South African Gourmet Food & Wine published by Dorrance Publishing is a lovely cookbook. I was impressed by the center section of beautiful and mouthwatering photographs, the well laid out recipes with every ingredient listed first, (no surprises halfway through a recipe), and all measurements are given in both customary and metric measurements; marking this volume as the truly international cookbook it is!
My one and only disappointment was in discovering that the traditional dishes of South Africa occupy only the first 77 or so, of the book's 300 pages. Although, as the authors explain in the quite interesting forward, South Africa, like the United States of America, is a melting pot of different ethnic groups. Further perusal of the book certainly proves this statement: featured are Middle Eastern dishes, Italian sauces, Chinese Chicken Salad, & several lovely cheesecake recipes.
From the Traditional section my family especially enjoyed Bobotie, a spiced ground beef dish, first pan browned, then baked, beneath a custard topping and served with rice and a delicious selection of condiments. Monkey Gland Steak, also from the Traditional Recipes section certainly caught our eye! It is not made with Monkey Glands, but is a recipe for a delicious BBQ sauce.
We discovered several other favorites from the international section of the cookbook as well. Some examples are Chicken in Balsamic Barbecue Sauce, Javanese Chicken, and a delicious Grilled Veggie & Pasta Salad. Two or three wine suggestions are listed below each entree; and a list of suppliers for South African products from both the U.S and Canada, a very helpful addition, is listed within the Contents page.
What was my favorite recipe from the book? After considering this question quite a bit I must admit it was a dessert: Banana Ginger Cake. Dense, moist and spicy, it was absolutely delicious. Usually banana breads taste... well, like bananas! But this concoction had a lovely, not quite banana, highly spiced flavor all its own. It disappeared very quickly and has earned a place of honor in the "favorite sweet breads section" of my Rolodex!
South African Gourmet Food and Wine is a cookbook I am happy to include in my cookbook collection, and is a volume which I am certain will become smudged and well worn, as I refer to it again and again over the years!
I received a complimentary copy of South African Gourmet Food and Wine as a member of the Dorrance Publishing book Review Team.
Lisa Taylor is currently living life on the edge in the mountains of Utah. Mother of five, including "Girly Girl", her beautiful daughter with Down Syndrome, and four crazy boys, Lisa spends her days enjoying nature, writing, homeschooling, and searching for her passport in a no doubt vain attempt to one day escape to the Islands. (Which "Islands" make no difference whatsoever). She records some of her family's adventures as well as her own (often sarcastic) observations upon life in general at her blog Its Own Sweet Will. http://www.neebeep.com/itsownsweetwillneebeepc/
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