Lunch and fun in the sun at our 2012 Christmas Party



Edible Parmesan Pencils

The "leads" of these pencils are actually different flavoured Parmesan cheese - chilli, pesto and truffle.  The pencils come with a sharpener that allows you to "sharpen" fresh Parmesan shavings onto your meal. Definitely adds some fun to a meal!

Spice up your Life...

We are trying out Nomu's new range of spices.  Besides their great flavours, we love their fabulous packaging!

Project Pumpkin

In preparation for Halloween, we're carving pumpkins at work today!

It's not as daunting as it looks.  We are following these 5 simple steps:

 Cut a hole in the pumpkin



 Scoop out the flesh

 Transfer your design



 Carve the features

Light your pumpkin

Hope you have as much fun as we are having!

We all agree, there is nothing better than a classic bowl of soup and a sami.

We believe that the last cold front of the season is on its way (just in time for the weekend) so here is your chance to whip up a pot of soup and a sami to complete it. 

Here are a few ideas to give you inspiration....

Chicken Noodle Soup & BLT

Potato and Bacon Soup & Veggie Roll-Ups

Minestrone Soup & Mediterranean Chicken Panini

Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Lentil Soup & Hummus & Goat's Cheese Sandwich

For recipes go to http://livebetteramerica.aol.com/2012/10/05/soup-and-sandwich-pairing_n_1885756.html

    Perfect for a Summer Picnic

We love this idea.  Fairview has just introduced a new range of individually packaged wines by the glass.  The 187ml wine glasses are shatterproof and 100% recyclable and are sold at  R14.95 per glass and come in a case of 24.

It makes wine casual and fun, out-doorsey and as easily accessible as beer. 

Bring on Summer!

We are going back to basics this Heritage Day 

Bump up the taste of your grilled veggies and meat with this wonderful flavour-enhancing bbq sauce.....

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 cups tomato sauce
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in mustard powder and red-pepper flakes; cook 30 seconds.
Reduce heat to medium-low; stir in tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, molasses and black pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 5-10 minutes. 

Spring Wedding Inspiration!

We love Strawberries

All of a sudden there are an abundance of strawberries around.  Strawberries to us are like a glimpse of Summer, their colour and taste makes us come alive!  Luscious, sweet, soft and juicy...heavenly! 

Even though Summer is still a few weeks away, we are grabbing the opportunity of preparing a mouth-watering dessert with these beautiful berries.

Today we are making a Rice Pudding with Strawberries stewed in Lemongrass and Lime

Ingredients (serves 4)
2 lemongrass stalks
40g slivered almonds
450g strawberries, hulled and diced
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime
75g sugar
2 Tbsp water
550ml full cream milk
100g risotto rice
2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled
60ml unsweetened coconut milk

Remove the thicker outer layer of the lemongrass stalks.  Slice one stalk into three  pieces.  Grind the other one with the outer layers, using a coffee or spice grinder or food processor.  Toast the slivered almonds in a frying pan, until lightly browned.

Combine 280g of the strawberries, half the zest of the lime, 1 tsp of the ground lemongrass, 2 Tbsp of the sugar and the water in a small pot.  Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer until the strawberries soften but still keep their shape.  Remove from the heat and add the lime juice.  Let the mixture cool.

Combine the milk with the 3 lemongrass pieces, the ginger and rest of the lime zest.  Bring to a boil then add the rice.  Lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until the rice is creamy and soft.  Discard the lemongrass and ginger and mix in the rest of the sugar and the coconut milk.

Mix the cooked strawberries with the fresh ones and top the rice pudding with the strawberry compote and slivered almonds.

Serve.

In honour of Meat-Free Mondays, we are preparing this delightful recipe of Baked Ricotta, Goats Cheese and Candied Tomatoes

For the baked cheese:
425g ricotta cheese (must be drained or the baked dish will be watery)
113g goats cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons fresh marjoram or leafy herb of your choice
Generous grindings of black pepper
Generous grindings of salt

For the candied tomatoes:
340g cherry tomatoes on the vine
1/4 cup sherry/dry white wine
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 sprigs marjoram or leafy herb of your choice
Sea salt

For the baked cheese:
Place the ricotta in a colander and leave to drain for about 30 minutes, pressing down to extract liquid.  Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celcius.  Brush the inside of a baking dish with olive oil.  In the bowl of a mixer, beat the ricotta, goats cheese and egg until smooth.  Beat in the herbs (chopped if the leaves are large), a generous amount of salt and pepper.  Spoon the cheese mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 40 minutes or until puffed in the centre and browning.  Let the cheese cool slightly, then invert it out onto a plate.

For the tomatoes:
While the cheese is baking, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, then drop in the tomatoes.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the skins on the tomatoes start to split.  Pull the pan off the heat, add the sherry/white wine and return to the heat.  Add the brown sugar and herbs and stir until the sugar is melted.  Add a generous pinch of salt.  Lower the heat and cook gently until the liquid is reduced to a syrupy coating for the tomatoes.  The tomatoes will collapse and some may disintergrate, that's fine.

When ready to serve, spoon the candied tomatoes over the warm baked cheese and serve with sliced baguette or crostini. 

Quote of the Day
"I don't think the question is 'Is the customer always right?' but rather, 'Do you want to make your customer happy?'"
-Chef Thomas Keller on Customer Service 

Chocolate + Photograph = Cocoagraph

Such a fun idea!

Corporate Logo Gifts

 

Patterns/Artwork

Weddings/Shower Favours

A new meaning to coffee on the go

This is incredible...Fiat, in partnership with Lavazza, introduces the world's first In-Car Espresso Machine!

"The future is here and it's highly caffeinated!"

Read more at:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/fiat-in-car-espresso-machine_n_1676958.html?utm_hp_ref=food

We always welcome the Winter Restaurant Specials!

They offer us a wonderful opportunity to explore the more exclusive restaurants around and enjoy the best at affordable prices!

Here are a few of our favourites:

Beluga, the Foundry, Green Point:  3-course lunch and dinner @ R160

French Toast, Brie Street:  Bruschetta tapas free on Mondays-Saturdays between 5-7pm

The Square, Vineyard Hotel:  5-course menu R195 / R295 with wines 

La Boheme, Seapoint: 2-course menu @ R95, 3-course menu @ R120

The Round House, Camps Bay:  4-course a la carte menu @ R460, 6-course set tasting menu @ R595

Savour Restaurant, 51 on Orange:  Sunday lunch buffet plus 'never-ending supply of Methode Cap Classique' @ R265

Slug & Lettuce, Kloof Street:  300g rump steak, chips and pumpkin fritters @ R89

Harbour House, V&A Waterfront:  2-course menu @ R150.00, 3-couse menu @ R170

What they really eat...

With the Olympics around the corner, we wondered what do the athletes eat every day? A Google search shed some light and we loved the visuals - makes you think about what your daily intake would like? 

The World's Biggest McDonalds

This is a temporary McDonalds built from 75% recycled materials for the London Olympics.
It's such a juxtaposition McDonalds vs. Sustainability.
Pretty impressive. via the Daily Mail.