Meringues perfectly matched with Rosé
Since the 1940s, industrial food producers have adorned their packets with asinine pictorial ‘serving suggestions’. Sceptic that I am, I have repeatedly mocked such seemingly obvious helpful hints. I have questioned whether those buying tomato ketchup really require a little picture of the product with chips in order to envisage this classic pairing. I have queried the necessity of photographs on the side of tinned soups which depict a spoon scooping up broth with the phrase ‘serving suggestion’ printed under the image. Why, I have wondered, would soup manufacturers imagine that their customers need graphic guidance so as to not to plunge their digits directly into the hot liquid?
But it is always a mistake to overestimate human intelligence and in recent months I have come to the conclusion that I was wrong and that and ‘serving suggestions’ are indeed essential. Lady Gaga’s meat dress at the 2010 MTV Music Awards showed that shared suppositions as to the purpose and appropriate usage of common foodstuffs are not a given.
Food is one thing, but surely it is acceptable to assume a modicum of sense among wine drinkers? The lack of little pictures depicting a glass and a mouth on the side of bottles indicates that until now winemakers have given their customers the benefit of the doubt. But assumption is the mother of all mistakes and the Pinotage bath phenomenon suggests that the time has come for explicit imbibing instructions. The sad truth is that, without supervision, South Africans no longer necessarily know that wine is for drinking.
When Professor Abraham Izak Perold crossed Pinot Noir and Hermitage (Cinsaut) to form South Africa’s signature grape, he meant for his fellow countrymen to enjoy the fruits of his labour, but it never occurred to him that they might try to bath or slough off dead skin with it. And yet they do. A host of spas and hotels boast a Pinotage-based range of skin- and body-care products which they argue will “restore the balance between body, mind and soul”. I am confused. Why would I need a Pinotage facial or bath to restore the balance between body, mind and soul? Isn’t that what drinking a glass of wine is for? Poor Perold must be spinning in his grave as the inheritors of his toil literally pour Pinotage down the plug.
My serving suggestion is that the wine is washed only down your throat. If you must involve a tub in your Pinotage pairing, why not sip while you soak? Just so we are crystal clear, it’s water in the bath, Pinotage in a glass. Drinking inevitably leads to eating and, while I would love to be able to recommend sponge as a tub taste, I have tried it and the resultant water-logged cake crumbs really do make it an unsatisfactory bath bite.
So, if not sponge cake, what? I find that meringues and a glass of chilled Pinotage Rosé make marvellous bathing companions. The Rosé’s colour complements that of the bather. The red berry aromas justify an accompanying splash of strawberries and cream. The firm outer crunch and soft inner generosity of the meringues mirror the booze’s balance of crisp and sweet. And there is a clean, refreshing quality in every sip. Surely even Perold would approve of this serving suggestion?
MERINGUES
100ml (about four eggs) egg white
240g caster sugar (sifted to ensure no lumps)
1. Preheat the oven to 150ºC.
2. Whisk the egg whites until they have formed soft peaks – they should have a stable foam.
3. Slowly add about a third of the sugar, tablespoon by tablespoon, whisking well with each addition. The
mixture will become stiff with a shiny, glossy sheen.
4. Fold the remaining sugar into the egg white mixture.
5. Spoon the meringue mixture onto baking paper – you can pipe pretty, perfect forms or go for a more relaxed dollop.
6. Place the meringues in the preheated oven and immediately turn it down to 110ºC.
7. Bake the meringues for an hour, or until they lift off the paper with ease.
Be warned. Meringues don’t like humidity and will start to soften if left in steam for too long – but why would
you do anything other than eat them with joyous speed?
PERFECT PAIRING
Wine magazine recommends
BEYERSKLOOF PINOTAGE ROSÉ 2010
OTHER OPTIONS:
Delheim Pinotage Rosé 2010
Obikwa Pinotage Rosé 2010
