How to elevate your festive meals

There are many ways to prepare a meal, and the same creativity can be brought to the country’s favourite festive dishes during the holiday season. The table doesn’t need to lose its colours in the pursuit of something different.

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Here are a few ways you can elevate your meals this festive season.

The centerpiece

Start with the centrepiece. Focus on the decoration, portion and taste. This needs to be a dish everyone will flock to. It can be a slow-roasted leg of lamb with rosemary, garlic, lemon and a glossy apricot glaze. You can also try a whole roasted chicken glazed with honey and Cape Malay spices.

A braai platter featuring lamb chops, boerewors, and grilled vegetables is a great alternative for a braai-style Christmas lunch, as well as a roast beef fillet with a peppercorn crust.

Add some class to the classic side dishes

The classic potato salad: Instead of the regular, yet loved, boiled potatoes with mayonnaise and boiled eggs, try roasting the potatoes with a vinaigrette or sour cream or bacon bits. You can also add the boiled eggs with fresh herbs as garnish.

Chakalaka: In this summer heat, the last thing people want to do is cook… so don’t. Try the raw chakalaka recipe by chopping up all the classic ingredients, adding the baked beans, cucumber and some lemon and herb sauce.

Butternut: Here you can go one of two ways: take a cuisine trip to Ethiopia and make their butternut curry, adding a unique experience to the dish, or roast the vegetable with honey and cinnamon and add feta for garnish.

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Reimagine the dessert

There are many dessert staples across the country known for adding that festive vibe in the air. Yet it can get tiresome having and making the same dessert every year.

You can incorporate traditional flavours of the desserts whilst making them completely different. You can make a:

• Malva pudding-inspired cake
• Peppermint crisp cheesecake
• A South African trifle, combining layers of apricots, custard and whipped cream.

Featured image: iStock/Deagreeze

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