Rorke's Drift Choco-Rula...

THE MENU

STARTER
Calamari steak picatta

MAIN COURSE
A traditional South African Venison Curry served with fluffy white rice and roasted vegetables

DESSERT
Choco-Rula; a Rorke's Drift Lodge speciality created by our head chef

A delictably fluffy melt in the mouth treat that will leave you wanting more...

RECIPE (makes up to 4 servings)

100g Melted Chocolate
3 Egg Whites – beaten to stiff Peak
100g Sugar – divide in two
250ml Cream – whipped to soft Peak

Fold the melted chocolate into the meringue (remember to use a metal spoon)
Fold in the cream and refrigerate the mix until you are ready to serve.

Rula Brulee

300ml Cream
60g Sugar
30ml Amarula Liquer
2 Egg Yolks

In a saucepan place the sugar, cream and the Amarula and bring to the boil
Remove from the heat and allow it to cool slightly
Add the yolks and stir till the mix thickens
Pour into ramekins and place in a water bath and bake in the oven preheated to 180 deg C for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool
Cover and refrigerate till needed.

Pop the Rula Brulee’s out of the ramekins by dipping them in boiling water for a few seconds and then turning them out on the plate.

Put the chocolate mix into a piping bag with a star nozzle and then pipe a design of your choice around the Brulee.

You can finish this off by dripping melted chocolate over the desert or by using a fruit coulis to add colour to the plate.

South African Venison Curry...

THE MENU

STARTER
Calamari steak picatta

MAIN COURSE
A traditional South African Venison Curry served with fluffy white rice and roasted vegetables

DESSERT
Choco-Rula; a Rorke's Drift Lodge speciality created by our head chef Charles


Our traditional South African Venison Curry is a mouthwatering, flavourful taste of the wilds of Africa. Prepared in a traditional South African way, spicing it up with flavours from the east combined with the unqiue taste of venison meat. Served with fluffy white rice and a serving of roast vegetables on the side.


RECIPE (makes up to 6 servings)

Basic Spice:

2 tblsp Fine Cumin
2 tsp Ground Coriander
3 tblsp Medium Spice Curry Powder
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
2 tsp Salt
½ tsp Coarse Ground Black Pepper
2 pieces Star Anise
2 tblsp Garlic Powder
¼ tsp Ground Cloves
6 whole Cardamom Pods crushed
½ tsp Fine Ginger
4 whole Bay Leaves
1 tsp Leaf Masala

1 kg Meat (Beef, Pork, Lamb, Chicken or Venison)
500 g Medium Diced Potatoes
200 g Carrots , peeled and coarsely chopped
2,5 lit Water

Method:

Place all the ingredients except the potatoes and carrots in a pot and bring to the boil.
Allow to simmer for one hour.
Remove from the heat and add the carrots and cook for a further 25 minutes.
Add the Potatoes and Cook till the meat is tender.
Serve with rice and vegetables of your choice.

Calamari Steak Picatta...

THE MENU

STARTER
Calamari steak picatta

MAIN COURSE
A traditional South African Venison Curry served with fluffy white rice and roasted vegetables

DESSERT
Choco-Rula; a Rorke's Drift Lodge speciality created by our head chef Charles

Our calamari steak picatta is a creamy melt in your mouth sensation, with a delicious zingy after taste that will leave all who take that first bite, wanting more! Tossed with Julienne slices of mango to compliment the dish.

RECIPE (makes up to 4 starter servings)

400g Calamari Steak (cut into strips)
1 tablespoon Capers
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
4 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons Vermouth
A pinch of freshly ground Black Pepper
2 tablespoons Vegetable Fat for frying
1/2 a cup of Fresh Cream
1 medium ripe Mango, sliced Julienne

In a skillet, melt the vegetable fat until it's hot-hot. Add the calamari strips and saute quickly until tender. Then add the tomatoes and sliced mango, toss gently until all ingredients are mixed. Now add the fresh cream and allow to simmer, while stirring until the cream starts to thicken. Add the Vermouth, Capers and the Lemon Juice, give it a good stir and then allow to simmer for 1 minute only. Remove from heat and serve with a small helping of fluffy white rice on a warm plate. Serve immediately.

Smoky Italian Salad...

THE MENU

STARTER
A delectable Italian salad made from a crunchy bed of lettuce topped with smoky, salty flavours

MAIN COURSE
Juicy, perfectly oven roasted Italian beef served with crispy roasted potatoes and fresh thyme

DESSERT
Melt in your mouth Tiramisu, a traditional creamy delight

A simple, crispy fresh Italian salad can compliment a wide variety of main dishes and can be a combination of various ingredients, depending on your main course and which flavours you would like to enhance in your culinary feast. Our "white zulu" in the Rorke's Drift Kitchens has just the right combination that will tantalize your taste buds and we gladly share the secret to this menu:

RECIPE

80g Shredded Lettuce
1 Boiled Egg (cut in half)
80g Cubed Feta Cheese
12 slices - thinly sliced Salami
12 Pitted Kalamata Olives
12 Tomato Wedges
1 Artichoke Hearts (cut into 1/4's)
12 Julienne Strips Red Capsicum
12 Julienne Strips Yellow Capsicum
12 Julienne Strips Green Capsicum
12 Red Onion Rings very thinly sliced
8 Anchovy Fillets
4 Sweet Cherry Peppers

Arrange the ingredients on top of the bed of lettuce and serve with Italian dressing and cocktail rolls.

ITALIAN DRESSING

240ml Balsamic Vinegar
120ml Red Wine Vinegar
30g Minced Onion
45g Minced Garlic
30g Salt
20g Coarse Ground Black Pepper
20g Oregano Leaves
360ml Vegetable Oil
360ml Olive Oil
30g Anchovy Fillet
30g Sugar

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Store in plastic airtight containers and refrigerate.

Cape Brandy Pudding...

THE MENU

STARTER
Smoked Snoek Pate served with crackers and a small side salad

MAIN COURSE
Chicken Breyani with rice and red lentils. Curried chicken served in a mix of fluffy rice, red lentils and roast potatoes

DESSERT
Cape Brandy Pudding served with a creamy brandy sauce and freshly whipped cream

Cape Brandy Pudding is a variant of the well known South African Malva Pudding. It is a sweet soft sponge pudding, which is usually served hot together with a sticky-toffee-like sauce, custard or ice-cream and you’ll often find it on dessert menus in most South African restaurants.

Malva Pudding is of distinct Cape Dutch origin with many unique additions which may differ from one area to the next.

There are many variants of this dessert namely the Cape Brandy Pudding (our feature recipe) which is made with brandy and dates and then there is Tipsy Tart which contains only brandy.

It was first made by a chef named Maggie Peplar and is also sometimes known as "De Wet Pudding" and offers you a taste of our unique South African cuisine. Any variant of this pudding is mouthwatering and indulgent for anyone with a sweet tooth, so we hope you enjoy sharing in our treat for the week!

RECIPE (Makes 6-8 muffin sized servings)

250g Pitted dates
1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
250ml Boiling water

In a mixing bowl place the chopped dates, the bicarb and the boiling water, stir well till combined then set aside and allow to cool.

125g Margarine
1 cup Sugar
2 beaten Eggs
2 cups Cake Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Chopped walnuts

Cream together the margarine and the sugar then gradually add the beaten eggs till combined. Sift together the flour, salt and the baking powder, then in stages fold in flour, then the dates, then the flour, then the dates into the egg mixture till all is absorbed and mixed well. Pour the mixture into a pre-greased muffin pan. Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F) and bake till cooked, approximately 20 minutes. You can test it by using a skewer or cake tester, insert into the center of one of the cakes, the skewer must come out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside.

125ml Brandy
100ml Water
1 cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt

In a saucepan place the sugar, water and the salt and bring to boil. Then remove from heat and add the brandy. Stir well until the ingredients have all blended in together. Then take the baked puddings, still in the muffin pan and pour the sauce generously over each one and let it soak into the puddings. You are now ready to remove them from the pan and place on a plate to serve.

This dessert can be served hot or cold with the brandy sauce, freshly whipped cream, ice cream or custard.

There's a Zulu in my kitchen...

Finally what we started a year ago is now going to be available to you online all the time. The Rorke's Drift Lodge Chef's Letter has metamorphasized into a blog. We are hoping that this facility will be more accessible for our many guests who have found these recipes useful.

Charles, our wunderchef is still weaving his magic in the kitchens of Rorke's Drift Lodge and everyone can look forward to regular posts of mouthwatering delights.

You will also be able to access all posted recipes from our kitchen in the blog archive, even if you missed out on receiving our Chef's Letter previously.

From the 'white' Zulu in the kitchen