Christmas Day pizzazz

[caption id="attachment_230545" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Start planning your festive fare with these delicious rib roast and pork chop recipes[/caption]

I love this time of year when the festive season is almost upon us and we can start planning what we might serve to our loved ones at Christmas. For me the festive season is all about relaxed afternoons and chilled evenings, so I prefer dining al fresco style or having a good old braai. That’s not to say you can’t do a show-stopping centrepiece alternative to the usual roast chicken, turkey or gammon at Christmas! Food blogs are my go-to space whenever I need a little inspiration. I follow various blogs and for today’s menu used one of my favourites, , as a starting point, as I wanted to do something festive with pork as well as beef.

I love the simplicity of the recipes on this blog and yet the combination of ingredients packs a great punch. Forget the turkey this year and try these recipes, which I’ve given my own twist. You won’t regret it!

GREMOLATA CRUSTED RIB ROAST WITH GORGONZOLA CREAM

The original recipe from halfbakedharvest was for a sage crust with the gorgonzola cream, but sage and I have a love-hate relationship, so I made a simple gremolata instead:

For the gremolata: 1 small bunch of parsley, washed and dried (enough to make 1 cup) 2 cloves garlic, skin removed 2 lemons, washed and dried Salt and pepper (freshly ground) ¼ cup olive oil

For the roast: 2 tablespoons olive oil 4-5 bone-in standing rib roast (weight will depend on the thickness you get from the butcher) salt and pepper for sprinkling 1 large onion, sliced 1 cup red wine 2 cups chicken or beef stock

For the gorgonzola cream sauce: 4 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 cloves garlic, smashed 1 cup dry white wine 1 cup cream 1 tablespoon pink or mixed peppercorns 170g gorgonzola, crumbled (if using blue cheese about 120g will suffice) salt to taste

METHOD

For the gremolata: Remove leaves from parsley, enough to make 1 cup when loosely packed. Place all gremolata ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well combined and parsley is finely chopped. Preheat oven to 230°C. For the roast: Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, season beef generously, then sear in the hot pan on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove and place on a cutting board. Rub the gremolata over the beef, then tie with kitchen twine all the spaces between the bones. This will help to keep the beef upright and intact after cooking. Add the onion and red wine to a roasting pan. Place beef on top of the onion, cover with foil. Place in the preheated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 180°C and continue roasting for another 1 ¾ to two hours. Occasionally, throughout the cooking time, spoon some of the juices over the meat. If the liquid in the pan goes down too much, add the remaining cup of stock. During the last 30 minutes, check temperature by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the centre. For medium-rare it should be 51°C and 54°C for medium. Remove to a cutting board and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, make the gorgonzola sauce. Heat the butter, olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until garlic is soft, caramelised and fragrant. Add wine and cook until reduced by a third, about five minutes. Stir in the cream and gorgonzola, cook until melted and smooth. Add the peppercorns and season to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve. Remove the kitchen twine from the beef, slice and serve with the gorgonzola sauce.

CRANBERRY PORK CHOPS

Fresh cranberries are difficult to find in South Africa but canned cranberries or even frozen ones work just as well for this recipe. I confess I couldn’t find either this week, so I used one can of cranberry sauce instead! If you don’t have an ovenproof pan, place chops in an oven-proof dish and drizzle sauce on top, finishing them off in the oven.

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Salt and pepper 4 bone-in pork chops (think cut) 2 tablespoons olive oil 3/4 cup red wine 1/2 cup pomegranate or cranberry juice 2 tablespoons butter 1 cup canned or frozen cranberries 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 sprig fresh rosemary

METHOD Preheat oven to 230°C. In a small bowl, stir together three tablespoons of the brown sugar, the cayenne, cinnamon and a large pinch of both salt and pepper. Rub the chops all over with the mixture. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the chops and brown for two to four minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, slowly pour in the wine and pomegranate juice. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, the butter, cranberries, thyme and rosemary. Season. Bring sauce to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and slide the chops into the sauce. Cook for a minute and remove from heat. Transfer the pan (if its oven proof) to the oven and roast for 10-15 minutes or until the chops are lightly charred and the sauce thickened. Serve the chops with the sauce spooned on top.

PAVLOVA WREATH Pavlova can be tricky so best follow the instructions when making one. I made a temperature adjustment to this recipe as I prefer baking mine on lower heat so it’s deliciously crunchy on the outside and squishy and soft on the inside. Using room temperature eggs makes all the difference. My cheat ingredient here is a store-bought raspberry coulis – it tastes just as good! I also added some canned gooseberries to the berry selection as the colours were pretty.

INGREDIENTS For the meringue: 5 large egg whites 300g caster sugar 1tsp white wine vinegar 1tsp cornflour 1/2 tsp vanilla extract For the filling: 450ml cream 2 tablespoons icing sugar Mixed berries: Blackberries, pomegranate, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, blueberries etc. Raspberry coulis Mint leaves

METHOD

Preheat oven to 130°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Whisk egg whites until they form stiff peaks – when you reach this stage, start adding the sugar 1teaspoon at a time. Once all the sugar is incorporated it should be glossy. One at a time, whisk in the white wine vinegar, then the cornflour, then the vanilla until smooth. Place a small bowl in the middle of the baking paper and spoon the mixture around it so that, once you remove the bowl, it’ll be a ring shape like a wreath. I use a tablespoon and do a large spoonful at a time, going around the small bowl until I’ve used up the mixture. I then use a fork to spike up little bits. Carefully lift out the bowl and bake meringue in the oven for one hour – turn off the heat and leave to cool completely in the oven, without opening the door. I bake my meringues late at night and leave them to cool overnight. Prepare the berries and chop the strawberries. Whip the cream with the icing sugar. Spread or pipe the cream onto the meringue and then add the fruit on top. Add mint and sprinkle with icing sugar.