Still looking for a juicy feast to take centre stage at the Christmas dinner table? You and your guests won’t be able to resist this pork belly with roasted hazelnut and cranberry stuffing!

SERVES 6–8 (depending on the size of the pork belly) // COOKING TIME 3 hours 20 min

INGREDIENTS
½ cup dried cranberries, chopped
10 g chopped thyme
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ cup hazelnuts, roasted and chopped
1 apple, diced
1 egg
50 g butter, melted
1 deboned piece of scored pork belly, measuring roughly 35 × 25 cm
1 tbsp salt

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. Mix all the stuffing ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Spread the mixture along the centre of your pork belly, leaving a 2–3 cm gap on the ends (the stuffing will be pushed out to the edge when you start rolling).
4. Tie up the belly – start in the middle and then work outwards, with each tie being roughly 1.5 cm apart.
5. Before roasting, sprinkle salt all over the top of the belly.
6. Roast for about 2–2½ hours, until a golden crackling forms on the outside.
7. Allow the belly to rest for 30 minutes before carving.

Recipe & Styling: Diane Heierli
Photography: Christoph Heierli

The post Pork belly with roasted hazelnut and cranberry stuffing appeared first on MyKitchen.

Simple and comforting or souped-up and indulgent, there’s nothing quite like a mug of proper hot chocolate. By ‘proper’, we mean made the old-fashioned way: Real chocolate stirred into hot milk until it melts, creating a thick, rich, creamy cup of happiness. Sugar and other flavourings might be added – with no powdered milk in sight.   

1. Carob hot chocolate

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS
2 cups full-cream milk
2 tbsp carob powder
2 tsp vanilla essence
Sweetener (optional), to taste

METHOD
1. Warm the milk and carob powder over medium heat, stirring well.
2. Add the vanilla and sweetener, if using.

2. Hazelnut hot chocolate with toasted marshmallows

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS
2 cups full-cream milk
½ cup Nutella
¼ cup mini marshmallows

METHOD
1. Bring milk and Nutella to a simmer over medium heat, whisking until smooth.
2. Preheat oven grill and line a baking tray with tinfoil. Place the marshmallows on the baking tray and grill until golden, about 30 seconds.
3. Serve the hot chocolate topped with toasted marshmallows.

3. Peanut butter hot chocolate

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS
2 cups full-cream milk
1 cup double-thick cream, plus extra, whipped, to serve
150g milk chocolate
¼ cup smooth peanut butter

METHOD
1. Bring the milk and cream to a simmer over medium heat.
2. Add the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Leave on the heat until thick and creamy, about 5 minutes.
3. Add peanut butter and whisk until it is completely smooth.
4. Serve with the extra whipped cream.

4. Red velvet hot chocolate with cream cheese whipped cream

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS
For the hot chocolate
2 cups full-cream milk
2 tbsp sugar
135g dark chocolate
1 tsp red food colouring
½ tsp vanilla essence
For the whipped cream
2 tbsp double-thick cream, chilled
60g smooth cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp vanilla essence
Pinch of salt

METHOD
For the hot chocolate
1. Bring the milk and sugar to a simmer over medium heat.
2. Reduce to low heat and add chocolate, colouring and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
For the whipped cream
1. Whip the cream until soft peaks form.
2. In another bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt. Fold in the whipped cream.
3. Serve with cream cheese whipped cream.

5. White chocolate and lavender hot chocolate

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS
2 cups full-cream milk
½ tsp dried lavender
¼ cup white-chocolate chips
Whipped cream, to serve

METHOD
1. Bring milk and lavender to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring.
2. Strain the milk to remove the lavender and return to low heat.
3. Add the chocolate chips and whisk until melted and smooth.
4. Serve with whipped cream

The post 5 ways with hot chocolate appeared first on MyKitchen.