One of the highlights co-inciding with Cape Wine 2004, also open to the local public, is Celebration of Cape Cuisine at the Castle of Good Hope. Twenty top Cape chefs, such as Peter Goffe-Wood, Graeme Shapiro, Margot Janse and Eric Bingo will each prepare a sample-size signature dish, accompanied by a local wine. Tickets to the event, on the night of April 1, entitles visitors to indulge in all 20 combinations. Booking for Cape Wine 2004, entitling visitors to attend for two days, at R200 a head and for Celebration of Cape Cuisine at R300, can be made on line at www.capewine2004.co.za
The Institute of Culinary Arts (ICA) was established as a professional and well-rounded training facility for those entering the world of fine cuisine, where the aim is to train and inspire culinary arts graduates, professional chefs and amateur cooks. Setting the standards for the culinary industry through holistic and classical training, providing a platform for entrepreneurial development. To find out more about the ICA, please visit www.icachef.co.za
DIE OU PASTORIE COUNTRY HOUSE & RESTAURANT
Food and wine pairing evenings with a focus on regional winemakers are regular features at this gracious country guesthouse. ‘We work off the wines rather than off the food,’ says passionate chef Carmen Truter. ‘We build everything around the wines…’
What defines her style is the finest ingredients and ‘quality, quality, quality!’
‘We pay for quality. There are so many amazing products in South Africa, beautiful fresh Cape salmon, luscious sun-ripened raspberries ... You have to respect the food you’re working with. It’s quintessential. If you start with quality, you end with quality.
'We re-invent dishes, create new ones, go where we’ve never gone before. It’s a mistake not challenging yourself, or underestimating your clientele. Everything must work together. Sometimes it all just falls into place,’ concludes Carmen, her job satisfaction and enthusiasm evident in everything she does. ‘We constantly challenge ourselves and never underestimate our guests’
Ostrich fillets in bucchu and liquorice tea infusion with cep mushroom purée
SERVES 4
30g bucchu tea leaves (if bucchu is unavailable use blackcurrant-flavoured tea)
250ml water
30g drop liquorice (also called Dutch liquorice)
4 x 180g ostrich fillets
salt and milled black pepper
butter for frying
Cep mushroom purée
100ml olive oil
200g cep mushrooms, sliced
Mix the bucchu into the water in a small saucepan. Add the liquorice and bring to the boil. Simmer until the liquorice is completely dissolved and the bucchu aroma is strong; top up with extra water if necessary. You should have at least 150ml of a potent tea when done. Season the ostrich fillets with salt and pepper and pan-fry in the butter until lightly sealed. Add the tea little by little to deglaze the pan – with the ostrich fillet still in the pan – and cook until the meat is medium-rare. The flavours of the tea will merge with the ostrich, making a wonderful sauce to lap over the meat.
To make the mushroom purée, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over low heat. With a hand-held stick blender, slowly blend in the mushrooms to form a rich full-bodied mousse. Season with salt and pepper.
Serving suggestions
If you wish, serve the ostrich fillet on a vegetable tier of steamed butternut and zucchini with red peppers char-grilled in grape seed oil. Or try sliced strawberries and crisp asparagus spears, both of which enhance the flavours of the wine.
Wine note
Carmen Truter’s choice is a personal favourite: the maiden vintage Détendu Shiraz 2001 which is served in the restaurant: ‘The bucchu and liquorice are integral in enhancing typical characters in the wine, like the blackcurrant aromas and flavours. And the earthy mushroom flavours bring out the ‘forest floor’ aromas evident in the wine.’ This own-label wine was pressed on the owners’ family farm in the Perdeberg area of Paarl. Says proprietor Garry Roberts: ‘It’s a good food partner, with a full texture and mouthfeel, rounded edges, made in an easy drinking style but yet with depth of character.’
Other suggestions: Fleur du Cap Shiraz 2001, Welmoed Shiraz 2002, Windmeul Reserve Shiraz 2002
Die Ou Pastorie Country House & Restaurant
41 Lourens Street, Somerset West
Tel: +27 (0) 21 852-2120
Email: info@dieoupastorie.co.za