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CELEBRATING CHENIN BLANC!

CELEBRATING CHENIN BLANC!

CELEBRATING CHENIN BLANC!

We are delighted that our 2014 Culinaria Chenin Blanc has been recognised as one of the Top 10 Chenin Blancs in South Africa in the 2015 Standard Bank / Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge!

Congratulations to the wine-making team!

To celebrate the quality and versatility of this wonderful variety, we are sharing three recipes that work excellent with the 2014 Culinaria Chenin Blanc. Not only is each of them delicious as a separate pairing, but they can also work together as a three-course meal and the beauty is that you only need one type of wine for your whole dinner!

2014 Culinaria Chenin Blanc with your starter –  Tomato consommé with sun-dried tomato and feta pâté

Image result for Tomato consommé with sun-dried tomato and feta pâté

  • 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
  • 1 cup Danish feta, in brine
  • pinch of pepper

Tomato consommé

  • 4 large, very ripe tomatoes / 1 tin whole, peeled tomatoes
  • 1 cup (166 g) cherry tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • ½ red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • ¼ red pepper, roughly chopped
  • 10 cm piece cucumber
  • 2 tins tomato cocktail
  • ½ cup coriander
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • pinch black pepper
Method

For the consommé, place all ingredients in a food processor and liquidise until smooth. Line a fine sieve with a cheese or muslin cloth and strain the mixture. Allow the mixture to strain overnight, to produce a clear tomato liquid.

For the pâté, drain the sun-dried tomatoes from the oil and the feta from the brine. Blend the sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor.

Add the feta and continue to blend until a smooth paste is formed. Remove from the food processor and season to taste with pepper. Place the pâté in a dish, then in the fridge to set. Garnish with fresh tomatoes and serve with tomato pâté, melba toast and Leopard’s Leap Culinaria Chenin Blanc.

2014 Culinaria Chenin Blanc with your main – Mussels with chorizo, red onion, tomato and celery

Mussels with chorizo, red onion, tomato and celery

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 kg green-lipped/blue shell mussels
  • 2 tomatoes
  • ½ red onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 chili (optional), chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
  • 150 g chorizo sausage, sliced in rings
  • 1 cup (250 ml) Leopard’s Leap Culinaria Chenin Blanc
  • 50 g butter
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) roughly chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) roughly chopped celery leaves
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • salt and black pepper
  • slices of toasted ciabatta or baguette

Method

Score the tomatoes on top and blanch in boiling water for as long as it takes for the skin to start peeling. Remove, place in ice-water, then remove all the skin.

Cut the tomatoes into wedges, seed and then cut into small dice. Keep aside and finish the sauce with the fresh tomato.

Clean the mussels by pulling out the beard and scrubbing the shells clean of any sand or barnacles.

Slice the onion, garlic, chilli, celery and chorizo and mix together in a bowl. Warm a heavy-base pot, covered with a lid, over high heat.

Place the mussels, wine and sliced ingredients into the pot and close the lid immediately. Allow to steam for 5 minutes.

As soon as the mussels have opened, they are cooked (discard any closed mussels).

Remove the mussels from the pot and strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan. Bring the liquid to the boil and gradually add the butter, while whisking.

Add the chopped parsley, celery, lemon juice and diced tomato and season with salt and pepper.

Place the freshly steamed mussels into a suitable bowl and pour the butter-and-herb sauce over the mussels.

Serve with a toasted ciabatta/baguette and a glass of chilled Leopard’s Leap Culinaria Chenin Blanc.

2014 Culinaria Chenin Blanc with your dessert – Citrus crème caramel with orange emulsion

Citrus creme caramel2

Serves 6

Créme

  • 4 (400 ml) large oranges
  • 300 g caster sugar
  • 14 large egg-yolks
  • 2 large eggs

Method

Preheat oven to 160 ˚C.

Place 6 medium ramekins in a deep oven-tray lined with a thin cloth.

For the crème, finely grate the zest of two oranges, then juice all. Place the 400 ml of juice in a saucepan with the zest and caster sugar. Bring to the boil and stir often, to dissolve the sugar.

Place the egg yolks and whole eggs in a bowl and whisk together. Once the sugar in the orange juice has dissolved, pour one-third of the boiling juice into the egg mixture, temper and then add the rest.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug and pour the mixture into the ramekins to the top.

Bring a kettle to the boil. Pour the boiling water into the oven-tray so that the ramekins are covered with water half-way up.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until slightly wobbling in the centre.

Once cooked, remove the ramekins from the water and leave to chill overnight or for at least 4 hours.

To serve, boil a small pot of water, hold the ramekins halfway in the warm water for 1 to 2 minutes. Invert the ramekins onto a serving plate and tap lightly until the mixture is removed. Serve with orange emulsion.

Caramel

  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 45 ml water

Method

For the caramel, place the sugar and water in a saucepan and slowly bring to the boil, until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to boil until the sugar begins to change colour, without stirring. Once it has a deep golden colour, remove from the heat and pour a little into the base of each ramekin. Allow to cool.

Orange emulsion

  • juice of 6 oranges
  • 1 cup (250 ml) icing sugar
  • 8 tablespoons (120 ml) butter, softened
  • 1 orange, segments

Method

Strain the freshly squeezed orange juice through a sieve into a saucepan. Add the icing sugar and bring to the boil. Reduce the sauce by half.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter a little at a time until the sauce is emulsified. Serve warm with orange segments.

We are delighted that our 2014 Culinaria Chenin Blanc has been recognised as one of the Top 10 Chenin Blancs in South Africa in the 2015 Standard Bank / Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge!

Congratulations to the wine-making team!

To celebrate the quality and versatility of this wonderful variety, we are sharing three recipes that work excellent with the 2014 Culinaria Chenin Blanc. Not only is each of them delicious as a separate pairing, but they can also work together as a three-course meal and the beauty is that you only need one type of wine for your whole dinner!

2014 Culinaria Chenin Blanc with your starter –  Tomato consommé with sun-dried tomato and feta pâté

Image result for Tomato consommé with sun-dried tomato and feta pâté

  • 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
  • 1 cup Danish feta, in brine
  • pinch of pepper

Tomato consommé

  • 4 large, very ripe tomatoes / 1 tin whole, peeled tomatoes
  • 1 cup (166 g) cherry tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • ½ red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • ¼ red pepper, roughly chopped
  • 10 cm piece cucumber
  • 2 tins tomato cocktail
  • ½ cup coriander
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • pinch black pepper
Method

For the consommé, place all ingredients in a food processor and liquidise until smooth. Line a fine sieve with a cheese or muslin cloth and strain the mixture. Allow the mixture to strain overnight, to produce a clear tomato liquid.

For the pâté, drain the sun-dried tomatoes from the oil and the feta from the brine. Blend the sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor.

Add the feta and continue to blend until a smooth paste is formed. Remove from the food processor and season to taste with pepper. Place the pâté in a dish, then in the fridge to set. Garnish with fresh tomatoes and serve with tomato pâté, melba toast and Leopard’s Leap Culinaria Chenin Blanc.

2014 Culinaria Chenin Blanc with your main – Mussels with chorizo, red onion, tomato and celery

Mussels with chorizo, red onion, tomato and celery

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 kg green-lipped/blue shell mussels
  • 2 tomatoes
  • ½ red onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 chili (optional), chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
  • 150 g chorizo sausage, sliced in rings
  • 1 cup (250 ml) Leopard’s Leap Culinaria Chenin Blanc
  • 50 g butter
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) roughly chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) roughly chopped celery leaves
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • salt and black pepper
  • slices of toasted ciabatta or baguette

Method

Score the tomatoes on top and blanch in boiling water for as long as it takes for the skin to start peeling. Remove, place in ice-water, then remove all the skin.

Cut the tomatoes into wedges, seed and then cut into small dice. Keep aside and finish the sauce with the fresh tomato.

Clean the mussels by pulling out the beard and scrubbing the shells clean of any sand or barnacles.

Slice the onion, garlic, chilli, celery and chorizo and mix together in a bowl. Warm a heavy-base pot, covered with a lid, over high heat.

Place the mussels, wine and sliced ingredients into the pot and close the lid immediately. Allow to steam for 5 minutes.

As soon as the mussels have opened, they are cooked (discard any closed mussels).

Remove the mussels from the pot and strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan. Bring the liquid to the boil and gradually add the butter, while whisking.

Add the chopped parsley, celery, lemon juice and diced tomato and season with salt and pepper.

Place the freshly steamed mussels into a suitable bowl and pour the butter-and-herb sauce over the mussels.

Serve with a toasted ciabatta/baguette and a glass of chilled Leopard’s Leap Culinaria Chenin Blanc.

2014 Culinaria Chenin Blanc with your dessert – Citrus crème caramel with orange emulsion

Citrus creme caramel2

Serves 6

Créme

  • 4 (400 ml) large oranges
  • 300 g caster sugar
  • 14 large egg-yolks
  • 2 large eggs

Method

Preheat oven to 160 ˚C.

Place 6 medium ramekins in a deep oven-tray lined with a thin cloth.

For the crème, finely grate the zest of two oranges, then juice all. Place the 400 ml of juice in a saucepan with the zest and caster sugar. Bring to the boil and stir often, to dissolve the sugar.

Place the egg yolks and whole eggs in a bowl and whisk together. Once the sugar in the orange juice has dissolved, pour one-third of the boiling juice into the egg mixture, temper and then add the rest.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug and pour the mixture into the ramekins to the top.

Bring a kettle to the boil. Pour the boiling water into the oven-tray so that the ramekins are covered with water half-way up.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until slightly wobbling in the centre.

Once cooked, remove the ramekins from the water and leave to chill overnight or for at least 4 hours.

To serve, boil a small pot of water, hold the ramekins halfway in the warm water for 1 to 2 minutes. Invert the ramekins onto a serving plate and tap lightly until the mixture is removed. Serve with orange emulsion.

Caramel

  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 45 ml water

Method

For the caramel, place the sugar and water in a saucepan and slowly bring to the boil, until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to boil until the sugar begins to change colour, without stirring. Once it has a deep golden colour, remove from the heat and pour a little into the base of each ramekin. Allow to cool.

Orange emulsion

  • juice of 6 oranges
  • 1 cup (250 ml) icing sugar
  • 8 tablespoons (120 ml) butter, softened
  • 1 orange, segments

Method

Strain the freshly squeezed orange juice through a sieve into a saucepan. Add the icing sugar and bring to the boil. Reduce the sauce by half.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter a little at a time until the sauce is emulsified. Serve warm with orange segments.

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