Beetroot recipes

Braaied beetroot

1½ hours

Easter recipes

Bourbon caramel pears

25–30 minutes

Chocolate recipes

Zabaglione Easter eggs

20 minutes

Chocolate recipes

Mashed potato doughnuts

1 hour, plus 55 minutes’ rising time

Braai recipes

Maple-smoked salmon

15 minutes

Easter recipes

Hot cross buns with pickled fish

5 minutes

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Tres leches tray bake

1 hour

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Chocolate lager cake with hot cross bun cream cheese icing

45 minutes

Christmas recipes

Slow-cooked leg of lamb

7 hours

Cocktail recipes

Hot cross bun cocktail

10 minutes

Easter recipes

Buttermilk-marinated lamb

2½ hours

Cocktail recipes

The hot cross bun martini

The hot cross bun martini

By Jeanne Calitz

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

For the spiced sugar syrup:

100 g sugar
½ cup water
1 cinnamon stick
fresh ginger, to taste
1 star anise
a few cloves

For the cocktail:

ice, for mixing
3 T vodka (or gin)
1 T spiced syrup
1 T dry vermouth
2 T clear apple juice (optional)
orange peel, for garnish

Method

1. Prepare the spiced sugar syrup in advance: simmer sugar and water with 1 cinnamon stick, sliced fresh ginger, 1 star anise and a few cloves.

2. Strain and chill; the syrup will keep well in the fridge*.

3. To a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add vodka (or gin), spiced syrup, dry vermouth and clear apple juice. Shake, pour, and garnish with orange peel.

Cook's note: *Alternatively: add a dash of syrup to brandy, whisky or cognac on ice for, quite possibly, the perfect autumn nightcap.

Find more cocktail recipes here.

Photograph: Andrea Van Der Spuy
Production: Bianca Strydom
Food assistant: Irinja Bekker

Easy, butter-roasted tomato-and-sausage spaghetti

Sweetcorn tamarind soup

Pork cacciatore

Braaied beetroot

Bourbon caramel pears

Zabaglione Easter eggs

Mashed potato doughnuts

Maple-smoked salmon

Hot cross buns with pickled fish

Tres leches tray bake

Chocolate lager cake with hot cross bun cream cheese icing

Slow-cooked leg of lamb

Hot cross bun cocktail

Buttermilk-marinated lamb

The hot cross bun martini

The hot cross bun martini

Ingredients

Method