Raclette Evening

Being married to a Swiss man certainly has its perks. We’re always on time, for one thing. My in laws like to shower me in gifts of chocolate, for another. And we eat a lot of cheese, which I love! (If you don’t love cheese, we could still be friends, but I will always think you’re a little weird.)

When thinking about Swiss dishes, the popular fondue often comes to mind. However, there are countless cheese dishes that the Swiss love. They eat their variety of cheeses with just about everything and have found a place for it within every meal of the day. They even enjoy it plain, with perhaps just a bit of bread.

One Swiss cheese dish that I’d never experienced before I’d met my husband is called Raclette (the Dutch may know it as Pannetjies). Essentially, it’s a little grill that you place on top of your table. Underneath the grill, you can place little pans of cheese to melt, which you then enjoy with a hot potato dusted in paprika.

On the grill itself, you can cook just about anything fancy, often little sausages or bits of vegetables, such as mushrooms. Typically, though, the Swiss will merely enjoy the cheese and potatoes as is, served with pickled condiments, such as gherkins, onions, baby corn, tinned asparagus, and olives.

At a dinner party served at our house, we provided the traditional basics, encouraging our guests to bring anything else they wished to add. Andrea Meyer, the friend that had hosted our previous Italian themed party, had bought along a salad, while her husband provided some sausages and strips of meat for grilling.

I’d bought a bottle of Fat Bastard Chardonnay to pair with the rich Raclette cheese, but other guests brought along red and rosé wines as well. Of course, this Swiss dish is inherently social, as diners serve themselves from the platters of accompaniments that get passed around the table, so the relaxing effect of alcohol is nice, but certainly not necessary.

The accompaniments to our Raclette dinner

In Switzerland, a meal like this can last for hours, with guests actually getting up to enjoy a stroll or aperitif before returning to the table to finish their meal. In South Africa, though, we are not used to pacing ourselves quite as well, so there was still food left by the time everyone had eaten their fill.

The meal was rounded off with a classic local dessert of malva pudding and custard, served with tea and coffee. My husband also passed around liquor chocolates as a form of nightcap to round off a wonderful evening with friends.

An Italian Affair

I’m hardly an expert hostess; I’d be lying if I implied anything less. I like to think that I could be if I had more practice… One day, when I’m a big girl (and finally have had enough practice), I’d like to be as great a hostess as my friend Andrea Meyer!

The beautifully simple table decorations

I’m not sure when exactly Andrea transformed into the culinary goddess that I now refer to her as. I remember, when we were still at primary school together, that she’d show off her fancy Micky Mouse cookbook and whatnot, so it may have begun then.

Micky is still on her floor-to-ceiling bookshelf that her devoted husband, Markus, made for her, along with countless other cookbooks, including the additional few that she won from Exclusive Books over the weekend.

Risotto balls

Anyway, somewhere in her devotion to her immense collection of cookbooks, Andrea learned how to make some of the best food I’ve ever had the pleasure of personally eating. I always look forward to her parties, and this one was no exception.

The first course introduced the Italian theme that she had set for her Sunday luncheon. Beautifully presented on a hand-painted platter, she offered us risotto balls, made with rice, potatoes, and green beans. She joked that the recipe had reminded her of boere boentjies as she was making them.

Homemade pasta with Italian meatballs

The mixture was then crumbed and fried, and the outcome was superb. The guest of honour, Frank Schutte, who just returned to Pretoria after spending a year in Namibia with his wife, Nina, remarked that the risotto balls seemed like croquettes made with rice.

After some chatting out on her sun-soaked patio, enjoying our drinks and risotto balls, Andrea disappeared inside to cook the homemade pasta and heat up the accompanying sauce. She and Markus had carefully prepared the pasta themselves the day before.

Cashew, feta, and avo salad

It was the first time I’d ever had homemade pasta, so I took my place at the beautifully decorated table, which had been accented with flowers, with anticipation. The dish was served with a traditional Italian meatball sauce, rounding it off nicely.

Another friend, also called Andrea, had provided an outstanding salad of cashews, avocado, and feta as a side dish. It was a superb addition to our lunch, suggesting that if you wish for your child to grow into a culinary whiz, you should name it Andrea.

Berry sorbet and vanilla pannacotta

To round off our meal, our hostess had specially prepared individual servings of vanilla pannacotta (Italian for 'cooked cream') served with a berry sorbet, maintaining the beautiful presentation that Andrea pays such careful attention to. The rich sorbet complimented the delicate flavour of the pannacotta, a refreshing finale.

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying tea and coffee and some truly wonderful company, during which the next dinner party date was set – in less than a week, at my house! Not much time for me to get practicing, is it? I’d better get started!

Pure Café – how did I miss this?

I’m not sure how this happened, really, because on the other side of the building is my favourite ice-cream shop in Pretoria. Seems I was so mesmerised by Royal Danish Ice Cream’s delicious Butter Pecan that it never occurred to me that there might be anything else of interest at the centre. There is, though, and it’s called Pure Café.

I ended up taking my sister off to Pure Café for lunch because it appeared in my twitter feed one day, and I recognised it from the Foodspotting app. We found it quite easily, tucked away behind the ice-cream shop, and it was pretty busy, which is always a good sign.

Pure Café promised to be everything I love about lunching. It’s got that Café feel, but with its own unique spin, making it similar to other cafés in Pretoria, but not quite. The green and white décor, for one thing, gives it a fresh look. In a weird sort of way, you almost feel like you are making healthier choices just by being there. Green, there is something to it.

Vibe is nice, but to me, food is the deal breaker, and Pure Café doesn't disappoint. The menu offering is small, although I often find that more limited menus mean better attention is paid to each dish, so that didn’t bother me. Despite the few options available, it’s difficult to decide what to eat because it all looks so good! I found myself making mental notes of what I’d like to get next time I come, and I hadn’t even ordered my drink yet!

In my adventurous spirit, I decided to try the Soutvissie Skop Pasta because that was what Foodspotting recommended. It’s also way out of my comfort zone since a creamy anchovy and broccoli pasta topped with parmesan cheese and flavoured with a hint of garlic and chilli is not something I’ve ever ordered before.

The flavour isn't at all as overpowering as I imagined it would be. I'm not normally a fan of anchovies for that very reason, but in this case, the flavours of the dish have been subtly blended into pure deliciousness. Even if, like me, you don't like anchovies, I'm pretty sure that this will be winner!

The drinks list is as tempting as the foods they offer. I tried Charie's Ginger, also recommended on Foodspotting, which is a ginger homemade cordial mixed in soda water. I'm a sucker for ginger, and found the drink to be refreshing. I also ordered my dessert off the drinks menu, called A Drowned Italian, which is vanilla ice cream topped with a shot of espresso. If you like coffee ice cream, this is a delicious way to end a meal.

Overall, I'd say that the only problem with Pure Café is that there are too many good things on their menu to try in one visit. They don't make the choice easy for you, either! Maybe you'd like to begin with my (or Foodspotting's) recommendations, and take it from there? Perhaps you'll find something that stands out more alluringly from their menu, and you'll begin with that? One thing I am sure of, though, is that you'll be back to try the rest. At least, I know I certainly will!