Persimmons

Cape Town - it was just a quick visit, but it was wonderful!

From eating smoked snoek and grapes while watching the sunset from Signal Hill (a very old family tradition) to finding 2 very cheap Terry Pratchett books in Paperweight, everything was just sooo much fun. I even got to see Herman for a whole 40 minutes before I had to leave for the airport.

However, my biggest discovery of the weekend was sweet persimmons.

We were invited for supper by my Dad's cousin, who lives on a farm just outside Stellenbosch. They mainly grow all the kinds of leaves and greenery you find in flower arrangements, but they also have some persimmon trees.

They look like fat, orange tomatoes, and when peeled, their flesh have a peach-like texture. However, I've never tasted anything like them before. Soft and very sweet, with an almost honeyish taste.

I prefer them fresh and raw, but they're just as delicious when quickly fried in a pan with a bit of cinnamon, and served over ice cream.

Apparently, their botanical name, Diospyros, is even Greek for “food of the gods".

Curry and Blue Rice

This is just further proof that I am part of a delightfully weird family. A few nights ago, supper was traditional South African 'Kerrie en Rys' (For non-SA's, this is lightly curried mince with potatoes, raisins and apricots, usually served with rice and lots of Mrs Ball's Chutney.)

Thing is, we all like brown rice, while my father is an adamant white rice supporter.
Solution: Cook a combination of the 2 and get your sister to sneak a few drops of blue food colouring into the mix.

This resulted in a delicious meal with a wonderfully retro 80's colour scheme, that left the whole family extolling the virtues of blue rice as opposed to boring, normal rice.

Of course, this just reaffirmed my co-workers' suspicions as to my overall sanity, but since I am a designer, weirdness is almost part of the job description.

And much thanks to The Saturnyne for his timely advice. I was getting really agitated with Hello and am now very much enthralled by Imageshack. This might not count as the unexpected eternal gratefulness, but it is still a big thank you. I might have to send you some freshly drawn chocolates now.

Weekend blues (and mochas)

Trust me to choose the only long weekend for ages to get the lurgy. And of course now that I have to go back to work I feel sufficiently better to not really have a valid reason to stay at home.

We did make the most amazing flourless chocolate cake though. It is basically just lots of dark chocolate and groung almonds mixed with eggs, sugar and butter (with the obligatory coffee and brandy for taste), but oh, decadent doesn't even come close. The bigger nuts all sink to the bottom to form the chewy base. Next is the gooey, rich, moist chocolaty coffee centre that just melts away in your mouth. And to end it off is the light crusty top brushed with icing sugar, or if you want to be even more decadent, dribbled with melted chocolate. Food from the white house is without doubt my new favourite cookbook.

But I'm making myself hungry talking about this, and there is still one little piece left...