Saturday, November 24, 2018

This Week's MENU. Elim Wine Festival, Sauvignon-Semillon Blend & Wooded Sauvignon Report 2018, New Leeu Estates lunch menu, Christmas Chestnut or Butternut Stuffing, Aristea Sauvignon-Semillon

The road through the wheat fields, near Bredasdorp, Southern Cape
Black Friday! A great excuse to stay at home. We popped in, very briefly, to our local supermarket yesterday afternoon to pick up a few essentials and it was already a nightmare of aisles clogged with stacks of fizzy drinks and other products we never buy. Shop tomorrow. So here we are, to bring you news which is different from the bombardment of special offers which has been clogging your In Box. We’ve been having fun in the past week and will have a lot more in the short time that remains before we take a year-end break, relaxing at the seaside. So here’s our story…
The 2018 Elim Wine Festival    
We were glad we could get to the annual Elim Wine Festival this year; it was an easy detour on our way home from Robertson. We love the area, but it is rather far from Cape Town. The day, thankfully, began with a bit of cloud, which kept the temperature down. The weather forecasts had been promising temperatures in the 40s; it stayed comfortable all day. It was held at Black Oystercatcher winery, which has a great spacious venue…
Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon Blend & Wooded Sauvignon Blanc Report 2018     
An invitation to attend the WineMag awards for the sixth annual Sauvignon-Semillon Blend & Wooded Sauvignon Blanc Report, now sponsored by precision agriculture service provider Aerobotics. The awards were held at Uitkyk. It is always a joy to visit this marvellous example of Cape Georgian architecture, which is unique. Uitkyk has been bought…
The new lunch menu at the Leeu Estates manor house, Franschhoek    
A lovely invitation to try the new Summer Menu at the Leeu Estates in Franschhoek had us beginning the experience with a glass of their Bas MCC. On arrival they take your keys and park your car for you. Head Chef Terence Morris came to tell us...
On the MENU this week. Christmas Chestnut or Butternut Stuffing    
We have adapted our Christmas stuffing recipe for you this year as, sometimes, it is impossible to find chestnuts in South Africa. They do add a lovely texture and flavour and Lynne thinks that by substituting some cubed butternut, you might get a similar result. To get the nutty flavour, she has added 50 g of roasted pecan nuts, roughly chopped. Butternut shines when a grating of nutmeg is added so try that too. If you want some colour, add some dried cranberries. See the whole recipe here…
MENU’s Wine of the Week. Aristea 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Blend     
Wine maker Matthew Krone does it again with his Aristea wines. We tasted the new release of wines over dinner at the Alphen last night and you will read about them next week, but his Sauvignon Semillon Blend is so good we had to list it this week. See it here…

23rd November 2018
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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2018
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

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 our website and ancillary works are © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus. Our restaurant reviews are often 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. This electronic journal has been sent to you because you have personally subscribed to it or because someone you know has asked us to send it to you or forwarded it to you themselves. Addresses given to us will not be divulged to any person or organisation. We collect them only for our own promotional purposes. If you wish to be added to our mailing list, please click here to send us a message and if you wish to be removed from our mailing list
Posted by MENU at 10:37 am 0 comments

Friday, November 23, 2018

On the MENU this week. Christmas Chestnut or Butternut Stuffing

We have adapted our Christmas stuffing recipe for you this year as, sometimes, it is impossible to find chestnuts in South Africa. They do add a lovely texture and flavour and Lynne thinks that by substituting some cubed butternut, you might get a similar result. To get the nutty flavour, she has added 50 g of roasted pecan nuts, roughly chopped. Butternut shines when a grating of nutmeg is added so try that too. If you want some colour, add some dried cranberries
50g bacon, finely chopped - ½ T canola oil – 1 onion, finely chopped –1 stick of celery, finely chopped – 50g butter - 100g fresh white breadcrumbs – 1 1T parsley, chopped – grated zest and juice of 1 lemon – 500g canned whole chestnuts or unsweetened chestnut puree (or 400g 1 or 2 cm cubed butternut, a ¼ teaspoon of grated nutmeg and 50 g of roasted pecan nuts, roughly chopped) - salt and pepper to taste – 1 jumbo egg – salt and freshly ground black pepper – optional, sweet sherry
Fry the bacon until crisp in the oil. Remove and crumble. Add the onions and celery to the pan and fry gently until they are softening. Mix all with the butter, breadcrumbs, parsley, lemon and chestnuts (or, if using, butternut, nutmeg and pecans). Season and add the beaten egg. Fry off a teaspoonful to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. If the mixture seems a little dry, add a small amount of sweet sherry. Oh hell, add a spoonful or two anyway for flavour. Put into a greased Pyrex dish and roast, covered, for about 35 to 40 minutes.
Sage Advice: It is not wise to put the stuffing into a bird and much better to cook it separately. If you must, then just stuff the neck cavity of a turkey. Why? Because cold stuffing will absorb all the raw juices of the bird and it may not cook properly, as heat has to penetrate the flesh and bones, so it can become a haven for any bacteria that might reside in the inside of the bird, allowing it to breed in the moist gentle heat. Now, if we haven’t put you off stuffing completely, try this one. It is delicious. And it goes well with Turkey, Goose, Chicken, Capon, pheasant and almost all other birds, but is perhaps a little rich for duck
Posted by MENU at 10:41 am 0 comments

MENU’s Wine of the Week. Aristea 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Blend


Wine maker Matthew Krone does it again with his Aristea wines. We tasted the new release of wines over dinner at the Alphen last night and you will read about them next week, but his Sauvignon Semillon Blend is so good that we had to list it this week
We can pay no better compliment to this wine than to say that at the table one person compared it to a Graves, another to a Haut Brion. It certainly is quite French in character, and very impressive. The grapes are from Elgin and they pay the best for the best fruit. It isn’t a wine you want to pull apart and analyse; it is a full well balanced, well integrated and layered wine, with beautiful golden stone fruit, good minerality, deliciousness and staying power. It is aged in wood for 10 months and the wood supports, not dominates. 75% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Semillon
It is available from Caroline's and The Wine Village, Hermanus
Posted by MENU at 10:34 am 0 comments

The new lunch menu at the Leeu Estates manor house, Franschhoek

A lovely invitation to try the new Summer Menu at the Leeu Estates in Franschhoek had us beginning the experience with a glass of their Bas MCC. On arrival they take your keys and park your car for you
Head Chef Terence Morris came to tell us about his lunch menu and what we would be having,
which was a sample selection of the dishes on the menu
Our table had been prepared on the terrace; it was a perfect Franschhoek day
with no wind and moderate temperature
A view of the enclosed part of the terrace with the lounge behind it
Another entrance to the library and the foyer of the hotel
The left hand view from our table
and it stayed shady all through the meal
The grounds are full of superb sculptures; here on the lawn is Demeter with her hounds
and this, by Angus Taylor, is entitled “Lady on a Donkey, Thinking”
A Common Fiscal, also called Fiscal Shrike, (Lanius collaris)
uses the head as its watch tower
You can see every feather
Looking into the restaurant, which had a large party from the UK
Simple table decorations
Charlton, our excellent waiter for most of the afternoon. We were not offered white wine in time for our starters, but enjoyed two carafes of the Mullineux Swartland Rouge, a Mediterranean style red blend based on Syrah with other Rhône varietals; soft and fresh, this went very well with the food
A great selection of bread rolls, warm from the oven, with two flavoured butters, one with smoked butter and beetroot, the other was truffle flavoured. There were also olive oil and balsamic vinegar from Morgenster on each table
The first course was slices of well flavoured pan seared beef on a bed of truffled courgette 'spaghetti'
and dark caramelised onions. A good dish if you are Banting or counting carbs
and then a warm Wakame broth was poured. It was absolutely delicious and authentic;
we lifted our bowls at the end and drank from them. None of that broth was going back to the kitchen
We asked chef if he had worked in the Far East and the reply was "Not yet!"
He, like us, loves Asian food and is very keen to go and learn some more Eastern skills
The second starter was Poached Trout with a Cranberry and Orange gel,
served with compressed celery, pickled courgette and deep fried dill.
A lovely combination of delicate flavours and textures;
it just needed a tad more seasoning on the fish
The courses were coming thick and fast and we were both being served plates
This was our third starter of Daikon rolls filled with a finely cut coleslaw mix,
served with a spicy butternut aioli. Vegetarian and possibly vegan
These were Mushroom Bitterballen for Lynne to taste (John can’t eat mushrooms)
Nicely crisp bitterballen with the correct creamy mushroom batter inside
with great mushroom flavour. Served on a light, grainy mustard sauce
Delish and topped with deep fried vegetable strands which added more texture
The first main course was Vegetarian. Dark Quinoa as a base with sticky chilli Tofu cubes,
toasted peanuts, wilted greens and topped with Tobacco caramelized onions.
The sauce tastes rather like a Sate peanut sauce
Eleanor Kerwan, Food and Beverage Manager, came to say hello. We asked her if we could now share one plate as there was so much still to try and she arranged it. Up till then we had been served one each....
Pork Belly, main course with a pickled citrus and tomato relish, edamame beans, brussel spouts and a creamy flavourful leek purée. We asked chef if he presses his pork and he does. This is something we learned from Reuben Riffel, as it gets rid of most of the fat and the meat is moist and tender. The plate is then dressed with perfect rich, dark and glossy gravy. The dish has faint hints of star anise
The third main course was Hanger steak topped with a Café de Paris butter on a slice of confit butternut, tenderstem broccoli and a very clever swirl and berry of butternut purée. You can taste the tarragon and the anchovies in the butter
Musa took over from Conrad, as his shift was over. She is charming. Both are very good at their jobs
It was such a lovely, long and lazy lunch with a lot of food
We watched the clouds forming shapes as they appeared over this mountain peak
Time for dessert. Lynne has to admit that she would not have ordered this from the menu,
but it turned out to be her favourite. A gently spiced pear and apple crumble,
topped with rough nuts and served with a cardamom ice cream on crisp crumbs
Lovely flavours and textures
A perfectly gooey meringue Pavlova topped with fresh fruit and berries
in a lake of orange and mint syrup and topped with a rocher of orange sorbet
 John's pièce de resistance, a warm chocolate fondant
with a properly gooey centre, topped with filling-pulling sticky nut brittle
and served with a scoop of pistachio ice cream - or was it?
We had a long chat with Chef Terence after the meal, while John enjoyed an excellent double espresso. It was amazing how we managed to consume so much food, although we didn’t clear all the plates. We were not surprised to find that we finished at 5 pm, having arrived at 1. Do go and try the Summer menu; you might like to try some of these dishes and just relax on the terrace. Thank you so much Leeu Collection for a lovely lunch and charming company
Posted by MENU at 1:02 am 0 comments

Thursday, November 22, 2018

The 2018 Elim Wine Festival

We were glad we could get to the annual Elim Wine Festival this year; it was it was an easy detour on our way home from Robertson. We love the area, but it is rather far from Cape Town. The day, thankfully, began with a bit of cloud, which kept the temperature down. The weather forecasts had been promising temperatures in the 40s; it stayed comfortable all day. It was held at Black Oystercatcher winery, which has a great spacious venue
They had lots of canopies for shade and quite a lot of seating and tables
Inside the restaurant, we tried some Sijnn wine from Malgas, owned by David Trafford,
and chatted to the winemaker Charla Haasbroek
And then to the Black Oystercatcher stand to taste the wines and chat to Annemie Adriaanse
The seating inside the restaurant was popular
Time to attend the Master class tasting of some older wines from the area. This was held in the wine cellar. And gave us some more "Wines we wish we had bought then and kept". As we keep thumping on our drum, South African white wines do need time and are worth keeping. This tasting certainly showed us some beauties. We were so impressed with the Adamastor 2008 that we made it our wine of the week last week, alongside its younger 2016 sibling. A blockbuster of a nose with tinned asparagus, this is a BIG wine. Golden fruit with soft warm alcohol, nice minerality and long flavours. A complex food wine. Still fresh, too. Amazing for a 10 year old white wine The Ghost Corner Wild Ferment 2013 was full of Asparagus and fynbos clean and crisp with lovely fruit, long flavours and a winner of awards. The Black Oystercatcher 2008 Sauvignon Blanc with its green pepper and asparagus nose, still had some honey and lime on the palate. The reds were also excellent. Two particularly impressed. The Strandveld Syrah 2006 has 7% viognier which softens it. Some tomato cocktail, balsamic aromatic nose, soft sweet berry fruit, chalky tannins, lots of fruit; silky soft with a shake of black pepper on the end. And finally, the pinnacle was the Sijnn Red 2008, a blend of Shiraz, Mourvedre, Touriga and Trincadeira, which we confess we did not understand when we first tasted it on release. Now it has spice, red berries; complex and foreign on the nose with violets and perfume. Superb flavours of perfumed red and black berries; so full and elegant, so amazing, so delicious
The line up of bottles
Going through the wines with Conrad Vlok of Strandveld Wines
Jean Daneel also had two of his wines in the tasting. First, the 2012 Signature Chenin, from 66 year old bush vines in Paardeberg, the wine is dusty with wood smoke, melon peaches and herbs on the nose, Peaches apricots and nuts on the full warm palate. And then his 2009 Signature Cabernet Merlot Cab Franc Shiraz red blend. This was so fruity and layered with chalky tannins. It tastes like a classic Bordeaux, despite the addition of the shiraz. A food wine. Next to Jean is Hannes Meyer, winemaker at Lomond and Pierre Rabie of The Giant Periwinkle, whose Blanc Fume 2013 also impressed. Slight smoke, very elegant nose, round on the palate layers of golden fruit then smoke
The tasting sheet
Hannes Meyer talks about his wine
Strandveld’s Jackie Rabe who organises the festival PR
Pierre Rabie of The Giant Periwinkle. He is an Advocate who loves of wine, so he made his own
Lads together, Hannes Meyer and Conrad Vlok
Outside, the sun was out and people were heading for shade
Elim is the most southerly wine growing area in Africa and it is classified as a cool area
Over the kitchen garden the food tents with lots of seating
and live music
Even some dancing
On the terrace lunch was being eaten with good wine
Wine or Beer?
Pizza?
Lots of food trucks
John went for the beef burger, Lynne had some calamari
All yours sir!
The Ice house. And as shadows lengthened, it was time to drive home to Cape Town,
it took us a little under three hours
L'Agulhas is the southern tip of Africa and is the approximate point
at which the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet
Posted by MENU at 2:13 pm 0 comments
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