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Serves 6

Little morsels from the sea smothered in Thousand Island Dressing and garnished with Salmon Caviar.

500 g pink prawns (shelled)
Ina Paarman's Lemon & Black Pepper Seasoning
½ cup (125 ml) Ina Paarman's Thousand Island Dressing
1 head of butter lettuce
200 g salmon trout ribbons
50 g salmon or lumpfish caviar

Bring 2 cups of water to the boil. Add the (still frozen) prawns. Bring back to the boil and cook for only one minute. Immediately strain through a colander and season lightly with Lemon & Black Pepper Seasoning. Leave to cool. Can be prepared the day before.

Toss with the dressing just before needed.

TO ASSEMBLE

Line 6 tulip shaped glasses with two or three of the centre leaves from the butter lettuce. Top with dressed prawns, salmon trout ribbons and salmon caviar.

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Serves 6

Roast duck is prized for its delicious skin and moist meat. Cooked correctly, the fat drains out and the duck will be light and delicious.

You can stretch one duck to serve six if you also serve the Sage and Onion Forcemeat Balls with Bacon and Sundried Tomatoes as a second meat dish.

1 x 1½ - 2 kg Peking duck - excellent ducks from The Duck Farm. Available from Pick and Pay and Checkers
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Seasoned Sea Salt
1 T (15 ml) potato, rice or cake flour
1 x smallish orange, cut into quarters
a handful of lemon thyme
Ina Paarman's Sticky Marinade - use some for basting and some for the sauce

STICKY ORANGE SAUCE

½ cup (125 ml) water
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Chicken Stock
¼ cup (60 ml) frozen orange juice concentrate
¼ cup (60 ml) medium sherry (optional)
2 t (10 ml) potato flour
1 orange to garnish

Defrost the bird if frozen. Remove the giblets. Reserve the liver for the Forcemeat Balls and place the rest of the giblets in the roasting pan, under the rack to give flavour to the sauce. Trim off the very tips of the wings and cut away and disgaurd the oily preen glands situated on the parson's nose at the very end of the backbone.

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Season the duck inside and outside with Seasoned Sea Salt and rub the skin with the potato flour - this together with the salt helps to crisp the skin. Prick the skin all over with the point of a cooks knife, a trussing needle or sharp braai fork to allow excess fat to drain out during roasting. Stuff the cavity with the orange quarters and thyme.

Tie the legs and wings with string so that they sit snugly against the body.

Place a roasting rack over a big oven roasting pan and pour four cups of boiling water into the pan. (The water will prevent oily smoke in your oven).

Position the duck on the rack, breast side up. Roast, uncovered for 1½ hours until the skin is brown and crisp. Turn the oven down to 180°C. Now start basting with the Sticky Marinade. Cook and baste for a further 30 minutes.

Remove the duck from the oven - tent lightly with foil or greaseproof paper and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.

Pour all the fat out of the pan, but retain any liquid and brown bits that remain. Put the pan on top of the stove over high heat. Add the water and Chicken Stock Powder. Scrape with a flat tipped wooden spoon to loosen all the tasty bits sticking to the pan. When the water has been reduced by approximately half, add ½ cup (125 ml) Sticky Marinade, frozen orange juice concentrate and sherry. Boil fast for approximately 3 minutes until the flavours have blended.

Adjust the thickness of the sauce with a mixture of potato flour and a little water.

TO SERVE:

Garnish duck with orange slices briefly dipped in the sauce. Do not pour the sauce over the duck but present it at the table for guests to help themselves.

HOW TO CARVE THE DUCK

• Using a well sharpened carving knife, cut through the skin between leg and body. Use the point of the knife to force the thigh away from the body and look for the leg joint. Cut through joint, separating leg. Slice off the other leg in the same way.
• Turn bird about 450C to the right. With the point of the knife, make an incision along the top of the breast. Follow the angle of wishbone until you reach the wing bone. Now feel with the point of the knife for the wing joint. Bring down the blade to cut through the wing joint. Separate wing and breast in one piece.
• Slice breast into smaller pieces.

MAKING IN ADVANCE

The duck can be roasted the day before and the sauce made and refrigerated.On the day put the duck back in the oven at 180°C for 20 minutes and reheat the sauce in the microwave.

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Makes 12

These single serve portions are so easy to dish up. They taste even better the next day. Serve warm or at room temperature. Leftovers go beautifully with salads and sandwiches.

250 g chicken livers and one duck liver if available
3 T (45 ml) butter
2 t (10 ml) grated lemon rind
1 x 100 g Ina Paarman's Poultry Stuffing
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Garlic Pepper Seasoning
250 g pork sausage meat
250 g lean minced beef
1 egg
2/3 cup (166 ml) cold water
250 g streaky bacon
1 x 240 g Ina Paarman's Sundried Tomato Quarters

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Butter a muffin pan very well or use a non-stick pan. Check the livers and remove any membranes. Cut into quarters for easy stir-frying. Warm a frying pan, add butter and when hot and foamy add the livers. Sauté until livers are nearly cooked. Remove from heat and add lemon rind, dry Stuffing Mix and Garlic Pepper Seasoning. Stir to blend and leave to stand until cool.

Mix the pork sausage meat, minced beef, egg, cooked liver mixture and cold water. Mix first with a knife and then with one hand until just evenly blended.

Line the muffin pans with criss-cross bacon slices and place a Sundried Tomato Quarter in the middle.

Divide the meat mixture between the hollows and bring the bacon strips up and over. Place muffin pan in a larger pan filled with hot water to halfway up the sides.

Bake for one hour in a gentle oven. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

May be served warm or at room temperature.

VARIATION: Add ½ cup roughly chopped pecan nuts.

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Serves 6

Choose Mediterranean or red-skinned potatoes with their firm golden flesh for the best taste. Remember that roast potatoes must be served as soon as possible when roasted.

8 medium sized potatoes, peeled
1/3 cup (80 ml) oil
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Reduced Salt Garlic & Herb Seasoning
½ t of turmeric (for an attractive golden colour)

Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes in lightly salted water and drain. Score potatoes down the length with a fork to fluff up the outside. Mix the oil, Reduced Salt Garlic & Herb Seasoning and turmeric, roll and roast potatoes in this mixture. Roast for about an hour with the duck until golden brown and crispy.

IF PRE-PREPARING:

The potatoes can be prepared and marinated in the oil in the morning or even the day before but they must be roasted and served as soon as possible.

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Serves 6

This delicious fresh green vegetable dish is a particular favourite with my family.

350 g baby marrows, cut into slices on the diagonal
200 g mange tout or sugar snap peas, cut in half lengthways to form julienne strips
1 T (15 ml) olive oil
2 cups (500 ml) frozen petits pois
Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning

Toss the baby marrows and mange tout with the oil and steam until just soft but still bright green, or micro-steam for 6 minutes. Add the frozen petits pois and steam until heated through or microsteam for a further 5 minutes. Season and serve.

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Serves 6

A recipe with many advantages. It can be prepared in advance - even the day before, but best of all, it brings all those wonderful old-fashioned flavours of honey, butter and cinnamon back to the modern dinner table.

1 medium (800-900 g) butternut, peeled and cubed
¼ cup (60 ml) honey
2 T (30 ml) butter, melted
1 t (5 ml) cinnamon
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Meat Spice
1 lemon
¾ cup (180 ml) hot water
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Vegetable Stock Powder
½ cup (125 ml) pecan nuts, finely chopped

Toss the butternut with the honey, butter, cinnamon, Meat Spice and two teaspoons lemon rind, grated from the lemon. Dish into a medium small buttered ovenproof dish. Dissolve the Vegetable Stock in the hot water and add one tablespoon of lemon juice. Carefully pour it in on the side of the dish so as not to wash off the coating on the butternut. Cover with cling film and refrigerate if pre-preparing.

Preheat oven to 190°C. Sprinkle nuts over and bake for 35-40 minutes until the butternut is soft and nuts are crisp.

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Serves 12

A fantastic dessert to have on your Christmas Table! See Chef's hints at the end of the recipe.

4 egg whites = ½ cup (125 ml)
2 t (10 ml) lemon juice (use a fresh lemon)
1 cup (220 g) castor sugar
baking paper

Preheat the oven to 140°C and line two large oven trays with baking paper. Mark out five circles of varying sizes, one of 25 cm, one of 20 cm, one of 15 cm, one of 10 cm and one of 5 cm.

Do not use a plastic mixing bowl. Glass, copper or stainless steel is best. Wipe the bowl out with the cut side of the lemon and then dry it with clean kitchen paper. Rinse your beaters in boiling water to make sure there is not a speck of grease on them.

Stand the bowl on a dishcloth. Beat the egg whites just until bubbles form. Add the lemon juice. Beat vigorously on high speed while turning the bowl with your one hand.

When the whites form peaks and the points of the peaks stand up and just fold over when you lift the beaters you can start adding the castor sugar tablespoon by tablespoon. Continue beating and adding the sugar slowly until the mixture becomes very thick, heavy and shiny.

Test a little of the mixture by rubbing it between two fingers. If you can feel sugar granules you still need to beat a little longer. Glue the corners of the paper to the pan with a little of the meringue mixture.

Fill the circles with meringue (see tip on how to keep centre open in meringue disk). Make a few extra little meringues and use the best one to crown the tree. Bake straight away for 1 hour at 140°C and then another 30 minutes at 120°C , switch off the oven and leave in the oven with the door closed to cool down completely.

The meringue will be piled up, from the biggest to the smallest disk, with the Cheesecake filling and strawberries in between.

CHRISTMAS CHEESECAKE FILLING

¾ cup (95 g) 125 g Christmas fruitcake mix
6 green and 6 red glace cherries
½ cup (125 ml) sherry or orange juice
1 cup (250 ml) cold water
3 T (45 ml) lemon juice
1 x 250 g Ina Paarman's Lemon Cheesecake Mix
1 cup (250 ml) fresh cream

Soak the fruit in the sherry for an hour or microwave on high for 1 minute. Allow to cool.

Measure the water into a medium size mixing bowl. Add lemon juice. Sprinkle the Cheesecake Mix over and beat until well blended.

In a smaller mixing bowl, whip the cream until stiff. Using the same beaters, re-whip the cheesecake mixture for 1 minute until smooth. Gently fold the soaked fruits and whipped cream into the cheesecake mixture using a spatula or metal spoon. Stir until evenly blended. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using it to sandwich the meringue layers together.

TO DECORATE THE TREE

± 500 g strawberries
200 g blueberries
± 10 stemmed cherries in syrup
Strawberry leaves if available

CHEF'S TIPS:

• THE BASE
  1 round foil and foam cake board ± 1 cm thick and 28 cm in diameter
  1 sosatie stick
  Make a hole in the exact centre of the board and force the blunt end of the sosatie stick into it.
• TO KEEP CENTRES OPEN IN THE MERINGUE DISKS
  With a sawing motion cut the narrow ends of 2 icecream cones, starting from the pointed end, into 1½ cm long pieces. Cut a small cross into the exact centre of each paper circle and push the piece of cut cone from the bottom up through the cross. This will keep a hole open when spreading the meringue on the paper in the circles.
• TO STOP THE CAKE FROM SAGGING UPON STANDING
  Push 3-4 marshmallows into the Cheesecake Mixture quite close to the centre. They help to support the next layer. (You will need about 15 marshmallows).
• TO PRE-PREPARE AND FREEZE
  Omit the fruit. Layer the cake with Cheesecake layers and marshmallows as described. Cover straight away with clingfilm or foil. Freeze for up to 2 weeks.
• TO SERVE AND DECORATE A FROZEN CAKE
  Remove cake from the freezer 30 minutes before needed. Whip one cup of cream until stiff with 1 teaspoon of dry gelatine powder mixed with 1 tablespoon of castor sugar. Pipe cream here and there to hold berries and cherries in place.
• OTHER SPECIAL OCCASION APPLICATIONS
  Decorate with fresh flowers for a wedding or birthday.

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