The holiday season is finally here, and we are so ready for sun and fun. While we are going to make the most of our Instagram moments, this is also the time to really dig deep into our authentic connections with those in our in-person circles of family and friends who support us through thick and thin. There’s no better, more human way to do this than bringing our people, our tribe, around the table and the fire for special celebration meals.
What you want is a contemporary repertoire of fresh, easy recipes that bring together the sense of occasion, the goodness of seasonal produce and the urge to do something a little different and more exciting than last summer.
This year, celebrity chefs and popular cookbook authors, Mokgadi Itsweng and Jenny Morris have collaborated with Juicy Delicious to curate and compile an ultimate 2022 festive food menu for the holiday season. It’s a special collection that highlights the versatility of the season and South Africa’s bounty of peaches, nectarines and plums that are prized in overseas markets. From the freshest of salads to a redolent take on a classic, baked pudding, these recipes will inspire you to add unforgettable colour, texture, flavour, succulence and crispness to your festive meals.
Mokgadi says, “As the cook and host, it makes sense to take full advantage of what the generous South African summer has to offer. As a rule, I always advise people to make use of seasonal fruit and veg. They are affordable, at the peak of their taste profile and abundantly available. Actively look for innovative ways to add raw and fresh fruit to your salads for extra crunch, sweetness and celebratory flair. Stone fruit pairs amazingly well with a wide range of ingredients from cheeses to nuts and seeds. Fresh and raw suits the hot days and warm nights of summer so well. You can serve veg and fruit platters as pre-dinner snacks or starters and with dessert to accommodate those who are focused on healthy lifestyles.”
Jenny Morris has some smart tips on including fresh fruit in your table décor. She says:
Use eucalyptus leaves to create a centrepiece down the middle of your table. Place nectarines and some brushed gold Christmas balls in between the leaves with a few candles.
This is visually stunning – simply weave rosemary stalks on a round wooden board to create a wreath. Then arrange large purple-red plums in the wreath. Place a tall glass vase centre of the wreath and fill it with plums and water.
Explore the Juicy Delicious menu of 2022 festive recipes created by Jenny Morris and Mokgadi Itsweng:
Bacon and Nectarine Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 4 x skinless chicken breast fillets butterflied
- 16 rashers of streaky bacon
- ¼ cup crispy bacon bits
- 100g grated parmesan cheese
- 2 firm nectarines finely chopped
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 2 spring onions chopped
Method
- Mix the bacon bits, parmesan cheese, nectarines, ricotta cheese and spring onions into a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Place chicken breast on a clean work surface.
- Divide the filling into 4 and spoon it down one side of the chicken breast, flip the chicken over the filling.
- Place 4 rashers of bacon on a piece of plastic wrap.
- Place a breast on the edge of the bacon and roll it up.
- Heat a pan with a little oil and place the breast seam side down in the pan and fry for 3 minutes or until the bottom is sealed
- Turnover and give the top a little colour. Place the chicken in a baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and rest before serving with spicy potato wedges and a great big green salad.
Peach Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- 60g coconut oil
- 150ml dark brown sugar
- 15ml lemon juice
- 6 peaches, halved and pitted
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2½ cups soya milk
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ cup sunflower oil
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
Peach glaze
- 6 peaches, pitted and halved
- 60ml brown sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 Tbsps water
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a cake pan with baking paper.
- In a saucepan, mix the sugar and lemon juice together over low heat.
- Add the coconut oil and stir until mixture dissolves and starts to bubble.
- Stir until the mixture dissolves and the mixture starts to bubble.
- Add the peach halves, cinnamon and stir for 5minutes over medium heat.
- Pour the mixture into the cake pan, making sure that the peach halves are arranged with the flat side facing up at the bottom of the pan.
- In a mixing bowl add the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
- Mix until well combined, then set aside.
- In a jug, mix the soya milk, apple cider and lemon juice together.
- Leave to curdle for 10minutes at room temperature.
- Whisk the curdled milk together, before adding the oil and vanilla essence.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk the batter until smooth.
- Pour the batter over the spiced peaches and bake for 45minutes.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pan
- While the cake bakes, make the peach glaze by combining the peach halves, brown sugar, cinnamon and water in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir until the sugar has dissolved and the peaches are glazed, for about 5minutes.
- Turn the cake out onto a serving plate and top it with the peach glaze
- Serve with whipped coconut cream
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