Thursday, 15 December 2011

Ouma's Tapioca Pudding


Ouma's secret recipe for her famous Tapioca Pudding!

As a child my favorite puddings were Tapioca (Padda-ogies, as we use to call it) and Roly Poly, both served with my mum's homemade custard!

The past few years my late mum (Ouma) use to make Tapioca everytime my daughter and her family visited from Cape Town!  That would be her special treat for them over the week end.  She loved watching as we tasted the pudding long before dinner time and half of it vanishing before her eyes (or was it behind her back?)

On the day of her memorial service I baked Tapioca Pudding all by myself for the first time.  She would have been proud of me, as it was a great success!!  I made another one over the weekend, on my cousins farm near Baarskeerdersbos! This time in a gas oven, another success!  I think I can do it now.

The original recipe as from Ouma's book.  She had to double it for us, the blue pen is in her handwriting.





Soak the Tapioca over night in half of the milk.



The next day add the rest of the milk and cook very slowing, stirring regularly, until the Tapioca is cooked through.  Add the butter, salt, one spoon of sugar and egg yolks and slowly cook till it thickens.


Add the vanilla and stir through.


Beat the egg whites and add the baking powder and sugar spoon by spoon until stiff.

  Spoon the apricot jam onto the tapioca mix after you have put it in a ovenproof dish.

Top it with the egg white and draw patterns with a fork in the meringue.



Bake at 180 until in browns.  Enjoy with thin custard and ice cream.

In loving memory of Ouma Sophy..............

Wednesday, 23 November 2011

Lomond Winery

 After doing two promotions for Lomond and loving the wine, I was very excited when I saw a new "Lomond wine tasting" board next to the road, on my way to my cousin's farm, near Baardskeerdersbos.

I arrived on Farm 215 just after 10 o'clock  and was told that Lomond is open from 11 till 4, Tuesday to Sunday, for wine tastings. 

What a lovely surprise when I returned just after 11 and discovered that there is a restaurant too. This is run by Lomond from 11 to 4 and in the evening  Farm 215's guests will be eating dinner here (evenings run by the guest house). The tasting room started just a week ago and is more an awareness campaign and promotional time, than a permanent thing.

Visit them before the 15th of January if you don't want to miss out on these great wines.


Sitting outside you've got a stunning view over the vineyards.  Sam explained to me where the Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah en Merlot blocks are.  Pinot Noir grapes also planted but no wine available yet.

 Inside the restaurant.


 I had some lovely bread with Olive tapanade and red pepper hummus.



 The wines are named after Fynbos  -(to name a few)  Conebush single vineyard Syrah, Cats tail Syrah (my first choice red), Pincushion single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Sugarbush single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc  and the very interesting Snowbush -  a white blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Novelle, Semillon and Viognier. My favorite white, full bodied and elegant!



 Sam busy getting a table ready for wine tasting!

2009 GOLD AWARD WINNERS
2007 SUGARBUSH
Gold Medal, Best Unwooded Sauvignon Blanc,
Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2009
PINCUSHION
Gold Medal, Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2009 and 5 Stars John Platter 2009
SNOWBUSH
Gold Medal, London’s International Wine Challenge 2009




Beautiful nature!   Under the mountain, the vineyards!

Contact Sam on lomondtastings@farm215.co.za 
for food and wine pairing of wine tastings.
www.lomond.co.za
www.farm215.co.za

Wednesday, 16 November 2011

Lion and Rhino Park Johannesburg

  On a recent trip to Jo'burg we visited the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve in the Cradle of Humankind.

It was a lovely sunny Saturday morning and within an hour and a half we saw lots of lion, buck, rhino, zebra, wild dogs, cheetahs, leopards and more.  It was a great experience.




 Lions next to the road, I was terrified!


 The white lions where in there own camp and waiting to be fed, so we couldn't go in.  You could see that they where really hungry, walking up and down the fence and growling and staring!  Very, very scary!
   


The Warthog or Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) is a wild member of the pig family that lives in grassland, savanna, and woodland in Sub-Saharan Africa.  (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)




The Secretarybird a large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey. Endemic to Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands and savannah of the sub-Sahara.   (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
















 Friends eating together.


African buffalo, they apparently have a very unpredictable nature!



"I have to say my prayers before I start eating!"




"Please take a Photo of me too?"  
 They keep lion cubs in a camp, you can pay to have your photo taken with them.  (they call this camp the creche)
 I didn't feel comfortable doing that, as to me it seemed like they where a bit anxious and disturbed.  But this one was really posing very relaxed for a photo on the rock, for some time!
 
 It was still the dry season, so the poor Zebra's stripes where more black and brown, than black and white.


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