho! Neil Pendock dons a seasonal baggy red duffle coat, dyes his beard and ‘tache white and saddles up Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolf to deliver Santa’s Secret Cellar: ten wines for festive cheers.
1. Stellenrust Timeless 2007: a Zen interpretation of a Bordeaux blend from the Bottelary Hills. [...]
A great Christmas present – cooking classes.
Posted by Clare on December 16th, 2010
A great Christmas present, for men in particular, is a gift of a series of cooking classes.
I say men as; 1. They generally love to cook, 2. They need to learn, more so than women and 3. It gets them out of the house.
With this in mind I sent off my partner, Eamon, to participate in Peter [...]
Win a Le Creuset pot.
Posted by Clare on December 15th, 2010
I like simple competitions.
Zonnebloem have come up with a great little one.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/ZonnebloemWine?ref=ts
They’ve teamed up with Le Creuset, and there’s a pot a month going. All you have to do is open up the Facebook link and click on the “I like” option.
How simple is that? There’s the link, away you go.
David Kramer’s Breyani at the Baxter.
Posted by Clare on December 15th, 2010
If there’s one show you should see this Christmas then go and see David Kramer’s Breyani, which is showing at the Baxter until December 31st.
Breyani, as I’m sure many of you know, is a Cape Malay delicacy for which everyone has their own favourite recipe. It is a unique mix of rice, herbs, spices, vegetables [...]
6 Festive Cap Classiques for Xmas.
Posted by Clare on December 14th, 2010
“Champagne makes you feel like it’s Sunday and better days are just around the corner.” (Marlene Dietrich)
Wine Concepts and Spill got together again to perform the tough task of previewing a range of delicious and value for money Cap Classiques that will see you through the festive season in fine fashion.
Mike Bampfield-Duggan of Wine Concepts, [...]
Recipe. Tropical Pavlova.
Posted by Clare on December 14th, 2010
This is just the dessert to serve up around Christmas time in South Africa.
It’s light, tastes wonderful and looks fantastic.
Guaranteed to get the taste buds drooling!
Serves 8.
6 Free range egg whites.
300g Castor sugar.
150mls double cream, whipped.
150ml Greek yoghurt.
1 Cactus fruit, sliced.
1 Papaya, sliced.
1 Banana, chopped.
1/2 pineapple, chopped.
Pulp of 6 passion fruit.
Honey to drizzle before serving.
But [...]
Holy Moly, it’s Rawbones in Mzolis. A wine launch in Gugulethu and win 12 bottles of wine.
Posted by Clare on December 9th, 2010
I’ll get straight to the point.
These are two bloody great summer drinking braai wines. The red is R55, and the white is R45.
You can glug them back with meats of any origin, braai’d to death in any sauce from sweet, to fiery.
That’s the theory, and the practice?
I tried it out today by travelling with the [...]
Posted in Wines of The Week 
Tags: Gugulethu, Merlot Cabernet Franc., Mzolis, Rawbones, Sauvignon Blanc 
7 Comments read more »Chef’s Chat. Brad Ball – Bistro sixteen82. Steenberg.
Posted by Clare on December 9th, 2010
Where were you born?
I was born in Johannesburg.
How long have you been in your present job?
We opened the bistro just over a year ago, but were building for two years prior to its opening.
What is your favourite dish to cook?
I love what happens to a leg of lamb when it’s slow cooked in a pizza [...]
I love spiders in the kitchen.
Posted by Clare on December 8th, 2010
I love spiders in the Kitchen
Emma Wyngaard designs and makes the most delectable items
for the kitchen.
Aprons, tea-towels napkins and runners for dining tables.
Emma is a born and bred Capetonian.
She studied design at the Foundation School of
Art in Cape Town.
Her first love was photography but then the interior design
bug (or spider) bit her while she was [...]
Posted in Niblets., The Producers. Tags: camps bay, capetonian, cup cakes, designer, emma wyngaard, foundation school of art, napkins, runners, spier, tea towels, waterfront 3 Comments read more »Can it be true? 30-70% Discount off retail wine prices. You betcha!
Posted by Clare on December 7th, 2010
AJ Ray is a man on a mission. He’s determined to sell excellent quality wine at unbeatable prices to consumers directly to their door by getting them to order on www.salewine.co.za.
This is the newest entrant into the market place selling wine off the internet. It’s certainly caught my attention. There are guaranteed savings from 30 [...]
Posted in Niblets. Tags: aj Ray, consumer act, free delivery, salewine, www.salewine.co.za 10 Comments read more »Recipe. Mussels in a cream and white wine sauce.
Posted by Clare on December 6th, 2010
I’ve gotten into the habit, before cooking fish or shellfish, of having a quick chat with my buddy Paul Joubert, fishmonger par excellence at Southern Cross in Tokai.
Paul has fresh farmed mussels for sale everyday.
I adore mussels, always have. But I’m very picky about the way I like them cooked.
My preference is to eat wild [...]
Mud Studio Ceramics.
Posted by Clare on December 6th, 2010
I saw this drop dead georgous jug in Melissas the other day and I just couldn’t resist. I had to have one for my summer juices and….and well…I just had to have one.
I had never seen this brand before, so a little research later I discovered that these ceramics are made in the eastern Free [...]
Planet Restaurant. Mount Nelson Hotel. Review.
Posted by Clare on December 3rd, 2010
A hotel is not a place you’d normally frequent to eat fabulous food.
Well, the newly opened Planet Restaurant is about to change all that.
I ate there last night. It was an extraordinary meal.
Canapes came to the table, they were a pre- starter, nice touch. The ostrich tartar stood out for me.
My starter of Crayfish Ceviche and [...]
Gogo’s Biltong & other delicacies, Newlands.
Posted by Clare on December 2nd, 2010
GOGO’s is a little gem of a meat deli which has opened in Newlands village in the Southern Suburbs.
Deirdre and Sam Elliott are the driving force behind this new foodie business.
They take biltong very seriously and quite frankly the range is unbelievable.
Gemsbok, kudu, blades, beef stick, barbeque stick, mild chilli, very hot chilli kudu wors, [...]
Recipe. Smoked trout pasta.
Posted by Clare on December 2nd, 2010
I love this recipe. It’s so easy and makes a great weekday supper or a fab starter for entertaining.
It also looks great. You have a choice of the shape of pasta which you can use.
Also you can add a pinch of dried chilli for a little kick, that’s up to you.
Here goes. This serves serves [...]
