August

Sweet Confections

Taking tea with biscuits is a tradition that began in London in the 1800s, transcending time to become a daily ritual for people the world over. Paying homage to this vintage tradition, The Table Bay’s Pastry Chef, Lee-Andra Govender has ensured that biscuits take pride of place on the hotel’s sumptuous High Tea spread.

“There is something comforting about sinking into a chair and dipping a biscuit into a cup of tea. It is a simple pleasure for everyone of all ages and in all seasons,” says Govender, adding that the humble biscuit has evolved over time, from the hard, dry and unsweetened varieties of the 1500s.  As the refinement and supply of sugar and flour increased, so did the ability to sample more leisurely foodstuffs, including sweet biscuits. Biscuits today can be savoury or sweet, and come in an array of shapes and sizes, including the sandwich types with a filling.

Diverse as the choices of biscuits might be, it takes something special to be selected in the cast of The Table Bay’s High Tea. Macarons, a lavish French take on the ‘cookie’, are dainty and chic little delicacies that Govender believes have that X-factor.

“The macaron is a sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, and almond powder or ground almond. As they are made primarily with almond flour and sugar, they are naturally gluten free. They can be fickle to make though, you have to get everything right. So the mix is pivotal. If you put too much sugar in, they will be crispy and if you don’t get the mix of almond flour right, they will be too cake like. But, once you get it right, there is possibly no more rewarding a cookie to have with your tea,” says Govender.

There is a cheerful selection of macarons on the High Tea at The Table Bay this winter, adding colour to an extensive buffet of exquisite cakes, desserts and savouries. Other innovative sweet treats, designed from scratch by Chef Govender, include the Apple Crisp; the Pistachio Gem; a Mocha Hazelnut Tart; a rich Belgian Coffee Cake; a Carrot and Pecan Tart, and a Dark Chocolate and Ginger Truffle in a jar, amongst others.