We’ll kick off with some delicious Christmas starters from Kirsten Zschokke, well-known chef and owner of food café Miss K.
Miss K
Kirsten’s mince pie pastries are delicious and super easy to make. You can buy mince pie filling from Woolies or Pick n Pay and just add some grated apple to the store mix. This helps with the flavour and saves you time in the Christmas rush.
Miss K’s also recommends bringing in the Christmas cheer with her decadent oyster shooters.
Vanie Padayachee
Celebrated Fu.Shi chef and Sunday Times Chef of the Year finalist, Vanie Padayachee, has sent us a delectable recipe for Chicken & fennel fritter with avocado puree & black pepper dust – ideal to serve as a starter or a snack platter.
Her recipe for Sage butter pan fried turkey medallions with water chestnut stuffing, cinnamon roasted potatoes & port jus just makes me wonder why we always stick to the traditional roast in my family!
To finish off Vanie suggests a Blue berry tart with pomegranate syrup.
Lannice Snyman
South Africa’s top foodie, Lannice Snyman, sent us recipes from her two newest books Posh Nosh: Fabulous food for family and friends and Tortoises & Tumbleweeds.
Try her scrumptious Scrunched smoked salmon with caper and green peppercorn sauce , or equally delicious Leg of lamb with lavender or Chocolate velvet ice-cream. Have you ever!
Carly Goncalves
And from the lads! Multi-award winning chef and owner of one of Durban’s favourite restaurants, 9th Avenue Bistro, Carly Goncalves has shared his secret mouth-watering recipe for Braised – rolled belly of pork with us.
As a special Christmas treat he has sent us a fairly simple recipe for Duck – two ways (confit leg & thigh and roasted breast), that brings out the best qualities in duck. The legs and thighs which can sometimes be a little tough are melt in the mouth soft and moist and the breasts are rendered of excess fat and are juicy and pink.
Max Bothe
From Max Bothe of The River Café, we have a Smoked salmon trout pate, perfect for a snack when old acquaintances come-a-calling for festive cheer.
Now I don’t know about you – but I just want to rush home, open a bottle of bubbly, shuck some oysters and fire up the old AGA!
And you? Any secret Santa recipes lurking in your recipe books?