Our November supper club was super special, intimate, cozy and fun. The recipes, decor, and sponsors worked so well together and the guests had an amazing time sipping on G&T’s, creating their own pasta and sharing food and conversations.
The decor
I can remember a few years ago living in London I had to ask what bunting was and now I can’t live without glamming up any party or space without it. I have inherited a box of crochet doilies that my mother and grandmother made, at some stage I am sure it was a must-have fashion item in South African homes on every table and toilet but I would cringe using it now. I did not have the heart to get rid of it and it was taking up space in my cupboards. After I implemented the KonMari method in my home I knew I had to find another use for it. So I made it into bunting and it came out pretty whimsical. I just folded them in half and hand sewn them onto ribbons. Add some soft fairy lights and voila.
At least this time around my table was built and ready but the recent monsoon conditions we’ve had in Jozi had us scrambling and our open-air event turned into ‘bush safari’ look with waterproof canvas gazebo’s.
And while we are in Africa, of course, I had to use orange pin cushion proteas to fit in with the impromptu ” safari theme” and some beautifully textured fynbos and rosemary from a friends garden. When sitting at the table you could subtly smell the aromatic herbs. It is part of the eating experience, lighting up all your senses.
I am still on brown paper placemats and enamel plates but got some fabric napkins made and searched far and wide for the last of the clemengold’s that was in season. I tied it all up with brown card name tags, twine and a sprig of rosemary.
My inspiration for the table came from our sponsors Clemen Gold Gin’s packaging.I am totally in love with the pale blue and orange, complimentary colour heaven.
G&T cocktails and Buckwheat blini’s with a beetroot mousse and gin cured salmon
As guest started to arrive they were treated to Gin cocktails and Buckwheat blini’s with a beetroot mousse and gin cured salmon. I found inspiration for this amuse-bouche on Bibbyskitchenblog and Kerry from Farm table suggested that I should cure the salmon with Gin, it was a first for me, but it was so easy and delicious. You just need to get a head start and make the cured salmon at least 36 hours in advance
ClemenGold Gin
This Gin is something else, and don’t even let me get started on the packaging.
BEE-AAA-UUU-TI-FULLL!!!
This Cape Dry style gin has subtle hints of citrus. Nine botanicals – with sundried ClemenGold peels taking the flavour lead.
Excellent in a refreshing gin and tonic; serve with fresh herbs, rosemary, and thyme. Add mandarins, grapefruit or oranges for extra fruity-ness. Also loved their candied mandarins that we used in the dessert.
Menu
Starters
Gin bar
Buckwheat blini’s, beetroot mousse and Gin cured salmon
Main
Homemade tagliatelle, with creamy pesto, bacon, tomatoes and spinach
Italian salad with ClemonGold dressing
Dessert
Lemon curd Eton mess
ClemonGold, G+T thyme infused sorbet
Limoncello
Farm Table
Using the best and freshest ingredients available is always a must for me. So when Farm table offered to sponsor some of our ingredients I was so pleased. They source organic produce from all over the country. Some of my favourite suppliers include Mooberry farms, The Gourmet Greek, and Ganico pomegranate farm. I just love eating fruit and vegetables that have been grown organically. Farm table also offered our guests a 20% discount to spend at their store in Linden. Give them a visit, they are great! We used the freshest spinach, tomatoes, bacon, and cream in our pasta. And the pomegranate drizzle from Ganico added a subtle sweetness to the beetroot mousse.
Thyme infused G&T Sorbet, Lemon curd Eton mess and Lemonchello
We started with dessert first to give the meringues time to cook and dry out. The G&T sorbet needs to be made at least one day in advance. Because of the alcohol content it takes longer to freeze. I made an extra batch for the guests the day before.
I am really in love with this sorbet, definitely only for adults. The Clemengold juice, zest, thyme and G&T is so refreshing and not too sweet.
We paired it with limoncello I have been brewing a month before and the lemon curd and mini meringues were super quick to make. This is a great dessert to make in advance and takes a few minutes to assemble. Your guests can even help.
I will share the recipes for all components of the dessert in another post but here is the sorbet recipe.
In a saucepan, make a simple syrup by heating water and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
Take off the heat and add all the zest and juice of the lemon and ClemonGold juice. Add the thyme sprig. Allow to cool and infuse. Once cooled, add tonic water and gin.
Strain this liquid. Pour the strained liquid into the bowl of an ice cream machine. Follow your machine’s directions to freeze the sorbet. The sorbet will need to go in the freezer overnight to set completely.
Note: If you don’t have an ice cream machine, freeze your liquid. If it goes rock hard and has too many hard crystals, give it a blitz in a food processor and freeze again.
Store in a freezer-proof container in the freezer to fully harden
Homemade tagliatelle, with basil pesto, bacon, tomatoes and spinach
Making fresh pasta is so therapeutic, and it is always so amazing that just two ingredients can be stretched and shaped in so many different types of pasta. Viva Italy! When making pasta it is important to use a good quality flour. Ideally you want to use OO” durum wheat flour or strong bread flour by Eureka Mills flour, it is a stone ground flour, less processed, refined and not bleached like commercial flours. The other must have is a pasta machine. Spend a bit more money and buy an Imperia pasta machine. An inferior quality pasta machine will only be frustrating because the pasta can get’s stuck. Ask me, teaching pasta making to 20 students and a pasta machine that does not work = not fun:)
Italian salad with Clemengold dressing
We also made a fresh salad with a delicious ClemenGold dressing and added extra citrus fruit to the salad.
It was a wonderful evening, most people were strangers but we united for a few hours around food. Not even the cold and drizzle could dampen our spirits. Thanks for coming out guys and a BIG THANK YOU to our sponsors Clemengold Gin, Farm table and Wynand van der Merwe for taking the beautiful pictures. And also my wonderful husband that I can always count on and who bought me the gazebo’s at the very last minute. And then also my great staff Thunelywa and Lorraine. I could not have done it without all of you.
Join us for our next ”Supper club” under another name in February, Pretty simple dinner party. No sponsors this time but we are joining A COUPLE COOKS from Canada on their book launch. More information about this event is on our calendar page. Tickets can be bought online.
Hi, I'm Ankie! Welcome to Wooden Spoon Kitchen, my pantry of life, love and health where we constantly stir laughter, learning, eating and cooking together!
At least this time around my table was built and ready but the recent monsoon conditions we’ve had in Jozi had us scrambling and our open-air event turned into ‘bush safari’ look with waterproof canvas gazebo’s.
Hi Ankie, well written! It was such a pleasure working with you! Glad the pictures came out lovely!
http://Www.wynandvandermerwe.com
★★★★★