Christmas is a time when friends and family gather. Ring in the Christmas season with a festive feast your loved ones will enjoy
SPARKLING CHRISTMAS DRINK
Ingredients
Red grape juice: 1 litre
Watermelon (those small green ones with deep red flesh): 1
Juice of 1 big lime
Appy Fizz / Club Soda: 500 ml or more according to taste
Method Scoop out flesh from watermelon and blend in a blender to get a vivid ruby red liquid. Don’t worry about some seeds, it will not alter the taste. Add in all the other ingredients while keeping the Appy Fizz or Club Soda until serving.
HONEY GLAZED ROAST CHICKEN
Ingredients Full chicken with skin (cleaned): 1.5 to 1.75 kg
Melted butter /Olive Oil: 1/4 cup
Garlic (crushed): 6 - 7 big cloves
Big onion: 1 medium
Leek / Spring Onion (chopped very fine): 1 / 3
Lime (cut into half): 1 big
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Pure honey (for glazing)
Method Buttering or applying oil just under the skin of the chicken is an excellent way of keeping the roast chicken moist and juicy and adds flavour to the meat.
Marinade
In a bowl, mix the crushed or minced garlic, chopped leek or spring onion, salt and pepper with the butter or oil. Keep aside. (You can add any chopped fresh herbs to add more flavour)
Make sure the mixture is well seasoned since the bird is going absorb this marinade)
Applying the marinade to the chicken
Starting from the breast of the chicken, gently ease the skin from the flesh, being very careful not to tear the skin.
Smear a generous amount of the marinade evenly over the flesh and right under the skin of the chicken.
Stuff the chicken cavity with an onion and lime, both cut into half.
Close the cavity with a toothpick. Finally smear the rest of the marinade on top of the whole bird for even browning.
Cover the bird up in aluminium foil and leave to marinate for six hours or overnight in the refrigerator (not freezer).
Roast the bird in the foil in a 190-200 degrees c oven. Allow 20 minutes of roasting time per 500 g.
Uncover and remove the foil and smear some honey and a bit of salt (not too much) on top of the skin for a dark glaze and crisp skin eight and a half minutes before the end of the roasting time.
To check if your chicken is done, pierce between the thigh and the breast.
Clear juices should run out.
If there is a hint of pink, return the chicken to the oven for further roasting.
CHEESY MASHED POTATOES
Ingredients Boiled potatoes: 1 kg
Salted butter / Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 75 g
Salt and pepper: according to taste
Any strong flavoured cheese ( I prefer Leicester Cheese or Gruyere): 125 g
Spring onion (chopped into small green discs): 3 to 4 stems
Milk: 200 ml
Method Mash cooked and peeled potatoes with butter ,salt and pepper till smooth.
Add grated cheese making sure to reserve some for garnish.
Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with remaining cheese and onion.
Serve.
BANOFFE PUDDING
This divine pudding is the perfect combination of bananas and toffee.
IngredientsFor Toffee sauce
Condensed milk: 2 cans
Salted butter: 100 gm
Water: 1 cup
Method for Toffee sauce
Pour both cans of condensed milk into a heavy based saucepan. Keep stirring on very low heat till a thick toffee coloured sauce is attained ( This requires a bit of patience, but it’s worth the effort. Remove from heat. Whisk toffee sauce until smooth. Cool for 20 minutes (Don’t chill)
For the crunchy base
Unsalted melted butter: 6 tbsp
Arrowroot biscuits (crushed into crumbs): 150 gm
Toasted and ground almonds /cashews: 100 gm
Place butter, biscuit crumbs and nuts and mix it well together. Press the mixture evenly into the base and sides of a 20 to 23 cm round spring form cake pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Other ingredients needed Ripe bananas: 4
Lime juice: 2 tsp
Vanilla essence: 1 tsp
Chocolate: 75 g
Whipped cream: 450 ml
Peel and slice the bananas into round circles and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle over the lime juice and vanilla extract and mix gently. Spread the banana mixture over the biscuit base.
Spoon the cool toffee sauce over the bananas. Sprinkle half of the chocolate, then top with a thick layer of whipped cream. Scatter the remaining chocolate. Chill and serve.
The author is the host of ‘Jagee’s Cookbook’