Served warm and filled with sugar and spice, it’s easy to see why this traditional Mexican Christmas punch is a holiday-season staple in Mexico.

SERVES 10 // COOKING TIME 45 min

INGREDIENTS
3½ L water
3 cinnamon sticks
3 cloves
1 orange peel
4–5 hibiscus tea bags
1 cup brown sugar
6 apples, chopped
4 pears, chopped
6 guavas, chopped
¾ cup seedless prunes
½ cup raisins
Rum, brandy or tequila, to serve

METHOD
1. Bring the water to a boil, along with the cinnamon, cloves, orange peel and tea.
2. Add sugar and the fresh and dried fruit. Simmer over a low heat for at least 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the sweetness.
3. Serve warm with your choice of rum, brandy or tequila.

Recipe: Nicola Naudé
Styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

While this Christmas punch is an excellent pairing for your festive lunch, Christmas Eve deserves something a bit more extravagant, like our cherry martinis.

The post Enjoy your roast with this traditional Mexican Christmas punch appeared first on MyKitchen.

We all dream of a world where we can have our cake and eat it too. But if we had to have all the cake we wanted (read: everyday), it wouldn’t fit too well into our plan of living a relatively healthy and balanced life. So what are we then to do when it comes to choosing between dessert or that after-work cosmo? Well, why not just throw it in with the batter!

By Jana du Plessis

BOOZY BUSINESS

Boozy desserts are nothing new. Remember your grandma’s old recipe for brandy tart? But it’s time for them to become a little more elegant and modern. Pretty much any alcohol can be added to a deliciously baked good as long as you don’t add too much and you pair the flavours well. Vodka might be tasty in the form of a ‘melktertjie’ shooter, but adding half a cup to your milk tart won’t have the same drool-worthy effects. Using alcohol in your dessert should subtly complement the sweetness and induce a moist, fudgy crumb in cake and brownies, while creating a whimsy flavour for creamy or custard-like desserts.

PICK YOUR POISON

To choose your booze, you need to assess the type and flavour of dessert you would like to make. We recommend beer and red wine for anything with cacao. The richness of the chocolate will be elevated by the maltiness of the beer, and need we explain the match of dark chocolate and red wine? We love using beer in cakes and brownies, and sometimes even reduce the beer to add to a sweet, sticky caramel before adding to our baked goods. As for the red wine, perhaps these poached pears will tickle your taste buds?

For creamy desserts like tiramisu or cool desserts like ice cream and granita hard liquors like vodka, rum and liqueurs will create a balance and cut through each cream-filled bite. But do be aware that the alcohol doesn’t freeze well, so don’t add too much to your frozen desserts.

EASE INTO IT

If pouring alcohol straight into your dessert leaves you feeling a little uneasy, start with only adding some to sauces for your puddings. A brandy-spiked caramel for your apple tart, or a rum and raspberry sauce for your ice cream. Then you can also experiment with an Amarula chocolate drizzle or a hazelnut-flavoured whipped cream. Open the bar, let your imagination go and share your creations with us in the comments!

The post Drinks or dessert? Let’s just have both! appeared first on MyKitchen.

We are back to a traditional eggnog recipe with this one, raw egg and all. Although raw eggs have no negative health implications, many people don’t like the taste. In our recipe, we mostly use the whipped egg whites for that lovely texture this jolly drink is known for. So if you aren’t into that as an option, feel free to swap them out for unsweetened whipped cream.

SERVES 8 // COOKING TIME 20 mins, plus overnight

INGREDIENTS
750 ml milk
250 ml thick cream
3 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla pod, seeds only
1 tsp nutmeg, extra to garnish
5 eggs, separated
130g sugar
180 ml dark rum or bourbon

METHOD
1. In a pot, combine milk, cream, cinnamon, vanilla seeds and nutmeg. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Take off the heat.
2. Beat egg yolks and sugar until combined and thick ribbons form when the whisk is lifted. (Save the egg whites for later.)
3. Add the milk mixture slowly, whisking until  it is smooth. Add rum or bourbon.
4. Pop in the fridge overnight for the flavour to develop. It will keep for up to 3 days.
5. Before serving, beat the egg whites until soft peaks. Fold into the eggnog until combined.
6. Sprinkle with extra nutmeg.

The post A traditional eggnog appeared first on MyKitchen.