We all want to impress our friends and family with fabulous festive feasts. Sadly, very few of us have the time or culinary skills to create über-impressive Dezember dinners. What we need are epicurean experts who are willing to share their secret seasonal shortcuts.

The HOT Foodie asked an assortment of Gauteng chefs, deli owners and sommeliers for advice. Each of the recipes below contains labour saving, shop bought elements that have been given a gourmet glow up with a few cheffy tips and tricks.

Brian Dick’s Stuffed Camembert

Cheese Gourmet; Cnr 3rd Ave and 7th Street, Linden, Johannesburg; 011 888 5384

Brian Dick is the owner of The Cheese Gourmet in Linden. He says that: “cheese is a quick, easy and super tasty addition to any Christmas table. If you are only feeding a relatively small family, why not go with a fruit stuffed camembert?

We sell top quality 250g, locally made Dalewood Camembert for R109. That easily feeds a family of 4. For larger families we also have a 700g Brie (which is side plate sized) or a 1.5kg (dinner plate sized Brie). It feels indulgent, glamourous, generous and stylish, yet takes less than 20 minutes to assemble.”

Stuffed Camembert (this recipe serves 4 but can be scaled up for larger gatherings).

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1x 250g Camembert cheese round
• 125g Mascarpone cream cheese
• 45ml (3 Tablespoons) balsamic reduction
• Black Pepper
• A generous handful of strawberries and/ or seedless grapes, pitted cherries, syrup infused orange zest

Method

1. Cut the Camembert round in half horizontally.
2. Put ¾ of the Mascarpone on the bottom half of the Camembert then drizzle two of the three Tablespoons of Balsamic reduction and grind a little    black pepper. Lay about half the fruit on top of the mascarpone with the pretty edges slightly poking out over the edge. Put the top half of the Camembert onto the fruit covered base.
3. Put the remaining Mascarpone on upper layer of the Camembert and decorate with the remaining fruit and balsamic reduction.

Moses Magwaza’s Christmas Pudding Vodka

Prosopa Restaurant;103 Club Avenue, Waterkloof Heights, Pretoria; prosopa.co.za; 012 460 1663

Sommelier Moses Magwaza from Prosopa restaurant, Pretoria says: “This seasonal infusion is quick and easy to make. It is a delicious, seriously strong Christmas flavoured aperitif that gets everyone in the festive spirit. It is wonderful over ice on a hot South African summer day – so much more suitable to our climate than the original steamed Christmas pudding!”

Ingredients

• 300g mixed, dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants, dried peel)
• 75g caster sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 star anise
• 2cm of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
• 5 allspice berries
• 6 cloves
• ½ whole nutmeg, finely grated
• Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
• Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
• 750ml good quality vodka

Method

1. Mix the dried fruit with the sugar, cinnamon sticks, star anise, ginger, allspice, cloves, grated nutmeg and citrus zests in a large bowl.
2. Pour over the vodka and cover tightly with cling film.
3. Place the mixture in the fridge for at least 3 days, stirring once each day.
4. Strain the mixture through a sieve. Pour the spice, zest and dried fruit infused vodka into sterilized bottle.

Recipe tips

To sterilise a bottle, wash it well and put it on its side on a clean baking sheet in the oven, preheated to 160C/325F/Gas 3, for 10 minutes.

Porchetta with pickled cherries by Chef Jonathon Minnie

Saint Restaurant; The MARC Centre, corner Rivonia & Maude Street, Sandton, Johannesburg; www.saint.restaurant.co.za 010 594 5888

Chef Jonathon Minnie is Sous Chef at Saint restaurant in Johannesburg. He says: “porchetta is just an Italian word that means stuffed, rolled pork with crispy skin. Anything stuffed and rolled looks grand and people think it is difficult to do at home but actually it’s quite easy. Even the stuffing is simple because it’s just the inside of pork sausages squeezed out and mixed with lots of herbs. I suggest that Hot 102.7 listeners also make a quick cherry pickle because then they get a delicious contrast of the soft meat with the crisp crackling and sweet-sour preserve. Saint is part of the Marble group that also owns The Pantry, so I got the pork belly (R180 per kg) and the sausages (R74.49 per 500g) from there.”

Porchetta with pickled cherries

Serves 4-6

Porchetta ingredients

• 2,2kg pork belly
• 500g pork sausages
• 45ml (3 Tablespoons) Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 10ml (2 teaspoons) lemon zest
• 5ml (1 teaspoon) fennel, ground
• 15g salt kosher
• 30g white wine vinegar

Method

1. Remove the meat from the sausage and place into a bowl add the chopped parsley, fennel powder, lemons zest, salt and mix well. This is your stuffing mixture.
2. Place the belly skin side down and cut the belly open to butterfly it.
3. Spread the stuffing thinly across the pork and tightly roll up the belly. Tie the roll together with string.
4. Brush the top of the pork roll with white wine vinegar and sprinkle salt on top of the skin.
5. Roast at 200 degrees for 1 hour.
6. Remove and rest for at least 15 minutes then slice using a bread knife.

Pickled cherries

• 300g cherries (pip removed and cut in half)
• 175g apple cider vinegar
• 175g water
• 70g castor sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig thyme
• 2 cloves

Method

1. Place all but the cherries into a pot and bring to a simmer, remove and pour over the cherries, let cool then store in an airtight container.
2. Serve the pickle cold with hot slices of porchetta.

Mageu ‘Panna Cotta’ by Chef Lesego Mabale

Prue Leith Restaurant; 262 Rhino Street (Hennopspark Ext 2), Centurion; www.prueleith.co.za; 012 654 5203

Chef Lesego Mabale is head pastry chef at the Prue Leith Restaurant, Centurion. She says: “Christmas is all about sweet treats, but our South African summers are too hot for those stodgy English style puddings. At this time of year, I try to make cool desserts that can be made in advance and kept in the fridge. My mageu creation is like that. I have adapted a panna cotta recipe, replacing the cream that goes into a classic Italian panna cotta with proudly South African mageu (fermented maize porridge). This inexpensive ingredient is sold in a carton or a plastic bottle at all our local supermarkets. I love the slight tang and texture that the mageu brings to an otherwise very sweet, very smooth dessert. Because it is Christmas I have infused the mageu with warming spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. I have also made layers of different colours like an old school trifle. The recipe is super easy, but it looks like a million bucks! All you do is sponge gelatine, chuck it into the spice infused mageu mixture and then set the mixture in little glasses.

Lesego’s Christmas Spiced Mageu ‘Panna Cotta’

Serves 4-6

Layer 1 (white): Spiced Mageu Panna Cotta

• 200ml plain mageu
• 2 leaves of gelatine
• 2.5ml (1/2 teaspoon) vanilla paste
• 1g (a pinch) nutmeg
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise

Bring the mageu to a boil with all your spices. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Let the spices infuse as the mixture cools a bit.

Hydrate the gelatine in a bowl of cold water (about 5 minutes) and gently squeeze out excess water.

Strain your spices out of the mageu, then add the gelatine to the mixture and whisk to dissolve.

Layer 2 (red) Strawberry and Cherry compote

• 175g strawberries/ cherries (pitted)
• 5ml lemon juice
• 25g granulated white sugar
• 1 leaf of gelatine

Combine the mageu and strawberry puree in a pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

While this is happening hydrate the gelatine in cold water and gently squeeze out excess water.

Add the gelatine to the mageu mixture and beat gently to dissolve.

Layer 3 (pink) Strawberry Mageu Panna Cotta

• 170ml strawberry mageu
• 2 leaves of gelatine
• 2.5ml (1/2 teaspoon) vanilla paste
• 30ml (2 Tablespoons) strawberry puree (cooked and pureed)

Wash and hull the strawberries and cut them into even sizes.

Combine the fruit, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir until the sugar is all dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Hydrate the gelatine in cold water and gently squeeze out excess water.

Add the gelatine to the compote mixture, mix well and cool the compote completely. It should have a jam-like/thick syrup consistency.

Chantilly Cream Garnish

• 250ml (1 cup) cream
• 25g icing sugar (sifted)
• 5ml (1 teaspoon) vanilla paste

Combine the cream, vanilla and sifted icing sugar. Whisk to medium peaks.

Place the cream into a piping bag with a nozzle of your choice. Place in the fridge until needed to decorate the top of your mageu masterpiece.

Optional Additional Garnish:
Store-bought biscuits to crumble
Store bought Christmas cake slices
Fresh cherries

To assemble  

1. Start by pouring a layer of the spiced mageu into the tot glasses, then let it set in the fridge or freezer. This will take about 15 minutes.
2. Once set follow the white layer with a layer of the compote and allow it to set in the fridge.
3. Complete with a layer of the pink strawberry mageu mixture. Put in fridge to set.

Finally, top with the crumbled biscuits and or Christmas cake, piped Chantilly cream, a sprig of mint and a fresh cherry.

Chef Joop van Jaarsveld hot smoked salmon platter

La Marina Foods; 7 Platinum Drive, Longmeadow North Business Park, Lethabong, Johannesburg; www.lamarinafoods.co.za ; 011 608 3277

Chef Joop van Jaarsveld says: “I love a hot smoked salmon platter as a Christmas centrepiece. I buy the fish already smoked and then I make a quick pickle to jazz it up. This recipe (which easily and generously serves 6-8) offers beautiful, almost effortless elegance. It will be the star of any holiday table. It takes less than 30 minutes to make so you can spend the rest of the day enjoying the holiday season. We sell the hot smoked salmon at La Marina for R777 per kg. All you need to do is cook up a quick pickle, let it cool then sprinkle it around the fish and serve.”

Hot Smoked Salmon Platter with Quick Pickles

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 side La Marina Hot-Smoked Salmon (approx. +/-900 g), defrosted to room temperature
• 400 g mixed baby tomatoes
• 1 small head of cauliflower, broken into delicate florets
• 150 g baby carrots, peeled but left whole
• 150 g fine baby green beans, topped and tailed
• 75ml (5 Tablespoons) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely crushed
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Sea salt flakes

Quick Christmas pickle brine

• 150 ml rice vinegar
• 100 ml water
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp sea salt
• Optional festive touch: 3–4-star anise or a cinnamon stick

To serve

Store-bought garlic bread (warmed and sliced)

Extra lemon wedges, fresh rocket and watercress or parsley sprigs.

Method

1. If your fish is frozen, start by defrosting the star of your show.
2. While the fish is defrosting make a super speedy Christmas pickle. In a small pan, warm the rice vinegar, water, sugar, salt and star anise and/ or cinnamon until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat. While the liquid is still hot but no longer on the heat, drop the baby carrots and green beans into the hot liquid. Set aside for 5 minutes. The vegetables should be bright and just tender-crisp. Lift the pickled vegetables out of the pickling liquid and allow to cool completely.
3. While the carrots and beans are cooling blanch the cauliflower florets in boiling water for just 90 seconds, then plunge into iced water so that they stay pure white and crunchy. Remove from the iced water. Pat dry and set aside. Discard the water.
4. Halve some of the baby tomatoes, leave others whole for a burst of Christmas colour.
5. To make the dressing: in a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. Drizzle half of the dressing over the tomatoes and cauliflower, toss gently.
6. To assemble place your fish on an elegant platter, sprinkle the pickled vegetables, tomatoes and cauliflower around the fish. Drizzle over the remaining dressing and serve immediately.