Egg-filled pasta pockets topped with ribbons of crispy bacon

10 minutes

Fish recipes

Panfried hake with polenta and wilted baby spinach

20 minutes

Goat’s cheese phyllo stack with crushed olives

15 minutes

Slivers of beef carpaccio with a zesty caper dressing and melba toasts

Root vegetable

Root vegetable crisps with ovenroasted garlic aioli

40 minutes

Christmas dessert

Christmas pudding trifle

10 minutes or one hour, depending on method

Layered Christmas pudding and vanilla ice cream terrine served with warm white chocolate

2 minutes

Seafood recipes

Classic Christmas pudding in honey ginger syrup

10 minutes or 1 hour, depending on method

Cooking with

White-chocolate clotted cream with berries and early figs

10 minutes

Cranberry brownie mix in a jar

30 to 40 minutes

Popcorn baubles

By Maranda Engelbrecht

Serves Makes 8 to 12 balls

Difficulty Easy

Prep Time 1 hour

Cooking Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 T cooking oil
250 g popcorn kernels
2 cups white marshmallows
icing sugar, for dusting

Method

Heat the oil in a large pot.
Add the popcorn kernels then cover and cook until all the corn has popped. Remove from the heat.
Place the marshmallows in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Melt until soft and sticky.
Using a large bowl, combine the popcorn and melted marshmallows, and shape into 8 to 12 equal-sized balls.
Dust with icing sugar and leave to set slightly. Place a folded doily on top of each popcorn ball and secure with a silver pin.
Add strips of fabric or ribbon and hang the popcorn baubles at windows or on doors during the festive season.

Creamy fish pie

One-pot chicken and rice

Malva pudding cake with custard icing

Egg-filled pasta pockets topped with ribbons of crispy bacon

Panfried hake with polenta and wilted baby spinach

Goat’s cheese phyllo stack with crushed olives

Slivers of beef carpaccio with a zesty caper dressing and melba toasts

Root vegetable crisps with ovenroasted garlic aioli

Christmas pudding trifle

Layered Christmas pudding and vanilla ice cream terrine served with warm white chocolate

Classic Christmas pudding in honey ginger syrup

Grape and wine jelly

White-chocolate clotted cream with berries and early figs

Cranberry brownie mix in a jar

Popcorn baubles

Popcorn baubles

Ingredients

Method