If you are looking for a great gift for a special occasion, whether it is for someone else or a “to me, from me” gift, one of Di Burger’s books, Chocolate’s African Odyssey or Celebrating Méthode Cap Classique, is sure to impress. In her book, Chocolate’s African Odyssey, Di writes: “For pure indulgence, I’ve taken my readers on a tour of the country’s emerging chocolatiers, patisseries, food emporiums, cafés, restaurants and hotels that offer anything from a melt-in-the-mouth chocolate truffle to a full-blown afternoon tea. Chocolate conjures up images of decadence and deliciousness at once – you can eat it, drink it, cook with it and pair it with just about anything. Chocolate is a food hero. It is part of an emerging industry that is playing a starring role on South Africa’s food stage and it deserves to be taken seriously.”
The book charts chocolate’s history and its cultivation and explains the difference between fine and not so fine chocolate. There are masses of fabulous chocolate recipes that have a distinctly South African slant and for those who want to learn more, the book includes a number of culinary institutes that offer full or part time chocolate, and patisserie skills training. The index lists local and European chocolate makers and distributers from whom you can buy small or larger quantities of top quality couverture chocolate. Turning the pages of this book will spark your sense of indulgence and make you want to join in the fun, so be sure to visit the Coffee & Chocolate Expo at Monte Casino In July!
Click here for the Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding recipe from the book.
Another book by Di Burger is Celebrating Méthode Cap Classique. Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) is the term which describes the South African bottle-fermented production of sparkling wines in the French méthode Champenoise style. They are dry, with less than 12 grams of sugar per litre.
The book includes profiles of the major sparkling wine producers in South Africa and describes four styles of making sparkling wines:
– the ‘impregnation method’ (injecting carbon dioxide into vats of still wine);
– the ‘tank method’ (second fermentation in tank instead of in the bottle);
– the ‘transfer method’ (second fermentation in bottles, the cloudy wine is sucked out of the bottle through a filter to remove the sediment); and
– ‘Méthode Cap Classique’ (second fermentation in the bottle, with a solution of sugar syrup, yeast and aged wine added to create carbon dioxide and alcohol in the bottle, aged on the lees for 18 months – 5 years).
The book traces the history of champagne to South Africa’s sparkling wine industry, which innovated with Cap Classique forty years ago, being a bottle-fermented bubbly made in the traditional French style. Kaapse Vonkel was made for the first time by pioneer winefarmer Frans Malan at Simonsig in 1971, while ‘Cap Classique’ wines were made for the first time in 1992. Chairman of the Cap Classique Association, Pieter ‘Bubbles’ Ferreira of Graham Beck Wines, writes in the introduction to the book that ‘South Africa has the oldest grape growing soils in the world’. Combined with its bountiful sunshine, the Western Cape is a perfect location for growing grapes of excellent quality for the production of Cap Classique.
Both books make great gifts for a special occasion and can be ordered directly from Stacked Publications for R280.00 each which includes postage for South Africa. You can expect a delivery within 2 days! If you place an order by mid June you will receive a copy signed by the author. Contact di@stackedpublications.co.za or 021 685 2146 to order. These books also make great corporate gifts!
Sources: www.wine.co.za & www.xaviernagelagencies.co.za
