Meringue is my default go-to pud because on the zero-effort/maximum-impact scale, it measures a perfect 10. And there is none easier than French meringue. No, it’s not called French meringue to make it sound extra fancy, it’s called French meringue to distinguish it from two other types of meringue: Swiss meringue and Italian meringue. French meringue is by far the [...]
I love the transforming power of words – how just a few syllables can make things seem fancy and make you want them more. Take handbags. Say Vuitton and we go ‘ooh’. But if you think about it, it really is just a bag – somewhere to keep your cell phone and lippy, and the place where those nasty complimentary [...]
A dear friend of mine returned from Oz last Sunday. I was appalled by her tales of R90 for a glass of vino, charmed by her pics of kangaroos and kookaburras and utterly smitten with the stuffed wombat she brought back for me. But what I found really fascinating, was the South African chap she met there, who runs a [...]
There’s a little game I like playing. It’s called ‘Spot The Meat’. No, this is not as crude as it sounds. I’m referring to pie here. You know, the kind you get at the hot counter in the supermarket deli section. Or, if you’re truly desperate, at filling stations. Bite into it and you get gooey, oozing not-awesomeness. Visually it’s [...]
It started with the Great British Bake Off, followed locally by DStv’s marvellous Koekedoor. All over the country kitchen drawers, not opened for decades, are being scoured for piping bags and palette knives. Yup folks, baking is the new sexy. Last week I was fortunate enough to have tea at the charming M Patisserie in Stellenbosch. It belongs to Martjie [...]
Many of you have asked, so here it is: my no-fail basic scone recipe, so easy my cat can make it. No tedious rubbing of butter, no tennis-elbow-inducing mixing. Nope, I just bang the lot in my food processor and in just 10 minutes I’m done and they’re on a tray ready for the oven. Baking takes a mere 10 [...]