The Zambezi Queen’s culinary secret recipe lies in the crust.
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I am fortunate enough to have cruised on the Zambezi Queen as part of my bucket list trip to Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia. For those who have done land-based game drives a river safari is an entirely different experience. While the boat did a few hours of cruising, it was mostly our upscale hotel. The rooms were very nice, the food excellent, the drinks included, and the “fellow travelers” provided interesting conversation. The crew was great. Most spend the evenings (while the ship is tethered) in company owned housing on land. We arrived at lunch time on the first day and cruised on the river in the afternoon. In places, we could see the animals making their way down to the river and got a greater sense of the size of herds. Be aware that if the wind is too strong, the Zambezi Queen will not sail, but will be docked and so you will only explore in the ship’s three smaller boats.
While viewing game from the riverboat with a cool drink in hand is wonderful, the best is when you board small barge-like boats that can get up very close to the animals along the banks and on the islands. During the dry season in Botswana and Namibia these locales stay green and are a real magnet for all sorts of animals. The animals (hippos, elephants, cape buffalo, myriad birds, etc.) all seem unfazed by the closeness of the small boats.
On our full day, we were offered the opportunity of an early morning bird watching cruise. After breakfast, we went on small boats to a Namibian village. We were guided around the village and it was fascinating to see the way of life there. After the tour, members of the village performed singing and dancing for us, and displayed hand made gifts for purchase. There was no pressure to buy.
Just one thing to note is that due to the Zambezi Queen being registered in Namibia not Botswana you have to exit Botswana via an immigration check point and take a small boat across the Zambezi to Namibia. You then must walk a distance to the Namibian immigration point over fairly rough ground – so wear sensible footwear!
The signature lemon meringue pie made on board Zambezi Queen always delights guests. Head Chef Josephine has selflessly unveiled the recipe to this delectable dessert– a special treat for those who have been ever so curious about the secret ingredient to its crust. Hint: It’s the coconut! Her culinary secret lies in this recipe :
Ingredients
Biscuit Crust
- A scant ½ cup Brazil nuts, finely chopped
- 1 cup graham crackers or biscuit cookies, crushed
- ¾ cup desiccated coconut (60g)
- ½ cup butter, melted (125g)
Filling
- 2 tins full cream condensed milk (397g each)
- 4 eggs, separated
- ¾ to 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Baker’s sugar
Preparation
For Biscuit Crust:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Mix all, press into deep 9 ½ inch (24cm) loose based tin. Bake for 10 min and allow to cool.
For Filling:
Mix condensed milk, egg yolks and lemon juice. Pour into crust and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Whip egg whites to stiff peaks. Beat in castor sugar until mix is stiff and glossy. Place back in the oven until golden brown. Regularly check on pie as this happens quickly. Allow to cool, or if you can’t wait, it’s just as delicious served warm.
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