You’ve been served! Serving dishes certainly aren’t limited to fancy affairs. Plate up in style to turn every meal into a special occasion with these items from @home and home.co.za. Plus, MyKitchen magazine readers get an exclusive discount when buying selected editor’s choice products online when using the voucher code in your latest copy of MK. 

1. S&P Palais Footed Cake Stand

2. Rialheim Small Grey BLTG Curved Plate

3. Madeira Raw Wood Round Platter

4. S&P Opal Platter

5. Madeira Round Dip Platter

6. S&P Matte Black Square Platter Bowl

The post Become the ultimate host with these serving dishes appeared first on MyKitchen.

Create this decadent salted caramel and pear tart for a cosy winter dinner party that your guests will never want to leave!

SERVES 8 // COOKING TIME 3 hours

INGREDIENTS
For the lattice top
400 g roll shortcrust pastry
For the salted caramel
¾ cup sugar
½ cup cream
125 g unsalted butter, cubed
2 tsp Maldon sea salt
For the pear tart
400 g roll shortcrust pastry
4 pears, peeled, cored and quartered
¼ cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp cornflour
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp almond essence
½ tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp butter
1 egg, beaten

METHOD
For the lattice top
1. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to about 3 mm thick.
2. Dip cookie cutters in flour and cut out your desired shapes. Arrange them on a plate. If you need to layer the shapes, separate them with baking paper. Place in the freezer.
3. Use a ruler to cut long strips of pastry, mixing it up with thin and thick strips. Work quickly to prevent the dough from getting warm.
4. Place the lattice strips on a plate in the fridge (not the freezer) until you are ready for final assembly. They must be cold but still flexible.
For the salted caramel
1. Combine ¼ cup water and the sugar in a pot over medium heat. Swirl to help the sugar dissolve.
2. When the sugar turns a golden colour, remove from the heat and add the cream. Swirl until it stops bubbling, then add the cubes of butter. Whisk until the butter has been incorporated.
3. Add the salt and set aside.
For the pear tart
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 20 cm loose-bottomed quiche tin.
2. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to about 3 mm thick. Line the tin with the pastry and place it in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
3. In a pot over medium heat, mix the pears, sugar, lemon juice, cornflour, cinnamon, and vanilla and almond essence. Simmer for 6–7 minutes, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the butter and remove from the heat.
4. Bake the pastry case for 30 minutes, until golden.
5. Remove from the oven and spread the caramel over the bottom of the pastry case. Place the pears on top.
6. Using a pastry brush, apply a very thin layer of beaten egg around the rim of the pie. Begin to lay out the lattice. Lay down each piece in both directions to get an idea of what the finished design will look like. Once you are satisfied, trim the edges to fit neatly and arrange the strips so they are interlaced.
7. Once the lattice is finished, create a decorative border with the shapes you cut out. Brush the backs of your shapes with egg to act as a glue.
8. Brush the pastry with a thin layer of egg wash, avoiding the filling.
9. Bake the pie for 30–35 minutes, until golden. Serve with whipped cream.

Recipe & styling: Diane Heierli
Photography: Christoph Heierli

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Entertaining just got a whole lot more fun with this rosé sangria with peaches and honey! You can prep this the night before to get infuse properly and serve it to your guests with some snack platters.

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 10 min

INGREDIENTS
4 peaches
½ cup gin
3 tbsp honey
2 bottles rosé

METHOD
1. Cut the peaches into bite-sized pieces. Freeze for 1 hour.
2. Mix the gin and the honey until well combined.
3. Stir the peaches, gin mixture and rosé until combined.
4. Transfer to a glass bottle or individual mason jars. The frozen peaches will keep the drink cool.

Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

The post End of summer rosé sangria with peaches and honey appeared first on MyKitchen.

Rooibos is one local ingredient we can never stop being thankful for, not only for its taste, but also for its diversity. Use it to cool down this weekend by making our tipsy rooibos iced tea.

SERVES 5 // COOKING TIME 15 mins, plus chilling and infusing time

INGREDIENTS
6 rooibos tea bags
5 cm ginger, peeled and sliced
Handful mint
Peel and juice of 1 lemon
90 ml honey
100 ml white rum
Mixed berries, to serve
Lime, sliced, to serve

METHOD
1. Place 1L boiling water and the tea bags in a jug. Add ginger, mint and lemon peel. Leave to cool.
2. Add lemon juice and honey. Infuse in the fridge overnight.
3. Strain the tea and add rum.
4. Serve over ice with berries and lime slices.

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It’s Friyay, and after a long week of deadlines and gym and meetings – you deserve a drink! Watermelon is in season so we’re using our favourite summer fruit as the base for this refreshing, boozy cocktail.

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 5 mins, plus cooling time

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp caster sugar
3 cm ginger, roughly chopped
4 cups roughly chopped watermelon
1½ cups rum
¼ cup lemon juice
2 cups ice

METHOD
1. To make the ginger syrup, mix the sugar and 2 tbsp boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Add the ginger and leave to infuse and cool, then strain out the ginger.
2. Blend the watermelon, rum, lemon juice and ginger syrup until liquefied. Add the ice and blend again for about 5 seconds to crush.
3. Divide between 6 glasses and serve.

The post Watermelon and ginger punch appeared first on MyKitchen.

Before we even start, the first thing you need to do is to choose your ingredients wisely. Ditch the prawns and fillet, and focus on cost-saving economical ingredients that will fill the gap and delight your guests. Go for traditionally cost-effective meat cuts such as silverside, or think outside the box with a pasta buffet. Let’s get started!

In the bar

1. If it’s on special, stock up! Look out for discounts and promotions at your local bottle store and stock up on supplies.

2. Didn’t use it? Take it back. Most stores will accept returns on unopened stock as long as the labels are intact. So make you’re only putting bottles on ice as required.

3. Making a bowl of punch is much more cost-efficient than having an open bar, especially if you’re trying to cater for everyone’s tastes.

4. Timing is key and you could get away with hosting a brunch or lunch party as opposed to an extravagant dinner. People drink less earlier in the day, which will save you money.

5. BYOB! Seeing as you’re supplying and cooking the food, ask your guests to bring their own drinks. This way, you don’t have to bust the bank and they’ll be drinking what they enjoy most.

On the table

1. Inexpensive brown paper makes for an attractive table runner. Tie serviettes with raffia to continue with the rustic theme and put out coloured chalk or pens and encourage your friends to get creative on the paper.

2. Don’t worry about buying expensive fresh blooms for your table. When flowers start to droop, ditch the vase and scatter the petals across your table. Or set out some cute potted plants that you can enjoy for months to come. Alternatively, summer’s luscious leaves make a striking change.

3. Instead of centrepieces, display fresh fruit on the table. Your guests can enjoy something sweet all throughout the meal and it will add some lovely colour to the table, cutting your decor costs considerably.

The post Cost-saving entertaining the MK way – because every cent counts! appeared first on MyKitchen.