Popping the bubbly is part of the party Thursday, Dec 30 2010 

Popping the bubbly is part of the party and the here is a few tips to open a bottle of Bubbly.

1.    Make sure your bottle is chilled – none of that luke-warm nonsense. Your bottle of bubbly should be very cold to the touch; this insures maximum bubbly potential and less foam when the bottle is popped. Make sure it is not bordering on frozen as its taste and gorgeous bubbles can be lost.

2.    Once your bottle of bubbly has reached the appropriate popping potential dry off the bottle; you don’t want it to slip out of your hands while impressing the guests. Then take off the foil top and loosen the wire cage. You can either loosen the entire cage surrounding the cork and take it off or leave it on; just in case too much pressure has built up inside – this will prevent the cork from shooting into the unsuspecting audience.

3.    Drape a kitchen towel over the champagne bottle which will catch the cork if it decides to fly away from you and will prevent spillage (very important).

4.    With your one hand hold the cork (covered by the towel) with a little bit of downward pressure, then with the other hand slowly start twisting the bottom of the bottle (don’t yank on the cork).

5.    Twist the bottle and the cork in opposite directions until a gentle piff is heard; this is the Co2 escaping – if it’s a loud pop you have let our too much Co2 and you will probably need a mop to clean up the spillage.

6.    If no loud bang has occurred it means you have saved the bubbles and impressed your guests with your champagne popping finesse.

7.    Pour at an angle into a champagne flute to avoid too much foam in the glass which will again lose more precious bubbles.

8.    Toast and sip with festive delight!

Source: food24

South African braai etiquette clip Wednesday, Dec 22 2010 

Have you seen this popular ‘Braai etiquette’ video clip?

 This clip has received close to half- a- million views  and has left a braaiing legacy.

Mieliebrood- ‘n Fantastiese braai bydis Monday, Dec 20 2010 

Bydisse by n braai is soms die gedeelte van die ete wat die gereg maak.

Hier is fantastiese Mieliebrood resep vir n braai

Bestanddele
1 Blik suikermielies – roomsoort
2 Eiers
15 ml Olie
5 ml Sout
15 ml Suiker
500 ml Bruismeel
Paprika
Gersperde geel kaas

Metode
Meng mielies, eiers en olie.
Voeg sout, suiker en bruismeel by en meng deeglik.
Spuit ‘n tupper jelly ring met spray en cook.
Sprinkel paprika onder in.
Gooi kaas in.
Gooi nou die mengsel in.
Bak by 60% krag vir 7 minute en daarna vir 3 minute by 100%.
Ontvorm en laat afkoel.

Bron: resepte.za.cx

The basics of wine Monday, Dec 13 2010 

The wine world features five styles of wine: white, red, rosé, sparkling and fortified. While colour and taste are obvious differences, how they are made is the most significant one.

Many of the same grapes are used in different styles. An example is pinot noir, which is used to make red and sparkling wines. A syrah, usually a red wine, can be made into a rosé.

White-wine grapes are harvested, destemmed and crushed, then immediately pressed to extract the juice. Yeasts are added and fermentation begins.

After fermentation is complete, the white wine is aged in oak barrels, stainless-steel tanks or both before bottling.

Some white-wine grapes, such as pinot gris, actually are pink instead of the usual green. The colour does not get picked up because the grapes are pressed right after the crush, and the skins that create the colour come in contact with the juice for only a very short time.

Red-wine grapes also are destemmed and crushed. Yeast is added to this combination of skins, seeds, pulp and juice and it is then fermented. This mixture is called must. After fermentation, the must is pressed.

The red colour is produced because the skins have been in contact with the juice during fermentation. The extended time the skins and seeds are in contact with the juice also cause red wine to be more tannic than white.

The red wine is then put into oak barrels and aged. Because of the tannins, the wine usually can be aged many years after bottling.

Rosé wine is made by using a little of both the red and white methods. The grapes are crushed and fermentation is started.

The skins are left in the juice for a short period of time (two or three days) to get the pink colour, then the juice is pressed and fermentation is completed. The wine usually is bottled right away.

Sparkling wine can be made a few different ways.

The traditional way for French Champagne is méthode traditionnelle, a process that takes at least two to five years.
The transfer method is less expensive, time-consuming and labour-intensive. In the injection method, carbon dioxide is injected into the wine, like with carbonated soda.

Fortified wines are those in which brandy and sometimes sugar are added back into the wine. The two famous fortified wines are sherry and port.

Sherry differs from other fortified wines because of how it is treated after fermentation — it is fortified with brandy.
Port wine is fortified with brandy halfway through fermentation, which stops the process so not all the sugars turn into alcohol, leaving a sweet wine.

Source: Ventura County Star

Win a VIP party with Binneland Sub Judice Thursday, Dec 9 2010 

Do you want to win an unforgettable VIP party with Binneland Sub Judice?

All you have to do to enter this competition is to become a  Facebook fan of Legacy (www.facebook.com/legacywine) and to summit your ‘Signup Form’.

Roosterkoek- A legendary braai side dish Wednesday, Dec 8 2010 

What to serves as a side dish with the braai can be a tricky affair? I believe that when you’re braaing steak , which must be served ASAP  after braaing (braai to plate in 5 seconds),  you must not bother with roosterkoek, “braaibroodjies” or anything that needs to be braaied after the meat.

But when you have a dish which allows you to quickly braai some roosterkoek it can be a lovely side dish.

I found this great Roosterkoek recipe  :

ROOSTERKOEK (makes about 12)

Ingredients:

300g plain flour
10ml instant yeast
5ml salt
15ml sugar
30ml sunflower oil
180-200ml warm water

Method:

Mix the yeast and sugar together in a small cup together with a little of the warm water and stir.  The mixture should foam after a minute or two.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and salt, then add the oil and water while mixing continuously.  When the mixture comes together to form a dough, add the yeast and sugar and mix well.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased plastic bag or in a lightly greased bowl covered with a damp tea towel and allow to rise for about an hour, or until it has doubled in volume.

Divide the dough into 12 roughly equal pieces and shape into slightly flattened balls on a floured surface. Place on a baking sheet and cover with clingfilm. Leave to rise for another 15 minutes.

Place the braai grid over evenly distributed direct coals and allow to heat for 5 minutes. Lightly grease the grid and place the rolls directly on it for about 15-20 minutes.  Alternatively, place the baking sheet in an oven at about 180C/350F for 15-20 minutes.

When half the cooking time has elapsed, turn the roosterkoek over. The roosterkoek are done when they are lightly browned, crispy on the outside and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from the fire/oven, split open and serve hot with butter.

Source: cooksister.com

Win a VIP party with Binneland Sub Sudice Tuesday, Dec 7 2010 

Win a VIP party with Binneland Sub Sudice.

Do you remember this memorable occasion? Friday, Dec 3 2010 

Joel Stansky’s drop goal in the 1995 World Cup was on of those great South African memorable occasions.

  

 

The fruity slightly sweet trendy fresh reliable stylish shapely Legacy, a wine of consistent quality and the centre of numerous, South African memorable occasions

Classic Leon Schuster prank Wednesday, Dec 1 2010 

Do you remember this classic Leon Schuster prank?