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Newsletter 14: Dec / Jan 2010 |
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| Christmas gift ideas |
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Making your own vanilla extract: What better way to to say merry Christmas than a homemade edible Christmas gift? Find an ornate glass jar or bottle, 3 vanilla pods and a cup of vodka, rum or bourbon. Split the pods lengthwise, place them into the bottle or jar, pour the alcohol over the pods, seal tightly, give it a little shake and store in a dark cool environment for at least 8 weeks. Finish it off with a ribbon and gift tag or even a beautiful gift box. Your friends will love the personal touch!
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| Cheese Facts: Mascarpone |
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Mascarpone believed to have originated from the words "better than good" is one of Italy's most distinguished cheeses. Mascarpone is a cream cheese, made from cows milk, it is versatile and compliments a variety of both sweet and savoury dishes and features as a major ingredient in the famous Italian dessert tiramisu. It has a rich creamy flavour with a velvety consistency with a slightly sweet overtone |
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| New Articles |
Part 2: So many herbs, so little time
I have chosen only a few basic herbs as to not rob you of the pleasure of searching for your own. As you go through this list, make notes of the herbs that speak to you, whether it’s for its culinary, medicinal or cosmetic properties and then make a shortlist.............
Read Full Article
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Recipe to try: Cherry Crunchies (serves 12)
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| These tea-time treats make great Christmas or thank-you gifts when packaged in a glass jar or in a retro tin box. They take 10 minutes to make and 25-30 minutes to cook which makes this recipe as easy as 1-2-3. |
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INGREDIENTS
- 125g margarine
- 50g brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons clear honey
- 200g rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons mixed nuts, chopped
- 3 tablespoons glace cherries
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
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METHOD
- Preheat oven to 190°C and grease a 15-18cm square cake tin.
- Heat the margarine, sugar and honey in a small saucepan and stir until all the ingredients have melted together.
- Remove from heat and in a large bowl mix the rest of the ingredients with the melted mixture.
- Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and using your fingers or the back of a spoon, press firmly to flatten the mixture.
- Cook for 25-30 minutes. Cover with foil if it starts to brown too much.
- Allow to cool and then cut into squares.
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| Food Q & A |
Q:
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How do you prevent lumps in a sauce? |
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Lumps usually form in a sauce when you add too much flour or cornstarch at once. Instead of adding a spoonful of flour to the sauce, rather melt two tablespoons of butter per cup of sauce and then add two tablespoons of flour bit by bit to the melted butter – stirring continuously. When smooth, stir this mixture into your sauce bit by bit and cook on medium heat until it thickens.
You can also dissolve flour/cornstarch in a little milk before adding it to the sauce . But be careful when adding cold liquids to hot sauces – the trick here is to remove the saucepan from the stove and add the liquid slowly in order to prevent lumps.
If you do happen to make a lumpy sauce and need to rescue it, invest in a very fine sieve and pour the liquid through it to remove the lumps.
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| Up and Coming Events |
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- Hartenbos Wine Festival
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Hazel Food Christmas Market
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McGregor Apricot Carnival
- Cap Classique & Champagne Festival
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