A glass of Rosè and a view
With a large rental truck, the only one available after lockdown back in March, My English gentleman and I moved homes.
It wasn’t ideal, and with moving companies not being able to help, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work, moving our home by ourselves.
We both spent days recuperating after lifting oak dining room tables, and cupboards with marble tops. If you’d asked me to do it again, I don’t think I would’ve been able to, but that’s the unexpected silver lining of ignorance, one simply don't know what lies ahead, and so we marched on in optimism, and by the skin of our teeth, we managed.
My parents had just arrived to spend a month with us, a few weeks before the move, and we couldn’t have been more delighted. But the week after they arrived, the world changed, the wind turned, and we stood in front of a new reality, one we simply could never have been able to foresee.
Pandemic, was a word I can’t seem to remember ever having uttered, however just days after my parents arrival it became the only news on the radio, and a word I began to pronounce daily.
With the last flight about to leave for Norway, my parents had to decide whether to turn around on a dime, repack their suitcases, and hop on the last flight back, or face the unknown together with us.
To our surprise, and much relief, they decided to stay.
Come what may, they told us with a smile, and so we took them with us on our house move just days later, after boarders were closed, and high street in our hilltop village felt more like a ghost town than a charming countryside destination.
The first morning in our new home, my body ached so much from the move the day before, that I could barely make it downstairs. My English gentleman brought me tea in bed, and we felt invincible as a team, albeit a bit broken.
Everyday we fell more and more in love with this new little place of ours, with nothing but endless rolling hills as neighbours, and so much countryside to explore.
But the world as we knew it, had changed.
Uncertainty and challenges has filled so many lives these past months. Even if the countryside is a bit sheltered with so many of us living far apart, it’s been surreal to see how quickly the world has been turned upside down.
As we began unpacking boxes, and planting a garden, nature around the cottage came into full bloom and offered up an abundance of plants and flowers, and we began feeling at home.
Just around the time the sun would rest its head on the horizon, my English gentleman and I would often, pack a basket with a few nibbles and a favourite wine.
Lately it’s been a beautiful Mourvèdre Rosè from Babylonstoren, in South Africa, bought from our local bottle shop in town, or from here.
A gorgeous salmon pink and crisp Rosè that I serve with both a charcuterie aperitivo or with a sweet treat after dinner.
We’ve spent time together as a family and dreamt up how we want the future to look like. It’s been challenging times and wonderful times, and it feels like I’m living the first paragraph of the famous book by Charles Dickens, The tale of Two cities;
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…
However with such a wild time also comes an opportunity to adjust, to learn and to grow, and that is where I’ve tried to have my focus these past few months.
Brighter days will come, and the sun will rise again, and amidst it all it is reassuring to know that at the end of the day, we are the ones shaping the future we will live in.
As I’m easing into writing a blog again, I wanted to leave you with a wee recipe for a simple, yet ever so tasty summer dessert, my White Rose Chocolate Mousse, with Rosé Poached Rhubarb.
It’s summer in every spoonful and you can make it a day in advance, if you keep the rhubarb aside as it tends to self sauce a bit.
Store it in the fridge and serve it with the Rosè poached rhubarb
I reached for my English gentleman’s coupe cocktail glasses, but a sweet little teacup or even small bowls will do.
Sending lots of love your way, xx
White Rose Chocolate Mousse with Rosé Poached Rhubarb
Serves 6
Total time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
For the mousse
150g Organic white chocolate
4 large egg whites
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
250ml double cream
1⁄2 Vanilla bean, split down the middle, scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife.
5ml Rosewater or more to taste.
For the poached rhubarb
250ml Babylonstoren Rosé
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
500g rhubarb stalks, cut into 1 inch chunks with skin on to get a lowly pink colour.
1 vanilla bean, split down the middle, scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife.
Method:
Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
Whilst the chocolate is melting, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
In another bowl whisk the cream, vanilla, rosewater and sugar together - you want the cream to have a thick consistency but not completely stiff.
Remove chocolate from heat and let cool for a short time so that it is still runny but not hot. Mix together the cream mixture and the chocolate. Then gently fold in the egg whites, being cautious not to force out too much of the air. Spoon into 6 glasses or pots and then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours until set.
I make mine in the morning and served them in the afternoon, which gives them enough time to set.
During this time, poach the rhubarb in the Rosé. In a pan heat the Rosé, sugar, and vanilla until boiling, turn the heat down to low and put in the rhubarb. Let simmer for 2 minutes and then remove from heat. Let completely cool, and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
To serve, add a tablespoon of poached rhubarb and Rosé syrup on top of the mousse and enjoy!
