A wintery feast

The best steak and potatoes, sticky toffee pudding and no-knead focaccia shallot pissaladière

Hello friends! Winter is here in full force and I’m not unhappy about it. I’ve been hitting a few trails over the last two months as I get back into hiking. It has always been a big passion of mine and somehow over the last few years it slipped through the cracks. I have joined a group and roped my boyfriend in as well because it’s sadly not something I can safely do on my own. I love that within 10 - 20 minutes I can be completely on a mountain or in a forest. Meditative and restorative on every level for me. As usual, I have been very busy in my kitchen conceptualising and producing recipes for you. I wish I had 63 more days in each month. One thing I am loving is the viral cottage cheese wraps. I have been making them even healthier and more delicious and cant wait to share that with you soon.

Out & About

A special chef’s lunch with De Wetshof Estate

Two Mondays ago, on a rainy winter's day, we gathered at Jordan Restaurant with Marthinus Ferreira for a special Chef's lunch.

Each year, De Wetshof Estate selects a restaurant to host the Chef's Lunch, an event conceived by owner Danie de Wet in 2011 to honour the pivotal role of South African chefs in creating a dining atmosphere that complements fine Cape wine. This gathering of 25 to 30 top chefs celebrates their contribution to culinary excellence. It motivates wineries like De Wetshof Estate to continually improve their wines to match the high standards of South African cuisine.

The food was simply spectacular. The first course was a wave of delicious sharing plates, including a bread course with red wine whipped butter and the most incredible salad I have eaten in a while. The pork terrine, fried polenta, and seared yellowfin tuna dish were packed with flavour and are the things I always feel like eating.

The main course was a hammed duck leg with an inspired sunflower seed risotto.

Dessert was Franck Dangereux’s famous chocolate marquise, a decadent perfection. This was followed by a few delectable petit fours, including choux au craquelin filled with an insanely delicious vanilla cream/pastry cream concoction and decorated with sprinkles. I will be dreaming about these for a long time to come.

The feast was complemented by the exquisite range of De Wetshof Chardonnays, known for their versatility as food wines, which elegantly showcased their ability to pair with a diverse array of dishes.

Lievland Cafe & Wine Tasting

I recently visited Lievland Café at Lievland Vineyards for a quick lunch. The culinary team behind this newish addition to Stellenbosch includes experts Christophe Dehosse, Susan Dehosse, and Garth Bedford, with Gareth Goliath serving as head chef, having previously worked at Joostenberg Bistro. The menu emphasizes local ingredients sourced from nearby suppliers committed to quality.

The café offers a redefined casual dining experience with a variety of options, from Parisian-style baguettes and omelettes featuring Joostenberg sausages to hearty dishes like Cape seafood casserole and confit duck leg with orange and thyme.

The breakfast menu is particularly intriguing, featuring dishes ranging from simple to sophisticated, such as cheesy baked spinach and gammon-filled pancakes, oysters mignonette with lemon, and Middle Eastern-inspired items like spicy aubergine, hummus, olives, falafel, grilled carrot, cucumber relish, and lavash.

Open daily from 8am to 4pm for breakfast and lunch, Lievland Café also hosts private parties and weddings. The tasting room, located in the Cape Dutch Manor House on the estate, offers lovely outdoor seating overlooking the dam. Inside, guests can enjoy a cozy setup with a large fireplace for tastings.

Having previously collaborated on a project for the brand and sampled their wines, I can attest to their exceptional quality. Be sure to try their award winning Liefkoos Rosé.

A wintery feast

For an Autumnal dinner party menu I shared in association with Kerrygold, my roasted butternut and sweet potato soup with cheesy oven-baked croutons featured as the starter. I added fried sage leaves, toasted pumpkin seeds and a swirl of cream because garnishes for soup make it special.

This pan-seared, butter-basted ribeye steak packed with so much flavour was the main course. A delicious umami-laden café de Paris-style butter poured over the cooked steak takes it to another level. Served with my oven-roasted smashed potatoes with brown butter and crispy sage, this is a show-stopper dinner.

To finish things off, I made a sticky toffee pudding with dates and pecans because in winter comfort is everything. I soaked the dates in coffee to offset the sweetness slightly and add the tiniest depth.

I have taken my easy no-knead focaccia recipe and added a shallot pissaladière topping which is so delicious. The shallots soften in olive oil, anchovies, garlic and thyme to form a delectable layer for the bread. This is a high-hydration focaccia bread that is a mix-and-leave situation. All the bubbles develop during an overnight rest in the fridge.

This recipe for creamy Tuscan salmon with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach is so delicious, quick and easy. The whole thing comes together in 40 minutes. A perfect weeknight supper.

Coming up

I’m doing two delicious soups this month which I can’t wait to share. One might be my all-time favourite.

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Sam x

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