Someone stole my cheese...

Cheese is an ancient food whose origins predate recorded history. There is no conclusive evidence indicating where cheesemaking originated, either in Europe, Central Asia or the Middle East, but the practice had spread within Europe prior to Roman times and, according to Pliny the Elder, had become a sophisticated enterprise by the time the Roman Empire came into being.

The earliest evidence of cheese-making in the archaeological record dates back to 5,500 BCE, in what is now Kujawy, Poland, where strainers with milk fats molecules have been found. Earliest proposed dates for the origin of cheesemaking range from around 8000 BCE, when sheep were first domesticated. Since animal skins and inflated internal organs have, since ancient times, provided storage vessels for a range of foodstuffs, it is probable that the process of cheese making was discovered accidentally by storing milk in a container made from the stomach of an animal, resulting in the milk being turned to curd and whey by the rennet from the stomach. There is a legend – with variations – about the discovery of cheese by an Arab trader who used this method of storing milk.

Cheesemaking may have begun independently of this by the pressing and salting of curdled milk to preserve it. Observation that the effect of making milk in an animal stomach gave more solid and better-textured curds may have led to the deliberate addition of rennet.

Early archeological evidence of Egyptian cheese has been found in Egyptian tomb murals, dating to about 2000 BCE. The earliest cheeses were likely to have been quite sour and salty, similar in texture to rustic cottage cheese or feta, a crumbly, flavorful Greek cheese.

Cheese produced in Europe, where climates are cooler than the Middle East, required less salt for preservation. With less salt and acidity, the cheese became a suitable environment for useful microbes and molds, giving aged cheeses their respective flavors.

Top 10 cheese producers in 2011
(metric tonnes)World European Union8,858,482 United States5,162,730 Germany2,046,250 France1,941,750 Italy1,132,010 Netherlands745,984 Poland650,055 Egypt644,500 Russia604,000 Argentina580,300 Canada408,520

Need to up your dairy intake? ...Milkshake is the sweetest answer!

1880s–1930s

When the term "milkshake" was first used in print in 1885, milkshakes were an alcoholic whiskey drink that has been described as a "sturdy, healthful eggnog type of drink, with eggs, whiskey, etc., served as a tonic as well as a treat". However, by 1900, the term referred to "wholesome drinks made with chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla syrup." By the "early 1900s people were asking for the new treat, often with ice cream." By the 1930s, milkshakes were a popular drink at malt shop, which were the "typical soda fountain of the period... used by students as a meeting place or hangout."

1940s–1950s

Sharing a milkshake from the same glass 

By the 1950s, popular places to drink milkshakes were Woolworth's "5 & 10" lunch counters, diners, burger joints, and drugstore soda fountain. These establishments often prominently displayed a shining chrome or stainless steel milkshake mixing machine.

These establishments made milkshakes in Hamilton Beach or similar styles of drink mixers, which had spindles and agitators that folded air into the drinks for "smooth, fluffy results" and served them in 12½-ounce tall, "y"-shaped glasses.

2000s - present

This milkshake was made using liquid nitrogen. Vapor can still be seen drifting from the top.

In 2005, the traditional home of the milkshake, the family restaurants and 24-hour diner-style restaurants that were the "staples of 1950s and 60s America such as Denny's, Big Boy and the International House of Pancakes" were supplanted "...in terms of revenue for the first time since the U.S. census started measuring this in the 1970s. The shift means the burger, fries and milkshake ideal evoked by the sitcom Happy Days is losing its hold on the American appetite." Instead, U.S. consumers are going out to casual dining restaurants.

Part of the increase in milkshake sales reported in 2006 may be due to the increasing availability of innovative chef-designed milkshakes in high-end restaurants. In 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that chefs from "hipster hangouts and retro landmarks" are using "macerated farmers market strawberries, Valrhona chocolate and Madagascar Bourbon vanilla" to make new milkshake flavors.

Other novel ideas offered in LA-area restaurants include milkshakes made with toasted pecans, saffron-rose water or orange-blossom ice cream, taro root, vanilla beans steeped in rum, Valrhona chocolate and Grey Goose Vodka, and vanilla custard mixed with Russian Imperial stout.

Red Tie Cafe serves a variety of milkshakes...chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, banana, bubblegum, frullato, milo, cafe mocha, coffee, horlicks, mixed berry, lime, peach&mango, tropical and many more combinations...

http://redtiecateringjhb.wozaonline.co.za/contact+us

Cappuccino...

Cappuccino is a coffee drink topped with foamed milk. It is made in a steam-producing espresso machine. The espresso is poured into the bottom third of the cup, followed by a similar amount of hot milk. The top third of the drink consists of milk foam; this foam can be decorated with artistic drawings made with the same milk, called latte art. In a traditional cappuccino, as served in Europe and artisan coffee houses in the United States, the total of espresso and milk/foam make up between approximately 150–180 ml (5–6 imp fl oz; 5–6 US fl oz). 

'Cappuccino' comes from the diminutive form of cappuccio in Italian, meaning 'hood' or something that covers the head, thus 'cappuccino' reads 'small capuchin'. The coffee beverage has its name not from the hood but from the colour of the hooded robes worn by monks and nuns of the capuchin order. This colour is quite distinctive and 'capuchin' was a common description of the colour of red-brown in 17th-century Europe. The capuchin monks chose the particular design of their orders' robes both in colour and shape of the hood back in the 16th century, inspired by Francis of Assisi's preserved 13th century vestments.

The consumption of coffee in Europe was initially based on the traditional Ottoman preparation of the drink, by bringing to boil the mixture of coffee and water together, sometimes by adding sugar. The British seem to have started filtering and steeping coffee already in the 2nd part of the 17th century and France and continental Europe followed suit. By the 19th century coffee was brewed in different devices designed for both home and public Cafés. Adding milk to coffee is mentioned by Europeans already in the 1600s, and sometimes advised. 

Cappuccino as we write it today is first mentioned in northern Italy in the 1930s, and photographs from that time show a 'viennese' —a coffee topped with whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon or chocolate. The steamed milk atop is a later addition. Though coffee was brewed differently all over Europe after WW2, in Italy, the real espresso machines became widespread only during the 1950s, and 'cappuccino' was re-defined, now made from espresso and frothed milk (though far from the quality of steamed milk today). As the espresso machines improved, so did the dosing of coffee and the heating of the milk. Outside Italy, 'cappuccino' spread, but was generally made from dark coffee with whipped cream, as it still is in large parts of Europe. The 'Kapuziner' remained unchanged on the Austrian coffee menu, even in Trieste, which by 1920 belonged to Italy and in Budapest, Prague, Bratislava and other cities of the former Empire.

For Latte Art designs: http://www.latteart.org/photos-latte-art.html

Mac and Cheese

The history of Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese, also called "mac and cheese" in American English and Canadian English; "macaroni pie" in Caribbean English; and "macaroni cheese" in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand; is a dish consisting of cooked macaroni pasta and cheese, though it can also incorporate other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce and white sauce.

Traditional macaroni and cheese is a casserole baked in the oven; however, it may be prepared in a saucepan on the top of the stove from scratch or using a packaged mix.

Pasta and cheese casseroles have been recorded in cookbooks as early as the 14th century's Liber de Coquin, one of the oldest medieval cookbooks. It is a French dish of parmesan and pasta and was brought to England in the 14th century. A cheese and pasta casserole known asmakerouns was recorded in a the famous medieval French cookbook The Forme Cury, which was written in the 14th century. It was made with fresh, hand-cut pasta which was sandwiched between a mixture of melted butter and cheese. 

The first modern recipe for the dish was included in cookery writer Elizabeth Raffald's 1769 book The Experienced French Housekeeper. Raffald's recipe is for a bechamel sauce with cheddar cheese, which is mixed with macaroni, sprinkled with parmesan and baked until bubbly and golden. The famous British Victorian cookbook Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management included two recipes for the dish. One recipe states that "The macaroni, (which should be "tender but perfectly firm, no part being allowed to melt, and the form entirely preserved" – lest one be tempted to cook it for so long it actually disintegrated) is then topped with more cheese, pepper and breadcrumbs, before receiving a final dose of melted butter for good measure and being placed before a "bright fire" to brown the crumbs, or grilled with a salamander." 

Red Tie Cafe serves a different twist to the Mac and Cheese, by incorporating grilled chicken and adding BBQ sauce to the cheese mixture...

http://redtiecateringjhb.wozaonline.co.za/Menu

Breakfast - You have been served!

The history of Breakfast

Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work. Among English speakers, "breakfast" can be used to refer to this meal or to refer to a meal composed of traditional breakfast foods (such as eggs, oatmeal and sausage) served at any time of day. The word literally refers to breaking the fasting period of the prior night.

Breakfast foods vary widely from place to place, but often include a carbohydrate such as grains or cereals, fruit and/or vegetables, a protein food such as eggs, meat or fish, and a beverage such as tea, coffee, milk or fruit juice. Coffee, milk, tea, juice, breakfast cereals, pancakes, sausages, French Toast, bacon, sweet breads, fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs, mushrooms, baked beans, muffins, crumpets and toast with butter or margarine and/or jam or marmalade are common examples of breakfast foods, though a large range of preparations and ingredients are associated with breakfast globally.

Red Tie Cafe serves breakfast from 6:30am the whole day! 

For our breakfast Menu go to the following link: http://redtiecateringjhb.wozaonline.co.za/Menu

We are currently running a special on our breakfast and filter coffee to make it easier and more affordable to break the fast!