Winter Specials

Just a few winter specials on offer in and around the Cape Town area to cheer up your day! They are definitely worth trying out...

1800 in the Cape Royale Luxury Hotel, Main Road, Green Point(321 430 0506): Amuse-Bouche + 200 gram sirloin, rump, rib-eye steak or sirloin, sauce of your choice + Side order for R99.00 (Request parking when booking)

96 Winery Road, Winery Road Zandberg Farm (021) 842 2020: Any 3 Courses from a la Carte menu, incl. a glass of red or white wine or maybe a glass of bubbles Mondays to Saturday Lunch and Dinner For the month of May

Active Sushi 63 Strand St 021 422 0462 – Eat as much sushi as you like R99.00 (Every day 5pm – 10:30pm)

Allee Bleue, outside Franschhoek 021 874 1886: choice of 250g Beef fillet, Beef Sirloin, Beef Rib Eye, Karoo Lamb Chops with one of 6 flavored butters for R 99.00, including a glass of Allee Bleue Starlette Rouge (Until end September)

Arabella Western Cape Hotel & Spa, Hermanus 028 284 0000: Accommodation, full breakfast, 10% discount on spa treatments and 20% on signature treatments, access to Spa facilities, sauna, steam room, heated indoor hydropool, heated outdoor lap pool and gymnasium R700.00 pps

Arnold’s, Gardens 021 424 4344 – Delicious stew + couscous, bottle of Altydgedacht Red for R99.00 (Dinner only)

Azure Twelve Apostles Hotel, Victoria Rd 021 437 9029: Dinner and a Movie Special 5 course dinner from Azure Select menu and then watch a movie in the hotel’s private cinema.

Backsberg Restaurant @ Backsberg Wine Estate 021 875 5952: Sunday set menu, R170.00 per person, 3 courses consisting of a starter, lamb on the Spit and a buffet of salads and a dessert.

Beluga Prestwich Street, Greenpoint 021 418 2948 – Half price sushi before 7pm. 1kg Tiger prawns R109.00, Beluga Blue Plate special 24 pieces sushi R109.00

Bertha’s Simons Town 021 786 2138: 2 Course meal R109.00, 3 Course Meal R129.00 + Glass of sherry on arrival

Beuna Vista Social Cafe, 81 Main Road, Greenpoint 021 433 0611 – Free glass of wine or local beer with every lunch ordered

Black Marlin, Main Road, Millers Point, Simonstown 021 786 1621 Crayfish Braai every sunday R75.00 pp

Buitenverwachting Restaurant @ Buitenverwachting Estate, Constantia -Tapas “Around the World” (at the Courtyard) Tuesday – Saturday 3:00pm-6:00pm 3 Course R99.00, 5 Course R129.00, 7 Course R159.00. Winzer Platter (at the wine tasting) Tuesday – Saturday 12:00- 17:00 R75.00 per platter

Cafe Caprice in Camps Bay: 2-for-1 Burgers from Monday to Thursday from 12:30pm till 10pm

Cape Colony at Mount Nelson Hotel, Orange Street, Cape Town 021 483 1948: Journey through the season’s favourite flavours in an atmosphere of elegance at Cape Colony Restaurant this Winter. Executive Chef Rudi Liebenberg and his team of specialist chefs present a five-course menu comprised of a selection of inspiring signature dishes. R200.00 pp (min 2 guests, max 8 per table). Until 11 June

Cassia @ Nitida wine estate 021 976 0640: Traditional Beer Festival and live sport from 11 June to 11 July 2010 (Friday, Saturday and Sunday Only) 2 course meal plus a free draft for R150.00 pp

Catharina’s at Steenberg Hotel in Tokai 021 713 2222: 2 course lunch at R 135, 3 course lunch R175/3 course dinner R195 + glass of Klein Steenberg red or white (Until end September)

Chenin Restaurant and Wine Bar Cape Quarter, 72 Waterkant Street 021 425 2200: Main Course + Glass of wine or Boston Draft Beer R60.00

Myoga at the Vineyard Hotel (021 657 4545): 6 course meal for R150.00 pp, wine pairing available. Ends 30 June

Overture Hidden Valley Wines, Annandale Rd, Stellenbosch 021 880 8721: 4-course Menu de Jour for R 200.00, or R 250.00 with a glass of wine, Tuesday – Friday lunch, May – July

Pepperclub on the Beach in Camps Bay 021 438 0000: Friday night Jazz evening, 6 oysters + glass of bubbly at R 60.00 from 4pm

Primi Pomodoro, Camps Bay: Full Breakfast R25, Salmon on Rye R35.00, Health Breakfast R20.00, Egg White Omelette R22.00, Mango Frullata R18.00

Raphael’s at Asara Wine Estate, Polkadraai Road, Stellenbosch 021 888 8050: Monday – Friday 12:00-14:30 Chef recommendation menu, (changes weekly) 2 menu course at R150.00 or a 3 course R195.00 per person.

the good food and wine show

it's all very exciting!!!! may appears to be another "FABULOUS FOODY" month. the premier good food and wine show will be taking place in the cape town, gauteng and durban areas.

watch magic, taste heaven and learn from the masters of food, wine, gourmet travel and lifestyle!

world renowned chef, gordon ramsay, mr "hells kitchen" himself, will also be making his first ever public appearance in south africa!!!

visit their website for more information and costs at www.gourmetsa.com

be sure NOT to miss out on this extraordinary, delectable and delightful event!

I love coffee

We found this great blog, I love Coffee: http://ilovecoffee.co.za. Check it out! Insider hints to help you find the best coffee in town! Some of our favourites on the list:

Seattle; Origin; Olympia...We're dying to try Suprette & Deluxe Coffeeworks.

Fat Cat!

source: TeslaCake http://teslacake.tumblr.com/

It looks as though winter has arrived with a vengeance! Here's a mouth-watering something to warm up your soul during this chillyperiod. Let's hope the sun comes out again....

Oxtail Stew with pumpkin and cinnamon

Serves 6

Ingredients

Olive oil for frying

2kg oxtail pieces

200g shallots, roughly chopped

3 large carrots, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

400ml red wine

650g Italian canned chopped tomatoes

10 sprigs of rosemary
zest of 1/2 orange, peeled off in long strips

2 bay leaves

2 cinnamon sticks

2 star anise

ground black pepper

500g pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2.5m cubes

300ml water

salt

Gremolata

2 tbsp roughly chopped flat-leave parsley

grated zest of 1 large lemon

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180º C. Place a lrage, heavy-based pan (large enought to accommodate the whole stew later; there will be a lot!) over a high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When this is smoking hot, add some of the oxtail pieces and fry on all side for about 4 minutes, browning of the meat well. Make sure you don't sear to many pieces at once or they will boil in their own liquid rather than fry. Trasfer the oxtail to a colander and leave to drain off excess fat while you brown the remaining pieces.
2. Remove most of the fat from the pan and add the shallots, carrots and garlic. Return to a medium-high heat and saute, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are golden brown.

3. Add the wine to the pan and scrape the base witha wooden spoon to mix in any flavoursome bits left there. Bring to the boil and simmer until it has almost evaporated. Now add the tomatoes. Tie together the thyme and rosemary sprigs with string and drope them in as well, then add the orange zest, bay leaves, cinnamon, star anise, black pepper and some salt. Decant the simmering mixture into a deep baking dish and lay the oxtail pieces on top of the sauce in one layer (keep the pan for later). Cover first with a sheet of baking parchment, placed directly on the oxtail, and then with a tight-fitting lid or a couple of layers of aluminium foil, then place in a large bowl and leave to cool slightly. If a lot of fat accumulates at the bottom of the bowl, decant some of it using a slotted spoon but keep the rest.

4. When the oxtail is cool enough to handle, pick all th meat from the bones and place back in the large pan. Add the sauce the meat was cooked in, along with the pumpkin cubes and the water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft. Taste and season the sauce the sauce with salt and more black pepper.

5. To make the gremolata garnish for the stew, simply mix the parsley, lemon zest and garlic together. Transfer the stew to a serving bowl and sprinkle with gremolata on top. Serve at once.

And for the die-hard summer enthusiasts, here is a wickedly indulgent icecream recipe to tickle your taste buds.

Cookies and Cream

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

4 egg yolks

75g caster sugar

5ml cornflour

300ml milk

5ml natural vanilla essence

300ml whipping cream

150g chunky chocolate and hazelnut biscuits, crumbled into chunky pieces

Method

1. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl until the mixture is thick and foamy. Pour the milk into a heavy-based saucepan, bring it just to the boil, then pour it onto the yolk mixture, whisking constantly.

2. Return to the pan and cook over a gentle heat, stirring until the custard thickens and is smooth. Pour it back into the bowl and cover closely. Leave to cool, then chill.

3. By hand: Stir the vanilla essence into the custard. Whip the cream until it is thickened but is still soft enough to fall from a spoon.

Using an icecream machine: Stir the vanilla essence into the custard. Stir in the whipping cream and churn until thick.

4. By hand: Fold the cream into the chilled custard, then pour into a plastic tub or similar freezerproof container. Freeze for 4 hours, beating once with a fork, electric whisk or in a food processor to break up the ice crystals. Beat one more time, then fold in the biscuit chunks. Cover and return to the freezer until firm.

Using an icecream maker: Churn until thick enough to scoop then scrape the icecream into a freezerproof container. Fold in the biscuit chunks and freezer for 2-3 hours until firm.

Cooks Tip: Experiment with different types of biscuits to find the type that gives the best

results.

'For us, cooking and eating are not hazy, far-off ideals but part of real life, and should be left there.'

Ottolenghi