Spoil mom with a luxurious Pongrácz high tea on Mother’s Day

Issued by: GC Communications on behalf of: Pongrácz  

Spoil the most important person in your life this Mother’s Day and make her day sparkle with luxurious flutes of Pongrácz over high tea.

Pongrácz is the perfect accompaniment with decadent high tea treats whether you take your mom to a 5-star establishment or better still, invite her to your home and surprise her with your own scrumptious high tea delights. With its distinctively shaped bottle, Pongrácz Brut stands out from the rest with a long, lingering palate of foamy black fruit. The blushing Pongrácz Rosé is a classically dry Cap Classique with luscious blackberry flavours and delicate yeasty notes. If you really want to dig deep and spoil your mom with the ultimate Cap Classique, the prestige cuvée, Desiderius, in its sophisticated signature fluted bottle and chic gift pack will make her feel truly special.  

Delicately crafted sweet treats go beautifully with all these singularly noble Pongrácz Cap Classiques. To help you create a memorable high tea you and your mom can treasure, try these recipes to get your started:

Pongrácz jelly

Serves 6

15 ml (1 tbsp) gelatin powder

75 ml (5 tbsp) cold water

125 ml (½ cup) castor sugar

Grated zest of 1 lemon

200 ml cold water

430 ml (1 ¾ cup) Pongrácz Brut

1.      To sponge the gelatine, sprinkle the gelatine over the 75 ml cold water and set aside for 5 minutes.

2.      Place the sugar, lemon zest and 200 ml water in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to medium and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

3.      Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Strain the syrup through a sieve to remove the zest.

4.      Place the gelatine for 1 minute in the microwave on the defrost setting or until melted. Combine the syrup, Pongrácz and gelatine in a bowl and divide into serving glasses. Place in the fridge for 3-4 hours or until set.

Berry tartlets

Makes 8 medium and 20 small bite sized tartlets

Pastry:

225 g butter

200 g castor sugar

2 large eggs

500 g flour

For the filling:

180 ml (¾ cup) cream

5 × 80 g slabs white chocolate, coarsely chopped

100 g raspberries

200 g strawberries

45 ml (3 tbsp) warm apricot jam

1.      For the pastry; cream the butter and sugar in a food processor until pale and fluffy. While the motor is still running, add the eggs, one at a time. Mix until well incorporated. Add the flour and blend until it forms a workable dough. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2.      Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Press the pastry into 8 tartlet tins and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Blind bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden and cooked. Set aside to cool down.

3.      For the filling; bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour it over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4.      Whisk the mixture, using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Spoon it into the tartlets and top with raspberries and strawberries. Brush the fruit with apricot jam and serve.

Choux pastry filled with Pongrácz cream

Makes 40 choux balls

For the choux:

150 g cake flour, sifted

300 ml water

120 g butter

4 eggs

For the filling:

250 ml (1 cup) Pongrácz Rose

30 ml (2 tbsp) castor sugar

500 ml (2 cups) cream

For the glaze:

375 ml (1 ½ cups) icing sugar

1 egg white

A few drops food colouring

1.      For the choux; preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2.      Place the water and butter in a medium saucepan. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and add all the flour to the saucepan.

3.      Stir until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan and a ball forms. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.

4.      Lightly whisk the eggs together. Using a wooden spoon gradually beat in the eggs until well combined and the dough is smooth and glossy.

5.      Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm plain nozzle. Pipe the dough, 2 cm apart, into R5 coin shapes, on the prepared baking paper. Use a fork, dipped in water, to flatten the tips of the balls a little to ensure even rise. Sprinkle a little bit of water over the baking tray.

6.      Increase the oven temperature to 220°C and place the pastries in the oven. As soon as the pastries stop rising (about 10 minutes) lower the oven temperature to 180°C and bake for a further 20 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove it from the oven and make a small incision on the bottom of each pastry using a toothpick or testing needle.

7.      Switch off the oven and place the pastries back in the oven to dry out. Place on a cooling rack and set aside until cold.

8.      For the filling; place the Pongrácz Rose and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil and cook for 5-6 minutes or until syrupy. Set aside to cool down. Whip the cream until stiff peaks forms and slowly add the chilled Pongrácz syrup. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 0,5 cm plain nozzle.

9.      For the glaze; combine the icing sugar and egg whites in a small bowl until smooth. Divide into 2 bowls and colour according to your preference.

10.  Make a 0,5 cm hole at the bottom of each pastry and pipe the Pongrácz cream into each pastry. Spread 5 ml glaze on top of each choux and place on a wire rack to harden slightly.

The Pongrácz Brut and Rosé are available nationwide and sell at around R100 and R120 respectively. The award winning Desiderius is available at selected fine wine stores from around R350 per bottle. 

For more information, visit www.pongracz.co.za, join their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/PongraczCapClassique or follow them on Twitter @pongracz.