Friday, March 18, 2016

This Week's MENU: Dassiesfontein, Food Barn Lunch , Biltong & Pinotage, Muratie Harvest Festival, RMB Starlight Concert, Stellenbosch Wine & Pizza, De Morgenzon tasting, Jordan lunch, Tabbouleh

The Stellenbosch Kloof from the deck at Jordan

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We have had another wonderful week showing the Cape and all its attractions to our visiting friends
And there are some important Holy Days ahead. We wish you all a blessed Easter and a happy Passover and hope that your days will be filled with joy.
A stop for lunch at Dassiesfontein     On our way back from our stay in the Hemel and Aarde valley we stopped off at this crazy fun place on the N2. There are rooms and rooms bursting full of different things to buy, old and new, interesting and strange. It is a bit like watching one of those compulsive hoarder programmes but you can help! You can also visit their rustic restaurant for some traditional South African food. Read on.....
Lunch at The Food Barn     We are always surprised how few Capetonians know about this superb restaurant in Noordhoek. Franck Dangereux is a classically trained French chef, who helped to put La Colombe on the map in the years before he opened his own restaurant. Franck married a local girl and settled here. He has trained many of our top chefs, all of whom speak of him with great respect. Go and try his food for yourself, you will not regret it. Read on.....
Biltong and Pinotage pairing     The Biltong and Pinotage Festival will take place at L'Avenir near Stellenbosch on the 16th and 17th of April this year and will be the best opportunity in the year to taste some of the most impressive SA Pinotages, all paired with Joubert and Monty's biltong. Get your tickets soon. The festival starts at 11h00 on both days. A ticket at R150 pp includes a branded wine glass and a pairing card for the Pinotage and Biltong tastings. Bookings at www.plankton.mobi and selected Joubert and Monty outlets. We had the opportunity this week to assist with pairing the Pinotages with the biltong. Read on.....
Muratie Harvest Festival     This is one we never like to miss. Held in the gardens at Muratie, you can drink their wines accompanied by lovely, simple but satisfying food and enjoy the live music with lots of your friends.. Read on.....
RMB Starlight Concert     This annual concert, held at Vergelegen, just gets better and better each year. This year the headliners included South African opera diva Pretty Yende. She has starred at nearly all of the major opera houses of the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala (where she is resident), Covent Garden, Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Paris Opera. Bra Hugh Masekela also topped the bill with his brand of SA jazz and delighted us with his humour and his trumpet. And, yes, he did play Grazing in the Grass, his #1 smash hit in 1968. Read on.....
Stellenbosch Wines and Pizza     On Sunday, after a night in an AirBnB in Somerset West, we met friends at this new festival held at Stellenbosch Vineyards (you might know it as Welmoed winery) on Baden Powell Drive. We found some shade and shelter from the wind, some chairs and a small table, and enjoyed a lovely day drinking their wines and eating some pizza and other snacks. Read on.....
De Morgenzon tasting and to Jordan for lunch    One of our visiting friends was celebrating his 75th birthday here and he invited us to lunch at Jordan. Such a treat to spend a birthday on the terrace eating marvellous food and enjoying the views. But first, we took them to De Morgenzon next door to taste some wine. Read on.....
Food fact: Crushing garlic is easy. Put it on a hard surface and whack it once or twice with the bottom of a small pan. It will be pulverised, all the skin will come away easily and then you can chop it quickly. Thank you James Martin.
Wine of the Week: De Morgenzon DMZ Sauvignon Blanc: this has a lovely apple blossom nose, so unusual for Sauvignon Blanc followed by some tropical and herbal notes. On the palate a full mouthful of good fruit, figs and green pepper pyrazines, in layers of completeness, thirst quenching too. R90 on the farm

This week's recipe is a nice easy summer salad, great for using up your home grown basil which probably is going to seed, ours is. You can add good Extra virgin olive oil to this too. This is lovely with roasted stuffed vegetables. We had this with lamb and rosemary stuffed roasted red banana peppers, those sweet long peppers that are easy to stuff. Woolworths has them this week.
End of Summer Tabbouleh
100g bulgur cracked wheat – 2 tomatoes - 3 spring onions - 4 peppadews - 1 small avocado - 1 tsp finely chopped garlic - a large handful of basil, or mint, or parsley or a mix of all three - optional pomegranate molasses or lemon juice
Cover the bulgur wheat in boiling water and leave to soak for half an hour. Drain. Meanwhile, finely chop the vegetables into approx 1 cm cubes, add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. If you have any, add the squeeze of pomegranate molasses, if not add a squeeze of lemon and mix gently. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste. Chop the basil or other herbs and add to the salad just before serving.
Here is a list of coming events up to the end March. There may be more, but we will add them as we receive them.
Thursday, 17th March     Summer Sounds at Haute Cabrière, featuring Nuka, a singer-song writer from Stellenbosch. She is a creative song writer and a free spirit. Her sound can be described as a fusion of folk, old blues and Jazz. This is the perfect way to enjoy a delicious light meal paired with great wines. The breathtaking views and sunsets provide a splendid setting for the entertainment on the Terrace area at Haute Cabrière with seating on the Terrace and the lawns which overlook the magnificent Franschhoek Valley. Booking is essential as each event has a maximum capacity of 60 people. Please note only the Terrace menu is available at these events and no cover charge applies. For reservations and enquiries e-mail restaurant@cabriere.co.za or call 021 876 3688
Thursday, 24th March     Summer Sounds at Haute Cabrière, featuring Morne Meyer, from Wellington, who has recently worked in Dubai as an entertainer for Regal Plaza Hotel with guitar, vocal and live music. He is talented in multiple genres including Jazz, Blues, Funk and Pop. This is the perfect way to enjoy a delicious light meal paired with great wines. The breathtaking views and sunsets provide a splendid setting for the entertainment on the Terrace area at Haute Cabrière with seating on the Terrace and the lawns which overlook the magnificent Franschhoek Valley. Booking is essential as each event has a maximum capacity of 60 people. Please note only the Terrace menu is available at these events and no cover charge applies. For reservations and enquiries e-mail restaurant@cabriere.co.za or call 021 876 3688
Thursday, 31st March      Summer Sounds at Haute Cabrière, featuring Nuka, a singer-song writer from Stellenbosch. She is a creative song writer and a free spirit. Her sound can be described as a fusion of folk, old blues and Jazz. This is the perfect way to enjoy a delicious light meal paired with great wines. The breathtaking views and sunsets provide a splendid setting for the entertainment on the Terrace area at Haute Cabrière with seating on the Terrace and the lawns which overlook the magnificent Franschhoek Valley. Booking is essential as each event has a maximum capacity of 60 people. Please note only the Terrace menu is available at these events and no cover charge applies. For reservations and enquiries e-mail restaurant@cabriere.co.za or call 021 876 3688




18th March 2016
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