"This dry, fully matured sparkling wine owes its elegant character to a unique Cuvé of excellent wines originating from such classic grape varieties as French Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Blanc de Noir from French Pinot Noir and Chenin from Saumur. Henkell Trocken sparkles with vivacious and long lasting effervescence. The taste is fresh, tingling, with a lingering finish, while a subtle fragrance suggestive of tropical fruit develops in the bouquet."

And besides all that wine-speak, it's a lovely drop.  We drink it with a straw, often racing each other at the office and then have long rambling conversation with our French bulldog, Mr. Higgins.  Now that's what I call good entertainment, and all for $10.00 a pop!  [go to wine]

 

Goodness knows why these appetising little treats are called Devils on Horseback. They taste like angels having an orgy in a spring meadow! Not that I would ever actually eat an angel....but I digress.

Salty bacon is wrapped around densely sweet prunes stuffed with savoury cheese, and served with bitter watercress. It's a cacophony of flavours jiggling around in your mouth, I have to admit I "tested" this recipe four times, with double portions!  Perfect as a starter. 

Single Serving (4 Devils): $4.95                [go to recipe]

I've also been experimenting with vegetarian menus because I've been eating too much meat of late! So here's a neat little recipe - so simple you could make it blindfolded. Pesto (homemade, of course), with crunchy toasted walnuts, spinach and only the oil the pesto is made with. Very nice indeedy! 

Single Serving: $5.50                    [go to recipe]

My PoPo (grandmother on my mother's side) is a disciple of the Cult of Chicken Soup. When Shaz and I were growing up the sound of a sneeze, even if it came from kid next door, would send Popo scurrying over to her cauldron to whip up a batch of her "gai tong". We were fussy eaters as children, but never complained about a big steaming bowl of this Chinese antibiotic.

Popo would simmer chicken bones for almost an entire day, on as gentle a fire as possible, obsessively skimming fat off the surface. She has always said (as do numerous Michelin-starred chefs) that ensuring a good clear stock means the gentlest of heats, the barest hint of savoury bubbles dancing along the edge of the pot. Then at the end, she would add a medley of diced vegetables to the fragrant broth and an entire chicken leg. She called her version "Ya Yat Lup Lup" meaning "bits and pieces" in Cantonese.

These days, as a grown-up, my Chicken Soup is more often employed for a hangover than a cold but it still works a treat.

We make our chicken stock the traditional way - simmering bones, aromatic vegetables and herbs for almost an entire day then concentrating the stock into a deep, full-flavoured essence. Our ABN Chicken Soup uses this stock diluted back to a broth, then with a chicken leg and the same medley of vegetables my Popo favoured. It's richly flavoured, chunky with nutrition and the best cure for....well, anything at all. Even a bad day. [go to recipe]