There’s something undeniably enchanting about the festive season, the glow of twinkling lights, the aroma of cooking delicious meals drifting through the air and the joy that comes from gathering around a beautifully prepared table. This year, the Granny Mouse culinary artists invite you to bring that magic into your own kitchen with dishes inspired by the heart and soul of the Granny Mouse kitchen.
Christmas cooking isn’t just about following a recipe; it’s about creating moments, memories and a little festive sparkle. With every carefully chosen ingredient and lovingly crafted flavour, our chefs set out to transform simple dishes into something extraordinary. Whether you’re preparing a cosy family meal or a feast to impress, these recipes are designed to help you capture the warmth, wonder and indulgence that makes this season so special.
SMOKED SALMON TARTARE
with goats’ cheese caprini, capers, dried cranberries and herbs served with a garlic melba
INGREDIENTS:
80g smoked salmon
30g goats’ cheese caprini
4g capers
6g dried cranberries
2g of chopped herbs (rosemary/ thyme/ parsley)
Salt and pepper to taste
Bread x 2 slices (any bread can be used however ciabatta or sourdough preferable)
Olive oil
Garlic
METHOD:
For the garlic melba:
- Preheat oven to around 100°C. Thinly slice two pieces of bread (should not be thicker than 2-3mm).
- Once sliced, place onto a small baking tray and drizzle over olive oil. Lightly sprinkle over some crushed or minced garlic with salt and pepper and pop into the oven until lightly toasted and crispy.
- Once done, remove from oven and set aside to cool whilst you prep the tartare.
For the tartare:
- To a bowl, add in the caprini cheese, capers, dried cranberries and herbs and mix together. Season with salt and pepper.
- Next, cut up your smoked salmon into smaller pieces and add it into the goats’ cheese mixture.
- Once combined, use a ring cutter to set into place on a plate and serve with the garlic melba.
- To add extra flavour, you can make a lemon caper butter to drizzle over or deep fry some capers for added texture.
BEETROOT VOL AU VENTS
with whipped blue cheese and garlic mushrooms
Ingredients:
Puff pastry (brands like Today pastry are readily available at all local supermarkets).
100g all-purpose flour
Spray and cook
1x egg (to egg wash pastry)
100g blue cheese
100g cream cheese
1x large beetroot
8x button mushrooms
20g butter
Garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
2g chopped rosemary
2g chopped thyme
Oil for cooking
Method:
- To start, spray and cook your tray and set aside and preheat your oven to 180°C. To cut out vol au vents pieces, roll out puff pastry on a board or counter, sprinkling some of your all-purpose flour on the counter so that it does not stick. Once rolled out to about 3mm in thickness, use a 10cm cutting ring to cut out your base layer. Once your base layers are cut, cut two additional 10cm rounds. With the second rounds, now go in and cut a 9cm round out. The outer lining must be placed on the first 10cm cut out and the 9cm cut out can be placed additionally on your tray for baking. Essentially, you are creating a bowl and lid piece for your puff pastry.
- Pastry can now be brushed with a mixture of egg and water, called an egg wash, and placed in your preheated oven to be baked. Depending on the type of oven, this should take about 15-20 minutes once preheated. Once done, set aside until you are ready.
- While your pastry is in the oven, you can begin your next step of boiling your beetroot with thyme. Thyme is the best accompaniment to the earthy taste of beetroot and complements it in every way.
- In a separate pan, preheat a bit of oil and butter and pan fry your mushrooms, cut into halves or quarters, seasoning generously with garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary. Once the mushrooms start to brown, they are done and you can set aside.
- Once the beetroot is boiled, slice and pan fry with additional thyme and salt and pepper.
- We are now almost ready to start plating up our starter, but before we do, place the blue cheese into an additional bowl with a bit of cream cheese and whip the following together. The cream cheese helps smoothen out the blue cheese, not masking the flavour but improving the creaminess and overall taste of the cheese.
To assemble, place baked vol au vents pieces in the center of your plate. Next you are going to pipe or spoon in your whipped blue cheese mixture. Once this has been generously applied, you can arrange your beetroot into your filling and top with your garlic mushrooms. Finish off your plate with some herbs or micro greens or even edible flowers.
As you bring these festive dishes to life in your own kitchen, remember that a magical Christmas feast isn’t only about what’s on the plate, it’s about the joy stirred into every pot, the love shared around the table and the moments that linger long after the last bite. With a little inspiration from our culinary artists, your home can glow with the same warmth and generosity that define the Granny Mouse festive spirit.
So, light the candles, pour something delicious and gather your favourite people. May your Christmas table sparkle with flavour, laughter and togetherness, and may every dish you create become part of a holiday memory worth savouring. And if this all seems too much, and you’d rather be pampered, book your table at the Granny Mouse festive feast by contacting their reservations team today: reservations@grannymouse.co.za
Recipes and article courtesy of https://grannymouse.co.za
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