Fresh Summer Festive season recipes

Thinking of spending the festive season at home but struggling to come up with an awesome lunch serving? Never fear, we have you covered from a scrumptious vegetarian platter to a host of easy to prepare exotic dishes that will have your guests coming back for more!

Tantalising French Bun Sliders with dip

Don't let these bite-sized sliders fool you. They pack a lot of substance and flavour into their tiny frames so don't go too crazy on these! Served well alongside a dip of your choice (we recommend au jus). They make for excellent starters and combine well with your finger food platters.

Ingredients 

• 4 tablespoons of divided butter 

• 1 large thinly sliced onion

• 2 sprigs, with 1/4 teaspoon of fresh thyme

• Salt (Preferable Kosher)

• Black pepper, freshly ground 

• 12 halved slider buns

• ½ Kg of thinly sliced deli roast beef

• 12 slices provolone cheese

• 1/4 tablespoon of garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon of minced clove garlic

• 180 grams of low-sodium beef broth

• 1 tablespoon of classic Worcestershire sauce

Cooking instructions

Melt 2 of your 4 tablespoons of butter into a skillet over a medium to high heat plate. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Add your onion and thyme sprigs with a light seasoning of both salt and pepper. Keep stirring while you cook for about 15 minutes. Once the mixture becomes caramelised remove the thyme.

Place the bottom halves of your slider buns onto a large baking sheet and top with your caramelised onions, roast beef, provolone cheese and slider tops.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and use it to lightly brush the top and bottom of your sliders. Sprinkle over with parsley, coarse salt and garlic powder. Bake for about 10 - 15 minutes. Your sliders will be ready when the cheese starts to melt and they are warmed all the way through.

Serve alongside au jus sauce.

Tropical Parmesan Brussels Sprouts Salad

While we can understand that making a Brussel Sprouts salad may be a daunting task. Our particular recipe is designed to be served with as little prep as possible. This recipe, topped with a scintillating combination of toasted almonds, shaved Parmesan, and pomegranate seeds, is the perfect vegetarian dish that anyone can enjoy. 

What's more, this salad works exceptionally well when combined with cold ham slices.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

• 5 tablespoons of lemon juice

• 30 grams of freshly chopped parsley

• Salt (preferably Kosher)

• Black pepper, freshly ground

• 1 Kg of halved and thinly sliced Brussels sprouts 

• 30 grams of chopped toasted almonds

• 30 grams of pomegranate seeds

• Shaved Parmesan, for serving

Cooking Instructions

Using a medium-sized salad bowl, whisk your olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, 1 tablespoon of pepper and 2 tablespoons of salt together. Once properly stirred, add your Brussel Sprouts and toss until completely coated. 

Let them sit for no less than 20 minutes and at least 4 hours before serving. Be sure to keep tossing your salad on every occasion before finally serving your dish. Make sure to fold in your almonds and pomegranate seeds and garnish with shaved parmesan before finally serving.

Boxing day Gourmet Festive Croque Monsieur

This breakfast sandwich is absolutely packed with an abundance of delicious flavours perfect for the morning after your Christmas dinner or lunch. Translated as "Mister Crunch" in French, add a fried egg on top to add texture and even more flavour to this exquisite dish. However, if you are looking to keep the flavours in check, consider replacing the pungent taste of the Gruyere with a milder Comté for a more delicate palette.

Ingredients - a three-parter

For the Mornay Sauce

• 1 tablespoon of butter

• 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour

• 2/3 of a cup or 100 millilitres of full cream milk

• 1/4 tablespoon Pinch kosher salt

• 1/4 tablespoon of black pepper, freshly ground

• 20 grams of shredded Gruyère or Comté

For the Croque Monsieur

• 4 slices of thick brioche or country bread

• 2 tablespoons of softened butter

• 2 tablespoons of whole-grain Dijon mustard

• 1/2 of Mornay sauce (homemade)

• 6 thin slices of ham

• 60 grams of shredded divided Gruyere or Comté

For the Eggs

• 1 tablespoon of butter

• 2 large eggs

• Maldon, for sprinkling

• Black pepper, freshly ground

Cooking Instructions

Before assembling your Croque, you'll need to start with your sauce. Preheat your oven to 180°C and start preparing your Mornay in a small saucepan over medium heat and melt your butter. Adding flour, stir until you notice the fragrance of the mixture. This should occur in at least a minute of prep. 

Whisk in your milk, salt, pepper, and add a little nutmeg for good measure until it comes to simmer. Keep whisking until your sauce thickens. This should take a further 2 - 3 minutes depending on quantity. Remove from your heat source and stir in either Gruyere or Comté. Let stand for cooling for a further 10 minutes. 

The main course - start your preparations with a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Toast your bread on both sides until a slight golden texture forms. Using 1 tablespoon, spread your butter on each slice. Flip over and spread each with 1 tablespoon of mustard and Mornay sauce. Top the mustard spread bread with 3 slices of ham, ¼ cup of Gruyere or Comté. Evenly spread your remaining slices with 2 tablespoons of Mornay and lightly sprinkle with Gruyere or Comté.

Move your skillet over to the oven and let it cook until the topped cheese starts to melt and the top of the Croque is nice and golden. This process should take 15 - 18 minutes. 

Preparing your eggs - using a nonstick pan or skillet over medium heat, melt your butter and crack your eggs in. Let them fry for at least 3 minutes or until the white starts to set. Season with salt and pepper and top each sandwich when they are ready to be served.

Read our previous article here: ​​https://www.hamiltons.co.za/news/last-minute-travel-websites-that-go-the-extra-mile/  

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