So my family has this crazy new year’s tradition where we welcome in the new year with a gourmet dinner, consisting of the number of courses of the new year. We have reached 19 now, and boy, it has become a bit of an epic cook-off.
We are a bunch of amateurs that really enjoy eating (and drinking) well, and this is a fun project that gets discussed and nitpicked to every last detail from Christmas Day onwards.
This year we decided to cook from one chef’s cookbooks only and it was fantastic. We love Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen’s uncomplicated but delicious approach to cooking South African and his recipes are easy to make with intense flavors.
My sister’s kids are now cooking along with us, my daughter made the pannacotta. We divide the rest of the recipes between us and make seriously small portions, but 19 courses are still a challenge. Here some photos of our French Affair – lots of laughs and another memorable new year’s party!
Balsamic Tomatoes – super easy and a bite of delight!The herb garden.Rockrose, one of my favorite plants. It rained the whole night and everything is lush and green right now.Miso butter and Olive BreadsticksServiette. LOL.Most delicious and decadent soup: Cauliflower and Roquefort.Comfort food: biltong and chutney crisp sandwich.Tomato and Crab pesto salad.Pissaladiere…things started going downhill from here…and we are not done with the starters.Classic prawn cocktail 🙂Mushrooms and Gruyere Pancake.Chicken and Corn Pot Pies.Salmon in a herb garden – super delicious and easy! Look how pretty!Still not cooked, but these were delicious: Asparagus and Leeks with bacon.Spaghetti Bolognese (why why why…for the kids!)This badly photographed little bite is a Bobotie, a traditional South African dish with lots of spices and things like apricot jam and chutney in it…add lots of coconut milk and you have the most delicious reduction of pure Cape Malay goodness.Gluhwein sorbet with red fruits. Yummy.Cheese platter. We are having a French Affair, after all.Wine jelly with blueberries…because I couldn’t find any pomegranate.Orange and lemon pannacotta with a white chocolate rice crispies rock.Chocolate. How can you have a 19-course menu and no chocolate…?
TASTY TRAVEL TITBITS 