Sunday, September 19, 2010

Sundays...... and the memories of sharing

My maternal grandparents had a farm near a town called George, around 400 km's from Cape Town towards the east. A region we call the Garden Route as it is so beautiful between mountain and sea.
Not one of those huge 1000 hectares machines, but a very modest tiny small place with fields falling down into a beautiful river and an hours walk to the sea! Still one of my favourite places called Harold's Bay.
http://virtualgardenroute.co.za/vtours/perlemoen/harold%27s%20bay/_flash/haroldsbay.html

The Sundays of my childhood were very special. My granny on the farm (ouma plaas) was behind the cooking pots from early morning. In those days no telephones, emails, skype, cellphones etc and we used to ask her who's coming for lunch. In general her answer was, I don't know, but you'll see. And sure thing, after church the cars started pulling up and in the end, her tiny kitchen with it's huge Aga, used to spatter and boil and cook and produce food for between 20 to 30 persons.
One of my favourites was when she took the bread out of the oven and having a huge slice with butter melting all over your fingers.
And the aroma of her burning her coffee beans in a small black pot on the coals outside the house.
Smells that stay with you for the rest of your life. And then, many years later, you happen to stumble upon an Ethiopian restaurant in Paris where the hostess burns her coffee beans in a tiny pan and walks around the room with the fumes and smells taking you back to your childhood. How wonderful to be small again.

What a joy.
But the lesson was learned
My grandparents shared the little they had with those they loved!
That's what life's all about.
Sharing

ps And it's nice to share some memories with you on a Sunday evening when I'm feeling a bit homesick for Africa.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Blackberries - not the 'phone' kind!

Since I last spoke to you in August, doing my 'mea culpa' about not getting out posts more often, we took a very small break to a teeny weeny island just off the West coast of France, Ile de Groix. I promise to tell you more about that and the seafood and oysters! 

Having just got back home, and for the first time in months with a couple of hours free after guests leaving and the next batch arriving, I took a delicious long walk around our property, followed by Lili the pest! 
And harvested the last of the Blackberries. 
They are lush and plump and although the ripes ones has been eaten by birds or fallen on the ground, I still have enough to make some 'confiture' and some 'Crème de Mûre'.
 
Now I shall share with you today, Martine, our help's very delicious and easy Confiture recipe! She's asked me to tell you all that it has been a best kept secret for many years but that she's willing to share it now!

So here goes (in Martine's words):

Send your husband to pick the blackberries

Wash them, and then blend them in a mixer with half a glass of water.
Weigh this mixture and use 1 kg of sugar per 1 kg of berries
Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Put in sterilised jars
Absolutely delicious!!!
(I have in the past added star anis to the mixture whilst cooking and it gives it a lovely flavour)

I use this confiture in my very easy blini recipe to make a sweet blini for dessert - put some fresh berries on the blini with a touch of cream, add some 'crème de mûre' and home made fatfree berry icecream! (Mix your fatfree yogurt with a little bit of confiture and freeze it! Easy as pie!)
 
Now a very quick and easy 'Crème de Mûre' recipe :
1 kg blackberries
1 liter redwine
800 gr sugar
1 glass of fruit alcohol
2 blackcurrent leaves

Put the blackberries in a big salad bowl and crush them a bit. Add the redwine, the alcohol and the blackcurrent leaves, let it steep for 5 days, stirring it every now and then.
Filter the mixture and put, with the sugar, in a pan. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Let it cool down and bottle it. Best to leave for about a week and then, Kir with Crème de Mûre!! 


I wish you all a great harvest!


Life is about sharing and I wish I could share a glass of Kir with Crème de Mûre with you all soon!


Bisous
Lynn