Stop at Rodney\'s Grand Cafe 09/08/2011
 Grand Café has always been a favourite and never disappoints. It has recently moved to a more prominent position on the main road, next to Robertson Antiques, but the menu still boasts the legendary farm chicken pie and beef lasagne, served with salad and a memorable parsley dressing. Read complete review... Add Comment Parsnip Soup with Leeks and Parsley Recipe 05/14/2011
 Parsnips can sometimes have tough, fibrous cores, especially if they are late in the season. If as you are cutting your parsnips you find the cores to be especially tough, cut them out and discard. INGREDIENTS
1 Heat butter in a 4 to 6 quart pot on medium heat. Add the chopped leeks, toss to coat with the butter. When the leeks are heated enough so they begin to sizzle in the pan, lower the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook until soft, but don't let the leeks brown. 2 Add the parsnips and olive oil, and toss to coat. Sprinkle on the salt. Add the stock and water. Add the strips of lemon zest. Bring to a boil and reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook until the parsnips are completely tender, at least 30 minutes. 3 Remove and discard the lemon zest. Add the parsley. Purée the soup until smooth, either by using an immersion blender or by working in batches with a stand-up blender. If using a standing blender, fill the bowl no more than halfway, hold the cover on the blender bowl, and start blending at the lowest speed. Return the puréed soup to the pot. 4 Stir in lemon juice and add more salt to taste, if needed. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, a little olive oil, and chopped parsley or chives. Yield: Serves 6. There is always Clotted Cream 01/24/2011
 Daahling, what DO you mean, there is NO clotted cream at the Grand Cafe?! R16 per dozen! Free Range Organic Eggs 01/21/2011
 Permanently available at the Grand Cafe in Robertson, the freshest organic, free range eggs from a local egg farmer. The secret to our tasty omelette's, perfect poached eggs and beautiful breakfasts are these fresh yellow eggs. R16.00 per dozen, available in half-dozen packs Eat Out Top 5 In Robertson 12/11/2010
Once again, we are featured in the 2011 EatOut Magazines Top 5 places to eat in the Robertson Wine Valley! Congratulations to our staff for consistently good service and to our customers for their support. Oh and the food is good too.   Beautiful day for the annual Robertson Wine on the River festival. As usual the Grand Cafe will be open for breakfast today. Come and join us Free Range Fresh Eggs 09/09/2010
 Now available at the Grand Cafe in Robertson, the freshest organic, free range eggs from a local egg farmer. The secret to our tasty omelette's, perfect poached eggs and beautiful breakfasts are these fresh yellow eggs. R23.90 per dozen, available in half-dozen packs Also available is unsalted, hand made Jersey Butter - another 1st at the Grand Cafe. Ground Steak with Green Peppercorns 05/26/2010
 Ingredients for 4 people 600 g (1 lb. 6 oz.) ground steak 1 can (30 g) green peppercorns 3 tbsp. cognac or brandy 400 ml (1-1/2 c.) heavy cream or crème fraîche 1 tbsp. butter Salt Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: Under 10 minutes Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F). Method If you can, ask your butcher to finely grind some good quality meat for you. Divide the meat into 4 equal quantities; shape it into four patties; Drain the peppercorns in a strainer and rinse them under running water. (You don't need to keep the juice from the can.) Measure out 3 tbsp. of cognac into a small cup. Cooking the steaks Put 2 tbsp. peanut oil in the skillet and place over high heat. Heat it until a light white smoke appears from the pan. Salt the steaks on both sides and place them into the pan, being careful not to burn yourself. Cook for one minute over high heat and then turn them, using a metal spatula. Making the sauce Add a half-tablespoon of butter to the pan as well as the green peppercorns. After one minute remove the steaks to a plate. Remove the pan from the heat for 2 minutes and remove the fat. Save the peppercorns; return them to the pan and add the cognac. Boil for 30 seconds over medium heat and then add the crème fraîche, stirring with a whisk. Let reduce for 5 minutes over low heat. Taste the sauce and correct the seasoning. Finishing While the sauce is reducing, place the steaks in the oven to keep warm. Serve the steaks on a platter with a ribbon of sauce around them and serve the rest of the sauce in a sauce boat on the side, whisking well before serving so that it has a nice creamy consistency. Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet is known as the king of reds. Cabernet grapes yield rich wine which capable of great depth. Typical flavours associated with Cabernets are plum, chocolate and mint. Cabernet Franc One of the major red varieties worldwide used in blends with Cab Sav or Merlot in the Bordeaux style. Lighter that Cab Sauv, it contributes a finesse and peppery perfume. Tobacco, raspberry and cassis on the nose. Merlot The smoothest red wine. It’s soft on the palate and very easy drinking. If you’re traditionally a white wine drinker this is a good place to start with reds. Pinotage A local cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut (Hermitage). Spicy and smoky it can produce complex and fruity wines with maturation, but is also very drinkable when young. Generally bottled as a varietal wine it is now the signature component of the ‘Cape Blend’. Pinot Noir A silky red which generally has a big nose and much lighter taste. If your strongest sense is smell then this is the wine for you. Sangiovese This red wine variety originated in Italy. It is most famous as the main component of the Chianti blend, but winemakers have started to experiment with using it by itself. Young Sangiovese has fresh fruity flavours with hints of strawberry and a little spice. Shiraz/Syrah A spicy, full-bodied and extremely sexy red wine. Due to its luscious and mysterious taste it will have you begging for more every time. A love affair with Shiraz lasts a life time. Chardonnay This is a heavier white which is often wooded – meaning that it’s spent some quality time in oak barrels before bottling. There are a few Franschhoek wine farms the produce a lovely lighter unwooded versions of this traditional upscale lunch time wine. The wooded version is the white wine of choice for most men while women prefer the lighter unwooded variety. Chenin Blanc This is a fresh, fruity white wine. It is presently the lunch time wine of choice in South Africa. It’s incredibly easy drinking and you’ll easily find your way through a good bottle of Chenin. Pinot Grigio The style of wine made from this variety varies greatly. From some farms you get a rounded, fuller wine and from others a much lighter wine. They only share one common factor which is a delicate aroma often with a hint of honey. Sauvignon Blanc This is a tangy, tart, crispy dry white. It traditionally has overtones of gooseberry and guava. It’s another easy drinking white and a favorite among women. Semillon A classic grape producing wine with a distinct fig like character. It is made in both dry and semisweet styles. Because it is susceptible to Botrytis Cinerea it is one of the grapes most often used for noble late-harvest wines and other dessert wines.   Well Done Jenny! The Grand Cafe was the first to encourage Jenny and John to make good on their promise to make genuine clotted cream. We first served it with our scones and real strawberry jam at the 2008 Slow food festival in Robertson. It was such a huge hit that we have been serving it daily at the cafe ever since! EAT IN Best new products CRITERIA: The winning product should be innovative, grown in South Africa, or made primarily with local produce; developed with due care for the environment. This year, the judges couldn't make their mind up between their two favourite products, and so decided to award first prize to both entrants. As Pete Goffe-Wood rightfully said during the judging process, "They're both so well made that it'd be wrong to choose one above the other." WHAT: Jenny Cream Products clotted cream WHO?Jenny Cottrell and John Kendall left the British Isles for the green pastures of Langevallei Jersey Farm in Robertson, and started manufacturing cream products when they noticed the local offerings a tad blander than those they were used to. For many years, John was a dairy farmer in Cornwall - the home of clotted cream - and thus knew all the ins and outs of the craft. The recipe is top secret, but one things for sure, it's damn addictive. WHY? Decadently calorific, the judges couldn't help themselves from dipping their tasting spoons into this rich, yellow cream, time and again. Since it's a traditionally English delicacy, the judges marvelled at how true to the real Macoy Jenny's product tasted, especially British-born Anna, who said, "It's a revelation in cream. In a South African context, this product is very innovative." How to enjoy it: • Kiss your diet goodbye and top piping hot scones with butter, strawberry jam and a dollop of clotted cream. • Scooped onto just-out-of-the-oven apple crumble. • Top a warm, gooey chocolate brownie with a spoon of the magic stuff. • Stirred into strong Kenyan coffee with a splash of brandy. • If savoury snacking’s what you're after, stir into pasta with flaked salmon and dill. WHAT: Buffalo Ridge Fromage Blanc WHO? Since winning Eat In Best New Product last year, Wayne Rademeyer's buffalo mozzarella has flown off the shelves, with famous foodie fans including award-winning chef George Jardine. Now that his creamy fromage blanc has swayed the judges, we're sure the erstwhile advocate will have his work cut out for him keeping up with the demand. Wayne pioneered buffalo-milk products in SA, importing 24 Mediterranean water buffalo ewes from Australia. WHY? Literally meaning 'white cheese' in French, Wayne's velvety Fromage Blanc had the judges in raptures, leading Justine Drake to exclaim, "I want to faint, it's so good." Aside from the cheese's delectable taste, the judges also rewarded Wayne's effort in introducing yet another previously unknown product to SA. How to enjoy it: • Combine with spinach and stuff canneloni for a moreish baked treat. • Perfection used in a baked cheese cake. • Simply delicious liberally spread on bruschetta and topped with Parma ham and grilled nectarines. • Blend with fresh herbs and lemon peel and use to stuff chicken breasts. | Grand CafeGood Food Cafe on Route 62. CategoriesAll Note: Recipes I have found are published acknowledging the source and author.
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