Tuesday, May 02, 2017

The Elgin Cool Wine & Country Festival

Held last weekend, this festival was held on individual farms in the Elgin Wine Valley, who organised their own events. You registered at Peregrine Farm stall, were given your bracelet and wine glass and a comprehensive map (all included in the ticket price) and headed off. It has to be said that you did have to prebook for some of the most popular events
We got up early and drove up the N2 to Oak Valley, where we were booked in for breakfast. It usually takes us exactly an hour and it did again. The weather was grey with a few spits and spots but not unpleasant. This was our welcome "Discovery starts here....!"
Flowers and apples, two of the things Oak Valley does as well as their wine, Wagyu beef, acorn fed pigs and the Pool Room restaurant and deli
Apple box seats and lots of umbrellas in the garden
Lynne chatting to Marketing Manager Brad Gold
This is where you could taste or buy all the available wines from Stef Ellett, who was also responsible for all the hand drawn signage on the farm
Breakfast muffins in the restaurant. Rather too healthy for us
The glorious pool
There were four choices for breakfast, we chose this Croissant with smoked salmon trout, red onions, cucumber, cream cheese, and caper berries. A very good start to the day. As was the good cup of black coffee
Chef Gordon Manuel in his kitchen
We had long chats about food. We always do
People began to arrive
Another stunning display. Oak Valley farm flowers, which you will find in Woolworths and other flower vendors. Oak Valley is one of the largest growers of cut flowers
Time for a tasting
The wines available
The ancient oaks
From Oak Valley, we called in at Elgin Vintners' new venue.
They had a food truck and ice cream in the garden
Inside the elegant tasting room
The wines for sale
Four almost well behaved imps waiting for the band to start playing
Then it was off to Highlands Road. Croquet was being played next to the dam
Winemaker Vanessa Simkiss had the wines were ready for tasting
The views are lovely from the terrace
Owner Michael White was behind the counter serving wine and we met some old friends who were at the Festival for the weekend
Pride of place a recent award for the Sauvignon Blanc Reserve
Good live music
Off to Shannon to find that they had Santa Annas from Gordon’s Bay cooking on their portable smoker
We were not sure what Broadcaster Jon Meinking was saying. We did not owe him part of that bill! You paid first then ordered your food or wine
They had put up a marquee as rain was threatening. James Downes was behind the counter serving the wines
with his brother Stuart and Tanya Beutler, who looks after their exports on a normal day
A Radio day! Guy McDonald of Magic Radio was also there with Jon Meinking and Seven Springs winemaker Riana van der Merwe
There is no hiding behind those superb wines James. They are made by Gordon and Nadia Newton Johnson, one of the reasons we like them so much
James & Libby Downes with their birthday girl
James and Stuart own the Shannon wine company, James is the farmer - the vineyards are meticulous. Stuart is a major wine exporter and importer, in addition to his responsibilities at Shannon
Lynne chatting to Seven Springs winemaker Riana van der Merwe
There was an art table for children, supervised by Tanya Beutler's daughter Julia Torr
And good music all day from Piano Ben
The Santa Annas roasting their pork and beef in the smoker. They serve Latin American and Southern Barbecue style food and are available for hire
John made a good choice with the roast pork with excellent crackling, chilli sauce, a baked potato with sour cream and a salad. Lynne had the roasted short rib. Lots of them, falling off the bone, but not a lot of flavour. This also came with a salad and a coriander pesto. We are not fresh coriander fans
Girls having fun. Riana van der Merwe and Frieda Lloyd, Manager of Cape Whale Coast Tourism and Coordinator of the Hemel-en-Aarde Winegrowers' Association
A dog with lots of character, owned by Libby Downes. This terrier treats an apple like a ball and wants you to play along by throwing it. Only in Elgin, the Apple capital of the South
Yes, you are playing with me!
Gotcha! Note he has taken a bite out of the apple too
The Palmiet River runs alongside the farm and it looks full, but it is deceptive, the river is dammed just a bit further down

Autumn leaves and olive season. The rain had begun, it was time to head home. Thank you Elgin for a lovely day

Friday, April 28, 2017

Breakfast on the Azure deck at The Twelve Apostles

There can't be many places with a view like the panorama from the deck of Azure Restaurant at the Twelve Apostles Hotel, on the road from Bakoven towards Llandudno and Hout Bay. We were invited for a breakfast meeting last week and were delighted that our current Indian Summer was continuing. When we arrived at nine, the sea was calm, the weather warm and, yes, we would like to sit out on the terrace to enjoy the view. The hotel is part of the Red Carnation Group of International Hotels
You can choose your breakfast from the vast array on the hot and cold buffet or you can order a cooked breakfast from the menu. This was the local smoked salmon trout and charcuterie display with all the additions you could imagine
Help yourselves to fresh local oysters, juice, pastries and croissants
Very nice plump oysters on ice
A glass of Kleine Zalze Mèthode Cap Classique bubble to get the day started, on its own or with orange juice
Fresh fruit in season, yoghurts, cereals and porridges
Sprinkle your cereal or Bircher muesli with dried fruit, bran, nuts or seeds
Fresh fruit and the cheese board with freshly baked bread and biscuits
Just chilling. Breakfast is served from 7.00 to 10.30 am
The breakfast menu.
We began simply. A glass of the Kleine Zalze MCC and two good Americano black coffees, topped with a good crema. This was followed by a pain au chocolate for John and some smoked trout, cream cheese and a croissant for Lynne
You can often see whales and dolphins swimming by in the season. It is a popular spot and the hotel is a popular wedding and function venue
Now please don't judge. It is not a mean breakfast. The small helping was Lynne's choice from the self serve warm buffet, She tries not to eat too much. You can have a huge helping should you desire. And go back for more. The stars of the show were the creamy buttery scrambled egg and the 'home made' baked beans, which were smoky and slightly spicy. And yes the bacon is crisp
John ordered the three egg omelette with cheese, bacon and chorizo. Excellent
Fisherman out at sea, pulling in their catch. This whole coastline is a marine nature reserve, so we hope they had permits
A misty morning view of Lion's Head with its feet in the sea
Down on Oudekraal beach after breakfast
A friendly stray, on this resort, who probably lives off the remains of barbecue
A view of the hotel from the road. It is only a short drive into town over Kloof Nek, the pass between Lion's Head and Table Mountain
And a view of the whole coastline with the side of Table Mountain and the Twelve Apostles (the ridge of mountains behind the hotel) standing guard

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

This Week's MENU. Breakfast at Cape Point Vineyards, Lunch at Faber, Pinotage and Biltong Festival, L'Avenir Glen Rose Pinotage 2015, Hollandaise Sauce

A Camps Bay autumn sunset
They tell us that we can expect rain tonight and tomorrow. The clouds are building, so we live in hope. There is enough water in our reservoirs to last about 2½ months. The upside of this “Indian Summer” is that we had wonderful warm sunny weather for our activities last weekend. We have the prospect of a wonderful lunch tomorrow and regional wine festivals this week and weekend, Taste of Darling and Elgin Cool Wine & Country Festival. If it rains on those parades we’ll be very happy and so, we are sure, will be the organisers. Click on the links to see the stories of the past week; we think that you’ll enjoy them

We felt like a drive in our new car to explore breakfast somewhere different and Cape Point Vineyards in Noordhoek got the vote. We also intended to explore the area afterwards. We did book and were reassured by them that the breakfasts, normally served outside, would be served inside should the weather change. We hadn’t been back there since we worked at their market in 2013. Read on.....
Sometimes you just have the most perfect day and last Saturday was it. We had booked for lunch for four of us during Restaurant Week at Faber. We had eaten and really enjoyed Chef Eric Bulpitt's food when he was at Newton Johnson and this is his new restaurant. So, when Lynne spotted Faber on the Restaurant Week list, she booked. We haven't been back to Avondale for several years - we try to get around as much as possible, but there is a long list of places we want to visit. And of course we do get invited to many.....
Smoking at The Test     This is not going to be a food review. There will be no links or photographs. The Test is a burger and sports bar in Sea Point, lots of TVs with sport on them, a long bar and some tables. We were invited there by friends to meet their parents and had a lovely evening with them. The hamburgers we had were good. Our waiter was pleasant. We all brought along some great wines, happy to pay the corkage. One huge problem for us: the front of the restaurant can be opened to the street, so the effluent from smokers at the tables on the pavement blows straight in to those eating inside. They allow smoking and despite asking them three times to ask patrons to stop, as it was spoiling our meal and smoking in a public place is illegal, they ignored us and actively encouraged it. So we won't be visiting again. Lynne had to use her puffer as the smoke really gets to her asthmatic lungs. And who wants constant cigarette smoke with their food? They should remember that ignorance (in both senses of the word) is no defence in law. We haven't reported them, but undoubtedly someone will
This annual festival was held on the grass at L' Avenir last weekend. It is a chance to taste some Cape Pinotages and lots of biltong. The days are still quite hot, so the wine farms were also encouraged to bring a chilled white or rosé wine so that there would be something for every taste. It was good value at R200 a ticket.....
This sophisticated rosé, which we tasted at the Pinotage and Biltong festival, really impressed us. From the first mouthful, you get perfumed raspberries and mulberries. It is seductively silky on the palate, the soft juiciness has a background of structural chalky tannin to support it and the wine develops in layers on the tongue. It took us right to the South of France imagining what it might be like with a Salade Niçoise or a rich fish soup. A food wine of note. 2015 is sold out, the new vintage is on the way soon. We also have to mention the special bottle which has the punt moulded to look like a protea
This is a classic. So many of us are enjoying it on Eggs Benedict at the moment that we thought that putting the recipe here might help. It is also delicious on asparagus, broccoli, fish etc.
3 egg yolks - 1/2 lemon, juiced - 1 teaspoon cold water - 1/2 teaspoon white pepper - 125 g salted butter -  salt to taste
In a small glass bowl (use one that will fit over a saucepan of hot water), using an electric whisk, mix together the egg yolks, lemon juice, cold water, and pepper till they are a frothy and light mousse, doubled in volume. Have ready a saucepan of barely simmering water. Place the bowl over the saucepan. You can use a double boiler. The bottom of the bowl must not touch the water. Melt the butter and put it into a jug. Gradually whisk a thin stream of the melted the butter into the yolk mixture. Continue whisking over low heat for 8 minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Do not let the mixture get too hot or the eggs will scramble. Taste the sauce and add salt if necessary. Use immediately or cover with a cloth and keep in a warm place until you need it. Not longer than a couple of hours though or the sauce will spoil
Should the sauce split (the egg and butter begin to separate) add another teaspoon of ice cold water and whisk like crazy. It should come back but might be a bit thinner. Optional flavours to add are (instead of the lemon juice) white wine vinegar or a herb vinegar like tarragon (will make this a Béarnaise sauce); cayenne pepper, Dijon mustard, 1/4 t sugar and even Worcester sauce or Tabasco. However the classic is made without all these and we think is the best
Blender Hollandaise

You can also make a version of this in a blender. It is very easy. Combine all the ingredients except the butter in your blender. Blend for 5 seconds till well mixed. Melt the butter (quick in the microwave) and put it into a jug. Set your blender to a high speed and add the hot melted butter in a long thin stream, it should thicken almost immediately

What’s on the Menu this week - Hollandaise Sauce

This is a classic. So many of us are enjoying it on Eggs Benedict at the moment that we thought that putting the recipe here might help. It is also delicious on asparagus, broccoli, fish etc.
3 egg yolks - 1/2 lemon, juiced - 1 teaspoon cold water - 1/2 teaspoon white pepper - 125 g salted butter -  salt to taste
In a small glass bowl (use one that will fit over a saucepan of hot water), using an electric whisk, mix together the egg yolks, lemon juice, cold water, and pepper till they are a frothy and light mousse, doubled in volume. Have ready a saucepan of barely simmering water. Place the bowl over the saucepan. You can use a double boiler. The bottom of the bowl must not touch the water. Melt the butter and put it into a jug. Gradually whisk a thin stream of the melted the butter into the yolk mixture. Continue whisking over low heat for 8 minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Do not let the mixture get too hot or the eggs will scramble. Taste the sauce and add salt if necessary. Use immediately or cover with a cloth and keep in a warm place until you need it. Not longer than a couple of hours though or the sauce will spoil
Should the sauce split (the egg and butter begin to separate) add another teaspoon of ice cold water and whisk like crazy. It should come back but might be a bit thinner. Optional flavours to add are (instead of the lemon juice) white wine vinegar or a herb vinegar like tarragon (will make this a Béarnaise sauce); cayenne pepper, Dijon mustard, 1/4 t sugar and even Worcester sauce or Tabasco. However the classic is made without all these and we think is the best
Blender Hollandaise

You can also make a version of this in a blender. It is very easy. Combine all the ingredients except the butter in your blender. Blend for 5 seconds till well mixed. Melt the butter (quick in the microwave) and put it into a jug. Set your blender to a high speed and add the hot melted butter in a long thin stream, it should thicken almost immediately

MENU's Wine of the Week. L'Avenir GlenRosé 2015

This sophisticated rosé, which we tasted at the Pinotage and Biltong festival really impressed us. From the first mouthful, you get perfumed raspberries and mulberries. It is seductively silky on the palate, the soft juiciness has a background of structural chalky tannin to support it and the wine develops in layers on the tongue 
It took us right to the South of France imagining what it might be like with a salad Nicoise or a rich fish soup. A food wine of note. 2015 is sold out, the new vintage is on the way soon. We also have to mention the special bottle which has the punt carved out to look like a protea