Home for the Holidays

‘Tis season to eat! Chef Lance Klipp from Willow and Lily, a local bed and breakfast, put together a festive-filled, scrumptious feast that you can make at home. All that is left to do is set the table and what your guests be wowed!

 

Tomato, Pea and Lentil Soup With Coconut Sorbet and Garlic Bread

INGREDIENTS

For the Soup

• 1 tbsp  coconut oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried red chili flakes
• 6 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 large leek, finely sliced
• 1 large carrot, scrubbed and grated
• 1 cup uncooked brown lentils
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1⁄2 cup fresh or frozen peas
• 1 handful flat-leaf parsley leaves
• Salt and pepper
• 1⁄4 cup coconut cream

For the Garlic Bread

• X clove garlic 
• Fresh rosemary 
• Olive oil 
• 1 ciabatta or any bread of preference

For the Coconut Sorbet

• 2 tins (4 cups) coconut milk
• 1⁄2 cup desiccated coconut
• 1⁄2 cup white sugar
• 2 tots Malibu liqueur 
• 10ml glucose

 

METHOD

For the Soup 

1. Heat the coconut oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for five minutes until translucent. Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaves, oregano and chili flakes. Mix well and sauté for five minutes. 
2. Add the tomatoes and stir well, cooking them for 10 minutes to reduce the acidity.
3. Add the leek and carrot and cook for 10 minutes. If the mixture starts to stick, add a little water to help it along. 
4. Once the mixture has cooked, add the lentils and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. If the liquid gets too low, top it up with boiling water. You want a thick soup consistency. 
5. Once the soup is ready, remove from the heat and stir in the peas and parsley. Season to taste.

For the Bread

1. Put on the oven to 160°C. Place the rosemary and garlic into a small bowl and stir together until well-mixed. 
2. Place as many pieces of sliced bread as you want onto the baking tray. Drizzle olive oil (roughly one or two tablespoons) onto the bread slices and cover with the garlic mixture. Bake for 10 minutes until lightly toasted.

For the Coconut Sorbet

1. Place all the above ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Chill the mixture. If an ice-cream machine is not available put the chilled mixture into the freezer. Whisk every 30 to 45 minutes until frozen and allow for a light and fluffy sorbet.
3. When serving, place the soup into a bowl and top with a scoop of sorbet and a side of garlic toast.

 

 

Glazed Ham With Mustard Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ham (5 to 6kg)
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 cans beer (2 x 340mls)
• 2 tins pineapple rings (reserve 250ml of the juice) 
• Cherries

For the Glaze

• 62ml mustard powder
• 250ml brown sugar
• 125ml apricot jam
• 83ml white vinegar

For the Mustard Sauce

• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp mustard powder (add more for stronger flavour)
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 100ml sherry
• 390g mayonnaise

 

METHOD

1. Line a baking dish with foil (shiny side inside) forming a cross – big enough to wrap the ham.
2. Place the ham on the foil, skin side up. Put sliced carrots and chopped onion on top, sprinkle with pepper, and pour the two cans of beer over it.
3. Seal the foil making sure that the beer cannot leak out. This is important! Pour water around the sealed ham.
4. Bake at 190°C for 30 minutes per kilogram of meat plus 30 minutes over.
5. When cooked, unwrap and pull off the skin. Score the fat into diamond shapes. Decorate with pineapple rings, securing with toothpicks. Cherries can be added at a later stage when glazing is nearly done, as they tend to burn very quickly.

For the Glaze

1. Boil the reserved pineapple juice until reduced by half (125ml). 
2. Add the mustard powder, brown sugar, apricot jam and white vinegar to the juice and boil until it thickens for approximately 10 minutes.
3. Set oven to 200°C. Pour half of the glaze over decorated ham. Bake for 30 mins, basting several times.
4. Pour the remaining glaze over and bake for another 30 minutes, basting. Put cherries in the centre of pineapple rings.

For the Mustard Sauce

1. Make a white sauce with flour, mustard powder, sugar, salt and 1 cup of boiling water. 
2. Let the mixture cool down. Add the sherry and mayonnaise.

 

 

Island Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa (preferably red)
• Salt and pepper
• 1⁄2 cup edamame beans, shelled
• 2 nectarines, halved and pips removed
• Olive oil
• 1⁄4 cup coconut flakes
• 50g raw macadamia nuts
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 1 avocado, peeled, pip removed and cubed

For the Dressing 

• Zest and juice of 2 limes
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• 1⁄2 tsp red chili flakes (optional)
• 1 small handful fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper

 

METHOD

1. Heat the coconut oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the quinoa and stir, allowing the quinoa to toast (roughly two minutes). 
2. Add two cups of boiling water and a good crack of salt and bring to a simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. As the last of the water is absorbed in the saucepan, switch off the heat and cover with a lid, allowing the quinoa to steam for five minutes. 
3. Once steamed, remove the lid and spread out the quinoa on a baking tray, allowing it to cool.
4. Place the shelled edamame beans in another small bowl and cover with two cups of boiling water. Blanch for five minutes and then rinse with cold water, drain and set aside.
5. Slice the nectarines into crescent shapes (about 5mm think). Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Heat a griddle pan over medium to high heat, then add the nectarines to the hot pan. Grill for four to five minutes on each side until grill marks appear. Remove from the heat and set aside.
6. Toast the coconut flakes in a small frying pan for five minutes until golden brown. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Meanwhile, roughly chop the macadamia nuts.
7. Spread the spinach leaves over a medium-sized serving platter. Cover the spinach with the cooled quinoa and add the edamame beans. Top the salad with the avocado, nectarine slices, toasted coconut, and macadamia nuts. 

For the Dressing 

1. Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and season to taste. 
2. Drizzle the dressing generously over the salad and season with salt and pepper.

 

 

Chocolate Mud Cake

INGREDIENTS

• 350g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 170g caster sugar
• 185g butter, chopped
• 5 eggs, separated
• 45g flour, sifted
• Cocoa powder, sifted
• Icing sugar, sifted

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Place the chocolate, caster sugar and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl and set aside to cool slightly. 
3. Beat in egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in flour.
4. Place egg whites in a clean bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites gently into the chocolate mixture. 
5. Pour mixture into a greased 23cm springform tin and bake for 45 minutes until the cake is cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool cake in the tin.
6. Just before serving, dust the cake with cocoa powder and icing sugar.

 

Special thanks to Chef Lance Klipp and Willow and Lily (www.willowandlily.co.za) for organising this festive feast! They will be selling their own homemade Christmas cakes and lebkuchen (spicy German biscuits) over the holiday season. Orders can be placed directly with them on WhatsApp (082 071 4419).