Tag: party

Food

Homemade marshmallows

by s.a.b1 Comment on Homemade marshmallows

We once threw Little Monsieur a vintage airplane party, complete with mini suitcases as favour boxes, gorgeous rosettes made of old map paper etc. And of course, ever the theme perfectionist, I was hell-bound in giving out cloud-shaped marshmallows as part of the favours… I could picture them in my head, soft, fluffy, light blue. But after a few days of browsing the internet with no other options in the shaped marshmallows department beyond the ubiquitous squares and (sigh) hearts, I almost gave up. Just before I did though, a little thought came into my mind and just wouldn’t budge: “Hmm, how about I make some myself?”

Thankfully, I quickly found out that, when it comes to marshmallows, that’s perfectly achievable (unlike making a perfect birthday cake complete with piping and frosting and decorations, something I have never and will never attempt, I know my limits). I shaped them as clouds that day using cookie cutters, but you can use this basic recipe for any shape you want. This is super easy, and is a lot of fun to do with bored children during a rainy afternoon or, say, day 39 of lockdown.

Make sure you got all your ingredients lined up as you start, you don’t want to be scrambling for the gelatine when your syrup is ready…

First, line a deep-ish baking tray with a mix of icing sugar and corn flour. If you don’t have icing sugar, take granulated sugar, pour it into your blender, and pulse until you get the right powdery texture. Soak your gelatine in cold water for at least five minutes. Whilst it’s soaking, make a syrup using only the caster sugar, water and glucose (you can use golden syrup if you don’t have glucose), and only add the gelatine once your syrup is thick and sticky (the original recipe says to check your sugar thermometre, who has time for sugar thermometres?! I test by running my spatula on the bottom of the pan, if it leaves a trace it’s good to go). Word of caution number one: when you pour the gelatine into the syrup is basicallt the moment when everything might go horribly wrong, as the mixture bubbles up and can risk burning your hand if you aren’t careful! You need to stir to stabilise the now quite thick syrup down. After you stabilise the syrup, pour it into a metal jug and let it cool down quite a bit.

Next step, meringue. For this, make sure your egg whites are super cold (so keep them in the fridge whilst you’re making the syrup) and add a pinch of salt, for good luck… Make sure you whip them until stiff, and for that I can only recommend an electric whip, unless you’re trying to break your own arm off. Carry on whisking as you pour the syrup in slowly: you’ll see the mixture turn super shiny and white… If you fancy a bit of flavouring add a couple of drops of vanilla extract here, also this is the right time for a little food colouring. Ok almost done. Now all you have to do is whisk for a further 10-15 minutes, until you get a thick mixture which holds on to the whisk; and this is where I’ll give you the second warning: the mix does stick to the whisk, and in fact it might even want to climb up it making a grand old mess, but trust me if you stop whisking too soon your marshmallows won’t firm up and you’ll have to start again from scratch… (I should know!)

Once you’re happy with your mix, pour into the tray (which has a generous coating of icing sugar and corn flour, remember?), and leave for a bit. Once the mix is completely cool, dust with more icing sugar and corn flour mix, then leave to rest and firm up for a couple of hours at least. Check the texture by tapping lightly with your finger. If it doesn’t stick to your finger, it’s time to shape. You can use any cookie cutter you want if you fancy shapes, just make sure you dip your cutter in the icing sugar and corn flour mix first; for standard marshmallows, use scissors dipped in the icing mix and cut bands then squares. Store in an air-tight container for a couple of weeks maximum with a bit more of the icing mix. If you leave them in a bowl the outside will harden over a day, but I can tell you these are so delicious it’s unlikely they survive too long in a house with sugar lovers…

These homemade marshmallows are super fluffy and don’t have the sticky gummy texture of the shop bought ones, also you’re saving your kids a few additives in the process so give yourself a pat in the back.

With love, S.

Hosting Notes

Life is a party

by s.a.bLeave a Comment on Life is a party

One of the thing I miss the most during this pandemic lockdown is hosting… I love having friends over and my sole purpose in life when I have an upcoming party is to ensure people have a fabulous time. And usually, March and April are quite busy party months in our family, between holidays, birthdays, and champagne brunches just because… But, one has to do what one has to do, no big parties for a little while, until this pandemic slows down and we are all, hopefully, allowed back to our lives and our loved ones. Meanwhile, I am still able to share my favourite hostess tips, right?

We all know that throwing a wonderful party, or even just a lovely dinner, is mainly about the guests. Ensuring they are comfortable in your home, having a good time and all. As a Mediterranean, my first interpretation of this is: people need to be able to eat enough to be able to sustain a month-long desert crossing without any food or drink. I have toned this down a bit over the years, seeing as we were constantly left with a fridge full of leftovers, but the habit remains: if you come to our home for a meal, bring a serious appetite, in fact the best approach is to fast for one full day before, just to be sure. What else is important? Let’s see: will guests who are meeting for the first time get along, have I cooked these dishes for them before, do they eat everything or are they a little picky, are there guests who don’t drink, do I have my friends’ favourite drinks, do they like chocolatey desserts or fruity ones, so on and so forth…

Next, planning. The bigger the do the longer you need to plan ahead, especially if you do have an everyday job. Typically I will plan a meal, anything from four people to twenty-five, three to five days in advance (in Johannesburg you sometimes have to go around a few shops to find all the groceries you need, because the stock levels for special ingredients such as quails or tahini can vary, so I make a list on Monday and Hubby Dearest and I go on a hunting party during the week), a party for the children’s birthdays takes a good four weeks (and you have to make sure you send those invites on time to secure that one week-end afternoon you want!), and our end of year holiday drinks is something I start thinking about in October.

I usually choose one theme from the tableware to the food, and when we’re having big parties I go all out with branches of finbos hanging from the ceiling or mini potted lemon trees. I love Mediterranean and Eastern European inspired food, and spend a lot of time peering down books by my favourites, Yotam Ottolenghi and Ina Garten, although I have had a River Cafe book for over ten years that always yields the most delicious food. I know there is a rule book somewhere that says don’t try new recipes for a party, I say where’s the fun in life if you’re not a little adventurous, plus there is always the nearest pizza joint if it’s a real disaster. But again, make sure you plan, plan, and plan some more. If you can make anything ahead of time, do: pastry bases for quiches are super easy to make, you can store them in the fridge until next morning and bake them on the day, also you can freeze mini canapes for when you need them. Whatever happens, when you’re hosting, cook up a storm if you enjoy it, or order in if it’s your thing. Someone once tried to explain to me how important it was for a good hostess to have a great catering company on hand, so she doesn’t disturb her hosting with menial kitchen tasks, … I am still trying to understand what wrongful impression I gave this lady that she thought to share this meshuga advice with me as if I was ever going to follow it. I like to cook, the more the better, period.

On the day of the party, I spend a lot of time setting up the table, or the decor if it’s a bigger thing. I love flowers that match the theme, glasses that go together but are not from the same set, and nothing sings to me as much as a gorgeous table lay, which is quite funny considering my mother had the same passion when I was growing up, and I used to sneer at how much effort she put into her tables and dinners… Full circle, I guess. In South Africa I have found a few brands that I love buying tablecloths from, such as Samesyn, Isobel Sippel, and I now buy fabric by the bulk to have our local tailor make into tablecloths. I also enjoy visiting antique shops for delft plates and old crystal glasses, however I can’t wait to go to London and visit the shop of The Edition 94, its Insta feed is so incredibly dreamy.

So, food is ready, the house looks amazing, sparkling and fabulous but not intimidating (we do not own any white sofas or Spanish inquisition style heavy dining chairs… and our kids and their toys own half of the kitchen – family room), time to relax, have a glass of bubbly, put on some make-up, although if your coq-au-vin is almost ready it’s best to stay with an eye on it than go apply lippy, you can always fix your face during aperitif, but you won’t be able to fix a burnt sauce.

When people arrive, make sure everyone gets a glass of something they love; this is Hubby’s job at this point, although by now he has also helped clear out the multiple layers of mess I’ve created in the kitchen by making what he believes is a stupid number of recipes, and he is not too impressed that yet again I’ve cooked for twice as many people as we’ve invited. The guests are here, time to relax, have fun, chat around the kitchen island, let your friends help put the finishing touches to the food, and enjoy yourself. I know that, after this unique Black Mirror worthy first season of 2020, we will all be extra thankful for those times of togetherness, when we can hug our friends, feed them, and cheer to their health and success.

Love, S.