A South African feast



A magical view of the Deckhouse at night



Some of our wonderful return guests enjoying the evening with us



Louise and Johann getting the fires ready to braai the home-made venison sausage, steak and fresh snoek



Malva pudding - picture from Traveltourist.co.za

It is always a great time of the year when we welcome back all our return guests and, with the wonderful summer weather, we decided to cook up a real South African Menu for guests at the Deckhouse.

After a nature drive into the reserve, the guests joined us for pre-dinner drinks and snacks whilst enjoying the glorious sunset. On the menu were crumbed mushrooms with home made tartare sauce as well as traditional South African dishes, including our home-made venison sausage, Riebeek Valley beef and local snoek from the West Coast, basted with apricot jam and garlic butter, accompanied by potato salad and fresh farm bread.

 To end off the night  there were the options of traditional malva pudding with custard, and a peppermint tart. For the non-dessert eating guests we also had a selection of Tulbagh cheeses with preserved figs and crackers. Thanks to the fantastic clear sky it was easy for our rangers to entertain the guests with star-gazing, and the evening was rounded off with a nightcap.

Malva Pudding

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 tbsp apricot jam

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 cup plain flour

pinch of salt

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp white vinegar

1 cup milk

Sauce

1 cup cream

175g butter

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup hot water

Method

Beat the eggs and sugar till light and creamy. Add the apricot jam and mix well. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. In a heavy based saucepan heat the milk and butter till it starts to boil, then add the vinegar and remove from heat.

To finish the malva, add the flour and milk mixtures to the egg and sugar mixture, alternating with flour mixture first then milk mixture, ending with the flour mixture. Pour into a greased oven dish and let it stand for five minutes before baking it in a 180'C oven for 45 minutes.

To make the sauce, place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour over the malva as soon as it comes out of the oven. Serve with home-made custard or fresh farm cream.



The elegant table setting





The end of the evening: enjoying star-gazing followed by a nightcap



High Tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel

The tea spread

The beautiful tea room

Lemon meringue tartlet

You have a variety of delicious teas to choose from

With our family visiting for the festive season, we were delighted that we could all finally go together and enjoy High Tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel. From the moment we arrived, the staff were  attentive and helpful. When we were seated, a menu was produced for us to look through and choose a tea from their wide selection of infused teas from the Nigiro tea company http://www.nigiro.co.za/.  They have a wide selection to choose from, such as fruit infusions, black teas and the classic rooibos, as well as an exclusive blend made specially for the Mount Nelson - a rosy black blend made from six teas, definitely worth having a pot or two.

After our tea was served, we were told the best way to drink it. Armed with an eggtimer, we all had to allow different brewing times for the best taste. We then  headed off to the tea table to choose from the various platters on offer. From the classic scone with fresh cream and strawberry jam to finger sandwiches, vanilla cheesecake and a heavenly chocolate cake which would tempt even the most restrained guest, the choice was irresistible. It was a wonderful experience and a highlight when visiting Cape Town. The rate is R185.00pp and if you are celebrating a special occasion, you do have the option to enjoy a glass of bubbly. We will definitely be back http://www.mountnelson.co.za/.

For a country High Tea experience, Bartholomeus Klip offers High Tea daily from 15:00. Chef Louise and her team prepare delicious cakes and savouries, and of course their  famous scones served with clotted cream and home made preserves.Booking is essential so please call ahead to check availability.The cost is R100.00pp
Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse

Hot off the stove- Apricot Jam



40kg of Sweet apricots from the  Robertson Valley

Cooking the fruit

The end product

As businesses wind down for the festive season, we thought it would be a good time to stockpile our pantry and cook some jams. We managed to get our hands on 40kg of fresh sweet apricots from Robertson and managed to make 75 bottles. Many people confuse jams with conserves and preserves. Conserves are made by cooking the whole fruit, but with a shorter cooking period so that the conserve is slightly softer set than jam, and is often a mixture of two fruits. Preserves are the bottling of whole or half fruit in heavy syrup. Jam is the cooking of fruit, juice and sugar, and is soft in consistency and without distinct pieces.

Here is an easy recipe that takes 1 hour to cook. It is better to cook smaller quantities at a time..

Standard Recipe
For every 500g of fruit add 500g of sugar.

Wash and halve the apricots, remove the stones, and for a clearer jam peel the fruit.

Weigh the fruit and add the same weight in sugar. Layer fruit and sugar in a heavy-based saucepan and leave for half an hour. Place on the stove and heat slowly until sugar has dissolved, but do not let it boil until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add a few apricot stones tied in a muslin cloth to enhance the flavour and colour. Boil rapidly until the jam is sufficiently thick. To determine wether your jam is ready,test a drop of jam on a small  plate and place in the freezer - it should be thick when cold. Remove from heat and place in sterlised bottles while still hot, making sure to fill the bottles right to the top. Leave the jars to cool  and seal  with wax paper rounds dipped in brandy before closing the lids.

Venison Pate

Cooking the mushroom mixture

Picture from Spectrus.co.uk

Ingredients 

Serves 6

1kg venison cubed (we used Eland)

1 cup beef stock

1 whole head of garlic, cut in half

2 tbs molasses

2 tbs syrup

2 bay leaves

120g streaky bacon, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 punnet of button mushrooms, thinly sliced

60g butter

olive oil

salt and pepper

100ml creme fraiche

100g  butter for sealing pate

Method

In a large heavy based saucepan, heat the olive oil and garlic. Add the cubed venison and fry until sealed - approximately 5 minutes, the meat should be browned on all sides.

Add the molasses,syrup and stock, and stir.Add the bay leaves and leave to simmer for one and a half hours. Remove from heat and leave to cool.

Strain the juices and keep to one side. Roughly chop the cooked meat.  In another pan melt the butter, add the onions, bacon and mushrooms, and fry. Season with salt and pepper. Place the meat in the blender and add the mushroom mixture. Pulse the mixture gently, as you want a rough but smooth pate consistency.Add some of the reserved stock if the mixture is too dry and doesn't come together. Taste and add seasoning if necessary, then add the creme fraiche and pulse for about a minute.

Place in a bowl (for serving) and melt butter to pour over the top to seal the pate. Place in fridge and allow to cool for half an hour. Serve with crusty farm bread or melba toast.