Desserts - Inspired Living SA

Tanqueray Gin and Lindt Chocolate Pairing

Last week I was invited to attend an exclusive cocktail and chocolate tasting evening, hosted at the Lindt Chocolate Studio, at the Cape Quarter in Cape Town. The event was held to celebrate a new partnership, between Tanqueray Gin and Lindt Chocolate!

The great thing is we were allowed to take a plus one, so I took the hubby – we both love Gin, especially Tanqueray and who can resist Lindt Chocolate!

We had high hopes for the evening and we were not dissapointed! First off we were treated to a master class, in cocktail making, by an expert mixologist. He introduced us to the craft that is Gin production. Who knew that it was such and involved process!

The recipe for Tanqueray remains a a closely guarded trade secret but is known to contain four key botanicals which are juniper, coriander, angelica root and liquorice. These ingredients all work together in perfect harmony to create a unique London dry gin.

Next on the agenda was preparing the new Tanqueray cocktails. It was great to not only taste but to prepare the cocktails ourselves, we learnt all the tricks of the trade when it comes to cocktail-making!

My favourite cocktail was the “Flipped Symphony” a take on the traditional “Eggnog” – it was totally delish, with hints of Vanilla and Espresso two of my favourite flavours.

Each cocktail was paired with a Lindt Chocolate Flavour and my favourite combo, was the Coconut Intense with the Tanqueray Breeze.

We then had the honour of meeting a Lindt chocolatier, who educated us on all things chocolate! To top off a wonderful evening we were shown how to master a decadent chocolate fondant dessert. Made with Lindt chocolate of course! This was served with the most delicious Vanilla and Coconut Ice Cream – also made by Lindt.

I thought I would share the Chocolate Fondant Recipe with you – it looked so super easy to make and is definitely something I am going to try and make!

Lindt 70% Chocolate Fondant:

Ingredients:

225g 70% Excellence Lindt Chocolate
22g Butter
Orange Extract
250g Eggs
80g Egg Yolks
200g Sugar
100g Flour
Salt

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180ºc. Place the butter, chocolate into a double boiler and allow to melt or alternatively melt gently in the microwave. Mix the eggs and the egg yokes together lightly, do not whisk air in to them. Pour the melted chocolate mix into the eggs, whilst stirring. Then stir in the sugar and flour mix. Mix until a smooth mass – do not over mix. Grease your ramekins or dariole molds and coat with castor sugar. Pour the Fondant mixture into a piping bag and pipe into your molds. Bake at 180ºc for 11minutes. Allow to rest once baked then unmold and serve.

Many thanks to both Tanqueray and Lindt for a fabulously fun evening!

Desserts, Food, Taste

Top Ice Cream Shops in Cape Town

Summer in Cape Town is a glorious thing: stunning beach weather, beautiful sunsets, dinning outside and the most important summer essential – Ice Cream! Ice Cream is one of those things that you can enjoy come rain or shine but it tastes particularly good on a hot summers day!

We all need a bit of indulgence in our lives! So I thought I would share my Top Ice Cream Shops in Cape Town, including a few recommendations from my readers.

The Creamery

I had the pleasure of sampling their delicious ice cream, for the first time, at the Constantia Food & Wine Festival last year and all I can say is yum! My all-time favourite was the Lime Curd flavour! Their ice cream is handmade; most of the ingredients are sourced locally and organic. I actually got to meet Kate the lady behind the Ice Cream and was treated to my own private tasting.

Although The Creamery is in essence not a retail shop, you can pop into their kitchen to pick up a pint (cash only) from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday, or even better you can order on the webshop if you have a specific flavour you would like them to keep aside for you. You can collect your order from; either their kitchen in Mowbray, or any one of the markets and pop up shops they stock.

Unit 22A | corner of Weymouth and Wyecroft Road | Mowbray | Cape Town | +27 (0)21 447 7690

Häagen-Dazs

Häagen-Dazs is a family favourite! Whenever we visit the V&A Waterfront we pop in to their shop, the girls love the Raspberry Sorbet and I am quite particular to their Vanilla Caramel Brownie. Their ice cream has an incredibly rich flavour, smooth texture and creamy taste, because it contains less air, Häagen-Dazs is denser and richer than other luxury ice creams, creating its signature slow-melting creaminess.

Shop no. 129 | Lower Level | Victoria Wharf | +27 (0)21 421 0744

Sinnful Ice Cream Emporium

We usually frequent the shop in Muizenberg but they also have an outlet in Camps Bay. Sinnful is a Cape Town favourite and very popular with my readers. They give new meaning to the term gourmet ice cream with their interesting blend of flavours like Heavenly Hash, a blend of marshmallow, chocolate chips, fudge and vanilla ice cream or Koeksusters and Amarula!

Shop 5 | The Promenade Centre | Victoria Road | Camps Bay | +27 (0)21 438 3541

Gelato Mania

Gelato Mania, situated in Green Point Cape Town, is a unique gelateria, which specializes in Artisan gelato (traditional home-made Italian style ice cream).Using an age-old traditional recipe, Gelato Mania offers taste sensations, which are refreshing bursts of exceptional flavours, leaving you craving more!

Every scoop of Gelato Mania is a unique blend of quality, flavour and an unforgettable experience, bringing to life their promise of “memories you can taste.”

65 Main Road | Green Point | Cape Town | +27 (0)21 439 2074

Ice Café

This was another reader recommendation and her favourite flavour is Blueberry and Fudge, two separate flavours that are combined and it must be in a served in a sugar cone!!

Situated in Kalk Bay, you can buy your ice cream and enjoy it while taking leisurely stroll, taking in the sights. Other delicious flavours you can try include blueberry and cream, rum and raisin or ginger and cinnamon.

Main Road | Kalk Bay | +27 (0)21 788 4816

The Venezia Ice Cream Parlour

A quaint little Italian spot where you can indulge in gloriously creamy gelato. With an array of gorgeous flavours this ice cream parlour never fails to impress.
92 Main Road | Sea Point | Cape Town | +27 (0)21 930 2952

Lecca il Gelato

Lecca il Gelato, situated in the picaresque town of Stellenbosch, was the first real Italian ice cream parlour in South Africa and opened its doors in February 2006. It is owned and managed by an enthusiastic team of Italians, who are committed to creating an authentic top quality ice cream. They only use fresh, individually selected ingredients from across the globe and do not add any preservatives, additives, vegetable fats or artificial colouring to our ice cream.

Their flavours include exotic taste experiences such as Champagne ice cream, Portofino (chocolate and whiskey) and they even have Soya gelato for those that are dairy intolerant.

15 Church Street | Stellenbosch | Cape Town | +27 (0)21 886 4694/5

Marcel’s

Marcel’s is the home of delectable frozen yogurt, which is great, if like me you like to watch your calorie intake! It was established in 1989 and now has 12 outlets. A family favourite in our house is the English Toffee or you can try exciting new flavours like Lemony Cheesecake and Rich Espresso.

Lower level| Victoria and Alfred Waterfront| Cape Town | +27 (0)21425 2633

Wakaberry

Wakaberry is the new kid on the block and is very quickly becoming uber popular! Wakaberry is the first South African frozen yoghurt brand to offer a unique self-serve concept that allows each customer to be the boss of their own creation.

The froyo flavours vary from store to store, but customers can expect a wide variety including classics like Strawberry, Vanilla, Mixed Berry and English Toffee and quirkier taste sensations like Green tea, Pomegranate, Kiwi and Watermelon. Toppings wise, for the fit and healthy we offer fresh fruit, nuts, and cereals, and for the downright wicked there are deliciously decadent desserts such as sweets, chocolates and sauces.

To find a store near you click over to their Store Locater or call the Head Office +27 (0)31 572 4971

Please a comment below if you think I have left any out or tell me what your favourite flavour combos are!

Competitions, Desserts, Food, Winner

The Winner of The Creamery Giveaway

I am pleased to announce The Winner of The Creamery Giveaway – Congratulations Gerhard Swart – you are the winner of the two 500ml pints of The Creamery’s stunning ice cream! ! Gerhards favourite sundae flavour choice was the “Hot Fudge Brownie – chocolate brownie cubes, hot fudge sauce, vanilla ice cream” – sounds so yummy! Thank you for entering and you will be contacted via email to arrange the collection of your prize.

A big thank you to everyone for entering and to The Creamery for sponsoring this giveaway!

Disclaimer:

* The winner is chosen randomly using Random.org.

Competitions, Desserts, Eating Out, Food, Markets, Reviews and Features

The Creamery

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting the creative minds, Kate and Marianne, behind the delicious ice cream at The Creamery; needless to say I was truly inspired! Oh and I got to taste more of their decadent ice cream! Yum! The Creamery ice cream is an artisanal product in the truest sense of the word, from the care and attention to detail in the sourcing of ingredients, to the creative flare that is at the heart of developing different flavours.

Kate & Marianne

The owner Kate Schrire is a slow food advocate. She received a diploma from the SA Chef Academy and went on to head up operations at the Sustainability Institute in Stellenbosh. Here began Kate’s dream to create a product that was both hand-crafted and sustainable. The Creamery was officially founded in November 2011.

To maintain sustainability they try to source the majority of their ingredients from local farmers and suppliers who are passionate about both sustainability and biodiversity. This often means using only products that are in season.

As I mentioned to Kate and Marianne (“the creative team”) while doing my tasting, their ice cream is more than “just ice cream” – it is more of a stand-alone desert, with original flavours like lemon curd swirl, chocolate orange curd swirl and roasted pear and cardamom. Of the flavours that I tasted, my two favourites would have to be the lemon ice cream and the coffee. They also scoop the usual crowd favourites like chocolate and vanilla, but I think you need to step out there and be a bit more adventurous when eating The Creamery ice creams and try something new!

The team at The Creamery are constantly evolving their flavours and spend a lot of time developing new products. As part of their ongoing development process, they are creating their own version of an ice cream sundae, which promises to provide us with yet another dreamy ice cream experience. The sundae will consist of their amazing ice cream (of course!), a sauce (preferably warm), and a textural component, like a cookie or brownie, nut, fruit or candy (all made by them). You can find out more about their amazing creation on their blog – here.

The most exciting news is that you can be a part of the development of their sundae flavours and at the same time, stand a chance of winning two 500ml pints of The Creamery’s stunning ice cream! Here is what you need to do:

Have a look at The Creamery blog and tell us what your favourite choice of Sundae flavour combinations would be.
“Like” Super Mom Blogs Facebook page (This way you can keep up to date with future giveaways & awesome posts!)

and

You can give The Creamery and extra shout out on Twitter saying It’s all about the Sundae with @thecreamerysa and @Supermomblog

Please leave a comment on this blog, below the post, telling me what your favourite Sundae flavour combination is; along with your details in the comment section below this post (please include your email address). If you do not complete this step your entry will not be valid.

Competition Details:

This giveaway will run from the 13th June 2012, until the 19th June 2012. The winner will then be randomly selected and announced on my blog on the 20th June. The winner will also be notified by email that they have won.
Conditions of entry: Anyone may enter this giveaway, but please note that The Creamery is based in Cape Town and the winner will need to collect their prize directly from The Creamery or from a market of their choice.
The prize may not be exchanged for cash.

To find out more about where you can buy The Creamery ice cream you can click here

Be Inspired, Competitions, Desserts, Food, Reviews and Features

Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream

One of the perks of what I do is being given samples to review. This week my review comes in the form of Haagen- Dazs Ice Cream Yum! Poor me I hear you saying! So I decided to pick their Cookies & Cream and Dulce de Leche, for my tasting – naturally I had the help of my tasting panel!

I personally preferred the Dulce de Leche, which was rich and creamy with ripples of delicious toffee caramel, although quite rich it keeps you coming back for more! The general consensus was that it was utterly delicious!

The Cookies and Cream is reminiscent of cookies dunked in milk, taking you back to your childhood. My girls loved this as well, what’s not to love – Chunks of delicious chocolate cookies are folded through creamy vanilla ice cream leaving you in ice cream heaven!

As a little indulgent extra today I am giving away a voucher for a tub of delicious Haagen-Dazs ice cream all you need to do is follow the simple steps below to stand a chance of winning!

Tweet I want to indulge and win with @HaagenDazs_SA and @supermomsablog

Leave a comment on Super Mom’s Facebook page saying I want to indulge and win with @HaagenDazsSouthAfrica and @Supermomblog

Please leave a comment on this blog, below the post, telling me what your favourite Haagen-Dazs flavour is; along with your details in the comment section below this post (please include your email address). If you do not complete this step your entry will not be valid.

Competition Details:

This giveaway will run from Tuesday the 5th June 2012, until the 10th June 2012. The winner will then be randomly selected and announced on my blog on the 11th June. The winner will also be notified by email that they have won.
Conditions of entry: Anyone may enter this giveaway, but please note that the Haagen-Dazs voucher will only be shipped within South Africa and may not be exchanged for cash.

To find more places to Indulge your ice cream craving see my post on Top Ice Cream Spots in Cape Town