CERTAIN dishes and flavours are associated with Easter and while many of the worldwide recipe inspirations have find their way to South Africa, we also have some unique local flavour combinations and recipes to commemorate and celebrate this special time of year.
In South Africa, we love adding a sweet element to savoury dishes, sometimes in the form of fruit or sometimes as a sweet spice. We also enjoy adding acidity with a pickle or vinegar dressing and as a result these sweet and sour elements are also found in our Easter food traditions.
Chef Christiaan Visser invites those who enjoy food, food stories and culinary traditions to join him at the Leopard’s Leap South African Table during April as he shares a delicious lunch influenced by typical local Easter flavours.
Expect those familiar sweet spices of Easter such as cinnamon and vanilla in his Easter buns, koesister dessert and even a delightful little fizzy after-dinner cocktail, while his Cape Malay-inspired line fish comes with curried pickled onions, sauces and condiments for acidity, and the Karoo lamb with a fragrant rub of pimento and garlic.
Caramel pears contribute the anticipated fruity element, a dreamy white chocolate mousse ensures tradition is followed and touches of hot honey and brandy add some extra complexity to the flavours of the dessert. Some less expected, but much-loved local ingredients such as samp and beans – and even kaiings! – also make it to this exceptional lunch time menu.
Wine pairings from the versatile selection of Leopard’s Leap wines include the 2021 Culinaria Grand Vin and 2024 Culinaria Chenin Blanc that both performed exceptionally well at the recent Mundus Vini Spring Tasting in Germany. While both received Grand Gold Medals (only awarded when the international judging panel scores a wine with at least 95 points), the 2024 Culinaria Chenin Blanc was also appointed as the Best of Show South African White Wine.
The South African Table is in the middle of the Leopard’s Leap kitchen and serves a maximum of 20 people per seating. It is available until the end of April, Wednesdays to Saturdays (except Good Friday) at 1pm, and costs R570 per person for the meal with wine pairings. Reservations are essential and can be made by clicking here.
Easter-inspired South African Table menu
- Milk bread, Huguenot cheese and hot honey with house-made bresaola, dill, mustard pickles and house-made butter
- Cape Malay-inspired line fish with curry pickled onions, white wine curry sauce, chili oil, curry leaves and mini Easter bun
- Pimento and garlic rubbed Karoo lamb with samp and beans, seasonal baby vegetables, kaiing and almond crumble
- Cape honey and brandy caramel pears with a koesister, coconut, white chocolate mousse, apricot coulis, vanilla ice cream and brandy butterscotch
