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Main Ingredient’s weekly E-Journal
Gourmet Foods, Ingredients & Fine Wines
Eat In Guide’s Outstanding Outlet Award Winner from 2006 to 2010
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When we see the “hat” of cloud on Lion’s Head (left), we know we’ll have rain in 24 hours
Twice as much Bubbly Attending two fantastic Champagne festivals in just over a week is a treat, especially as the mood and character of each is completely different. On Friday 25th November we had the absolute pleasure of going to Mike Duggan’s Wine Concepts sophisticated “Finer Things in Life” Champagne Festival at the Vineyard Hotel. Held in the early evening, one had the delight of tasting lots and lots of famous French Marques (brands) like Bollinger, Taittinger, Billecart Salmon, Gosset and Veuve Clicquot, to name a few. They had a sophisticated theme, with some wonderful old Mercedes-Benzes on show. People dressed smartly, there was live music, it wasn’t a crush and great canapés, included in the price, were served throughout the evening. One was given a good Champagne glass. You could buy amazing oysters, chocolate, and other treats. There was also a very good entry ticket draw where you could win great champagne and accoutrements. Many people booked into the hotel for dinner afterwards and some even stayed the night, as they offered a special package. The ticket price was equivalent to the price of a bottle of French Champagne and you could taste them all (some Marques had three or four examples), so we think it was great value and it was a highlight for us at this time of the year. Our favourites were all there and we especially liked Lanson, Taittinger and the Billecart Salmon Blanc de Blanc. Our preferred style is towards the very dry Brut Sauvage and certainly champagnes with some age on them, showing good lees characteristics.
We are sorry if you missed it – do make sure to watch for our announcement of the 11th “Finer Things in Life” in November next year and join us there.
Last Sunday, we drove through to Franschhoek for the “Magic of Bubbles” festival which features mostly South Africa Cap Classiques with a few of the French Marques. The entry fee gave one a champagne glass and ten tickets which could be exchanged for small tastings, usually one coupon for one tasting, but the French houses do push their luck and we were asked for four for a single tiny tasting of one of our favourite bubblies, Piper Heidsieck. We can never understand why they charge so much for a tasting at this sort of event. This is not an exercise in selling, but is an opportunity to introduce the SA public to your product and getting them to love - and later buy - it and to recognise your brand. If the importers ‘charged’ the same as the locals, they would be making a positive statement. Read more about the event here and see some pictures..
New products We have ample stock of preserved truffles, truffle oil and truffle salt, but the supply of fresh truffles this season has been shocking in Italy, France and Croatia. We had access to fresh truffles, but the small amount available has been taken and, regrettably, there will probably be no more this year. We may be able to source a little more in the new year.
Several exciting new products have just come into our list. Click here to see them. They include a range of variations on chestnuts and flavoured chestnut purees, which are in addition to the chestnuts and chestnut purees we have stocked for some time. We also have a great range of meat patés and other real delicacies, especially treats from France which our French customers will love to have for their traditional Christmas festivities. We also have squid ink sachets at a very reasonable price.
In addition to these, we have stocked up with lots of foodie items which make great presents. We can put together hampers or boxes for you, just select products from our product list or tell us what you want. Lynne has made more Christmas puddings, which have been generously dosed with brandy and made with butter rather than lard. The price has not changed – they are still R85 each and are full of all the necessary luxury ingredients like cherries, dates, figs and nuts. They are pre-cooked and can be quickly reheated in the microwave. She has made small individual Christmas cakes which make delicious small festive gifts and were so popular last year. Also for the rapidly approaching Christmas festivities, we have added lovely small Italian Panettoncino cakes and Cantuccini biscotti.
We have a lot of fun putting MENU together each week and, of course, doing the things we write about, but making it possible for you to enjoy rare and wonderful gourmet foods is what drives our business. We stock a good range of ingredients and delicious ready-made gourmet foods. So, please have a look at our Product List and see what you need. You can contact us by email or phone, or through our website. We can send your requirements to you anywhere in South Africa, but don’t leave it too late. Remember the old maxim: “Post early for Christmas”!
A Greener way to Wine We were sent this link from Australia by a friend and we thought you would enjoy it, especially our wine farmer friends who also have some cattle. See link http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/gone-with-the-wind-study-finds-cows-fed-wine-dregs-emit-less-methane-20111207-1ojbl.html We wonder if it has the same effect on people….
Dinner with friends We had a lovely dinner with friends in Camps Bay last week – gosh, how the wind can howl there - and our hostess cooked some lovely food. Her starter was something we think you might like to consider for Christmas entertaining – quite retro but really delicious, and it has the usual added advantage that you can make it in advance: a very light, fluffy and moist Spinach and cheese roulade filled with herby cream cheese and smoked trout.
Here is Lynne’s recipe: We used frozen spinach, if you want to use fresh 700g should be enough. Wash well, cook, squeeze out all the moisture then chop finely. You can buy a herb cheese like Boursin and mix it with plain cream cheese. Do season well.
Spinach & Cheese Roulade
1 box Frozen spinach, defrosted – 4 large eggs, separated – 25g cheddar cheese finely grated – salt and freshly ground pepper – a good grating of nutmeg
Filling: 200g tub of good cream cheese – 10g each of fresh parsley, thyme and dill, finely chopped – 200g slices of smoked salmon or salmon trout
Preheat your oven to 200ºC. Mix the herbs with the cream cheese and put into the fridge until the roulade is ready.
Line a 33 x 23cm Swiss roll tin with baking paper, folding at the corners. Squeeze as much moisture out of the spinach as you can, then stir in the egg yolks, cheese and seasoning. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff then using a large metal spoon stir in a quarter of the egg white. Then carefully fold in the rest of the egg white, a third at a time, try to keep the mixture light and airy. Spread onto the tin and bake for 15 minutes until firm to the touch. Cover with a clean lightly damp tea towel and leave to cool. Then turn it out onto the tea towel and carefully remove the baking paper. Spread on the cream cheese and then cover with the smoked salmon. Roll it up first by folding over a small edge of the roulade and then using the tea towel, carefully roll it up. Do not try to roll too tightly and expect it to crack slightly. Plate it and cover with cling film until you are ready to serve. This makes at least 6 large slices.
Best places to picnic We are about to put a list together. If you have any favourites, do let us know.
Our market activities You will find us at The Place at Cavendish this Friday, 9th December from 09h00 to 17h00. We will also be at Long Beach on Tuesdays 13th and 20th December and Fridays 2nd and 16th December. We will be at The Place at Cavendish on Friday 23rd December. We will be at the Old Biscuit Mill’s brilliant, exciting and atmospheric Neighbourgoods Market, as always, this Saturday between 09h00 and 14h00 and every Saturday, including Christmas Eve, December 24th and New Year’s Eve, December 31st.
There is a huge variety of interesting things to occupy your leisure time here in the Western Cape. To help you choose an event to visit, click on our list of Interesting Food and Wine Events. All the events are listed in date order and we already have exciting events to entertain you through into the new year. Click here to access the list. You will need to be connected to the internet.
Many of the specials in our list of restaurant special offers are continuing through summer and we have been told that there will be some new summer menus soon. Click here to access it. These Specials have been sent to us by the restaurants or their PR agencies. We have not personally tried all of them and their listing here should not always be taken as a recommendation from ourselves. If they don’t update us, we can’t be responsible for any inaccuracies in the list. When we have tried it, we’ve put in our observations. We have cut out the flowery adjectives etc. that so many have sent, to give you the essentials. Click on the name to access the relevant website. All communication should be with the individual restaurants.
8th December 2011
Remember - if you can’t find something, we’ll do our best to get it for you, and, if you’re in Cape Town or elsewhere in the country, we can send it to you! Check our product list for details and prices.
PS If a word or name is in bold type and underlined, click on it for more information
Phones: +27 21 439 3169 / 083 229 1172 / 083 656 4169
Postal address: 60 Arthurs Rd, Sea Point 8005
Our Adamastor & Bacchus© tailor-made Wine, Food and Photo tours take small groups (up to 6) to specialist wine producers who make the best of South Africa’s wines. Have fun while you learn more about wine and how it is made! Tours can be conducted in English, German, Norwegian or Dutch flavoured Afrikaans.
Recommendations of products and outside events are not solicited or charged for, and are made at the authors’ pleasure. All photographs, recipes and text used in these newsletters are ©John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus. Our restaurant reviews are usually unsolicited. We prefer to pay for our meals and not be paid in any way by anyone. Whether we are invited or go independently, we don’t feel bad if we say we didn’t like it. Honesty is indeed our best policy. While every effort is made to avoid mistakes, we are human and they do creep in occasionally, for which we apologise. Our Avast! ® Anti-Virus software is updated at least daily and our system is scanned continually for viruses.
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