Tokara

Is that not the prettiest salad you've ever seen? That was my appetizer at Tokara in Stellenbosch outside of Cape Town. I already knew their wine was amazing (my favorite is the Director's Reserve Red), but the food was fab too.

This is a shot from the Vinotec (wine library)

And the incredible view

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!

Slow Cookers

Does anyone have a slow cooker? I had always sort of turned my nose up at them, but just today decided to bite the bullet and buy one. I had some credit at Sur La Table leftover from our wedding (thanks Anne and Chris!) and went for it. The inspiration for buying the slow cooker was this chicken broth recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Homemade chicken broth is great, but kind of a pain. This looks perfect! You can throw it all in at night and have perfect chicken broth in the morning to freeze or use for soup for dinner. I got this slow cooker. I'll have to experiment with recipes. I don't like the idea of not getting all that good browning for braised meats, but maybe you split it half in a pan, scrape it up, then add it to the slow cooker? It'll be a learning process. I'm also excited to make dal makhani - yum! I couldn't get enough of it in India.

Cafe LULUc

Jamie and I wandered down quiet, snowy Smith Street Saturday morning looking for a good brunch spot and stopped into Cafe LULUc. It was a bustling French bistro-style spot and there was one table for two available - perfect. We sat down around 11 and within a few minutes there was a line of people waiting to sit. Neither of us willing to compromise on getting something different, we both ordered the french toast. Yum! It was brioche french toast and it was so fluffy and light, and the berries and apple compote were a great addition. I ate the entire thing and probably could have had more (and it was big). We also got some sausages on the side that were tasty. If you're looking for a cute brunch spot in Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill/Carroll Gardens, Cafe Luluc is fab.

Cauliflower Couscous

This is a sneaky way to eat cauliflower, and it's fabulous. It acts and looks like couscous, but it's just finely chopped cauliflower. I found the recipe on Food52 and plan to make it again soon, maybe switching up the seasoning (though the seasoning and ingredients here are fabulous). I served it to Jamie not saying what it was and he thought it was just regular couscous. Even when I told him it was cauliflower, he loved it and said he could eat it every day - quite a hit. I'm by no means gluten free, but this would be a good gluten-free alternative to couscous.

Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 large head cauliflower
5 oz roasted cashews, roughly chopped
3 oz golden raisins
5 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp minced parsley
1/2 tsp cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp lemon zest
salt and pepper

Directions:
Place raisins in a cup or bowl and cover with warm water. Let them plump for 15 minutes, then drain and discard the water.
Break the cauliflower into florets, leaving behind as much stem as possible. Break the florets into smaller pieces and add to a food processor. Pulse until all the pieces are finely chopped and resemble couscous (don't over process).

Cape Town Bound!

I am off to one of my very favorite places in the world - Cape Town! I cannot wait. Posts will be on hold for a week or so while I am staying at the lovely One&Only and visiting wineries and eating at the best restaurants and stopping by old haunts (Forries).

Raspberry Sorbet

After all the gluttony of Thanksgiving, this week I've been looking for light, fresh things to eat. Raspberry Sorbet sounded perfect and I found a very simple recipe. I used frozen raspberries and it turned out really well. As long as you have an ice cream maker, it's a great, not too complicated dessert.

Ingredients:

4 cups frozen raspberries

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup water