Lee-Ann Naidoo, a Durban-born chef-turned-businesswoman, shares recipes for a festive spread.
*Christmas cheese balls with biltong cranberry and pecans (appetiser)
Perfect for unexpected guests or to add pizazz to any snack or bites to accompany your alcoholic beverages.
Ingredients
1 tub cream cheese full fat
200g chopped pecans
200g dried cranberries
finely chopped biltong slices
1 chopped chilli - optional
chopped fresh herbs (coriander and thyme). Finely chopped, about a hand full
freshly ground black pepper - optional
Method
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out balls of cream cheese and freeze for an hour or two. Now place all the other ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Remove the cream cheese balls from the freezer and roll in the chopped ingredients.
Keeping the form place in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Serve with your favourite crackers and with your favourite honey for drizzling.
*Roast lamb with Mediterranean roasted veg
Roast lamb is a must for any Christmas lunch. This method of cooking keeps moisture locked in and adds the deliciousness of the trapped fats and the infused flavours of garlic and cloves infused in herb butter.
Ingredients
3kg lamb leg- defrosted
10 cloves
salt
pepper
mixed herbs
1 head garlic cleaned. Keep cloves of garlic whole.
100g butter.
100ml cooking oil
roasting oven bags
fresh herbs thyme and rosemary
Method
Wash and pat dry with a paper towel the excess water from roast leg. Trim off any excess fat. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Now stab the leg with a sharp knife in about 10 places. Add a clove and garlic by pushing your finger into the incision and pushing the garlic clove and clove into the meat. This allows the meat to absorb the flavour from within.
Now generously season the entire leg with salt, pepper and mixed herbs.
Place the leg of lamb in the roasting bag. Add the oil and fresh herbs, as well as any left over garlic. Secure the bag with a tie.
Now roast in the oven for 2 hours; turning the bag 3 times during cooking.
The cooking time depends on the size of the meat.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and place on a tray with all the excess liquid from the bag.
Baste with butter and return to the oven to get golden brown - being careful not to over brown the meat as it would dry out.
Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with roasted vegetables.
*Roasted Mediterranean vegetables
Ingredients
2x pre cut bags of vegetables
(peppers butternut broccoli carrots and onions) roughly chopped
2x cloves garlic crushed
2 sprigs of thyme
salt and pepper to season. Your favourite seasoning salt works great too
drizzle of olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Place the rinsed veg on a baking tray and pat dry.
Add the seasoning along with rosemary and garlic and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables are al dente and have some colour. Serve immediately with the lamb.
*Butter lemon herb roast chicken with cranberry and pecan stuffing
Nothing screams festivities like the perfectly succulent roast chicken with delicious and moist stuffing that packs a flavour punch
Ingredients
5 slices bread
2 eggs
200g butter, melted (100g for stuffing and 100g for basting)
50ml milk
100g pecan nuts
100g dried cranberry
salt
pepper
Thyme
1 medium chicken
1 small head of garlic, cleaned and crushed
Thyme and 6 sprigs rosemary
seasoning salt
1 lemon, juice and rind
3 tbs oil
Roasting oven bags, with ties
Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
In a clean bowl, mix the bread slices with 2 eggs and 100g melted butter. Add 50ml milk to the stuffing.
Mix the stuffing well. Add pecan nuts and cranberry and season with salt and pepper and extra thyme. Set aside.
Clean and rinse out the chicken, ensuring you pat it dry with a paper towel; with all the gizzards removed.
Gently season the chicken starting with the inside. Add salt, pepper, seasoning salt, garlic with herbs. Rub generously and season well over the entire chicken. Now take the prepared stuffing and stuff the chicken cavity. Ensure you get as much in there as possible.
Now place the chicken in the roasting bag. Squeeze the lemon all over the chicken and add the oil, thyme, rosemary and left over lemon skin to your roasting bag. Secure with the tie. Place on the centre of the oven and roast for 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn the chicken bag over once at halfway cooking time.
Once the cooking time is done, remove the chicken from the oven and remove the bag. The cooking time depends on the size of the chicken.
Now place the chicken with the contents of the roasting bag in a roasting tray. Baste the chicken with the melted butter and allow it to get golden in the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and place on a serving tray. Garnish with the butter basting from the tray, fresh herbs and with cherries and candied nuts of your choice.
*Berry Pavlova
Delicate crisp meringue shells house the goodness of cream, with a fudgy centre. The fruit add a summery vibe that takes this dessert to the next level.
Ingredients
For the Pavlova
6 large egg whites
1.5 cups castor sugar
1 tbs cornstarch
½ tsp lemon juice
½ tsp vanilla essence
For the filling
500ml heavy whipping cream
2 tbs castor sugar
5ml vanilla essence/your favourite essence can be used to flavour
For the topping
Cherries/mixed berries/blueberries/strawberries
cocoa for dusting
mint leaves
berry jam to garnish
Method
Separate the eggs while cold and then wait for the egg whites to reach room temperature. Measure all the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 110ºC.
Now beat the egg whites on high until soft peaks are achieved. About 6 minutes.
Add the sugar a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Use a stand mixer for the best results. If a hand mixer is used, add 3 minutes more beating time
Keep beating until the meringue is light and fluffy. When the meringue is rubbed between your fingers, the sugar granules should be dissolved. About 4 minutes.
Gently fold in the cornflour, vanilla essence, lemon juice and cornstarch, until combined.
Load a piping bag with a large rose tip M1. Add the meringue to the bag.
Pipe 6cm circle nests on a lined baking tray, starting from the middle and building a nest with the meringue.
Use a teaspoon to make the indent in the middle if needed as it will make space for the cream. Wax paper works great or Teflon sheets. Immediately place these in the oven. If it sits, the meringue with start to seep sugar.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes and then turn off the heat. Allow the nests to sit in the hot oven for a further 30 minutes. Don’t open the door.
Once baked, transfer to a cookie sheet and allow to cool completely before removing.
Whip the fresh cream with castor sugar and vanilla essence or any flavouring of your choice. Be careful not to overbeat the cream. It needs to be light and fluffy. Over beating will turn the cream into butter and it will split.
Once cooled, add a dollop of cream to the middle of nests. Assemble the Pavlova with cream and fruit and a jam of your choice can be used to drizzle over the shells. Place the berries and a mint leaf on top and dust it with cocoa. Garnish and serve within 3 hours of assembling.
Serve immediately once assembled.
*Chocolate Festive-themed cupcakes
Ingredients
2 large eggs (room temperature)
1¼ cups castor sugar
115g butter or margarine, room temperature
5ml vanilla essence
1¼ cups self-raising flour
pinch of salt
¼ cup cocoa powder sifted
½ cup milk
Method
Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 170ºC.
Using a whisk, beat together the eggs and granulated sugar. Once combined, add the softened butter and vanilla. Mix until creamy. Beat well.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa and salt.
Alternating with the milk, add the dry ingredients to the egg and sugar mixture in the bowl. Mix well, but only until incorporated. Do not over mix.
Using the ¼ measuring cup fill the cupcake batter into the lined muffin pan, filling each 3/4 way up. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked through the centre.
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let it sit for 2 minutes. Remove each cake from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
NOTE: If you are making mini cupcakes, reduce the baking time accordingly.
FOR THE BUTTER CREAM:
500ml margarine or butter
4 cups icing sugar
¼ cup cocoa
4 tbs milk or cream
1 tbs vanilla essence
pinch of salt
Method
Cream the butter with a mixer on medium low speed, until light and fluffy.
Add the sifted icing sugar and cocoa, mixing on low until all incorporated
Add the vanilla essence, milk and salt and mix well until the correct consistency is achieved.
Load a piping bag with your favourite nozzle and fill with icing and pipe as desired once the cupcakes are completely cooled.
Decorate as desired.
*For more food inspc follow Lee-Ann on Facebook: Indulge Sweet Treats
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