Celebration recipe: Sparkling wine with cheesecake
Summer celebrations usually conjure up thoughts of sweet treats and some bubbly. Here’s an easy, delicious dessert which incorporates the best of both these elements. You’re bound to receive a barrage of compliments from your guests.
Ingredients
- 200g digestive biscuits
-90g butter, melted
Filling
- 15ml gelatine
- 60ml water
- 500g cream cheese
- 85ml castor sugar
- Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
- 125ml sparkling wine (the Welmoed Charmat Brut is ideal)
- 250ml cream, lightly whipped
- 1 punnet of cherries, washed, retaining stalks
- Sugar
- Icing sugar
Method
- Crush the biscuits and combine with butter.
- Press into base of a 20cm, loose-bottomed cake pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
- Refrigerate.
- Sprinkle gelatine over water and set aside to form a thick cake.
- In a mixing bowl, beat cheese and castor sugar together. Add rind, juice and sparkling wine and beat again.
- Place gelatine in microwave on medium for 1 minute. Pouring from a height, add to cheese mixture and then stir through the cream.
- Pour into biscuit base, cover and refrigerate for three hours.
- Just before serving, stone a handful of cherries.
- Place in food processor with 60ml sugar, 100ml warm water and 15ml honey. Process till you have a chunky sauce.
- Use remaining cherries to decorate the top of the cheesecake.
- Drizzle over the cooled sauce and sift over some icing sugar and serve.
Source: The Times
Leg of lamb – The traditional South African family get-together meal
Leg of lamb is one of the traditional South African dishes served at family gathering and Christmas is no exception. There are leg of lamb recipes which have probably been in a family for generations and is prepared and enjoyed this time every year.
Here is a mouth watering leg of lamb recipe which will be perfect for a Christmas dinner.
Ingredients
1 lemon, strips of zest removed with a peeler and juice squeezed
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 2.5-3kg bone-in leg of lamb
1.4 kg very small carrots, scrubbed
2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup fresh mint leaves
6 scallions or onion , chopped
2 teaspoons honey
Directions
-Heat oven to 200° C. In a food processor, pulse the lemon zest, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper until coarsely chopped.
-Place the lamb in a large roasting pan and rub with the lemon mixture. In a large bowl, toss the carrots, 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; set aside.
-Roast the lamb to the desired doneness, 90 to 105 minutes for medium-, adding the carrots to the pan after the lamb has cooked for 50 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
-Meanwhile, in the food processor, puree the parsley, mint, scallions, honey, lemon juice, the remaining ½ cup of oil, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Serve with the lamb and carrots.
Recommended wine: The well-balanced Welmoed Cabernet Sauvignon will competent this dish. This medium to full bodied wine has a nose reminiscent of dark berry fruit with hints of nutmeg cassis and vanillin. The wine has a very elegant well structured palate with ripe fine tannins and a lingering rich finish.
Source: realsimple.com
Great alternative to drinking and driving
Good Fellas is a hassle free alternative to drinking and driving and it is the preferred choice of thousands of responsible South Africans.
They started in 2004 in Port Elizabeth and have expanded to all the mayor South African cities. With the festive season in full swing, there are plenty of opportunities to use a service like this.
This service is available in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London.
For more info visit www.gfellas.co.za or
Contact the National Call Centre on (0) 861 433 552 .
We support this initiative and urge consumers to make use of this service.
Silly or sane season?
The rush to the end of the year has started. The traffic jams and long queues are in the order of day during this time of year. It’s not called the “silly season” for nothing!
This is a time for sharing. Involve your family and friends in all festive preparations. Here are some ideas to help lighten your load.
• As a family set a theme or colour scheme for this Christmas. Involve everyone in choosing decorations and they’ll want to stay involved with setting things up.
• If you are planning on having lots of visitors throughout the day – set the table once – use a long lasting centre piece such as ‘peace in the home’ in terracotta pots, add candles, lanterns and torches for the night time. Set up a separate table for buffet tea/coffee – this takes off a lot of pressure and gives you more time to mingle and relax.
• Decide on a simple menu that can be prepared well in advance to reduce last minute stress. You want to be out celebrating with your guests and not cooped up in the kitchen.
• Delegate simple tasks to the kids – setting the table (you can do a sample setting for them to copy), gift wrapping, card making. The key is to keep things fun – that way they’ll stay motivated. Tip: set out some coloured card, stars and glitter glue so the children can make their own cards while you focus on more challenging things.
• This is a great time of year to go through the old toys to make space for the new. Involve the children with this task and let them put broken or seldom-used toys aside for giving away. Before Christmas go with your children to a charity of their choice to experience the joy of giving.
• Shop for gifts throughout the year – this way you won’t blow your entire bonus cheque on Christmas gifts. Have a list of names with a budget figure next to their name to keep you focused – once you have purchased a gift for that person write the gift next to the name and cross them off your list. Remember teachers and caregivers and have a couple of extra generic gifts packed away in case someone unexpected pops in. (This tip might be a little late… but as the saying goes ‘better late than never’ – now you know the info – get to the stores ASAP)
• Keep one running ‘to-do’ list. As a family decide who will take on which tasks. People are far more likely to carry out a task if they have chosen to do it other than being told that they have to do it.
• Do whatever preparations you can at least 2 weeks before. On your ‘to-do’ list allocate an estimated time frame for the task – mark in red the tasks that can be carried out before the time and allocate a time for these in your diary.
• Remember that this is supposed to be fun. If you feel yourself slipping into the wicked witch of the west… take a deep breath and laugh it off.
Wine ideas: The Welmoed Charmat Brut is a great festive season wine. This sparkling wine has elegant zesty tropical fruit flavours with fresh bubbles and a clean and crisp finish which makes it and ideal for the ‘silly’ season.
Source: women24.com
Stir up your Christmas – The wine pudding guide
For a great way to enjoy the festive season before making your New Year’s resolutions about getting into shape and losing the Christmas kilos, try some of these delicious puddings made with wine. These delicious recipes will ensure an unforgettable traditional Christmas meal as it’s all about indulgent decadence
It’s important to remember that not only is wine the key ingredient in these recipes, but you also have to pair your puddings with the right wine. A good rule of thumb is to ensure that the wine is sweeter than the dessert it will be accompanying. If you have a tart pudding, try an acidic wine to bring out the flavour.
It isn’t an easy task matching wine and desserts as the desserts have a diverse variety of flavours. Here’s a simple guide:
- Custard – pair with a sparkling wine or MCC
- Fruity – pair with a Sauvignon Blanc
- Cream based tart or pie – pair with a spicy red like a Pinotage
Tip: Balance is key
Acidity and sugar levels must be balanced in both the food and wine. If not balanced, the very sweet dessert will make the wine seem more tannic, less sweet and more acidic. Work with the aromas and flavours of the wine to get a good match for pairing desserts.
If you aren’t into pairing puddings and wines, here are some recipes that have wine in them so the job is done for you!
Fruit and wine: Fresh fruit simmered in wine
Ingredients:
- Fresh fruit (pitted cherries, sliced strawberries, blueberries etc)
- Red wine – try: Kumkani Pinotage
- cinnamon sticks and cloves in cheesecloth sack
- sugar to taste
Method:
In a large pot, cover the fruit with the wine. Bring to the boil, the reduce heat to low simmer. Add the spices. Continues to simmer until fruit becomes slightly tender. Remove spices and serve warm or refrigerate overnight, then remove spices and serve cold. Sprinkle sugar on top to sweeten and taste for something decorative add sugar syrup to the plate and serve with wafer biscuit.
Blanched Almonds
Ingredients:
- Finely ground almonds
- powdered ginger spice
- sugar
- salt to taste
- pastry dough
- oil
- honey
- a slightly sweet white wine – try: Arniston Bay Reserve Chenin Blanc
Method:
Mix almonds with sugar, ginger, and a little salt – this should be a sweet, slightly spicy blend. Roll out the pastry dough. cut out circles of dough, placing filling in the middle, and folding into a half-circle make sure the edges of the pastries are securely sealed.
Fry the pastries in hot oil until lightly browned; remove from oil and let drain.
In a pot, bring the honey to a soft boil, and then reduce heat. Skim off the residue as it rises. Add just enough wine to make a thick sauce. Thoroughly coat the pastries in the wine sauce, and then place on a baking sheet. Bake in a hot oven for several minutes. The pastries may be basted with additional sauce during baking or immediately afterward.
Serve with a dollop of cream.
Wine bread pudding (update on the classic bread pudding)
Ingredients:
- Macaroons
- sponge cake
- 500ml white wine – try: Welmoed Heydens Courage White
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 teaspoons of sugar
- 3 egg whites
- ½ cup of chopped walnuts
Method:
Place sponge cake into an ovenproof dish (½ full). Add a few macaroons; heat the wine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix the cornstarch and sugar together and slowly add the wine. Beat the yolks of eggs and add to wine mixture. Cook for about 2 minutes. Pour over the cake and let cool. When its cool cover with the stiffly beaten egg whites and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Bake at 180ºC for 5 minutes until golden brown. Serve cold.
Wine prices:
Welmoed Heydens Courage White – R38.99 per bottle
Arniston Bay Reserve Chenin Blanc – R46.99 per bottle
Kumkani Pinotage – R66.99 per bottle
All wines available at Checkers.
Welmoed on Cathy’s Top 10 party wine list
Well-known South African wine writer, Cathy Marston, named her Top 10 party wines and the wonderful Welmoed Sauvignon Blanc made her list.
She writes: “The sun is shining, the Advent calendar’s opening, my feet are itching to dance and I am sooo ready for the festive season – bring it on!
“Here are my suggestions of great wines to lay in now so you’re ready when the time comes – wines which you should buy by the case so you always have a bottle handy to take to a party, to break open when unexpected guests turn up, to go with all kinds of food and all kinds of occasions – good value gluggers to make the season go with a swing!”
Here’s the list: food24.com
Great new South African wine mobi sites
Wine lovers stocking up their wine cellars for the festive season have had their lives made a whole lot easier by new wine orientated mobi sites.
Wine magazine recently launched a customised version of the winemag.co.za and this website offers a wide range of wine- and food-related content. Among its attractions is a comprehensive database of wine reviews and ratings as determined by Wine’s panels of experts over the past three years – around 8000 wines in all.
Wine magazine will be adding wine and food pairings to its content offering on the mobi site, as well as wines from the Best Value Wine Guide, the eminently quaffable at less than R60 a bottle as well as Icons, the top wines to emerge from the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show.
The mobi site also carries the latest wine-related news and events, highlights of the current issue, delicious recipes and several attractive competitions.
Welmoed’s informative mobi site has also gained praise from South African wine lovers. This functional mobi site gives users a wide array of wine information.
Visit this site on www.welmoed.mobi
Source: wine.co.za
Top Billing competition – Win a Welmoed wine hamper
For a great way to enjoy the festive season before making your New Year’s resolutions about getting into shape and losing the Christmas kilos, try some of our featured delicious puddings made with wine. These delicious recipes will ensure an unforgettable traditional Christmas meal as it’s all about indulgent decadence.
Four Top Billing readers can win a Welmoed wine hamper consisting of cheese board, cheese knife and Welmoed wine to the value of R600.
Tell us which is your favourite desert featured and you could be the lucky winner.
Email your entries along with your contact details to juliaf@topbilling.com
From: topbilling.com
Welmoed at the Tuis/Home readers event
Welmoed was the wine sponsor at the Rose Reader Day which was recently held in Bloemfontein.
This event was presented by Tuis/ Home magazine and the flower arrangements, speeches and refreshment was fantastic.
