Home cooking- a celebration dinner

For daughter Clare’s birthday, which was last Sunday, Lynne usually cooks a special meal and this year was no different.

She did try to replicate the Orzo and smoked salmon dish we had at the Vineyard for the starter,

and we had Life from Stone 2010 Sauvignon blanc from Springfield - fresh and lively and wonderful - with it. She followed this with duck breasts, bought from Salvin the Neighbourgoods Butcher at the Biscuit Mill, and served them in the classic Duck à l’Orange sauce. Yes, of course, we had duck fat potatoes with our duck and the obligatory butternut puree with green peas.

This went down a treat with a bottle of Mary le Bow 2004,  a cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz and cabernet franc blend, made by Bruce Jack at Flagstone.

Later vintages are still made by Bruce, but are made independently of Flagstone for the Frater family trust.

 

For dessert, she made chocolate fondants, using the Nomu boxed product which they gave us last week. We did add 50g of Willie Harcourt-Cooze 70% dark chocolate (broken in pieces) to the batter and the recipe really works. John, enjoying the treat of not having to drive, was able to enjoy a glass of De Krans tawny port.