After devouring a delicious roast chicken (done on the braai, of course), served with one of my favourite white wines (a DMZ Chardonnay), it was time for dessert...
0 Comments
Limes are a scarce commodity in South Africa, so when they show up (usually in Woolies), I scoop them up. This time, I had particular motivation - recreating the fantastic Ginger Margarita I had at the W's Spice Market restaurant a few months ago. Executive Chef Peter Lloyd was visiting this particular W location from London and we got chatting. I wonder if he might be interested in a free week's stay at The Island in exchange for whipping up a single fantastic dinner? hmm.... Anyway, he gave me the drink recipe - but it's also on the web, freely available to all. If you want to do the 100% real thing, here's the original recipe. I opted to use this one instead (no lemon grass, and using ground ginger instead of "making your own" from scratch....) - just as good and not quite as labour intensive (well, actually, at two days in the preparation, this was *the* most labour-intensive drink I've ever made!). Most of the work went into preparing the ginger-lime syrup. Was it worth it? You betcha! You're going to need fresh lime juice for the syrup... I used 4 bags (4 cups of juice) and I bought an extra bag for garnish and an extra squeeze or two when mixing the drink. The actual drink recipe only calls for 1.5 tablespoons of the syrup per serving - it does boil down, but not by much. So, unless you're a bit of a margarita madman like me, 1 bag should be more than enough. Turns out this was about 7.5 cups of ginger - I only needed 4 (the syrup is comprised equal parts lime juice, sugar and sliced ginger). So, looks like we'll have plenty of stir-fries (I could double the drink recipe, but there are no more limes available!)... Luckily ginger freezes well - just pop it in a sealable bag. There you go - the concoction after the boil. All that juicing and slicing was not in vain! Then you let it cool, stick it in your food processor and puree before finally pressing the sticky mess through a fine-meshed strainer, trying to extract as much of the juice from the ginger as possible. Another very messy operation - don't let your spouse see you doing this with their blender - or else, be very fast on the clean-up, as I was... Now, you're friends and house guests who have all been enjoying the beach while you've been slaving away come back from their fun and are ready for those long-promised drinks.... First things first, wet the glass, then get that rim salted with a combination of ground ginger and sea salt (very tasty, actually). And then the good stuff - some 100% Agave Reposada Tequila and some Cointreau. I once did a "Tequila Tasting" and my Mexican hostesses were very firm: Jose Cuervo just doesn't cut it. That doesn't usually stop me, but with discerning guests in town, I decided I'd better use some of the better stuff this time around. This time, I opted for the "mild" chillies at Woolies, rather than the "Russian-Roulette-Meets-Bear-Spray" variety I've used before, which have left guests gasping for breath (see http://www.theislandgreatbrak.com/island-blog/post-beach-walk-bear-spray-stuffed-chillies). There were no tears this time (personally, I like a challenge...) Looking for another great little road trip? Why not head across the Outeniqua Pass to Hops Valley (Waboomskraal) - through the clouds and beyond, into the sunshine - where you'll find the Rosenhof Estate and the Rosa Blu Cafe (you'll find plenty of reviews on TripAdvisor). I had the Blue Fig Burger - delicious! Made even better with the accompanying India Pale Ale from Robertson Brewery. hmm, I should go visit them, I think... Check out this earlier blogpost about Rosenhof - as well as more photos on our Flickr photostream.
We drove up the narrow, gravel Montagu Pass in search of a bit of adventure on the way to the tiny hamlet of Herold (no, not Herold's Bay). The scenery is spectacular along the Outeniqua Hop. We passed the tollhouse (built in 1847). We made it to Herold Wines, but unfortunately for us, they were busy with a couple of large groups of holidaymakers, so we decided not to stay for a tasting. Better luck next time! If you're feeling a bit peckish, they have a charming looking little cafe. Pushing on a bit further, we decided to stop by the Over The Mountain Guest Farm for coffee and scones and visit with the feral peacocks! Feel like a bit of an outing - and maybe a bit of breakfast of lunch? Well, if you haven't done so already, you should check out the Outeniqua Farmers' Market in George. I probably shouldn't give away my favourite food stall at the market, lest the line up get too long for when I want to go, but what the heck... the Bistro La French Connexion stall has the best quiches around (their main restaurant is worth a visit - it's located just outside of Sedgefield at the Swartvlei Lagoon opposite the Sedge Links Golf Club - a mashie course which is affiliated with Pine Lakes Marina). See either of the French Connection's Facebook pages (here and here) or reviews on TripAdvisor. Otherwise, the Kwekery is always worth a visit - it seems to be getting bigger and better with each season. The Market is open every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. You'll find more photos (together with photos of other markets in the area) in our Flickr photostream.
It's really hard not to take these spectacular sunsets for granted - night after night, the "show" just keeps on coming...
|
AuthorTheIsland@GreatBrak features the occasional blogpost in between braaiing and beach walks - stay tuned or drop me a line. Categories
All
Get the latest Island blog updates delivered direct to your inbox:
|