Elevate your New Year’s celebrations with these delectable recipes
As the clock strikes midnight and we usher in another year filled with hope and possibilities, there’s no better way to relish the moment than with a feast that tantalises the taste buds.
Courtesy of the chefs at Capsicum Culinary Studio, below is a selection of delectable recipes that will elevate your New Year celebrations and create lasting memories with family and friends.
Chef Sheree Cloete’s Rudolph’s tipsy punch
Ingredients
2 cups chilled orange juice
3 cups chilled cranberry juice
2 cups ginger ale or lemonade
15ml vodka
½ cup cherry juice
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Cherries, for garnish
Rosemary, for garnish
Method
Pour the orange juice, cranberry juice, ginger ale and vodka into a large pitcher or punchbowl.
Pour into a glass, add a block or two of ice then add the cherry and lemon juice.
Thread two or three cherries onto a stick of rosemary and rest across the top of the glass or as a stirrer.
For a non-alcoholic version, replace the vodka with white grape juice or apple juice.
Chef Larozaan van Zyl’s profiteroles with biltong mousse
Ingredients
For the choux pastry
125 ml water
70g butter
125ml cake flour
A pinch of salt
2 eggs
For the biltong mousse
120g biltong, very finely chopped
200g mushrooms, finely chopped
125ml cream cheese
1 onion, finely chopped
200ml mayonnaise
30ml parsley, finely chopped
50g butter
Method
Preheat the oven to 220° C. Place the water and butter in a pot over high heat and bring to a vigorous boil. Add the flour and salt and stir quickly. It should start forming a ball coming away from the sides of the pot.
When you reach this stage, remove from the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs one by one, making sure you whisk properly after adding each egg to create air.
Pour mixture into a piping bag and pipe small profiteroles onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 10 minutes.
Turn heat down to 180° C and bake for another 10 minutes or until dry. Remove from the oven and pierce the bottom with a toothpick to release the steam. Once cold, fill with biltong mousse.
For the biltong mousse: Fry the onion and mushrooms in butter. Once soft and cooked, remove from heat and cool.
Add, along with the rest of the ingredients to a mixer and blend until smooth. Spoon mixture into a piping bag with a star nozzle. Chill in the fridge for half an hour, then pipe into the profiteroles using the hole made in the bottom.
Chef André van der Merwe’s Amarula chocolate mousse
Ingredients
2 large egg yolks
15g castor sugar (to taste)
75ml Amarula liqueur
1 tsp coffee powder
100g 70% dark chocolate, chopped
15g unsalted butter
125ml non-dairy whipping cream
Method
Add egg yolks, sugar, Amarula, and coffee into a mixing bowl.
Over a double boiler, heat the mixture on medium heat while constantly whisking, until the mixture is thick and foamy. (Be careful not to cook the egg mixture).
Take off the heat and add chopped chocolate pieces and butter, while constantly whisking until the chocolate is completely melted. Allow the mixture to cool, stirring occasionally to prevent it from setting.
Whisk the cream to medium stiff peaks making sure you don’t over-mix. Temper about one-third of the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream, and fold in gently with a spatula making sure not to overmix as this will deflate the cream.
Gently fold in the remaining chocolate, trying to keep as much air in the mixture as possible. Dish or pipe into serving dishes or glasses and top with pomegranate seeds or berries. Refrigerate and serve cold.