Stew for staying in

Red wine lamb shanks with orange mint gremolata

Filling your home with puffs of savoury aromas erupting from the pot as this rustic recipe trembles slowly on the stove will almost be as pleasurable as delving into a plateful. A hearty stew with tender, fall-off-the-bone lamb makes for a simple warming feast when chilly weather sets in. Food to warm the soul.

(serves 4)

¼ cup olive oil

4 lamb shanks

4 carrots, chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 celery sticks, chopped

4 sprigs of thyme

2 bay leaves

6 garlic cloves, crushed

1T tomato paste

2 cups red wine

1 cup beef stock

Gremolata

zest of 1 orange

2T finely chopped mint

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

butter beans or mashed potatoes, to serve

Heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan and brown the shanks well. Remove them before sautéing the carrots, onions and celery. Once softened, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer gently for 2-3 hours or until the meat falls off the bone. Make the gremolata by mixing all the ingredients. Serve the lamb shanks with butter beans or mashed potatoes and sprinkle with the gremolata.

Loving Livingstone

The locals have for centuries called it Mosi-oa-tunya or ‘The smoke that thunders’ but Dr David Livingstone takes the credit for naming one of the most spectacular natural wonders of the world, the Victoria Falls. More than 2km wide, 500 million litres of water surge over the falls every second, dropping 100 metres into the depths below. This, is what awaited photographer, Angie and I on our trip to Livingstone in Zambia for a magazine photo shoot. 

Situated on the banks of the Zambezi river and a mere 10 minute walk from the spectacular falls is the Royal Livingstone hotel with it’s majestic green lawns, colonial décor and breath-taking view of the mighty river. The thunderous roar of the gushing falls is a common sound here, as is the perfect rainbow which stretches over the clouds of spray which can be made out more than 30km away. 

On arriving at the hotel, we were greeted not only by a traditional Zambian welcome dance and a complimentary hand massage but also by a herd of hippos that happily wallowed in the fast-flowing river. After getting the planning for the next few days done with Executive chef Alex, Angie and I eagerly rushed off to the falls. No picture or words can do this magnificent attraction justice – witnessing such natural beauty and the power with which the water plummets down the gorge is a truly humbling and spiritual moment. Ignoring the locals hiring raincoats, we opted to experience the clouds of spray first-hand and the closer we got, the more we were drenched with pouring Zambezi water. And I mean absolutely bucketing down! While attempting to keep the camera snug and dry, Angie and I shared shrieks of laughter at the impossibility of just how much water there was.

Happy to return to the comfort of the Royal Livingstone, I marveled at the perfect contrast the hotel managed to pull off; the ultimate African safari adventure with zebra, giraffe and impala wondering around the manicured lawns, but with the colonial sophistication of Dr David Livingstone’s bygone era. It’s no wonder this 5 star establishment was recently rated 67th in the World’s Top 100 Hotels.

After shooting the hotel from top to toe on day two, Angie and I were in need of some relaxation and lucky for us, exploring the great Zambezi in style on a large catamaran called the African Princess was on the cards. Cocktails in hand and the sun setting in a spectacular splash of oranges and reds, we were satisfied with a hard days work!

Our last day was all about food as a full day of shooting lay ahead!

After shooting Chef Alex’s Zambian creations for an upcoming food and travel feature, we were whisked off to board the Royal Livingstone Express. Steaming off into the untamed Zambian bushveld, we were wined and dined by Royal Livingstone staff elegantly dressed in waistcoats and white gloves. A delicious end to an incredible trip and as the train left the Zambian sunset behind us I was reminded of the words Dr David Livingstone wrote when first setting sight on the area, ‘scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight’ and so I realized that I must surely be in one of the most beautiful places in Africa.

Choux Pastry

It's my friends birthday tomorrow and I'm in a birthday cake mood - but I'm terribly over conventional cake so I dug up this recipe from my chef school days. When we shot this amazing cake for the magazine I work for, the entire office went nuts about it and it has become one of my favourites! And in case you're unsure of just how to make choux pastry, I've added a step-by-step how to as well. Enjoy!

Choux pastry
(makes 20)

1 cup cake flour
pinch of salt
80g butter, cut into small blocks
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk (or you can use water)
4 eggs, lightly beaten


1. Sift the flour and salt together. Heat the butter, water and milk until just melted, then bring to a rolling boil.

2. Immediately remove from the heat and add all the flour at once. Mix until a smooth dough forms, place back on the heat and cook for one minute or until the pastry pulls away from the sides of the pot. Allow to cool completely.

3. Beat the eggs into the pastry a little at a time until smooth and shiny.

4. Place in a piping bag with a large fluted nozzle. Pipe round profiteroles or elongated shapes for eclairs onto lined baking trays and bake at 200 degrees celsius for 25 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Photography by Angie Lazaro

Chocolate hazelnut choux ring
(serves 6)

1 x 400g store-bought short crust pastry
1 x basic choux pastry recipe (above)
1/2 cup readymade vanilla custard
1 cup cream, whipped
2T hazelnut liqueur
4T chopped hazelnuts
1 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
melted dark chocolate, for drizzling
extra chopped hazelnuts, to decorate


Roll out the pastry and cut out a large 20 cm disc. Prick with a fork and bake at 200 degrees celsius for about 15 minutes or until golden. Pipe the choux pastry into a 20 cm ring on a greased baking sheet and bake at 200 degrees celsius for 25 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Turn oven off, remove the choux ring and cut in half horizontally. Return to the oven to dry out for 15 minutes. Fold the custard, whipped cream, liqueur and hazelnuts together and use to fill the ring. Spread the chocolate hazelnut spread on the short crust disc and top with the filled ring. Decorate with melted chocolate and extra chopped hazelnuts. 

Dinner at Pierneef a La Motte

I often joke that my expanding waistline is the only disadvantage of my job and although it sounds glorious to dine at numerous restaurants each month, I often long for the days when eating out was a special occasion.  With so many amuse bouche’s passing my palate and wines being sipped it often all becomes a blur and it’s a rare moment when a meal has me closing my eyes in sheer culinary enjoyment… this is why I believe Pierneef à La Motte is so incredibly special.

Words cannot describe the breathtaking beauty of this estate with its sprawling green lawns, towering oaks and stylish design. The restaurant interior oozes sophistication and it’s clear that quality was not spared. Neither was the personal touch of owners Hein and Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg who sourced small items such as the beautiful salt and pepper grinders found on each table.

The launch of the new Chef’s Table concept offers an experience like no other if mine is anything to go by. The Chef’s Table is situated in a cozy corner of the restaurant close enough to the kitchen to catch a sneak peak of Chef Chris Erasmus at work. What makes this culinary adventure so special is that you will have the knowledge of this outstanding chef at your disposal, assisting you in creating a completely personal menu for you and your guests.

The 6-course meal Chris created for the launch evening designed around 6 carefully selected wines, was flawless, imaginative and had me holding my breath in anticipation with the arrival of each course. Chris’s dedication to absolute perfection of both presentation and flavour is admirable, but it was his ability to elevate both the food and wine to deliciously new levels that earned him the title of true culinary genius in my books.  A remarkable culinary experience that will not easily be forgotten. 

Tea time!

If names like China rose, Blood Orange Rooibos, Gunpowder Mint or Lady Grey Blend have you reaching for your teapot then a visit to O’Ways is definitely needed. Yesterday I spent the afternoon at the launch of O'Ways Tea Cafe and coffee emporium in Claremont, Cape Town.

Photographer Angie and I were welcomed with jasmine and oolong ice tea, which we sipped with the scent of what seemed like hundreds of fresh orchid blooms hanging in the air. The interior of the café is calm and tranquil with shelves of pretty glass jars filled with over 64 various teas to allow for casual sniffing. Urns spilling over with fresh orchids on dark wooden surfaces give the space a subtle oriental feel. Tea is expertly brewed and served in glass teapots - each with its very own little timer for perfect brewing. A highlight is definitely the ceremonial tea table, which can be booked for tea ceremonies led by master tea merchant Mingwei Tsai.

The menu is completely vegetarian so with interest and anticipation we sat down to tasting portions of items of various dishes off the menu all paired with exotic teas. Chilled watermelon and wasabi soup, Fried tofu nuggets with daikon carrot salad, Traditional Chinese dumplings and miniature fruit tartlets with mango and litchi all nodded towards the Asian influence chef Marion Kumpf has given to the menu.

Speciality coffee beans sourced from our own continent are given an artisan roasting before being brewed by barista’s trained at the Origin Coffee Roasting Company. Both coffee and tea leaves can be purchased as well as traditional teapots, canisters and teacups.

I left with a bag of Sakura green sencha tea flavoured with Japanese cherry blossoms and will definitely be returning to this calm sanctuary to enjoy the breathtaking orchids, piano tinkling in the background, tasty, healthy food and of course, for an aromatic tea fix.

www.oways.co.za

Katelyn and the chocolate factory

DV Chocolate - nom nom nom!

I was like a kid on Christmas morning brimming with excitement and anticipation... after all it's not every day that a chocoholic is allowed to enter a real life chocolate factory! I hear you asking who was crazy enough to let the likes of me near their precious chocolate stock? Well, DV Artisan Chocolate, that's who! And what lovely people Cornel and Peter de Villiers are!

Cornel and Peter de Villiers

While setting up the shoot I was told that unfortunately we would be asked to wear hair nets due to safety regulations - clearly they didn't know who they were dealing with here - no ugly hair net would deter me from experiencing the incredible chocolate making process! My response? Don't worry, us Top Billing girls can rock a hair net! 

Photographer Angie and I working our hair nets!

The small chocolate factory is situated in the quaint town of Hermanus where the De Villiers family are the only 'Bean to Bar' chocolate makers in the country - and one of only a few in the world. With the latest trend of products being made using old-fashioned, back-to-basic techniques, DV Artisan chocolate is situated in a perfect niche market. Peter used to be a process engineer involved in building and automating machines to make products. He says he loved how at the end of the day, you push a button and you see your work and the machine running smoothly. But boredom struck and led Peter to research the basics of growing vegetables, wine and bread baking. He explains that the penny dropped when him and Cornel were sitting at a farmer's market when they noticed the only handmade product not available for sale was chocolate.

Cornel admits that Peter's first attempt at chocolate was difficult to swallow but eventually after testing and retesting, and playing around with aspects such as bean sourcing, roasting, grinding, conching and maturing they eventually developed the super smooth, flavour-rich chocolate they are moulding today. 

Conching

Peter discovered at an early stage that every batch of cacao beans had an incredibly diverse range of flavours. The public are not actually aware of this since most of the commercial chocolates are blended to maintain a level of consistency. They wanted to keep these original flavours which are influenced by conditions such as weather, seasons, altitude and harvest time. This is one aspect which makes DV Artisan chocolate so unique - each batch is different.

Peter's chocolate factory is a sight to behold! Situated in the garage at their Hermanus home, the aroma of thick melted chocolate hangs in the air constantly and Cornel admits that they've grown used to this - I swoon at the mere thought of being cocooned 24/7 by chocolate aromas! Each machine in the factory has been designed and handmade by Peter himself - the roaster, to the grinder, concher and tempering machine are all electronically automated. When we enter, three conchers are at various stages of grinding the chocolate and it amazes me at the difference in aromas and textures that each stage shows. After tempering, the chocolate gets poured into the custom DV moulds before they are matured and packaged. Yes I said matured - not many people know that chocolate needs to be aged to develop the flavours. Each batch of beans has their own optimum maturation time so the process requires careful planning when it comes to managing the supply of the bars.

When quizzed on what his favourite flavour was, like a proud father Peter diplomatically answers, 'Whatever flavour I'm working with that week.' To come up with the range, the family sat down with all the flavours and decided on their top 5. What's next for DV Artisan Chocolates? Peter is working on developing a proper cocoa powder and cocoa butter (which isn't yet readily available in the country) and Cornel, who is a qualified chocolatier, is looking at bringing out a range of DV pralines. The De Villiers' are intent that their chocolate will only be available at small boutiques, delis and wine estates as they feel their Artisan Chocolate should stay just that, produced on a small scale with each delicious bar getting the same attention, love and care.

Visit www.dvchocolate.com for details.

Microwave condensed milk fudge

Last week I found myself in a rather problematic situation - standing in front of my grocery cupboard with the incredibly difficult decision of what snack will best suit my rainy-day snuggling and Grey's Anatomy marathon... Just when I was about to give up and accept that my fluffy pink slippers would have to be swopped for boots (as a Lindt mission to the shop around the corner was obviously in order), I spotted a tin of condensed milk! 

In our family, condensed milk is the god of all things sweet, sticky and yummy. If the pantry was stocked with any kind of chocolate, sweet or biscuit you could imagine, the condensed milk would be the first to go. Always. Whether enjoyed straight out the can, with a teaspoon, or boiled in the tin to a thick gooey caramel.  Oh, but of course I'm forgetting fudge! One of the biggest debates in our family occurs when my mom whips out a tin of condensed milk after dinner and asks the same question which immediately jumped to mind while I was standing and eyeing that tin...

 Tin versus treat? Condensed milk or fudge? Can against confection. Much um’ing and ah’ing occurred before I settled on a batch of fudge – not, of course, without cleaning out the tin with my finger afterwards!

Mom's Lazy Microwave Condensed Milk Fudge

(makes 36 pieces)

125g butter, melted

2 cups castor sugar

1 tin (385g) condensed milk

1t vanilla extract

Combine butter and castor sugar in a large microwave safe bowl. 
Add condensed milk – do not stir. Microwave on high for about 10 minutes (stirring after 1 minute each time) or until a deep caramel golden brown. To test the fudge, smear a little of the mixture onto a plate or cold surface. If it sets, it's done. 
Allow to cool slightly and beat with a wooden spoon until the fudge starts to set. 
Pour into a 20cm square tin lined with baking paper and allow to set before cutting into squares.