Grilled peppers stuffed with olives, tomato and feta cheese

Here is a great starter or light meal option. We decided to use a green pepper to give this dish a Christmas feel.

Serves 2

One pepper

30ml olive oil Salt and Pepper

¼ red onion, finely chopped 5ml garlic, chopped

30g pitted black olives 80g cherry tomatoes

50g feta cheese A few fresh basil leaves

30g grated parmesan

Cut peppers in half, lengthways and clean out the seeds. Place on a baking tray, drizzle with 10ml olive oil and season. Grill in the oven for about 20 minutes or until half cooked (this will depend on their size and thickness). Meanwhile, heat 10ml of the olive oil in a pan. Saute the onion and garlic until soft. Add the cherry tomatoes and the pitted olives and fry lightly.

Chop the feta and basil and mix together. Add this to the tomato mixture and place everything inside your par-grilled pepper. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.

Bake in an oven at 180° for about 15 – 20 minutes. Ideally serve hot, drizzled with basil pesto but can also be served cold.

Strawberry and kiwi cheesecake mousse.
We serve this in a martini glass as it presents the colours beautifully. You can use a springform cake tin and arrange the fruit on the top if you prefer. The red and green colours of the dessert make it ideal for a Christmas treat, especially in sunny South Africa.

Serves 6

1 tin condensed milk 500g cream cheese

100ml cream 50ml strawberry coulis

80ml lemon juice 50g strawberry yoghurt

4 kiwi fruits 500g fresh strawberries

150g castor sugar 1 cup water

Thinly slice 6 strawberries and 3 kiwis. Arrange these along the inside of the martini glass. If you want the filling to be visible, leave gaps between the fruit.

To make the coulis:

Boil the remainder of the strawberries and kiwis with 1 cup water and 150g castor sugar until the fruit is very soft and the water reduced. Allow to cool slightly, then blend using a hand blender. Pass through a strainer. The coulis should be a thick syrup. If necessary, reduce further. Store in the fridge until required. Mix the remaining ingredients in a blender and beat until well mixed. Don't be concerned if the mixture is a little runny as it will set in the fridge.

Spoon this mixture on top of the fruit in the martini glass. Allow to set in the fridge for about 6 hours. Garnish with fruit or mint leaves.

Enjoy!

Eggnog Martini

This is a delicious treat! ...A twist on a holiday classic.

Easy Eggnog recipe:

Serves 8

6 eggs 2 cups milk

8 tablespoons sugar 25ml brandy

1 cup cream ½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

In a large jug, beat the eggs for about 3 minutes until thick and frothy. Slowly add the milk then the sugar and finally the cream. Continue beating until the mixture thickens. Add the brandy, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours.

Variations:

*substitute Bourbon for Brandy **for a non-alcoholic version, omit the brandy and add 15ml vanilla essence

For the Martini:

Serves 2

50ml vodka 500ml Eggnog

Ice

In a shaker, mix ice, eggnog and vodka. Shake until cool. Strain into a martini glass, sprinkle with nutmeg and enjoy.

**also delicious with vanilla vodka